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The Biz of Baseball:
Rodriguez, Griffey Lead 2007 All-Star Selections — New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. have finished as their League's leading vote-getters in Major League Baseball fan balloting, which drew a record 18.5 million ballots …
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New York Post
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Tony Massarotti / Boston Herald:
Time to show their stuff: Sox' play not worthy of big lead — The Red Sox [team stats] will play their 81st game of the season tonight and a victory will put them on pace for precisely 100 wins. Going forward, the trick now is to end up like the Red Sox of 2004 and not like the Sox of 2002.
Mark Newman / MLB.com:Monster All-Star Final Vote is under way
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Red Sox Monster, THE BASEBALL SAVANT, Boston Globe, Twinkie Town, Bucco Blog, Halos Heaven and Bless You Boys
Joe Cowley / Chicago Sun Times:
Is tonight Buehrle's swan song? — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mark Buehrle might want to start hiding personal belongings over the next few weeks. His teammates and even his manager have started ''collecting'' memorabilia connected with anything the White Sox pitcher touches.
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Los Angeles Times:
Three Dodgers chosen to National League All-Star team — Penny and Saito make the pitching staff, Martin will be the first Canadian catcher to start. — Takashi Saito was aware of the possibility, but when he learned Sunday that he had made the All-Star team along with Dodgers teammates Russell Martin …
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Signs still point to Buehrle's exit — Lefty's start vs. Orioles could be his last as a White Sox, writes Mark Gonzales — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mark Buehrle's teammates have joked for the last few weeks about the White Sox ace possibly making his final start for the team.
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MetsBlog.com
Gary Dzen / Boston Globe:
Sox extend contract — The Red Sox have extended their player development contract with the Portland Sea Dogs through 2012, according to a statement released by the team. The deal extends the contract with Boston's Double-A affiliate by four years, the longest extension permissible by league rules.
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The Biz of Baseball
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Jeff Goldberg / Hartford Courant:
Sox Still On Down Swing — Bats Start July Where They Left Off In June — Left fielder J.D. Drew (7) and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury try to gather in a long RBI-single by Texas Rangers' Marlon Byrd in the triangle during the fourth inning. — BOSTON - Someone with the Red Sox needs …
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Red Sox fall, and so softly — Power is lacking in another defeat — David Ortiz walked back to the dugout, head down, the roaring crowd suddenly silent. He removed his helmet a few feet from the dugout and walked down the steps. The game was over. — This was supposed to be his time …
MLB.com:
Reds replace Narron — Club to name Pete Mackanin interim manager tomorrow — CINCINNATI — At a press conference at noon Monday at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati Reds president and chief executive officer Bob Castellini and executive vice president and general manager Wayne Krivsky …
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New York Post:
MRS. A-ROD IS A BRONX F-BOMBER — OBSCENE SHIRT SHOCKS STADIUM — Oh, no, she didn't! — Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez's long-suffering wife, Cynthia, may have finally flipped her pretty lid yesterday when she went to a game in The Bronx wearing a tight-fitting, white tank top bearing a foul message on the back: "F- - - you."
Jim Caple / ESPN:
Hargrove: 'I don't expect people to understand' … The only way the Mariners' homestand could have been stranger is if the team's mascot, Mariner Moose, took off his headpiece to reveal that he was actually Bill Gates. — When Ken Griffey Jr. and the Reds came to town last weekend …
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Baseball Crank
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Jack Etkin / Rocky Mountain News:
Petrick hitches his pants, faces cruel curveball — Disease stole his career, but not his gallant spirit — HILLSBORO, Ore. - The lineup card is on his basement wall, next to a page from a score book detailing that dreamy afternoon in Coors Field. — It was Sept. 1, 1999.
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Knuckle Curve
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Rangers' Gagne a saver to savor — egrant@dallasnews.com — BOSTON - In the last week, Eric Gagne has repeatedly demonstrated that he can do the things the Eric Gagne of old used to be able to do regularly. — Pitch on back-to-back days? Check. Be available for more than two consecutive days?
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Lone Star Ball
Hartford Courant:
Proctor's Fiery Temper — NEW YORK - In what was probably his way of trying to end his recent struggles, reliever Scott Proctor set his equipment on fire near the Yankees dugout after the Yankees' 7-0 loss to the A's Saturday, MLB.com reported. — Proctor, who allowed two singles …
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Basegirl
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Paul Meyer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Duke on DL; Youman to start — The Pirates placed Zach Duke on the disabled list yesterday and announced that left-hander Shane Youman will join the starting rotation for the foreseeable future. — Duke will have an arthrogram this morning at Allegheny General Hospital …
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Interview - Mark Shapiro - Exec. VP & GM - Cleveland Indians — Build it from within... make every cent count... balance risk. That might be the best way to describe how Mark Shapiro, the executive vice-president and general manager of the Cleveland Indians, conducts business.
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Baseball Musings
StatsGuru / Baseball Musings:
Efficient Baker — Scott Baker just finished the third inning, retiring all nine batters he's faced. The Tigers are putting the ball in play early tonight, as Baker has just one strikeout and has thrown just 25 pitches. Six of those were against ninth slot hitter Brandon Inge.
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TigerBlog
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