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Clock Ticks on Manny Moments — I once asked a prominent relief pitcher to describe the most idiotic thing he had witnessed in the big leagues. “That's easy,” he said, and launched into the story of a former teammate—an All-Star outfielder—who refused to use toilet paper.
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Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Manny scratched — After being penciled into his regular cleanup spot earlier in the afternoon, Manny Ramirez was scratched from tonight's lineup with soreness in his right knee. — In his pregame meeting with the media (which took place before Manny was scratched), Red Sox manager Terry Francona …
Tom Singer / MLB.com:
‘Empire’ and ‘Nation’ set to meet again — Long-time rivals face off in AL East showdown — Everyone out there who doubted, deep down, that it would come to this, raise your voice. — Hear that? Deathly silence. — Late July. Fenway Park. The Yankees and the Red Sox …
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yankees hierarchy discusses Bonds — Club officials meet as Trade Deadline looms next week — BOSTON — Vowing to leave no stone unturned in upgrading the Yankees for a playoff push, the addition of Barry Bonds was discussed during organizational meetings on Thursday, Hank Steinbrenner confirmed to the Associated Press.
Discussion:
yankeesdaily.com
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 102: Yankees at Red Sox — YANKEES (56-45) — RED SOX (60-43) — Joba Chamberlain (2-3, 2.52) vs. the Boston hitters. — Josh Beckett (9-6, 3.98) vs. the New York hitters. — Notes: The Yankees have won six straight and 11 of 14. They are a solid 23-23 on the road …
Will Carroll / Unfiltered:
Breaking: Nady and Marte To Yankees. — Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte have been traded to the New York Yankees, per John Perrotto. (Guess that meeting in Tampa went well!) We'll have updates as soon as possible. — Update: Peter Abraham is reporting via his blog that Phil Coke …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, MetsBlog.com, MLB.com, Where have you gone …, Outs Per Swing, Sliding Into Home and Rotoworld.com
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Sports Illustrated:
Yanks land Nady, Marte in Bucs swap … NEW YORK — According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, the Yankees have acquired outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte from the Pirates for Jose Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Phil Coke and one other minor league prospect. — While the trade has been agreed upon …
New Jersey Online:
Dan Graziano's Trade Winds — Talk about a turnaround. This wasn't even the top guy Baltimore got in the Erik Bedard trade, but here he is, atop the wish lists of several teams looking for left-handed relief help. Teams connected to Sherrill include the Cardinals, Rays, Marlins, Red Sox and others.
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Joel Sherman / Hardball:
3 UP: The Mets Are First, and Faulty Rumors — 1. The Mets are alone in first place for the first time since April 19. But that is not as interesting to me as this: There is so much talk about the parity in baseball. But there is not parity... And while the Marlins and Cardinals are very competitive …
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Dodgers unable to pull the trigger (cont.) — Plenty of relief in sight — Scouts are following around Orioles closer George Sherrill like paparazzi follow Brangelina, a reflection of the need for relief by contenders. At least four relievers with closing capabilities …
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Ed Price / New Jersey Online:
Randy Winn on Yankees' watch list — According to an official from a National League team, who asked not to be named because his club was not involved, the Yankees have been scouting San Francisco Giants outfielder Randy Winn. — The Yankees are considering a trade for a bat since …
Steve Kornacki / MLive.com:
DETROIT TIGERS BASEBALL — Dombrowski: Tigers not sellers at trade deadline — DETROIT — Dave Dombrowski watched his Detroit Tigers take batting practice earlier this week from the dugout at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. He was well aware that the first-place Chicago White Sox …
Ted Berg / SNY.tv:
What's not yet Dunn — Anderson, Evans overmatched in left field, at plate — Leaving Tuesday night's loss to the Phillies, I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. It seemed certain that the Mets would not win again all season, and that the bullpen woes in that game would lead Omar Minaya …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Samardzija gets the call, may get start this weekend — CUBS IN BRIEF — A Cubs team fiercely trying to focus on the present could get its first glimpse of a big part of its future today with the arrival of top pitching prospect Jeff Samardzija. — The hard-throwing right-hander from Valparaiso …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Bleed Cubbie Blue, Chicago Tribune, MLB FanHouse and GoatRiders of the Apocalypse
Jim Baker / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Matchups — I'll Get 'Em Next Time … On Wednesday, Greg Maddux started his 14th consecutive game without being credited with—if you'll pardon the expression—a win. Normally, I pay very little attention to a pitcher's won-loss record. I actually hope that at some point …
