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John Brattain / Hardball Times:
Why the Phillies will beat the Dodgers — It's been awhile. — The Dodgers haven't sniffed an NLCS since 1988—the Phillies were last in back in 1993. — It should be a good series, but I think we're going to see the City of Brotherly Love not treat the Dodgers with anything resembling filial kindness.
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Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
LA uses same NLDS rotation for NLCS — Against Phillies, Lowe will be followed by Billingsley, Kuroda — PHILADELPHIA — Not messing with success, Dodgers manager Joe Torre on Wednesday named the same starting pitchers for the first three games of the National League Championship Series …
Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers bullpen might not include Takashi Saito — His roster spot could go to left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo. — PHILADELPHIA — Speaking of how suddenly everything changed for him, Takashi Saito laughed. — “I didn't expect this,” he said. — Saito went into Manager Joe Torre's office …
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Examining baseball's final four (cont.) — Philadelphia Phillies — This Phillies team has major stars, including the last two MVPs in Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, and starting pitcher Cole Hamels, whose changeup has been devastating. But the thing that stands out about these players …
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MLB Rumors, Bottom9 Baseball, Sliding Into Home, iYankees, MetsBlog.com, River Avenue Blues and Pinstripes, Pa.
Joe Sheehan / Unfiltered:
Facts About Manny Ramirez — Fox broadcaster Tim McCarver joined the chorus-well, actually he stepped in front of the chorus, grabbed a mike, waved down the band and called for a spotlight-Wednesday, slamming Manny Ramirez based largely on the same secondhand stories that have passed around for more than two months.
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David S. Cohen / The Good Phight:
Ten Things You Might Not Know About the Philadelphia Phillies — A media narrative is developing, and it's not kind to the Phillies. So, in light of that, here are ten things you might not, but should, know about the Philadelphia Phillies: — 1. The Phillies had the second best record in the NL this year.
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Baseball Analysts
Mike Jensen / Philly.com:McCarver outspoken about L.A.'s dread man
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Boston Herald, Awful Announcing, The Big Lead, MLB FanHouse, LA Times Sports Blog and Boston Globe
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Cubs pick up Harden's '09 option — Led Major League pitchers with .183 batting average against — CHICAGO — The Cubs took care of one offseason project Wednesday and picked up the $7 million option for pitcher Rich Harden for 2009. — If the Cubs had not picked up the option …
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Art Martone / Projo Sox Blog:
Transcript: Terry Francona's Wednesday press conference — On ALCS pitching rotation — We're going to go, Daisuke, Becket, Lester, Wakefield now. We reserve the right if something crazy happens in the middle to make a change but that's the way we're set up to go. The reasoning is actually pretty simple.
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Jim Street / MLB.com:
Armstrong opens up about club's future — President expounds on GM search, direction of Mariners — SEATTLE — Mariners president Chuck Armstrong said this week that an intense determination to get the Mariners back on course via a “collaborative and inclusive” management style that worked …
Discussion:
U.S.S. Mariner
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Union may play role in where Sabathia goes — CC Sabathia told reporters this past week that his experience with the Brewers opened up his world. That no longer was he married to the idea of using his impending free agency to relocate his job near his West Coast home.
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
When Philadelphia Was a Winner — PHILADELPHIA — If you could relive the happiest moment of your childhood, what would it be? I'm lucky, I suppose, because I never have to think twice. — It was Oct. 8, 1983, a quarter of a century ago Wednesday. I was 8, and nothing mattered as much as the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Tim Marchman / Slate:
A Prayer for the Tampa Bay Rays — SURE, CUBS SUPPORTERS HAVE BEEN SUFFERING LONGER, BUT RAYS FANS HAVE IT MUCH, MUCH WORSE. — Throw a rock in Chicagoland these days, and you're liable to hit a mourning Cubs fan who's old enough to remember Gabby Hartnett's spry youth.
Joel Sherman / Hardball:
Cano, Kuo and Abreu — 1. The more I talk to Yankee officials the more I become convinced that Robinson Cano will not be dealt. That is because the Yanks plan on valuing him as the 2006-7 Cano and not last year's discouraging version. As I canvas executives from other teams, however …
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River Avenue Blues
