Top News:
Bob Klapisch / ESPN:
Pressure on A-Rod will be intense in October — It was in January 2005 when George Steinbrenner opened the door to his Legends Field offices and invited Alex Rodriguez in for a chat. This wasn't a conversation as much as it was a job review — actually it was a history lesson, and the Boss did all the talking.
RELATED ITEMS:
NY Daily News:
Giambi's still needling — Time to get off A-Rod's case — The money quote, from Jason Giambi, is right there on the cover of Sports Illustrated, like a fastball under Alex Rodriguez's chin. — "Alex doesn't know who he is," Giambi says of A-Rod, the SI cover boy.
Sports Illustrated:
Despite loss to Blue Jays, Yankees clinch ninth straight AL East title — TORONTO (AP) -Derek Jeter poured champagne over Joe Torre's head. Johnny Damon swigged whiskey from a bottle. Robinson Cano ambushed teammates with beer. — The New York Yankees celebrated their ninth straight AL East title like they'd never won it before.
Baseball America:
Major Changes In Triple-A Fall Into Place — It's official: Three of the longest-standing affiliations in the minor leagues are coming to an end in the International League, with the announcements of new player-development agreements in Columbus and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
RELATED ITEMS:
Rich Radford / Virginian-Pilot:
Tide turns in favor of Orioles — With each passing day, odds that the Norfolk Tides will affiliate with the Baltimore Orioles increase. — On Wednesday, one of the Tides' main suitors opted to go elsewhere. — Seeing the Orioles as frontrunners in a perceived two-horse race to land Norfolk …
Discussion:
District of Baseball
NY Daily News:
Yankees pick Scranton, Mets beg to turn Tides — The Mets asked David Wright to place a late-night call to Triple-A Norfolk owner Ken Young after their loss to Florida last night. But the last-ditch effort to prevent the Mets from losing Wright's hometown team as their affiliate appeared unlikely to work.
Associated Press:
Yankees' top minor league team to move to Scranton — SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — The New York Yankees reached an agreement Thursday to make the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons their Triple-A affiliate, after ending their relationship with the Columbus Clippers earlier this year.
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Ortiz launches No. 50; Twins blast Red Sox — Just a single raised fist, rounding first base, accompanied David Ortiz on his historic run. Just that fist, up for no more than a second, before he made his solitary way around second, around third, across home.
RELATED ITEMS:
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:Papi lights up dark night — Ties Foxx, but loss helps NY
Discussion:
Boston Sports Media Watch
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Clement not too open to closing — Of all the tasks facing the Red Sox this winter, finding a closer will be near the top of the list. No incumbent pitcher has been ruled out, according to club officials, so it is not a big surprise that Matt Clement is a candidate.
RELATED ITEMS:
Paul Hagen / Philly.com:
Philadelphia Phillies — If Phillies fans were as casually vicious or as unthinkingly, unblinkingly negative as their stereotype suggests, Pat Burrell would have been booed as soon as he stepped to the plate in the first inning. — Heck, if Phillies fans were going to live up to their spit …
Discussion:
The Good Phight
RELATED ITEMS:
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Rangers eliminated with 6-3 loss — ARLINGTON - There is only one hitch in the Rangers' desires to etch Robinson Tejeda into their starting rotation for 2007: He has yet to win a game in Texas. — That's a pretty significant issue. — In a 6-3 loss to Seattle on Wednesday …
RELATED ITEMS:
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Why Santana isn't the AL MVP … Johan Santana is the most talented, most charismatic, most dominating pitcher in this hemisphere. And that's something we should all be able to agree on, except perhaps for certain members of Roy Halladay's immediate family.
Discussion:
SBG, The World's …
Kevin Cowherd / Baltimore Sun:
Aparicio ready to lead chagrined O's fans in protest — You say you've had it with the Orioles this time. — You've had it with nine straight losing seasons. With another meaningless September. With a jewel of a ballpark that sits empty and forlorn, except when it's invaded by thousands …
Mark Newman / MLB.com:
Relive all the magic with Clinch Time — Download playoff-assuring games for free at MLB.com — The first celebration scene happens on the field, where giddy players release all of that pent-up emotion from a marathon Major League Baseball season and pile on top of each other after clinching a championship.
Discussion:
The Griddle
Shaun Powell / Newsday:
Wilpon deserves all the credit — A wealthy, genteel and proper gentleman who's probably used to drinking his bubbly from a crystal flute instead took it straight from the bottle, and had it all dumped right on his head. Don't be misled; Fred Wilpon was not drunk the other night, at least not from liquor.
Discussion:
Always Amazin'
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Team, Duffy disagree on winter ball — By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — LOS ANGELES — The Pirates have told Chris Duffy they would like for him to play winter ball, but Duffy has responded that he has no wish to do so. — Potential for another rift between the team and its starting center fielder?
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Soraya Nadia McDonald / Associated Press:
Royals manager takes medical leave of absence, return indefinite — KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Royals manager Buddy Bell is taking a leave of absence to treat a growth discovered near his left tonsil. — The Royals announced the move during the ninth inning of their game against …
Discussion:
The Griddle
