Top News:
George King / New York Post:
ROCKET GIVES RARE DOSE OF RELIEF — Roger Clemens knows the urgency surrounding the Yankees these days. He understands the bullpen has been used often. So, to him working an inning of relief in yesterday's loss to the Giants wasn't a big deal. — "I did it a couple of years ago …
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Tony Massarotti / Boston Herald:
Sox hold all the power: Buehrle move in their court — SAN DIEGO - The Red Sox [team stats] have the best record in the major leagues and one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, and the 2007 season is now nearly halfway complete. And if you are Theo Epstein, less than six weeks …
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Ex-mates remember Beck — Reliever's death comes as shock — SAN DIEGO — The news of Rod Beck's death, which occurred Saturday in his home in suburban Phoenix, arrived in the visitor's clubhouse before yesterday's game, his former Red Sox teammates learning of his death from members of the Padres who had also played with him.
Discussion:
Peter's Red Sox Forever
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Red Sox have fond memories of Beck — Known as 'Shooter,' All-Star reliever dies at the age of 38 — SAN DIEGO — Former Major League closer Rod Beck, who died on Saturday at the age of 38, made a lasting impression on some teammates that he shared a clubhouse with for parts of three seasons in Boston.
Discussion:
Associated Press
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Are the stars aligning for Boston's best pitcher? — SAN DIEGO — Josh Beckett sure looks like the starting pitcher for the American League in the 2007 All-Star Game. He beat Jake Peavy and the Padres, 4-2, with eight innings of stellar work yesterday, improving to a major league-best 11-1.
Discussion:
Dan Shaughnessy Watch
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:Coming up aces — Beckett displays a winning hand as Sox tip Padres
Discussion:
Boston Sports Media Watch
Fun Sheriff / Lion in Oil:
In The Big Inning, God Created Israeli Baseball — Professional baseball took its first steps today when the inaugural game of the Israel Baseball League was played. There weren't any Cracker Jacks, cotton candy, or peanuts, and there certainly wasn't any pork sausages. All food was strictly Kosher.
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Ben Hubbard / Associated Press:
Pro baseball league kicks off in Israel with broadcast culture shock — PETAH TIKVA, Israel (AP) — Puzzled broadcasters calling the first professional baseball game in Israeli history struggled with rendering baseball lingo into the holy tongue of Hebrew. — After a valiant effort …
Dan Graziano / New Jersey Online:
Mets eye Buehrle, Contreras — With the Chicago White Sox sliding further out of contention, trade talks heated up this weekend regarding some of their potentially available starting pitchers. — The pitcher the White Sox are most likely to move is left-hander Mark Buehrle, who can be a free agent after this season.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
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Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Former All-Star Closer Rod Beck Dead at 38 — Rod Beck, the bushy Fu Manchu mustached former All-Star Closer that played 13 years in the major leagues was found dead yesterday in his northeast Phoenix home. He was 38. Police do not expect foul play, and the cause of death has not been released.
Discussion:
Blogging Baseball
RELATED:
Greg Beacham / Yahoo! Sports:Former reliever Rod Beck dead at 38
Discussion:
Chad Gramling's Baseball Blog
Post / Washington Post:All-Star Relief Pitcher Rod Beck Is Found Dead
Discussion:
The House That Dewey Built
The Biz of Baseball:
Griffey Says: "I want to retire a Mariner" — Written by The Staff — Prior to Sunday afternoon's Mariners-Reds game, Fox Sports Northwest's Angie Mentink scored an exclusive one-on-one with former Seattle Mariner and current Cincinnati Red Ken Griffey, Jr.
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David Andriesen / Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Mariners Notebook: Guardado, Hargrove talk, make peace
John Hickey / seattlepi.com Mariners blog:Griffey shows interest in coming to Seattle (some day)
Discussion:
Associated Press
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Injuries put Guzman, Colome on DL — Shortstop hurts thumb; old injury resurfaces for reliever — WASHINGTON — The Nationals received potentially devastating news after their 3-1 victory over the Indians on Sunday afternoon when they were forced to place shortstop Cristian Guzman …
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Miller, Tigers cruise to shutout of Braves — Lefty tosses six-plus strong frames as Detroit finishes sweep — ATLANTA — A Tigers left-hander battles out for out with his Braves counterpart through five scoreless innings. The Tigers put him up for good with a sixth-inning outburst.
Discussion:
Roar of the Tigers
RELATED:
Charles Odum / Associated Press:Tigers extend run, Braves shut out again
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Taveras feels robbed by premature calls — Ump calls him out on grounder; replay says "safe" — Toronto - A simple groundball to shortstop Sunday quickly cast Willy Taveras as the star of "The Fast and the Furious." — In Sunday's first at-bat, Taveras bounced a ball toward John McDonald.
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Littlefield says team's basics are 'better' — ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Pirates have improved at the basics since last season, general manager Dave Littlefield said, but there remains work to do. — "I think it's better," he said yesterday of the team's fundamental play …
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Resilient Nationals Top Indians — Cordero Recovers From Bad Outing to Post Save: Nationals 3, Indians 1 — By the time Chad Cordero headed out of RFK Stadium on Saturday night, carrying the weight of a game-blowing three-run home run with him, Manny Acta had already spoken with him.
George King / New York Post:
YANKS' WESTERN SWING AND MISS — AL EAST DEFICIT GROWS BACK TO 111/2 AFTER 'UGLY' LOSS — You watch the games and can't help but feel the Yankees' run of nine straight AL East titles is finished. What happened to that nine-game winning streak that injected life into the pinstripes?
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
MLB.com:
Nationals acquire right-hander Levale Speigner from Minnesota — The Washington Nationals today acquired right-handed pitcher Levale Speigner from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for outfielder Darnell McDonald. Following the transaction, the Nationals outrighted Speigner to Columbus of the Triple-A International League.
Discussion:
Nationals Farm Authority
