Top News:
Associated Press:
23 first-time All-Stars debut as young stars emerge — PITTSBURGH — Ryan Howard's eyes widened when someone asked him about Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon. — "Nasty. Nasty, filthy stuff," the Philadelphia slugger said Monday. "His split-finger is ridiculous."
Discussion:
Mike's Baseball Rants
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Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Young All-Stars in Alignment — Mets third baseman David Wright during Monday night's All-Star Game home run derby. Wright reached the final, where he lost to Ryan Howard of the Phillies. — José Reyes knew David Wright did not care much for funky handshakes. It was just not his style.
Ken Rosenthal / Fox News:
Time to hand out some midseason hardware — The coolest thing about this year's awards races is that Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano might lose the American League Rookie of the Year award but win the Cy Young. — Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon, who didn't allow a run on the road until …
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Big Papi is baseball's new face — Red Sox slugger is no longer a diamond in the rough — PITTSBURGH — It was quite a scene Monday afternoon at All-Star media day, with flash bulbs clicking and bright lights hovering above and around the best baseball players in the world.
Dave van Dyck / Chicago Tribune:
Zambrano: Get off Baker's back, let him finish year — PITTSBURGH — Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs' lone All-Star representative, conducted most of his hourlong interview Monday in Spanish, but he also defended beleaguered manager Dusty Baker against what are perceived as media attacks.
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Mike Kiley / Chicago Sun Times:Wood wonders if 2005 surgery was wrong move
Discussion:
The Cub Reporter
Associated Press:
Guillen names Rogers AL starter, NL taps Penny — PITTSBURGH — Kenny Rogers has gone from all-star scourge to All-Star Game starter. — The Tigers' left-hander, the top winner for the team with the best record in the majors, will be on the mound for the AL on Tuesday night against Brad Penny of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Discussion:
WELCOME TO
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T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Penny gets All-Star starting nod for NL — Right-hander earns starting honors in first All-Star appearance — PITTSBURGH — Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz. — Those are the first three hitters that Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Brad Penny will face on Tuesday night.
Ed Eagle / MLB.com:
Liriano fills in for Contreras as All-Star — Twins southpaw finished second in AL Final Vote — PITTSBURGH — For Francisco Liriano, it was a case of "better late than never." — Liriano, the Twins' rookie sensation who was edged out by White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski in the 2006 Monster …
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Todd Zolecki / Philly.com:
One Phillies owner speaks out on team's struggles — PITTSBURGH - The Phillies have been bloodied and beaten on the field, and intensely criticized off it. — The starting pitching and hitting have been awful. Manager Charlie Manuel is feeling the heat.
Discussion:
Balls, Sticks, & Stuff
New York Post:
WAGS WOULD MORTGAGE FUTURE, BUT WILL OMAR? — July 10, 2006 — BILLY WAGNER turns 35 in two weeks and the Mets have a 12-game lead in the NL East. These are the pertinent numbers in the closer's baseball life. The short time he has left in the game and the wide lead his club has in its division.
Discussion:
Hot Foot
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Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Soriano a star likely on the move — PITTSBURGH — When Alfonso Soriano leads off for the National League in tonight's All-Star Game, he will wear his third uniform in the Midsummer Classic; before his current Nationals employ, he represented the Yankees and Rangers.
Joseph White / Associated Press:
Nats announce 'Grand Reopening' for old RFK … WASHINGTON // The lines are too long, the concourses are dirty, the food service is lacking, the music isn't fun, the prices are too high, the marketing is virtually nonexistent, and the team stinks. — While there's no quick fix for that last item …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Alan Robinson / Associated Press:
PNC Park a winner, but Pirates . . . Pittsburgh gets its ballpark right, but team is all wrong — PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh's steel-and-glass skyline is so close, it appears to hover over the right fielder's shoulder. There are three major rivers located about the length of a Jason Bay home run from the ballpark's boundaries.
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Paul Meyer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:Pirates Notebook: Will Bay follow Conine's footsteps?
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Abreu has experienced a power outage … PITTSBURGH — Here in this modern sports world, where we'd much rather believe in supernatural forces than reality, we love our curses. So it's time to ask a question we know you've all been wondering about pretty much 24/7: — Is there any such thing as a Home Run Derby Curse?
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
Melvin, D-Backs agree to extension — PITTSBURGH — The Diamondbacks have reached an agreement with manager Bob Melvin on a two-year contract extension with an option for the 2009 season, multiple baseball sources told MLB.com. — Negotiations began in early June, a source said …
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Memories and stories connect generations … The place: Camden Yards in Baltimore. The date: Sept. 6, 1995. — There are moments in baseball that couldn't possibly happen in any other sport. This was one of them. — Most baseball history is made with no notice, with no warning.
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Future Shock — Jay Bruce, of, Low Class A Dayton (Reds) — With the 10th, 11th and 12th picks of the 2005 draft, the Tigers, Pirates and Reds all took high school outfielders. Both Detroit's Cameron Maybin and Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen have been impressive in their full-season debuts, but Bruce has been the best of the trio.
