Top News:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Mailbag: Nats pulling out broom for '07? — Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers Nationals fans' questions … Where can we send a get-well card to Nick Johnson? My entire family wants to wish him well. — The Landa family, Washington D.C. — There are many who have expressed …
RELATED ITEMS:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Notes: Teammates visit Johnson — First baseman will stay in hospital to regain his mobility — NEW YORK — At least 15 members of the Nationals, including manager Frank Robinson and catcher Brian Schneider, visited first baseman Nick Johnson at New York Hospital Queens after Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Mets.
Associated Press:
Padres-Cardinals Preview — Now that their star closer has set a new all-time saves record, the San Diego Padres can focus on wrapping up the National League West for the second straight year. — Trevor Hoffman will try to help the Padres to their fifth straight victory when they open …
Discussion:
Ducksnorts
RELATED ITEMS:
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Willie pitches in Trach talk — The games have grown so mundane that each passing day at Shea now is spent trying to read between the lines rather than dissecting what's actually happening between them. — Will Steve Trachsel or John Maine round out the playoff rotation?
RELATED ITEMS:
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:After Loss, Trachsel Faces Postseason Questions
Discussion:
Always Amazin'
Amanda Branam / MLB.com:
Jones, Holliday meet again — After Mile High slugfest, they are NL Co-Players of the Week — The level of play around baseball always seems to jump up a notch in September, and 2006 is no different. — In the second-to-last week of the regular season, play was so strong in the National League …
Discussion:
Purple Row
RELATED ITEMS:
Alan Schwarz / New York Times:
Baseball's Oldest Old-Timer Opens a Window on the Past — Silas Simmons was handed a photograph and asked if he recognized anyone in it. He fixed his eyes on the sepia stares and moved his curled fingers over the glass and frame, soaking in the faces for more than 20 silent seconds.
Deadspin:
Our Teams: A Requiem In Three Acts — I. So now it can be written and known: The spinning, sprinting 12-yard sideaways rugby punts are not, in fact, a device that has come to revolutionize the sport of football. Sorry, Coach Zook. Our Illini very well might be the worst team in Division I-A …
Fred Mitchell / Chicago Tribune:
Ex-Cub raises some questions — MINNEAPOLIS — So, what really went wrong with the Cubs this season? — Former Cubs first baseman/outfielder Phil Nevin, now a member of the Minnesota Twins, says there were mitigating off-the-field issues that the media and the public don't know about.
Joe Capozzi / Palm Beach Post:
Girardi, not wild card, story of final week — PHILADELPHIA — With the Marlins all but eliminated from playoff contention, the only drama remaining for the club concerns the fate of manager Joe Girardi. — Not whether he will be fired but when. — "I don't think anything would shock …
Discussion:
FishStripes
Baseball America:
Minor League All-Star Team — C Chris Iannetta • Rockies — Though he didn't play enough at either Double-A or Triple-A to make either of those all-star teams, Iannetta's breakout season was the most impressive by a catcher this season. He split his time evenly between Double …
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Kelly Thesier / MLB.com:
Twins quiet KC to clinch playoff berth — Bonser two-hits Royals through 6 2/3 innings — MINNEAPOLIS — Clinching a spot in the playoffs seemed an impossible task for the Twins nearly four months ago, but on Monday night, that's exactly what the club did by defeating the Royals, 8-1, at the Metrodome.
Pat / Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke?:
THOSE guys — With 2006 having been over since some time in mid-April, people have understandably been focusing on 2007 for quite some time now. As the Pirates have put up a good record since the All-Star break, people have understandably gotten more and more optimistic about 2007.
Mark Sheldon / MLB.com:
Junior's heroics lead Reds over Cubs — Pinch-hit, three-run homer in eighth gives Cincinnati the win — CINCINNATI — This is what Hall of Famers do. — Ken Griffey Jr. had been out of commission for the Reds since he dislocated his right toe on Sept. 4.
Discussion:
Church of Baseball
Associated Press:
Chartered Amtrak train carrying Nationals derails near Wilmington — WASHINGTON (AP) — A chartered Amtrak train carrying the Washington Nationals derailed early Tuesday near Wilmington, Del., but no one was injured. — "It was a very minor derailment," Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said.
Kevin Yanik / MLB.com:
Happy anniversary memories for Scott — Right-hander's division-clinching no-hitter was 20 years ago — HOUSTON — Mike Scott can rearrange the furniture, pull up the floorboards and dig through the closet of his California home, but he's never going to stumble upon the baseball from the final …
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes
MLB.com:
Mariners select RHP Jorge Campillo from Triple-A Tacoma — RHP Cha Seung Baek placed on 60-day disabled list — Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Bill Bavasi announced today that the club has selected right-handed pitcher Jorge Campillo …
Discussion:
Lookout Landing
Sean McAdam / Providence Journal:
All signs point to Nixon, Loretta leaving Boston — The same goes for Alex Gonzalez, Doug Mirabelli, Gabe Kapler and Carlos Pena. — TORONTO — As the 2006 season mercifully enters its final week, there are plenty of decisions to be made as the Red Sox attempt to right things for 2007.
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Gardenhire stuck in classic quandry — From the managers-can-never-win dept: — If the Twins are still in contention for the AL Central title on the final day of the season, Ron Gardenhire will be damned if he starts left-hander Johan Santana and damned if he doesn't.
Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com:
Notes: Miller gets scouting lesson — Top pitching prospect spending final week with Indians — CLEVELAND — Top Indians prospect Adam Miller has been brought up to the big leagues. — All right, calm down. It's not an official roster move or anything.
Discussion:
Let's Go Tribe
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:
Salmon Is Getting Ready for His Last 'Stand — OAKLAND — The Angels, barring an unprecedented collapse by the Oakland A's, aren't headed to the playoffs, but for veteran outfielder Tim Salmon, who will begin the final homestand of his 14-year career tonight, this week will have a postseason feel to it.
Discussion:
6-4-2
RELATED ITEMS:
