Top News:
Providence Journal:
Ellsbury to replace Coco Crisp — BOSTON — Coco Crisp's postseason struggles, which culminated in three hitless games in Cleveland and was capped by his failure to lay down a sacrifice bunt in the second inning Thursday night, have prompted the Red Sox to make a lineup change.
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Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Schilling no doubt will be loaded for bear — There are times when it's good to have a blowhard/glory hog on your roster. This is one of those times. — Game 6, backs to the wall . . . it's Curt Schilling time. — Big Schill gets the ball against the Indians tonight at Fenway …
Discussion:
Dan Shaughnessy Watch
Associated Press:
Indians still confident despite trip to Boston — BOSTON (AP) — Ah, mid-October in lovely New England. The famously breathtaking fall foliage, historical landmarks on almost every corner, pumpkin picking, clam bakes on the Cape. An autumnal paradise. — It's the last place the Cleveland Indians wanted to be.
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Fear motivates Schilling to succeed — Postseason vet ready to add to already impressive legacy — BOSTON — To catch a glimpse into one of the things that has made Red Sox right-hander Curt Schilling one of the best postseason pitchers in Major League history, consider just for a second his fear of failure.
Discussion:
The Baseball Desert
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Six gun's shot — Red Sox will try to take it to the limit — Terry Francona's take on Game 6: "If we go out and play as good as we can play, you certainly hope that leads to a win." (STAN GROSSFELD/GLOBE STAFF) — There were puddles on the plastic tarp covering the infield.
Discussion:
Surviving Grady
Paul Meyer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Manager search: Huntington says he's ready to take 'action' — Neal Huntington is ready to go. — "We're through the 'gathering' [information] process," the Pirate general manager said yesterday. "We're into the 'action' process." — Thing is, the American League Championship Series didn't end Thursday evening.
Discussion:
Bucco Blog
Ian O'Connor / NorthJersey.com:
Yanks' front office be damned for ousting Joe — RYE BROOK, N.Y. — The Yankees just got meaner, uglier, far more difficult to embrace. Without Joe Torre as their manager, they go back to being the sports franchise that America loves to hate. — The people who ran out Torre …
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Mike Vaccaro / New York Post:
EMPIRE GETS A NEW FACE OF EVIL — FROM the moment Joe Torre was hired to run the Yankees, he always talked about how temporary the life of a baseball manager is, how transient it can be. From the first moment he shook hands with George Steinbrenner, Torre accepted as a personal dare …
Discussion:
NorthJersey.com, The LoHud Yankees Blog, Knuckle Curve, Hot Stove New York and Baseball Crank
Corky Siemaszko / NY Daily News:
Game 2 against Indians tied Joe Torre up with gnats — Joe Torre doesn't lose sleep over the Yankees' spectacular collapse in 2004 when they were knocked out of the playoffs after beating the Red Sox in the first three games. — What bugs Torre is Game 2 of this year's Division Series …
Discussion:
New York Post
Kansas City Star:
Hiring of Hillman should work — Here's the biggest reason why I love the hiring of Trey Hillman as manager of the Kansas City Royals: This should work. The key word here is "should." For so many years now, we have watched the Royals make a whole lot of decisions that left you muttering …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings, The Griddle, Babes Love Baseball, Can't Stop The Bleeding and Royals Review
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Kirby Arnold / The Olympian:
M's could announce coaches within days — SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners have all but settled their coaching staff for 2008, and an announcement is expected within days. — Mariners manager John McLaren said Thursday that most positions are set, but no announcement would be made until every job is filled.
Saeed Ahmed / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Fan pleads guilty to bomb threat at Braves game — Frustrated Giants fan facing 50 years in jail for trying to disrupt game — We've all been there. — Our beloved team is headed for a humiliating trouncing. We shake our fists at the TV in frustration, we mumble obscenities, we strike deals with God for a miracle.
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Tony La Russa expects to be back with Cards — Tony's back ... almost. — Cardinals manager Tony La Russa confirmed Friday that he is prepared to return for a 13th season in his current post, barring unforeseen complications in his ongoing talks with team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr.
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Q&A with Jim Hendry — Cubs GM discusses playoff loss and offseason plans … MLB.com: Did anything that happened in the NLDS help you in terms of determining what needs to be done to make the Cubs better in 2008? — Hendry: Not necessarily. From June 1 on, we were the second-best team in all of baseball.
