Top News:
Bob Ryan / Boston Globe:
Masked man rides to the rescue — Any skilled professional can catch Curt Schilling or Josh Beckett. But is Doug Mirabelli the only man on this planet who can catch Tim Wakefield? — We know this much: He did it with aplomb for 4 1/2 years, and the five games Wakefield had thrown …
RELATED ITEMS:
Murray Chass / New York Times:
Fix Is In, on Scoreboard and Behind Plate — JOHN HENRY, the Red Sox' principal owner, is in the investment business and obviously knows something about numbers. Tom Werner, the chairman, is in television production and lives on Nielsen numbers. Larry Lucchino, the chief executive …
Discussion:
Yanksfan vs Soxfan
Chris Snow / Boston Globe:
Epstein spells out his defense of move — Theo Epstein and his former mentor, Kevin Towers, routinely exchange e-mails and phone calls, most social, some business. A round of business exchanges began about a week ago and intensified after Thursday's game, in which Josh Bard allowed four passed balls.
Chris Snow / Boston Globe:
Drama club — Ortiz steals show as Sox produce a win — Mike Myers had faced David Ortiz just twice (0 for 2) before their eighth-inning encounter last night, when the Red Sox' impregnable DH came to bat with his team ahead of the Yankees by one run and two runners aboard.
Discussion:
The Sports Frog
Eric Wilbur / Extra Bases:Wake up call — Doug Mirabelli didn't directly answer …
Discussion:
Deadspin
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Notes: Cards stick with thin 'pen for now — La Russa has just six relievers, only one lefty at his disposal — CINCINNATI — The Cardinals are sticking with 11 pitchers for the time being, but that's far from a permanent arrangement. With a trip to Houston following the current series in Cincinnati …
Discussion:
The Transaction Guy
RELATED ITEMS:
Robert Falkoff / MLB.com:
Mulder aims for 100th career victory — St. Louis (17-8) at Cincinnati (17-8), 6:10 p.m. CT — Milestones are nicer when they are accomplished during victories. In Mark Mulder's case, it's going to take a victory if he's going to achieve a milestone on Monday night in Cincinnati.
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nats Throw One Away on Error in 9th — NEW YORK, May 1 — The play won't show up on the splashy back pages of the tabloids, for that territory this week will belong to the Yankees and the Red Sox, the two teams receiving postseason hype for a three-game series in May.
RELATED ITEMS:
Mark Herrmann / Newsday:
Floyd working hard to find way out of darkness — There really is a light at the end of the tunnel. Cliff Floyd can see it clearly, which is more a commentary on the brightness of the light than on how close he is to the end. — Floyd truly believes this Mets team is good, and if he didn't, he would say so.
RELATED ITEMS:
Associated Press:
Padres-Giants Preview — One week after suffering through a season-worst five-game skid, the San Diego Padres try to win three straight contests for the first time this year when they conclude a two-game series with Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants .
RELATED ITEMS:
Washington Post:
Lerner Expected To Get Nationals — Barry, Orange Say Developer Lacks Real Minority Input — Major League Baseball is likely to award ownership of the Washington Nationals to a group led by Bethesda developer Theodore N. Lerner, after efforts by District politicians and others to steer …
RELATED ITEMS:
Darren Rovell / ESPN:
This card costs 'cause you aren't supposed to have it' … Alex Gordon has yet to play a single game in the major leagues and yet his rookie card is the hottest in all of baseball, selling for as much as $2,550 in recent weeks. — Is Gordon the Kansas City Royals' next great player? Could be.
Discussion:
The Baseball Card Blog
Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Notes: Willingham happy to be in left — Outfielder also enjoys batting behind slugger Cabrera — MIAMI — Years of waiting for a big-league chance is paying off for Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham. — A slugger throughout his Minor League career, Willingham was blocked of a big-league break the past few seasons.
Discussion:
FishStripes
RELATED ITEMS:
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Clemens Still Undecided, and Cashman Won't Push Him — BOSTON, May 1 — Brian Cashman exchanges e-mail messages with Roger Clemens now and then. But Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, insists he will not pester Clemens about returning to the Yankees. — Clemens, a free agent …
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
Metstradamus / The Musings and Prophecies …:
Guilty Pleasures And Whammies — Why must one shoulder the weight of the world on his shoulders full of guilt? — Because a game was won on an error? — HA! — Mets fans are long past that kind of guilt. — Why feel guilty? You make your own breaks.
Shore / The Good Phight:
Clutch: What the Numbers Say — By twist of fate, I had just completed loading all of the available play-by-play Retrosheet data into a shiny new database when I noticed yet another "Clutch" slash "Bobby Abreu" thread on PhilliesPhans.com. I decided to test out my new toy …
Jay Jaffe / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Hit List — Week of April 30 — Kill the Ump! It's a sentiment nearly as old as the game itself, and while it's not meant to be taken literally, it's nevertheless true that the men in blue are the outlet for a good deal of the frustration we fans express.
John Hickey / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Mariners Notebook: The joke's on Hargrove — Latin players get manager to bite on boycott prank — MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Hargrove didn't have a heart attack Monday. — But some of his players, intent on playing a practical joke on him, thought he came close.
Newsday:
Ask Anthony — Newsday's Anthony Rieber answers your e-mails on the Mets, Yanks and the rest of MLB — One observation after spending the better part of last week at Yankee Stadium: Boy, do Yankees fans love Bernie Williams. — Unless the first 20-odd games of the season are a mirage …
Steve Henson / Los Angeles Times:
Broxton Gets Elevated as Carter Is Demoted — PHOENIX — Attention minor league pitchers. Want to be called up to the big leagues? Follow the formula of Jonathan Broxton. — Don't allow a run the first month of the season. — And it doesn't hurt when a pitcher on the major league club …
