Top News:
George King / New York Post:
GIAMBI PLAYING WITH TORN WRIST LIGAMENT — Jason Giambi has a torn ligament in his left wrist that may require surgery after the postseason if it doesn't improve. — Giambi flew to New York with Joe Torre from Toronto early yesterday and was examined by hand specialist Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser …
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Mike Berardino / Sun-Sentinel:
Marlins' Girardi not coming back, source says — Joe Girardi, who guided the surprising Marlins into playoff contention despite baseball's lowest payroll, will soon be out as manager after just one season. — On a scale of 1 to 10, Girardi's chances of returning next year are "zero," …
Discussion:
FishStripes
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Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Strain sidelines Cabrera — · Third baseman Miguel Cabrera missed his second consecutive game Thursday with a sore left shoulder. — An MRI revealed a strained rotator cuff. Cabrera, who is unsure of how the injury occurred, is day-to-day. — Cabrera's best guess is he suffered …
Discussion:
FishStripes
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Notes: Attention doesn't faze Fuentes — Midseason stumble hasn't derailed Rockies closer — DENVER — Rockies closer Brian Fuentes shed his status as an unknown when he earned 31 saves last season. All in all, the Rockies believe he has handled recognition well this season.
Discussion:
Purple Row
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Tracy Ringolsby / Rocky Mountain News:
First pitch, September 22 — TOUGH LUCK — 7 blown saves for the Rockies bullpen in relief of Aaron Cook tied with Jarrod Washburn of Seattle for the most blown saves for a starting pitcher. The Rockies bullpen has a 7.26 ERA in relief of Cook, the highest for any starting pitcher with at least 10 starts.
Talking Baseball:
Angelos: Protesters have "no comprehension" of baseball costs — After a few months' hiatus, Talking Baseball is back in action. Bookmark the site, add the RSS feed to your favorite feed reader, check back often and comment. We'll start with everyone's favorite owner: Peter Angelos.
Discussion:
Deadspin
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John Brattain / Hardball Times:
Cy Burgh — Probably the only thing more up in the air than the National League playoff race is the run for the National League Cy Young Award. There have been some very good efforts in the senior circuit this year, but unlike Johan Santana's magic in the AL there hasn't been one hurler who makes you stand up and whistle.
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
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Lee Jenkins / New York Times:
A Change Has Done Him Good — "I can see now the benefits of change," Thomas said of his move to Oakland. "It's like a shot of adrenaline. It made me hungry to be the player I want to be." — The television in the Oakland Athletics' clubhouse was tuned to a mini-drama that Frank Thomas had seen many times before.
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Hartford Courant:
Scranton A Yankees Town — In the Subway Series for a new Triple A city, it's "Yankees win." — The Yankees said Thursday they are moving their Triple A operations to Scranton, Pa., where they signed a two-year agreement to play at Lackawanna County Stadium, after 28 years in Columbus, Ohio.
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Jan Hubbard / Dallas Star-Telegram:
MLB INSIDER — Spin doctor is in, or is he? — At first, there was a look of recognition. Akinori Otsuka was in the Rangers dugout before the game with Seattle on Wednesday, and when asked the question, he smiled, nodded his head and uttered an elongated: "Aahhhhhhh." — So this was it.
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Showalter not dwelling on his '07 status — Manager understands speculation comes with the territory — ARLINGTON — Rangers manager Buck Showalter and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo are planning a mid-October trip to the Dominican Republic to see some of the young prospects.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Kat O'Brien / Dallas Star-Telegram:
Rangers' gloves are a notch above — ARLINGTON — The past couple of games have not provided the best of examples, but the Rangers' defense has been a plus this season. — Defense doesn't grab a lot of attention, unless there is an error or an occasional web gem, most often by Gary Matthews Jr. or Mark Teixeira.
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
From Arizona, to Columbus, to the Bronx — The first inning Brian Bruney pitched for the Yankees, he struck out the side. The next night, in a game in which 25 runs scored, he allowed no runs in the heat of a pennant race at Fenway Park. — The third day, Bruney was on a plane to Ohio …
Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times:
Consider This the Beginning of What Will Be a Grind to Finish — Now that was a miracle. — The Dodgers finally beat the mighty Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, maintaining both their tenuous playoff spot and their slipping sanity. — OK, so their starting pitcher barely lasted half the game.
Childs Walker / Baltimore Sun:
A broken record? … The "natural" home run king. That's what some would call Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard should he pass Roger Maris' pre-1998 record for home runs in a single season. — The title implies that Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds were fueled …
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Cry no tears for Martinez — Looks sharp in Met loss to Marlins — There wasn't a wet eye in the house this time. — Driven to tears in Pittsburgh after his disappointing return to the mound last week following a one-month absence to mend a right-calf tear, Pedro Martinez breezed through four …
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
Marcus Wohlsen / Associated Press:
SF reporters to appeal jail order for not revealing BALCO source — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two San Francisco Chronicle reporters plan to appeal a federal judge's order to jail them until they agree to testify about who leaked them secret grand jury testimony from Barry Bonds and other elite athletes.
Discussion:
The Catbird …

