Top News:
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Arm and hammer — Beckett dominant as Red Sox attack buries the Rockies — Never mind that cute business of putting baseballs in a humidor. If the Colorado Rockies hope to make the 103d World Series competitive, they may have to stuff the Red Sox in a meat locker and throw away the key.
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John Perrotto / Baseball Prospectus:
World Series Game One Report — BOSTON—Dustin Pedroia shied away from using the word momentum. The travel-size rookie second baseman has been the igniter of the Boston Red Sox's offense through an unprecedented postseason stretch, helping it put double digits on the scoreboard in three straight playoff games.
Discussion:
Mike's Baseball Rants
Kevin Youkilis / Yooooouuuuukkkkk:
Gaining momentum — The way this offense is clicking right now, it's been an unbelievable experience. Guys are swinging the bats well and taking pitches and not swinging at bad pitches. That's the biggest thing right now, is guys are going up there and being patient, but also being aggressive and putting together great at-bats.
Alex McPhillips / MLB.com:
Pedroia's leadoff homer makes history — Sox infielder first rookie to lead off World Series with long ball — BOSTON — It took Dustin Pedroia exactly two pitches to make a mark on his first World Series. — Josh Beckett had hardly finished striking out three Rockies before Pedroia …
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Yanks' Manager Pick Not as Easy as 1, 2 or 3 — There are no more scheduled interviews for the Yankees' managerial opening, and the baseball operations staff will use Thursday to debate the three candidates. — But Don Mattingly came in as the favorite of the principal owner …
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Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
O'Neil finds his place in Hall of Fame — Late Negro League icon honored with statue and award — BOSTON — Buck O'Neil may be gone, but he's certainly not forgotten. — The acclaimed late Negro League icon will be honored with a statue and an award in his honor, the National Baseball Hall …
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Tim Graham / Inside the Dolphins:
CROWDER LEARNS HE WON'T NEED TRANSLATOR IN LONDON — Maybe he was joking, but gregarious Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder confessed today he didn't know until Tuesday that people spoke English in London. — Crowder, a former Florida Gator and Atlanta native, apparently isn't sure …
Tim Dierkes / MLB Trade Rumors:
Twins Hot Stove: Hunter, Nathan — It'll be an interesting offseason for the Twins, who have a new GM and two coveted free agents in Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva. Here's the latest. — Charley Walters quotes Hunter as saying he hasn't had any contract offers from the Twins since the end of the season.
Discussion:
Fox Sports
Kelly Thesier / MLB.com:
Twins plan to pick up Nathan's option — Reliever has had 35-plus saves in four straight seasons — MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins are going to pick up Joe Nathan's $6 million option for the 2008 season in the coming days, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on its Web site on Wednesday night.
Discussion:
Twinkie Town
Eriq Gardner / Slate:
HOW COLORADO'S FIELDING WIZARDRY WILL CHANGE BASEBALL FOREVER. — Baseball is usually seen as a clash between pitchers and hitters—a test of wills between the guy on the mound and the slugger at the plate. The defense, on the other hand, is praised and scorned in extreme circumstances …
Dan Fox / Baseball Prospectus:
Schrodinger`s Bat: Free Stuff and the Men in Blue by Dan Fox — Free Stuff and the Men in Blue — "When you get right down to it, no corner of American culture is more precisely counted, more passionately quantified, than the performance of baseball players." —Alan Schwarz, from the introduction to The Numbers Game
Discussion:
Dan Agonistes
David Gassko / Hardball Times:
Have pitchers become more fragile? — Are today's pitchers all pansies? There are a lot of people that seem to think so. As the number of innings a starter is expected to pitch has gone down over the past few decades, many critics have piled on to what seems like some serious coddling.
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
Amazin' Avenue:
The Exaggerated Legend of Kaz Matsui — Posted on Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 11:18:12 AM EDT — Several hundred people outside of New England tuned in last night to watch the puck drop for Game 1 of the 2007 World Series, and each was treated to the inimitable broadcasting team of Joe Buck and Timmy McC.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Dave Studeman / Hardball Times:
2007 Net Win Shares Value — Greetings from the bowels of the Hardball Times publishing house! Yes, our army of writers, editors, typesetters and elves are working overtime to make sure the 2008 Hardball Times Annual is on your doorstep the first week of December.
