Top News:
Associated Press:
Bonds to be discussed as Yankees brass meets — TAMPA, Fla. — Barry Bonds in pinstripes? If nothing else, the New York Yankees plan to talk about it. — Yankees officials gathered for high-level meetings at their spring training complex Thursday, a day off for the team before it begins an important three-game series at Boston.
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Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Hey Yankees, I got some free advice for you guys — The Yankees have won six straight games since the All-Star break, and at 56-45, they're at their high-water mark for the season. — They flicked aside the Twins yesterday, 5-1, at Yankee Stadium, allowing them to fully enjoy their day off today …
Jim Molony / MLB.com:
Inside Pitch: Braves may be sellers — Atlanta in an intriguing situation as Trade Deadline looms — One of the triggers in the final week of this year's midsummer trade session is in the hands of a perennial buyer: the Atlanta Braves. — Year-in, year-out, the Braves have been buyers …
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ESPN:
Braves — In theory, by the end of this weekend — after a week of dueling the Marlins and Phillies — the Braves will know exactly whether they're in a race or out of one. But it seems as if the Braves have been stuck for weeks in what GM Frank Wren calls “that middle ground” between contention and oblivion.
Discussion:
Royals Review
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:Stark's Latest: Teixeira, Padilla, Sheffield, Beltre
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Associated Press:
Report: Mavs' Cuban among finalists to buy Cubs — NEW YORK — Tribune Co. is inviting at least three potential buyers who each submitted bids for the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field near or above $1 billion to participate in a second round of proposals, according to a person involved in the process.
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Phil Rosenthal / Chicago Tribune:
Tribune makes first cuts in bidding process for Cubs, Wrigley — Tribune Co. informed would-be buyers of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field today whether they would be invited to continue in the auction based on last week's initial bids, with at least one previous front-runner seemingly on the outs — at least for now.
Kevin Cullen / Boston Globe:
Enough already — The Yankees are in town for a weekend series, and this would be a nice time to retire the stupidest chant in the world: Yankees suck. — Now, before you go all Hank Steinbrenner on me, hear me out. — I don't like the Yankees. I never did, though as a kid I liked …
Neil Best / Newsday:
Wilpon regrets letting Willie go in wee hours — Fred Wilpon and his organization endured a vicious beating from fans and the media last month for the circumstances of Willie Randolph's dismissal. — Wednesday, the Mets CEO had harsh words for himself: “I screwed up,” he said.
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Danielle Sessa / Bloomberg:Mets Owner Wilpon Says He ‘Screwed Up’ How Randolph Was Fired
Discussion:
MLB FanHouse
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Going, Going, Gone ... Berserk: Pine-Tar Bat Incident Revisited — Twenty-five years later, it remains one of baseball's most riveting images: George Brett, eyes bulging with rage, bolting out of the visiting dugout at Yankee Stadium, intent on enacting a most primal impulse. He wanted to kill the ump.
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George A. King III / New York Post:
POSADA DECIDES TO DELAY SURGERY — Jorge Posada and the Yankees confirmed what was reported in Wednesday's Post: The All-Star catcher needs right shoulder surgery that will require six months to recover from. But Posada wants to see if two weeks of rest will allow him to help as a designated hitter/first baseman.
Discussion:
Depressed Fan, iYankees, Sliding Into Home, MLB Rumors, YFSF, WasWatching.com and The LoHud Yankees Blog
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nats GM says Cordero will hit market — Bowden reveals intention to non-tender injured closer — SAN FRANCISCO — The offseason is a little more than two months away, but the Nationals have already decided that reliever Chad Cordero will be non-tendered. The news comes two weeks after Cordero had shoulder surgery.
Dan Graziano / New Jersey Online:
N.Y. Yankees in the market for a catcher — TRADEWINDS — YANKEES BUZZ — Word as of Wednesday afternoon was that the Yankees were looking everywhere for a catcher. Worried that Jose Molina might not be built to hold up the rest of the way as an everyday starter …
Paul Hoynes / Cleveland Sports News:
Indians Insider: Military service in South Korea could interrupt Choo's big-league career — Anaheim, Calif. — Shin-Soo Choo is starting to emerge as a run-producing outfielder. He's recovering from ligament transplant surgery on his left elbow and is getting a chance to play regularly with the Indians in left and right field.
Associated Press:
Pedro will miss Fri. start following father's death … SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — New York Mets right-hander Pedro Martinez was headed back to the Dominican Republic following the death of his ailing father. — Martinez's father, Pablo Jaime, died early Thursday at age 79 …
Tom Haudricourt / Brewers Blog:
Brewers not pursuing Sherrill — I've seen a lot of national reports in recent days that indicate the Brewers are interested in trading for Baltimore closer George Sherrill, so I called general manager Doug Melvin to see what's going on. — Melvin said he has not engaged the Orioles …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Keith Hernandez / SNY.tv:
Ask the Booth: What's a long swing? — Keith Hernandez dips into the e-mailbox — When someone says that a player has a short or long swing what does he mean? — Ned in Huntington, N.Y. — What makes someone like Ryan Howard strike out so much while he still seems to hit home runs at an alarming rate?
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
