Top News:
Richard Durrett / ESPN:
Rangers fan dies after 20-foot fall — ARLINGTON, Texas — A fan who died Thursday after falling from the outfield stands while reaching for a ball thrown by Texas Rangers All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton has been identified. — The victim was Shannon Stone, a 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood, Texas.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball, SportsGrid, Sox #1 Fan dot com, Deadspin, Baseball Time in Arlington, It's About The Money, NESN.com and Halos Heaven
RELATED:
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Fan's pursuit of gift for son ends in tragedy — The closest I came to catching a baseball at a major league stadium was the year SkyDome opened. I was 9. Mauro “Goose” Gozzo, a rookie pitcher for Toronto, was trolling around the outfield during batting practice when a man standing next …
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog
SportsDayDFW sports / Rangers Blog:
Nolan Ryan discusses death: 4th fall in stadium history; 'one of the saddest things I've ever seen' — Rangers president Nolan Ryan discusses the incident of the death of a fan who plunged over an outfield railing trying to catch a baseball. — Ryan spoke Friday, the day after 39-year-old …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Foul Territory and Lone Star Ball
Richard Durrett / ESPN:
Coworkers mourn Shannon Stone — It was a difficult Friday morning for the Brownwood Fire Department as the 30-person staff gathered to grieve the death of Shannon Stone. — Stone, 39, fell over a railing in left-field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and landed on the concrete about 20 feet below.
Discussion:
USA Today and Baseball Nation
Richard Abshire / Dallas Morning News:
Rangers fan dies after falling over fence at Rangers Ballpark
Discussion:
USA Today, HardballTalk, Boston Globe, New York Times, The Big Lead, Baseball Nation, Rangers Blog, Deadspin and SportsGrid
Sports Illustrated:
Bothered by Dodgers' mess, Ethier may be thinking of Red Sox … Dodgers players generally deny that the team's ongoing financial troubles (a.k.a. the McCourt mess) are affecting them. But at least star right fielder Andre Ethier is said by several sources around the team to be unhappy with what's going on with the last-place team.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Mike Scioscia's tragic illness and NESN.com
RELATED:
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Ethier replaces Victorino on NL All-Star roster — LOS ANGELES — Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier, who finished second to Shane Victorino in this week's All-Star Game Final Vote, will replace the injured Victorino at next week's Classic in his Phoenix hometown.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and True Blue LA
Associated Press:
Alex Rodriguez Out of All-Star Game — NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez has pulled out of the All-Star game, joining his New York Yankees' teammates Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in missing the midsummer classic. — Rodriguez was elected by the fans to his 14th All-Star appearance.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com, Associated Press and Sports Illustrated
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David Pinto / baseballmusings.com:
Games of the Day — The Rays try to gain on the Yankees again as they send Jeremy Hellickson against Freddy Garcia. Hellickson has a tendency to give up home runs, which might be a problem against a power hitting team like the Yankees. Garcia allowed seven of his nine home runs in Yankee Stadium …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
Angels blog:
Angels promote Mike Trout from Double-A — In the manager's office after Thursday's game, Angels manager Mike Scioscia and GM Tony Reagins discussed their options for nearly 30 minutes after center fielder Peter Bourjos injured his hamstring in the eighth inning.
Discussion:
Pinstriped Bible …, River Avenue Blues, U.S.S. Mariner and It's About The Money
RELATED:
Mark Saxon / ESPN:
Angels call up outfielder Mike Trout, 19 — ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels promoted one of the top prospects in baseball, outfielder Mike Trout, from Double-A Arkansas, and he'll be in Anaheim in time to play in Friday night's game against the Seattle Mariners.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, FanGraphs Baseball and Minor League Ball
Joe Capozzi / Fish Tank:
Former catcher Chris Hatcher returns to Florida Marlins as a pitcher, first such move in 75 years — UPDATE: Just heard back from the Elias Sports Bureau, which reports that Hatcher will be the first catcher-turned-pitcher in the majors since Art Doll of the Boston Braves.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and The Huffington Post
RELATED:
Fox Sports:
Braves need some creative financing — The Braves, like most clubs, are near their payroll limit. But the team was in a similar position last season, and general manager Frank Wren still made two trades. — In both deals — the first for Royals reliever Kyle Farnsworth and outfielder Rick Ankiel …
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Talking Chop
Michael Vega / Boston Globe:
Pregame notes: Weiland to start Sunday — Red Sox manager Terry Francona reported this afternoon that Kyle Weiland would be called up from Triple A Pawtucket to pitch in Sunday's game against the Orioles. — Weiland, 24, of Albuquerque, N.M., will draw his first career Major League start …
Discussion:
joy of sox
Duk / Yahoo! Sports:
Joe Buck would ‘happily step aside’ for Vin Scully in World Series — A few weeks back, we gave the initial nudge to the online petition requesting that legendary announcer Vin Scully replace Joe Buck in the broadcast booth during this fall's World Series. — Not that the movement first founded by The Daily 'Stache needed much help.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and The Daily Stache
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Can't skip his place in Sox lore — Carl Yastrzemski is a recluse of sorts. Yaz isn't one for making appearances, shaking hands, and swapping stories about the good old days of 1967. He doesn't do many interviews and doesn't return many phone calls. Months can go by, and you won't hear back.
Discussion:
Patriot Ledger and Dan Shaughnessy Watch
Fox Sports:
Tragedy taught Palermo life lessons — ATLANTA, GA. — Twenty years later, Steve Palermo — then the No. 1 rated umpire in baseball — hasn't forgotten the slightest detail of those early morning hours, laying on the street outside a Dallas restaurant, shot by a mugger, uncertain he would see another tomorrow.
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
