Top News:
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs swept out of playoffs by Dodgers — Big bats fail again as L.A. completes sweep — LOS ANGELES - It's going to take some time for the Cubs second straight playoff disaster to really sink in, but the mood in the clubhouse after Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 …
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Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Retirement one options for Edmonds — LOS ANGELES — If Jim Edmonds has proved nothing else this season — to himself and the Cubs, if not the Cardinals and Padres who sold him short before that — it's that he can still play at a high level. — But whether he wants to do it again next year probably …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Breaking Down the Cubs' Breakdown — LOS ANGELES — On the fateful night five years ago when the Chicago Cubs lost their grip on the pennant, Derrek Lee drove in the tying runs. He was a carefree Florida Marlin then, unburdened by the tortured psyche of North Side fans.
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Speedy Rays expect damp field in Chicago — Matt Garza, second from right, gets ready for today's Game 3 start with the rest of the Rays as they work out at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. — Times] — CHICAGO — The Rays played hard and did a lot right to win the first two games …
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David Pinto / Baseball Musings:
White Sox Threaten — JIm Thome leads off the bottom of the fourth, 1 for 10 in the series with a single. Matt Garza stays with the heat, and Jim smacks one to the wall in centerfield for a double. The White Sox have a chance to take the lead here. — Update: Konerko walks and the White Sox …
Discussion:
Associated Press
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
White Sox hold off Rays' party — CHICAGO - If they were going down they didn't want to do it like their North side rival Chicago Cubs, who suffered the embarrassment of being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. — Many Chicago White Sox players …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Brewers to make surprise run at CC? … MILWAUKEE — The rising small-market Milwaukee Brewers are seriously considering a surprise run at keeping superstar pitcher CC Sabathia, but while Sabathia said he enjoyed his time in Milwaukee very much after the Brewers were eliminated by the Phillies …
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Associated Press:
Selig receives a standing ovation for this strike — MILWAUKEE (AP) — Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig got a standing ovation for a strike. — Selig threw out the first pitch Sunday before Game 4 of the NL division series between his old team, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Script is near perfect — Beckett set up as the executioner — Josh Beckett, who has been battling a strained oblique, takes a 6-2 postseason record into tonight's start against the Angels. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff) — Before Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Josh Beckett passed along a bit of advice to Jon Lester.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings, Orange County Register, Boston Dirt Dogs, SOX & Dawgs and Los Angeles Times
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Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Padres' Peavy could be an option for the Yankees — In this baseball winter that will be dominated by free-agent starting pitchers, the most intriguing commodity might be a young, frontline starter who already is signed to a reasonable contract. — Whom would you rather have?
Sports Illustrated:
Why White Sox have best chance to comeback — Cliff Corcoran breaks down today's Division Series games. All games are on TBS; all times are Eastern. — Phillies at Brewers — Series: NLDS, Game 4; Phillies lead 2-1 — Starters: Joe Blanton (9-12, 4.69) vs. Jeff Suppan (10-10, 4.96)
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Art Martone / Projo Sox Blog:
Transcript: Mike Scioscia pregame in the interview room — Lineup? — MIKE SCIOSCIA: We'll have Figgie, Garret Anderson, Tex, Vlad, Torii, Rivera, Napoli, Kendrick and Aybar. — Can you just comment on how Figgins gets this machine going and his capacity as leadoff hitter?
Discussion:
Angels blog
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Pregame notes — There is no need to be alarmed about the lack of J.D. Drew from the Red Sox lineup, although his ailing back did factor in to why he is sitting to start tonight's game. Sox manager Terry Francona explained that Drew is sitting partly for health reasons, and partly for baseball reasons.
