Top News:
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Proctor to have surgery on right elbow — Dodgers reliever expected to be ready for Spring Training — LOS ANGELES — Dodgers reliever Scott Proctor, who was left off the National League Championship Series roster after battling arm problems, will undergo right elbow surgery Wednesday.
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Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Close pitches cause benches to clear — Martin plunked, buzzed before Kuroda nearly hits Victorino — LOS ANGELES — Tempers flared and benches cleared during the third inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday, sparking more than a fair bit of animosity between the Dodgers and Phillies.
Dylan Hernandez / Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers defeat Phillies, 7-2, thanks to big first inning — Blake DeWitt's three-run triple is the key hit in a five-run first as Dodgers take Game 3 on a strong outing by Hiroki Kuroda and cut Phillies' series lead to 2-1. Teams nearly brawl in the third. — The Dodgers knocked Jamie Moyer out of the game.
Associated Press:
Benches clear in Game 3 of NLCS — LOS ANGELES (AP)—Both benches and bullpens cleared Sunday night in Game 3 of the NL championship series, moments after Los Angeles Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda threw a pitch over Shane Victorino's head. — Plate umpire Mike Everitt immediately warned …
New York Post:
GIRARDI SHOULDN'T TRY TO BE THE NEXT JOE — LOS ANGELES - To be around Joe Torre again is a reminder of his impressive blend of self-confidence, serenity and stature. — Torre exudes a comfort in his own skin and, thus, brings a comfort to those who enter his sphere.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings, WasWatching.com, Mike Silva's NY Baseball …, Sliding Into Home and Bugs & Cranks
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Clutch, heady play helped Rays to badly needed win — BOSTON — There were plenty of reasons why the Rays won Saturday/Sunday's marathon 11-inning thriller 9-8, which officially evened the American League Championship Series and theoretically may have tipped the momentum in their favor.
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Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com:
Scolded at school, fan lauded by Rays — Sharples, 12, meets favorite players after taking suspension — ST. PETERSBURG — On Monday, Zachary Sharples wasn't even allowed to rest his head and take a nap. On Saturday night, the seventh-grader had a hard time believing he wasn't dreaming.
Richard Griffin / Toronto Star:
Red Sox invincible? Not any more — Everyone is starting to realize that this Red Sox team is not the same as the World Series champs of 2007, but it's more than the loss of Manny Ramirez that has lessened their aura of invincibility. — In fact, even with a split at Tropicana Field …
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated
Victor Wang / Hardball Times:
How much should Ben Sheets get? — Background — The free agent pitching pool this year is relatively large, with pitchers such as CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Ryan Dempster and Derek Lowe available. Included among these pitchers is Ben Sheets, who has become slightly overshadowed with Sabathia arriving in Milwaukee.
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Bay's statement — There is no comparing anyone left in the postseason to Jason Bay. — His 11 hits lead every batter in the playoffs. His nine RBIs tie him for first with the Phillies' Shane Victorino. His three home runs tie him for second behind the Rays' B.J. Upton.
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Texas Rangers' president takes aim at pitchers — egrant@dallasnews.com — SURPRISE, Ariz. - For the 15 years between retiring as the world's greatest living pitcher and taking on the task of reforming the world's worst living pitching staff, Nolan Ryan was - and is - a cattle rancher.
Mark Healey / Gotham Baseball:
Credibility Package — I don't think I can bring anything new to the whole “The Internet Is Changing The Way Sports Media Does Business” mantra, but I can tell you one thing, I seem to be working too hard. Or it seems, not hard enough. I mean, working the phones all day to get some juicy …
John Shea / San Francisco Chronicle:
Giants little more than longshot in Sabathia sweepstakes — Let's say the Giants won't sign CC Sabathia for two reasons: Bill Neukom and Barry Zito. — Neukom, the new managing general partner, has been a Giants investor since 1995 and a general partner since 2003.
Mike Lupica / NY Daily News:
Shooting from The Lip: Mets, Yanks should stay away from Manny — Both the Mets and Yankees, who are a little desperate these days as they watch the baseball postseason go on without them, should stay away from Manny Ramirez. Let the Dodgers pay him. And have him.
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