Top News:
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
Gonzalez unlikely to return to D-Backs — Veteran outfielder informed that team will not pick up option — PHOENIX — Luis Gonzalez's tenure in a Diamondbacks uniform will come to an end Oct. 1 when the club closes out the 2006 season against the Padres at Chase Field.
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Bob McManaman / Arizona Republic:
Gonzalez, D-Backs part ways — Gonzo is going, going, gone. — Luis Gonzalez's tenure with the Diamondbacks will end after this season. Club officials informed the popular left fielder on Thursday they have no intention of bringing him back for a ninth season in 2007, The Republic has learned.
Discussion:
AZ Snakepit
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
Gonzalez unlikely to return to D-Backs — Veteran outfielder informed that team will not pick up option — PHOENIX — It appears Luis Gonzalez's time in a Diamondbacks uniform will come to an end Oct. 1, when the club closes out the 2006 season against the Padres at Chase Field.
Discussion:
Out in the Desert
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
A BERNING IDENTITY CRISIS — BERNIE Williams sought out Joe Torre yesterday to ask his manager if here - less than three weeks until Game 1 of the playoffs - the Yankee manager could explain his role. — Torre could not. He told Williams that, in essence, this is spring training …
Discussion:
The Weblog That Derek Built, New York Times, Pride of the Yankees, Newsday, Hartford Courant and NY Daily News
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Mark Feinsand / MLB.com:
Yanks win sixth straight, finish off Rays — Cano drives in three runs as club's magic number drops to six — NEW YORK — The Yankees inched closer to a division title on Thursday night, finishing off a three-game sweep of the Devil Rays. — Robinson Cano drove in three runs …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Hicks wants to keep Young around — But shortstop, signed till '08, in no hurry to negotiate extension — ARLINGTON — Rangers owner Tom Hicks said Thursday that signing shortstop Michael Young to a contract extension is a priority for the club in the offseason.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
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Kat O'Brien / Dallas Star-Telegram:RANGERS NOTES — Slump sends Blalock off course
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
ESPN:
Report: Liriano's MRI shows no new structural damage — Minnesota Twins fans can relax a little bit for the moment. Francisco Liriano's MRI shows no new structural damage to his left elbow, two sources told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. — Liriano's MRI results were very similar …
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Ian Browne / MLB.com:
DiNardo set to face O's — Boston (77-68) at Baltimore (63-82), 7:05 p.m. ET — Lenny DiNardo will become latest member to take a turn on Boston's starting rotation carousel on Thursday night, when he takes the ball in the finale of a three-game series against the Orioles.
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Spencer Fordin / MLB.com:
Notes: No news is good on labor front — Gibbons says issues being discussed on regular basis — BALTIMORE — Four years ago at this point in the season, baseball's collective bargaining agreement was the hot-button topic that trumped everything between the lines. An election cycle later, it's almost a non-issue.
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Associated Press:
RHP Benson wants to remain in Baltimore — CBS SportsLine.com wire reports — BALTIMORE — Kris Benson intends to talk the Baltimore Orioles' front office during the offseason before making a decision on returning to the team in 2007. — Benson was traded from the New York Mets in January.
Discussion:
Camden Chat
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Notes: Barrett braces for return — Cubs backstop taking necessary precautions against injury — CHICAGO — Cubs catcher Michael Barrett saw a doctor on Thursday in hopes of getting the go-ahead to resume activities so he can play again this season. — Barrett has been sidelined since Sept. 2 …
Discussion:
GROTA
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Toni Ginnetti / Chicago Sun Times:
Rusch out of danger, but clot keeps him in hospital — Serious injuries keep felling the Cubs, with pitcher Glendon Rusch the latest to face what could have been a life-threatening blood clot discovered Tuesday night. — The left-hander is out of danger after being taken …
Discussion:
cubs posts
Yahoo! Sports:
An eight-month probe uncovers evidence that Reggie Bush and his family appear to have accepted improper benefits from prospective agents while at USC. — An eight-month Yahoo! Sports investigation has revealed that Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush and his family appear …
Yahoo! Sports:
Mets to activate and start RHP Martinez on Friday — PITTSBURGH (Ticker) - The New York Mets are on the verge of clinching their first division title in 18 years. They also can celebrate the return of ace righthander Pedro Martinez. — The Mets will activate Martinez from the 15 …
Discussion:
The Griddle
Bill Simmons / ESPN:
Building the halls of justice — Editor's note: This article appears in the September 25 issue of ESPN The Magazine. — There are six elements in sports that simply don't work: sideline reporters, All-Star voting, MVP voting, Halls of Fame, WNBA players participating in NBA All-Star Weekend …
