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
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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StarTribune.com:
Same old story for Liriano — MRI shows mild tear of ulnar collateral ligament in lefthander's elbow — CLEVELAND - Those who feared the worst with Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano's arm injury could breathe a little easier Thursday. — Early indications from two sources …
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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David Heuschkel / Hartford Courant:
Manny Has It Made In The Fade — Seems To Laugh It Off As Sox Plummet — BALTIMORE — Even though the Red Sox have fallen out of playoff contention and he isn't playing, Manny Ramirez is having a blast. He's laughing in the clubhouse before the game. He's clowning around at the batting cage as the team stretches.
Spencer Fordin / MLB.com:
Loewen looks to mow down Sox — Boston (77-68) at Baltimore (63-82), 7:05 p.m. ET — The Orioles got one of their rarest gifts of the season Wednesday night: A victory over Boston. The Red Sox are 17-2 against Baltimore in the last 19 games in this series, but the O's can take a home series with a win on Thursday.
NY Daily News:
Until Rivera returns, it's not the same old cakewalk — The Yankees can't play Tampa Bay every night, so forget about the 1,000runs we were told to expect. They won't lead the league in home runs or doubles or triples. And the same goes for singles, no matter what Derek Jeter puts together these last few weeks.
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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
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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 …
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
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Wilson vows to shed weight, improve defense — By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Jack Wilson spent the past winter — five days a week, three hours a day and buckets of sweat — bulking up by 20 pounds in an attempt to stay stronger over the course of the long, hot summer.
pressboxonline.com:
The Last Laugh: Q&A with Peter Angelos — Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who has always met controversy head-on, sits down with PressBox publisher Stan "the Fan" Charles to answer some of the questions his team's fans are asking after the ninth straight losing season.
