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.
Discussion:
ESPN, Boston Globe, Red Sox Monster, MLB Columnists, SOX & Dawgs, Knuckle Curve, The Joy of Sox, Over the Monster and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
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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
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
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.
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:
Pettitte laments loss of Torre — RYE, N.Y. - The Yankees received a reminder Friday that the loss of Joe Torre as manager could have an effect on their ability to retain potential free agents. Mariano Rivera issued an advance warning of that last week, and Andy Pettitte has echoed Rivera's thoughts.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
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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 …
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 …
Corky Siemaszko / NY Daily News:Game 2 against Indians tied Joe Torre up with gnats
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, Babes Love Baseball, Can't Stop The Bleeding, The Griddle and Royals Review
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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.
Murray Chass / New York Times:
Making Commercials for Seats and for Love — Manny Ramírez and David Ortiz are not the stars of baseball's postseason. Kenny Lofton is not the star of the postseason. Neither is Matt Holliday or Kazuo Matsui. Alex Rodriguez is certainly not the star of the postseason.
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.
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.
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.
