Top News:
Keith Law / ESPN:
Insider Intel: 2009 World Series — Joe Girardi's decision-making could be the ultimate key in the Fall Classic — STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME Become an Insider Today — It's geographically unbalanced, but otherwise, Philadelphia Phillies versus New York Yankees is about as good a World Series matchup …
Discussion:
Baseball Analysts, River Avenue Blues, Fack Youk, It's About The Money, ESPN and Associated Press
RELATED:
Craig Calcaterra / Circling The Bases:
Major League Baseball is lying about Jay-Z — OK, this is really, really, petty in the grand scheme of things, but since Bud Selig hates it when teams announce actual news while the World Series is happening, this will have to tide us over. If you want, you can skip to the bottom to get my World Series prediction.
Discussion:
Phillies Nation, New Jersey Online, Walkoff Walk, Boston Globe, NY Daily News and WBNS-TV
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:JAY-Z and Alicia Keys Performances Moved to Game 2 of World Series Due to Weather
Discussion:
New Stadium Insider
Greg Risling / Associated Press:
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt accuses wife of affair — LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on Wednesday filed papers opposing his wife's demand to be reinstated as the team's chief executive, citing insubordination and an affair she allegedly had with her bodyguard.
Discussion:
LA Times Sports Blog
RELATED:
TMZ.com:
Jamie McCourt Pulls Divorce Trigger — UPDATE: Jamie is demanding some serious spousal support — asking for $320,967 per month if her job is reinstated. — But if she doesn't get her old job back, Jamie wants $487,634 per month. — Frank McCourt — owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers …
Houston Mitchell / LA Times Sports Blog:Highlights from the Jamie McCourt divorce papers
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Sam Borden / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Bruney, Hinske added; Guzman, Cervelli off — The Yankees just released their World Series roster and RHP Brian Bruney has been added, along with pinch-hitter Eric Hinske. Pinch-runner Freddy Guzman and third catcher Francisco Cervelli were removed. — Dropping Cervelli indicates …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
World Series: New York Yankees add Brian Bruney, Eric Hinske to roster — NEW YORK — The Yankees have made two roster changes for the World Series, adding right-handed reliever Brian Bruney and utilityman Eric Hinske. — Pinch-runner Freddy Guzman and catcher Francisco Cervelli were dropped Wednesday.
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
Hinske, Bruney on Yankees roster; Guzman, Cervelli off — Emphasizing extra pitching and a power bat to pinch-hit, the Yankees will submit a World Series roster that will add Brian Bruney and Eric Hinske and remove Francisco Cervelli and Freddy Guzman, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Fack Youk, Bronx Baseball Daily, River Avenue Blues, The iYankees Blog and The Yankee Universe
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Things to know about the Series, more notes (cont.) — Manny not leaving Mannywood — Manny Ramirez is planning to exercise the $20 million player option that returns him to the Dodgers for 2010. His original plan was to shop around, but after a year in which he was suspended for 50 games …
Mike DiGiovanna / LA Times Sports Blog:
Gary Matthews Jr. wants out of Anaheim — While three Angels headed for free agency — Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Abreu and Chone Figgins — have expressed publicly a desire to return to Anaheim, one player who has two years remaining on his contract has no desire to return to the Angels in 2010.
Discussion:
Halos Heaven, FanGraphs Baseball, New York Mets Fan Blog, Circling The Bases and Sports Blog Net
RELATED:
Jfay / Cincinnati Reds:
From Sarasota to Lynchburg (sort of) — The Reds are selling the their Florida State League affiliate to the Pirates. The Sarasota Reds will become the Bradenton Reds. — To replace the high Single-A team, the Reds will take over the Pirates' Lynchburg team in the Carolina League.
Brian McTaggart / MLB.com:
Red Sox bench coach was skipper in Minors for 11 years — HOUSTON — Astros general manager Ed Wade's respect for Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona runs deep, so it wasn't surprising that the club leaned on Francona heavily for advice and wound up tabbing someone from his staff to lead the Astros into the future.
Discussion:
MLB FanHouse
RELATED:
Justin Hren / Club Seat:
Mark McGwire's Five-Step Approach To Hitting — The Mac is back! Big Mac, Mark McGwire is back with the Cardinals to be their hitting coach. McGwire has always been a fan favorite in St. Louis, but it's almost a written fact that he took steroids throughout most of his career.
RELATED:
Dick Kaegel / Royals Beat:
Royals not likely to pick up option on Crisp — Ten days after the World Series the Royals have to make decisions on their players with contract options and that includes catcher Miguel Olivo and center fielder Coco Crisp. — It's a club option on Crisp and it doesn't take any genius …
Wall Street Journal:
Stars and Stats Align for the Yankees — As the World Series gets under way in New York, we asked an astrologer, a statistician, a Las Vegas oddsmaker, a computer, a former major-league manager and a baseball analyst to predict the outcome of the series. The Yankees are favored from Las Vegas to Mars, but not in Philadelphia.
RELATED:
Bill Conlin / Philly.com:
Comparing Phillies, Yankees lineups the right way — IN A WORLD SERIES comparison, a Tale of the Tape tradition dating to 1903 has matched the combatants by position. — While that gives a picture of relative strengths on an individual basis - third basemen Mike Schmidt and George Brett …
Discussion:
ESPN
Globe and Mail:
Robert MacLeod — It was an arduous hunt for sure - more than a year in the making - but Paul Beeston has finally found the best man to head up the Toronto Blue Jays. — Himself. — The 64-year-old confirmed yesterday what many had been anticipating for months - that he has decided …
