Top News:
Mark Feinsand / Blogging the Bombers:
MIENTKIEWICZ HAS RUN-IN WITH CAMERAMAN — The details aren't completely clear, but Doug Mientkiewicz was apparently run over by a Cleveland cameraman (freelancing for YES) as he got off the team bus at Jacobs Field. — Mientkiewicz was taken to the Yankees clubhouse on a cart …
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog, Associated Press, Depressed Fan, Pinstripe Alley, Spanning the playoffs and YanksBlog.com
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Tom Withers / Associated Press:
Indians hit 4 HRs, rout Yankees 12-3 — CLEVELAND (AP) — Rocked right off the bat, the Cleveland Indians quickly found their October swing. — C.C. Sabathia settled down after giving up a debated homer on his fifth pitch and the Indians returned to the postseason after a six-year disappearance …
Discussion:
Let's Go Tribe!
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Tribe scores three — CLEVELAND - The good news is Chien-Ming Wang's sinker is working fine. The bad news is Paul Garko just trickled a single up the middle, just passed Robinson Cano's diving attempt to score Travis Hafner with the tying run here in the bottom of the first.
Discussion:
Boy of Summer
Michael Vega / Boston Globe:
Guerrero hopes to play right field in Game 2 — Vladimir Guerrero, the Angels' All-Star right fielder who was relegated to the role of designated hitter (1-for-4) in Game 1 because of tendinitis in his right triceps, worked out Thursday in right field, shagging fly balls and making throws to the infield.
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Associated Press:
Guerrero likely to play right field; Anderson also to play — BOSTON - Vladimir Guerrero is likely to return to right field for the first time in a month when the Los Angeles Angels play the Boston Red Sox [team stats] in Game 2 of their AL playoff series on Friday.
Sports Illustrated:
VERDUCCI: Beckett comes up aces for Sox — BOSTON — To understand the difficulty of what Red Sox ace Josh Beckett did Wednesday night at Fenway Park, first you have to know that his was the 124th shutout in the 104 years of postseason play. Not bad. Beckett has three of those 124 shutouts himself …
Jeff Jacobs / Hartford Courant:Even Pedro And Tiant Weren't This Dominant
Discussion:
Providence Journal, Boston Globe, FanHouse, Boston Sports Media Watch and Peter's Red Sox Forever
Sports Illustrated:
Elder Matthews rooting for father-son reunion in World Series — PHILADELPHIA (AP) -No one in Philadelphia calls broadcaster Gary Matthews anything but "Sarge.'' In California, he goes by a different name: Dad. — Matthews has a couple of rooting interests in the postseason.
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ESPN:
Postseason wish: Please, Cubbies, don't win the Series — The Cubs must go down. It must be gruesome, painful and tragic. They must, like Icarus and his wax wings, come tantalizingly close, and then, like Wile E. Coyote and his ubiquitous anvil, plummet to the canyon floor. — Don't get us wrong.
Mike / Squawking Baseball:
Manny Acta Interview — At just 38 years old, Manny Acta has established himself as one of the best, and brightest, managers in baseball today. After taking over a team that many thought would lose well over 100 games, Acta led the Washington Nationals to 73 victories this season, his first as a big league skipper.
Discussion:
Just A Nats Fan
Associated Press:
Padres' Giles has microfracture surgery on knee — SAN DIEGO — Padres right fielder Brian Giles had microfracture surgery on his right knee, which he hurt in mid-April. — Giles played with the injury until being forced onto the disabled list in late May.
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
Tom Haudricourt / JSOnline:
Cordero tops wish list — Re-signing closer a priority, GM says — What is shaping up to be a weak free-agent market this winter won't help the Milwaukee Brewers in their quest to retain closer Francisco Cordero and set-up man Scott Linebrink. — With so few top-notch relievers available …
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Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Yanking 'Z' a Lou-sing call — Piniella's decision to remove ace Zambrano backfires — PHOENIX — Looks like the Cubs are going to do the postseason the hard way, too. — Why should this be any different from the last six months — or the last 1,188 months, for that matter?
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Steven Goldman / New York Sun:
Rodriguez's Postseason Perception Is Flawed — Lately it has been in vogue for sportswriters to "confess" that they don't root for or against the team they're covering. Instead, they root for a good story. If Derek Jeter goes 2-for-4 in a game, it's barely worth mentioning.
Rob Maaddi / Associated Press:
Rockies beat Phils 10-5, take 2-0 lead — PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Done chasing that wild-card spot, Kaz Matsui and the relentless Colorado Rockies are playing like champs. — Matsui hit his first career grand slam and drove in five runs, leading the Rockies over the Philadelphia Phillies 10-5 Thursday …
Nate Silver / Baseball Prospectus:
2007 Hitter Projection Roundup — Disclaimer: there are as many ways to evaluate projections as there are to create them. This is a SQuiD (Semi Quick-n-Dirty) method that involves looking at some basic descriptive statistics. — I was able to find access to eight projection systems …
Vegas Watch:
An Open Letter To Eric Wedge — You seem like a pretty reasonable guy. I thought you kept giving Trot Nixon regular ABs for too long, and you have a weird tendency to pinch-run for your best hitters in the 7th inning, but if those are two of my biggest complaints this year, you're probably doing a decent job.
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