Top News:
Baseball America:
Monday Morning Mock Draft — When Royals officials went to bed Sunday night, they still didn't know whose name they'd call with the No. 1 pick in the draft Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. Insisting money wouldn't be the determining factor, they still were debating the merits of North Carolina …
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Bryan Smith / Sports Illustrated:
MLB Mock Draft — Royals will avoid p.r. nightmare, take UNC's Miller — Tuesday's Major League Draft may have a shortage of hitters, but what it lacks in talent it makes up for in intrigue as uncertainty has lingered at the top for months. When the selections are announced, here are the 30 names you should expect to hear first.
Joe Posnanski / Kansas City Star:The Royals' No. 1 dilemma — The only consensus on first pick is that KC better be right
Discussion:
Purple Row
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Lester may have big plans for weekend — DETROIT — There was no official announcement from the Red Sox, but all signs point to 22-year-old Jon Lester making his major league debut Saturday in Fenway Park, when the Red Sox play a day-night doubleheader against the Texas Rangers.
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Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Clement, Red Sox tame Tigers — Pitcher rebounds as offense shines — DETROIT — With Matt Clement temporarily quieting the debate over whether he is still qualified to pitch in the big leagues, represent the city of Boston, and retain membership in the human race …
John Tomase / Boston Herald:
Schilling: Yanks skipper keeps team afloat — DETROIT - Curt Schilling stopped to watch ESPN before yesterday's game against the Tigers. A graphic happened to include the Yankees. — "That's your manager of the year right there," Schilling said. "Joe Torre has done an unbelievable job.
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Knight Ridder:
Milledge's theatrics get Giants' attention — Rookie high-five fans following his game-tying homer in the 10th inning — notebook — NEW YORK — New York Mets fans raised a fuss Sunday over Lastings Milledge. The Giants could have done the same, in a much more negative way, had they chosen to do so.
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Will Carroll / Baseball Prospectus:
Under The Knife — The Tipping Points — With apologies to Malcolm Gladwell, there are tipping points in each major league season. The Astros were dead and buried last season. We kept waiting for the White Sox to turn into pumpkins and they never did. Did the turn of the page to June cause some tipping point to be crossed?
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Kat O'Brien / Dallas Star-Telegram:
Benoit is baffled by recent struggles — CHICAGO - If Joaquin Benoit knew what he was doing wrong, he'd fix it. — If Benoit knew what had led to his giving up runs in each of his past six relief appearances for the Rangers, causing his ERA to swell from 2.55 to 5.61, he would stop making that mistake.
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Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Laird earning playing time — CHICAGO - Gerald Laird's status changed Sunday. No longer does Rangers manager Buck Showalter search for occasional off-days for catcher Rod Barajas. He searches for ways to get Laird into the lineup. — Laird is making the most of every opportunity he gets to play.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Vic Feuerherd / madison.com:
Brewers notes: Yost says 'Don't panic' — MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Brewers currently face so many difficult questions that manager Ned Yost resorts to one simple answer: — "Don't panic." — When posed with the expected questions about his slumping team Sunday, in particular closer Derrick Turnbow …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Tom Haudricourt / JSOnline:Notes: Yost plans to keep Turnbow as team's closer
Discussion:
Cincinnati Reds
Zachary Levine / MLB.com:
Bay named NL Player of the Month — The honors keep coming for Jason Bay — almost as fast as his home run balls are leaving the ballpark. — After receiving National League Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks, Bay was named National League Player of the Month for May.
Discussion:
Where have you gone …
ESPN:
Pujols lands on DL with 'moderate to severe' injury — ST. LOUIS — This is a much larger challenge for the St. Louis Cardinals: Albert Pujols will be out indefinitely with a strained muscle on his right side. — Pujols, last year's NL MVP and this season's major league leader in home runs and RBI …
Associated Press:
Businessman aims to have Israel in 2009 WBC — CBS SportsLine.com wire reports — JERUSALEM — Israel has few world-class baseball players, its fan base is minuscule and the country has only one full-size baseball diamond. — Yet American businessman Larry Baras is determined …
Discussion:
The Griddle
D-Mac / Philadelphia Will Do:
The Phillies Are Total A**holes (And That's Awesome) — First, a video of Chase Utley from yesterday's game: — To be honest, there was no real need for Utley to ram the catcher there. He could have simply slid and made it safe — it seems — but Utley was going for the kill when he left third base …
newsnet5.com:
Officials: Boyfriend Kills Founder Of Indians Player Fan Club — Friends Say Boyfriend Was Jealous Type — TOLEDO, Ohio — One of Grady Sizemore's biggest fans, who routinely made the trip from Toledo to Jacobs Field, was found shot to death over the weekend. She was apparently a victim of a murder-suicide, officials said.
Jay Mariotti / Chicago Sun Times:
Fairy-tale ending for Maddux? Get out of town! — He didn't come here to pitch like Cy Old, punch water jugs and allow six runs a start. Greg Maddux returned to Cubdom because he believed in the romantic notion that he could bring his story full circle, that he was being summoned …
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
Fox Sports:
Your one-third of the season award winners — The 2006 season is almost a third of the way over. — Contenders and pretenders are being sorted out, and individual performances are beginning to take a more meaningful shape. Armed with this semi-adequate data sample …
