Top News:
Sports Illustrated:
A-Rod to opt out of contract — Boras notifies Yankees of client's free-agent wishes — DENVER — Alex Rodriguez notified the Yankees on Sunday that he's opting out of his record $252 million contract, SI.com has learned. — Rodriguez's decision means he will become a free agent and be able to negotiate with all clubs.
Discussion:
River Ave. Blues, The LoHud Yankees Blog, SPORTSbyBROOKS, Lady At The Bat, Hot Stove New York, Bradford Files, The Big Lead, On the Yankees beat, Amazin' Avenue, Bless You Boys, MY BASEBALL BIAS, YanksBlog.com, WasWatching.com, Siberian Baseball, Babes Love Baseball, Baseball Musings, Lone Star Ball, Pinstripe Alley and NY Daily News
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New York Times:
For Rodriguez and Yankees, It's All but Over — Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who had one of the best statistical seasons in the storied history of the Yankees, opted out of the final three years on his 10-year, $252 million contract Sunday, according to his agent.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Tim Marchman / New York Sun:
In Opting Out, A-Rod Gets Last Laugh — Anyone who ever doubted that Alex Rodriguez has nerve can now fall silent. No matter how extraordinary he was at Yankee Stadium, the greatest player of his generation was never extraordinary enough to satisfy his leeriest critics …
Discussion:
Can't Stop The Bleeding
NY Daily News:
Hank Steinbrenner says 'goodbye' to A-Rod — More coverage: — Hank Steinbrenner may be new to the baseball business, but the eldest son of George Steinbrenner knows one thing: If you don't want to be a Yankee, the Yankees don't want you. — That was Steinbrenner's message to Alex Rodriguez …
Discussion:
WasWatching.com
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Sox are kings of diamond — Another Series title comes with sweep of Rockies — DENVER - When it happened the first time, in 2004, Terry Francona was stricken with temporary amnesia. — "I actually don't remember getting out to the field," the Red Sox manager said of a moment burnished deep in New England memory banks.
RELATED:
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Mountain men: Sox are champs — Boston rides four-game sweep to second title in four seasons — DENVER — A scintillating seven-game winning streak that began in Cleveland with the season on the brink of elimination ended Sunday night with the Red Sox mobbing each other in the thin air …
Jeff Horrigan / Boston Herald:
Sox scale peak again … DENVER - Back in 2004, New England cried collective tears of joy when the Red Sox [team stats] brought 86 years of futility to a resounding end, exorcising the restless souls of lost generations that never had the opportunity to see their beloved team win a World Series title.
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
In the NL, black and blues — DENVER - What have they done with the Senior Circuit? — The National League stinks. It's been this way for some time, but never more evident than in the first three games of the 2007 World Series. — "It's been obvious for a while," …
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
The best — A new era dawns and it's twice as nice — DENVER - If you go to a high school graduation in New England in the Year 2026, you will hear a lot of Jacobys, Dustins, Jonathans, and Hidekis when they call the roll. And it will remind you of a special time when it seemed …
Tony Masarotti / Boston Herald:Sox two good to be true — Golden era of titles for team
Discussion:
Camden Chat
Rocky Mountain News:
KRIEGER: It was still magic while it lasted — Naturally, it came down to the end. Naturally, the kid Rocks still had the slimmest of chances as the last of the sand slipped through the hourglass. — They were the kings of procrastination. They waited until the last possible moment to inject themselves into the pennant race.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
USA Today:
INSIDE PITCH — The Marlins could plug one of their outfield vacancies by turning to a familiar face. Cliff Floyd, a free agent, said he'd like to finish his career with Florida. — "I would love to come to the Marlins. You know how far we go back," said Floyd, Florida's left fielder from 1997 until July 2002.
Discussion:
FishStripes
Dan Connolly / Baltimore Sun:
Hawkins blasts O's as 'negative' — Rockies contributor calls experience 'bad' — DENVER - In one calendar year, reliever LaTroy Hawkins has gone from an Orioles club stuck in a losing spiral to being a contributor on a Colorado Rockies' World Series team. — The move, he said, probably saved his career.
Discussion:
Camden Chat
George King / New York Post:
JOE HOLLYWOOD — L.A. HOPES TO SIGN TORRE — If divorce proceedings between Grady Little and the Dodgers go the distance, as many expect, The Post has learned Joe Torre has been targeted as the manager to heal a fractured Los Angeles clubhouse. — According to two people with knowledge …
