Top News:
Baltimore Sun:
Orioles: Former pitcher Flanagan found dead — County police say investigation continuing, body not identified — Former Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan, a Cy Young Award winner who became a face of the franchise as a television announcer and top executive, died Wednesday afternoon, according to the Orioles.
RELATED:
Tim Kurkjian / ESPN:
Flanagan, a memorable man — Kurkjian: “No one made me laugh like Mike Flanagan. Tonight, he made me cry.” — ESPN.com … I have been frequently asked to name my favorite player or the funniest player that I have ever covered, and the answer to both questions has been the same since I first met Mike Flanagan in 1979.
Discussion:
ESPN.com, HardballTalk, Joe Blogs, Associated Press, Joe Posnanski, Baseball Nation and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Espn.Com / MLB:
Mike Flanagan found dead in Maryland
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Baseball-Reference Blog and Batter's Box Interactive …
Fox Sports:
Sources: Indians make claim on Thome — Twins designated hitter Jim Thome was claimed on waivers by the Cleveland Indians, while outfielder Jason Kubel was claimed by the Chicago White Sox, according to major-league sources. — The claims do not mean that either player will change teams.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, MLB Rumors, Let's Go Tribe, Twinkie Town and Chicago Sun Times
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Zack Meisel / MLB.com:
Tribe reportedly claims Thome off waivers — Conflicting reports indicate White Sox may have claimed slugger — CLEVELAND — Jim Thome played in Cleveland for 12 years, racking up a franchise-record 334 home runs. He might have the opportunity to add to that total.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish
Espn.Com / MLB:
Giants claim Padres closer Bell on waivers
Discussion:
Associated Press and Gaslamp Ball
Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com:
Liriano on 15-day DL with left shoulder strain — MINNEAPOLIS — Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left posterior shoulder strain after leaving Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Orioles after just two innings. — Left-hander Scott Diamond …
Discussion:
Twinkie Town and Yahoo! Sports
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Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon calls Detroit Tigers' barking over Sean Rodriguez's hustle ‘insane’ — ST. PETERSBURG — As odd as the ending to Wednesday's game was, manager Joe Maddon said it couldn't have been more fitting that Sean Rodriguez's extreme hustle was the key to the Rays' win.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Rays Index
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Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Friedman, Colletti, Cashman on Ricketts' radar — Randy Wells pitches in the first inning on his way to getting the victory Wednesday. Richard A. Chapman~Sun-Times — Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts is wasting no time gathering information on potential general manager candidates …
Discussion:
Mike Scioscia's tragic illness, MLB Rumors, DRaysBay, HardballTalk and Rays Index
Globe and Mail:
Yankees become first to hit three grand slams in a game — Curtis Granderson, Russell Martin and Robinson Cano each hit grand slams as the New York Yankees set a major league record with three grand slams in one game and pounded the visiting Oakland Athletics, 22-9, on Thursday afternoon.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and Athletics Nation
NY Daily News:
Martino: Winning means both Reyes & Wright — David Wright, once again left alone to carry his team, is batting .213 in August. Jose Reyes is set to play for the Mets Thursday night. The Binghamton Mets. This pair is imperfect. — Doesn't matter. The team must find a way to keep …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
RELATED:
Troy Renck / On the Rox:
Rockies claim on David Wright shows interest
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Denver Post and Mets Merized Online
Susan Slusser / San Francisco Chronicle:
Speculation about A's GM Billy Beane — New York — There is increasing thought among baseball people, including some who know him well, that A's general manager Billy Beane might consider an offer if the Cubs do approach him about their GM vacancy, as expected.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, MLB Rumors and Beaneball
Andy Martino / NY Daily News:
Phillies announcer, former All-Star Gary Matthews calls Mets ‘crybabies’ in 7-4 Mets victory — PHILADELPHIA - Injuries, and now insults. Jon Niese on the disabled list with a sore right rib cage, Scott Hairston soon to follow will rib problems of his own, Ronny Paulino with a toe that might be broken.
Discussion:
NorthJersey.com, MetsBlog.com, HardballTalk, ESPN and New Jersey Online
Sports Illustrated:
The long, strange journey of Brewers closer John Axford … “When you're serving peach belinis to a table and getting a two dollar tip,” Brewers closer John Axford was saying one afternoon in Pittsburgh, “you're not really thinking about getting to the big leagues and someday pitching in the World Series.
Aaron Gleeman / HardballTalk:
Ozzie Guillen on Peter Bourjos: “I've never seen a white man that can run that fast” — Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos has been one of the most underrated players in baseball this season, combining exceptional defense with surprisingly strong hitting to rank 11th among AL position players in Wins Above Replacement.
Discussion:
ESPN
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Joe Nathan Would Consider Trades — Joe Nathan has been a member of the Twins' bullpen since Minnesota traded for him late in 2003, but he'd consider moving on under the right circumstances. He told Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he'd look at possible deals on a case by case basis.
Discussion:
1500 ESPN Twin Cities and CloserNews
Richard Durrett / ESPN:
‘Fatigued’ starters concern Rangers CEO Ryan — ARLINGTON, Texas — After watching back-to-back blowouts, Texas Rangers president and CEO Nolan Ryan is starting to have concerns as the team's lead in the AL West has been cut to 2.5 games. — “I think I've learned about this ballclub …
Discussion:
Angels blog
Greg Beacham / Associated Press:
Weaver, Angels rout WSox 8-0 in 6th straight win — ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—The money didn't change Jered Weaver(notes). A day after he signed a lucrative new contract with the Los Angeles Angels, he was his inimitable, near-unhittable self on the mound. — And the way his teammates …
RELATED:
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:
Angels pound White Sox, gain on Rangers
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
