Top News:
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Mets Fall Into Tie With Phillies — No matter how many losses piled up and no matter how poorly they had played at times over the last four months, the Mets could take comfort knowing one thing: First place in the National League East still belonged to them and them only.
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John Harper / NY Daily News:
Mets show how much pressure they are feeling — Until now you could blame it on the bullpen, on bad pitching up and down the staff, and while that may not soften the fall, pitching is pitching. Last night was different. Last night the Mets played scared.
Roger Rubin / NY Daily News:
Mets drop into NL East tie, but Randolph guarantees title — As this Mets season has careened out of control, manager Willie Randolph has taken a lot of heat for his stoic demeanor. But in the moments after the worst loss of this epic breakdown, he was the one making noise in what had to be the quietest clubhouse in baseball.
Discussion:
New York Post
Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
All good things must come to an end — Alou's 30-game hitting streak snapped in Mets' loss to Cards — NEW YORK — As if the pain of watching the Phillies climb into a first-place tie with the Mets in the National League East weren't enough, Moises Alou also had to sit helplessly …
Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
Murray gives Cubs batting tips, jokes about buying team — MIAMI — Cubs manager Lou Piniella held a rare postgame meeting Wednesday, then took it one step better Thursday. — Famous Cubs fan Bill Murray, who arrived in South Florida from his home in New York to commiserate with the Cubs during …
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Joe Capozzi / Palm Beach Post:
Bullpen thwarts Cubs' hopes — MIAMI GARDENS — Logan Kensing wasn't the least bit concerned about the last-place Marlins sending Cubs fans into a panic over the possibility of another late-season collapse. — "I cannot stand Cubs fans,'' the Florida reliever said after the Marlins dealt another blow …
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FishStripes
Associated Press:
Mariners CEO: GM, manager will return in '08 — SEATTLE (AP) — A while ago, John McLaren's wife gave him a hinged, ceramic baseball. She told him to open it once he got a job as a major league manager. — Even though the Mariners bench coach took over on July 2 after Mike Hargrove abruptly resigned …
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seattlepi.com Mariners blog
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John Hickey / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:Baek, Guillen audition for 2008 with 6-inning gem, HR
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Associated Press
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Chilling reminder — Bubbly on hold; Sox' lead cut to 2 — It wasn't for a lack of trying. While Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were given the night off by the Yankees, 20-game winner Josh Beckett threw 99 pitches for the Red Sox, David Ortiz reached base five times …
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MLB.com:
Hal Steinbrenner elected chairman of the board of Yankee Global Enterprises LLC — The Board of Directors of Yankee Global Enterprises LLC announced today that Harold Z. (Hal) Steinbrenner has been elected as Chairman of the Board. — Mr. Steinbrenner is the General Partner …
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Wang and Pettitte are Bombers' 1-2 punch in playoffs — ST. PETERSBURG - The Yankees won't announce their rotation for the division series until the matchups are officially set, but Joe Torre stated the obvious yesterday, saying that Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte will pitch the first two games one way or another.
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New York Post
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Tim Marchman / New York Sun:
The Mystical Collapse of a Bullpen — For the Mets and their fans, the last two weeks have been less like a late season collapse and more like a mystical experience in which science and religion have converged and become one. Many baseball teams have lost a lead down the stretch, but few …
Discussion:
NJ.com
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Rangers likely to look within — Before seeking free agents, Texas probably will go internal — ARLINGTON — Curt Schilling can be a free agent this offseason and, yes, the Rangers are probably going to investigate that possibility. — He may turn 41 in October, but he has a great work ethic …
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Lone Star Ball
Mychael Urban / MLB.com:
Races could reach dizzying heights — Complex tiebreaker scenarios loom in National League — Brace yourself. — That is the message Major League Baseball essentially sent everyone on the final Thursday of this unforgettable regular season, holding further coin tosses due to four …
Alyson Footer / MLB.com:
Notes: Biggio to catch one last time — Berkman rests knee; Brown, Deshaies, Ford recognized — CINCINNATI — As a kid growing up in Galveston, Texas, Brandon Backe attended his fair share of games at the Astrodome. He idolized Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, and he has vivid memories …
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FanHouse
USA Today:
Mediocrity, parity is winning combination for Selig — Too bad Abbott and Costello aren't around to do a routine on this wacky National League finish. It's not who's on first, it's who's in first? — Let's see, it could be: New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Milwaukee, Arizona, San Diego or Colorado.
