Top News:
Bob Hohler / Boston Globe:
Inside the collapse — Dedication waned, unity unraveled, and manager lost influence as a once-inspiring Red Sox season ended in epic failure — With their team in peril and their manager losing his authority, three Red Sox pitchers last month were uniquely positioned to prevent …
RELATED:
Jerry Spar / WEEI:
D&C: THEO HAS 5-YEAR DEAL WITH CUBS — WEEI's John Dennis reported Wednesday morning that Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has agreed with the Cubs on a five-year deal worth more than $15 million. — According to Dennis' sources, the Red Sox granted the Cubs permission to talk with Epstein late last week.
Steve Buckley / Boston Herald:
Theo Epstein on brink of joining Cubs — + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email — Two baseball sources have confirmed that Theo Epstein is on the cusp of leaving his job as general manager of the Red Sox [team stats] to accept a position with the Chicago Cubs that is believed …
Craig Calcaterra / HardballTalk:
Report: Theo Epstein agrees to a five-year deal with the Cubs — John Dennis of WEEI just reported that Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has agreed with the Cubs on a five-year deal worth more than $15 million. This is a huge moment for the Cubs. Franchise-altering.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, VFTB, Pirates Prospects and The House That Dewey Built
Andrew Marchand / ESPN:
Brian Cashman: ‘I have a job’ … NEW YORK — With Yankees general manager Brian Cashman's current contract scheduled to run out at the end of the month, would he be interested in the new Boston Red Sox opening? — “I have a job,” Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com on Wednesday. — Cashman is expected to keep that job.
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily and ESPN.com
Alex Speier / WEEI:
HEIR APPARENT: HOW BEN CHERINGTON EMERGED AS THEO EPSTEIN'S LIKELY SUCCESSOR — It was a time when general managers had suddenly been turned into the iconic faces of franchises. — The Red Sox had engaged in a public and dramatic courtship of Billy Beane, the GM who was quickly coming …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Fox Sports:
Report: Epstein agrees to deal with Cubs — FOX Sports — It looks like Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is off to try to end another curse, reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Chicago Cubs. — Epstein, who was granted permission to talk to the Cubs last week, is expected to accept a deal worth …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Epstein not out the door — yet — Major league sources said tonight that no deal is in place for Theo Epstein to join the Chicago Cubs in an upper management capacity. But a resolution is expected in the coming days. — Epstein is weighing the decision and is not necessarily a lock to leave the Red Sox after nine seasons.
Discussion:
Baseball Nation, Over the Monster, MLB Daily Dish, HardballTalk, The LoHud Yankees Blog and joy of sox
Noah Trister / Associated Press:
Fister, Martinez help Tigers pull to 2-1 in ALCS — DETROIT—Victor Martinez slowed his home run trot to barely a jog, stepping gingerly around the bases after hurting himself with a big swing. — The banged-up Detroit Tigers are teetering but still standing, thanks to Martinez …
Discussion:
Reuters, Bless You Boys, Lookout Landing and Globe and Mail
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Evan Drellich / MLB.com:
Beltre's knee is hardest hit as sluggers struggle
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball
Chris Cox / MLB.com:
Texas must brush aside Comerica Park woes
Discussion:
Beyond the Box Score and Bless You Boys
Richard Durrett / ESPN:
Rangers' Napoli at DH for break from catching
Discussion:
Bats, MLB and Yahoo! Sports
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
The 3-year, $100 Million Offer — In a post for SI.com, in which he lists the 10 worst contracts in baseball, Joe Posnanski writes: … It makes sense. And, it's interesting Joe brings this up, because the buzz out of Miami suggests this is exactly what the Marlins are thinking of doing …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
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Kuiperfan / Joe Posnanski:
The Worst Contracts in Baseball — Dan Quisenberry said many wonderful things in his too-short life, but probably the most famous is his line about the future. “I've seen the future,” he said, “and it's much like the present, only longer.” — A version of that quote kept popping …
Discussion:
Tedquarters and We Should Be GMs
Bob Klapisch / NorthJersey.com:
Yankees' killer instinct appears to have vanished — NEW YORK - Joe Girardi spent a lot of time Tuesday talking about how much “luck” goes into winning a championship. It's a popular anesthesia, meant to keep fans from feeling bitter about early round losses in the playoffs.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and It's About The Money
Chris Jaffe / Hardball Times:
Silver anniversary: the Donnie Moore-Dave Henderson game — 25 years ago, one of the most famous (or infamous) games in baseball history occurred. On Oct. 12, 1986, the greatest pair of LCS of all-time were underway. In the ALCS, the Angels appeared to be on the verge of their first pennant in franchise history.
Discussion:
Halos Heaven and baseballmusings.com
Philly.com:
Phillies GM wants smarter, more productive at-bats — ON THE WHOLE, he'd have rather been in Milwaukee. — Which is where Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. - Philly born, Philly bred - would have been yesterday if his team had advanced to the National League Championship Series instead …
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Daily / Philly.com:
Amaro: ‘This is a championship caliber lineup’
Discussion:
The Good Phight, Phillies Nation and MLB Rumors
Joe Eskenazi / SFWeekly:
Giants Get Sued Over Team's “San Francisco” Logo — It was a deeply dissatisfying year on the diamond for the World Champion San Francisco Giants, who seemingly gave up hits and runs for Lent and toppled right out of playoff contention. So it was eerily symbolic — if no less frustrating …
Discussion:
San Francisco Giants
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Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Williams considered Konerko for Sox manager — While team captain wasn't interviewed, he was in candidate mix — CHICAGO — Picture this scenario at the first full-squad White Sox workout of Spring Training at Camelback Ranch next February. — Paul Konerko takes his physical and then joins …
Discussion:
South Side Sox
RELATED:
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Williams briefly considered Konerko as player-manager
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Baseball Nation, HardballTalk and Deadspin
