Top News:
Tracy Ringolsby / Rocky Mountain News:
Postseason Insider: Beckett says his OK, others think differently — Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett said he felt fine physically, even if the results were not as strong as he has become expected to produce in the postseason. Red Sox officials agreed. — Scouts, however …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
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David Just / MLB.com:
Guillen quick to give Rays their due — White Sox management praises upstart franchise for success — CHICAGO — There's no bigger fan of the Rays organization than White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. — After playing the final season of his career with Tampa Bay in 2000, Guillen watched the club's development with great interest.
Duk / Yahoo! Sports:
The surging Rays stage another clubhouse party for the ages — I've never heard of anyone becoming drunk by osmosis, but if such a thing were possible, the Rays clubhouse is the place you'd want to start. I just floated to the surface from the soaked-with-suds visitor's clubhouse …
Amy K. Nelson / ESPN:
Angels seething after being squeezed out of the playoffs … BOSTON — Torii Hunter sat in his chair, mad as hell. John Lackey said he wanted to throw somebody through a wall. Other players privately said they were more than upset, they were angry. — And it's understandable.
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Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:Red Sox send Angels home again
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Projo Sox Blog, Deadspin, YFSF, LA Times Sports Blog and MLB FanHouse
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
The old days weren't this good — We are spoiled. The Red Sox are in the playoffs, and it seems as if some Boston folk are holding back on their enthusiasm until the World Series. — Take a moment to smell the autumn air, you citizens of Red Sox Nation.
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David Leon Moore / USA Today:Notes: Ramirez says he's pulling for his ‘boys’ in Boston
Discussion:
Phillies Nation
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Rays clinch, punch ticket to ALCS — Upton powers early lead with pair of solo shots vs. White Sox — CHICAGO — Next on the Rays' agenda: The American League Championship Series. — The Rays bleached the blackout at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday night by taking a 6-2 win over the White Sox …
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Corey Brock / MLB.com:
Padres part ways with Bard, Estes — Both veterans clear waivers and elect for free agency — SAN DIEGO — Following a 99-loss season, the Padres started the process of reshaping their roster on Monday when they parted ways with catcher Josh Bard and left-handed pitcher Shawn Estes.
Red Sox Monster:
Jonathan Papelbon turns Craig Sager's pumpkin suit into fizzy goodness — OK, I have to admit it. I did enjoy Craig Sager's orange suit getting ripped by Jonathan Papelbon with a good stream or three of postgame bubbly a little too much. — On the upside, though, it looks like I'm not the only one.
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Moose call on next year still on hold — Most baseball insiders believe that Mike Mussina is ready to take his 270 wins and ride off into the sunset. — Of course, the only opinion that matters is Mussina's, and the pitcher hasn't spent much time thinking about his future since the Yankees' season ended nine days ago.
Jack O'Connell / MLB.com:
Ten Frick Award finalists announced — Nuxhall leads fan voting for baseball broadcasting honors — For the second consecutive year, baseball fans voted overwhelmingly for Joe Nuxhall to be on the ballot for the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence that was announced Monday by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
New York Post:
TEIXEIRA PERFECT FIT FOR BOMBERS — BOSTON - On paper, few free agents this offseason will match skill set to needs of a team nearly as well as Mark Teixeira does with the Yankees. — After Jason Giambi's walrus-on-skates act, the Yanks crave a first baseman who is more than a non-throwing statue.
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Mailbag: Will Diamond shine for Texas? — Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions … Could Thomas Diamond earn the fourth- or fifth-starter slot with a strong/overpowering spring showing? — Right now — before the Rangers make any moves — the rotation starts with Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla.
Joshua Robinson / New York Times:
Memories of Playing on Papa Hemingway's Ball Field — SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA, Cuba — The mango trees are still here, and so is an airy white bungalow, preserved by the careful hands of historians. But the baseball field under those trees in the shadow of the house is gone, lost to circumstance.
