Top News:
Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Notebook — Angels, Rockies — ANAHEIM ANGELS — The Angels aren't a team that can field an offense full of .375-OBP boppers, but one of their virtues is an emphasis on depth and flexibility. Back in January, they announced a lineup shuffle that would return Darin Erstad to center field …
Discussion:
Futility Infielder …
RELATED ITEMS:
Paul Harris / MLB.com:
Notes: New faces added to roster — Two players called up from Triple-A, inserted into lineup — DETROIT — Two players who began the previous day in the Minors were in the starting lineup and making their Major League debuts in Thursday afternoon's game against the Detroit Tigers.
Discussion:
Watching All Angels
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:First Impression Is Not a Winner — Angels try Kendrick …
Discussion:
Mack Avenue Tigers
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Wood returns soon, but not as staff savior — Cubs starter plans on being just 'one more guy in the rotation' — PHOENIX — The Cubs announced Kerry Wood will make his first rehab start Sunday at Class A Peoria, the place where he began his rehab from shoulder soreness last July.
Discussion:
1060west
RELATED ITEMS:
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Glavine goes up against Pirates — Pittsburgh (8-21) at New York (18-9), 7:10 p.m. ET — Tom Glavine has started 609 games in the big leagues, Paul Maholm nine. No member of the Mets has faced Maholm. Fourteen of the Pirates have faced Glavine — a total of 167 at-bats.
RELATED ITEMS:
Dallas Morning News:
Chat transcript: It's a love affair with John Koronka — Evan Grant: OK, all it's 11 a.m. I'm fully recovered from another walkoff Rangers win - they are becoming awfully common these days - so let's answer some questions! — Jason Lustig: In his wildest dreams, could Jon Daniels have envisioned John Koronka of pitching this well?
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Lboros / Viva El Birdos:
dazed, confused — april seems like a lonnng time ago, dudnit? — can't pin this one entirely on marquis; he pulled himself together and kept em within range. but a 3-0 hole is a bad place to leave any team when roy oswalt's pitching. and no matter who's on the mound …
RELATED ITEMS:
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Lerners to buy Nationals from MLB — Family-led ownership group has long ties to DC — After a yearlong search and decision-making process, Major League Baseball has sold the Washington Nationals to a group headed by Theodore and Mark Lerner. — The news was given to the Ted Lerner …
RELATED ITEMS:
Deadspin:
Down Goes Bonds! — We can't help thinking today about the "Seinfeld" episode in which a disgruntled boyfriend tries to insult Elaine by telling her she has a big head. At first it doesn't bother her, until birds begin slamming into her head as if it's too big to avoid.
Jeff Goldberg / Hartford Courant:
An Uphill Battle Since Hitting Hill — BOSTON — The world will probably never know if Josh Beckett's pitch into Aaron Hill's shoulder blade two weeks ago in Toronto was intentional. What is indisputable is that Beckett has not been the same pitcher since.
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
Darren Rovell / ESPN:
Baseball won't bother to certify Bonds ball … When Barry Bonds hits home run No. 715 and moves into second place on the all-time list behind Hank Aaron, the lucky fan who catches the ball might have a hard time proving it's the real thing. — That's because Major League Baseball …
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Wily comfortable with Mo time in CF — Some fans might be confused, but that indeed was Wily Mo Pena settling comfortably under a fly ball for the first out of last night's 7-6 Red Sox loss, hit by Toronto's Alex Rios to medium center field. — Even for a big guy, Pena looks a lot …
Michael Morrissey / New York Post:
PIRATES MEET THE ENDY — May 4, 2006 — You might have never guessed it, but Endy Chavez boasts a pretty sizable fan club - charter members include Pedro Martinez, Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya ... even Steve Phillips. — And Chavez' fan club grew even bigger during last night's 4-3 …
Fox Sports:
Pujols may be best ever by time he's done — At this moment, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols leads the National League in a bevy of offensive categories. — To wit, Pujols tops the loop in home runs, RBI, runs scored, slugging percentage, total bases and extra-base hits.
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Notes: Leyland shuns media attention — Team's Skipper hopes Tigers' success inspires fans — DETROIT — Don't ask Tigers manager Jim Leyland about national attention. To him, the most significant sign about the Tigers' success is word of mouth. — So when Leyland heard Tiger talk …
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
Baseball America:
2006 Baseball America Prospect Handbook — AVAILABLE NOW. SHIPPED USPS PRIORITY MAIL. The 2006 Prospect Handbook is the definitive annual reference title on prospects. This book profiles the top 30 prospects in each organization - 900 prospect reviews in all!
Daedalus / Church of Baseball:
Losing one game is not the end of the world — While I was watching the blessed Reds get shutout by the Rockies and the Nats blow an awesome comeback in the ninth inning last night (yes, at the same time on the same computer screen), a friend of mine was dining next to Bono, Condi, and Queen Nour at Galileo.
Dave Studeman / Hardball Times:
Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week — Did you know... These are not last year's White Sox. — The World Series champion White Sox are first in the American League, with an 18-8 record, but this is a different team than last year's. — Last year, the bullpen had a 3.23 ERA. This year, it's 4.55.
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Notes: Leyland loves small ball — Veteran skipper doesn't want team to depend on home runs — DETROIT — The Tigers are on a historic pace for home runs at Comerica Park, but that's the last thing Jim Leyland wants his club thinking. — The more they homer, the more he seemingly worries about them relying too much on it.
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
RotoAuthority / MLB Trade Rumors:
Oliver Perez Available? — Here's a new one for ya, courtesy of Baseball Prospectus's Will Carroll yesterday: — "One rumor from the last few days is that Oliver Perez and Ryan Doumit are being dangled to the Phillies." — Would this deal make a good fit?

