Top News:
Mychael Urban / MLB.com:
Bailey captures AL rookie award — Righty reliever recorded 26 saves to go with 1.84 ERA — OAKLAND — A's right-hander Andrew Bailey's rise from Minor League obscurity to Major League limelight turned historic Monday when he was named the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year.
Discussion:
Hardball Times, Yahoo! Sports, Detroit Tigers blog, Lone Star Ball, The iYankees Blog and Sliding Into Home
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Associated Press:
Bailey, Coghlan named Rookies of Year … NEW YORK (AP) — Florida Marlins left fielder Chris Coghlan won the National League Rookie of the Year award in a close vote Monday, and Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey took the AL honor. — Coghlan edged Philadelphia Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ …
Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com:
Coghlan is named NL's top rookie — Infielder-turned-outfielder stepped in and sparked Marlins — The franchise with a knack for producing some of the best young talent in the Major Leagues has another gem to add to its resume — Chris Coghlan. — That fact was evident through …
Discussion:
Batter's Box Interactive …
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Belichick gaffe unrivaled — INDIANAPOLIS - Ghastly. — This was as bad as anything the Red Sox ever did. Had it been a playoff game, it would be right up there with Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, Aaron Boone, and History Derailed in Glendale, Ariz. — And Bill Belichick played the part of Grady Little.
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Brian Burke / Advanced NFL Stats:
Belichick's 4th Down Decision vs the Colts — New England coach Bill Belichick is taking a lot of heat for his decision to attempt a 4th down conversion late in the game against the Colts. Indianapolis came back to win in dramatic fashion. Was the decision a good one?
brooklyncyclones.com:
BACKMAN TO MANAGE BROOKLYN CYCLONES — Former New York Mets star Wally Backman has been named the newest manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones, tabbed to lead the club in its tenth season of play. — Backman was a standout second baseman for the Mets in the 1980s - a gritty …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Can't Stop The Bleeding, 24 Hours From Suicide, New Jersey Online and SportSpyder.com
RELATED:
Associated Press:
New York Mets hire Wally Backman to manage Brooklyn Cyclones — NEW YORK — Wally Backman has been hired as manager of the New York Mets' Brooklyn Cyclones farm team in the New York-Penn League. — A member of the Mets' 1986 World Series championship team, Backman was hired to manage the Arizona Diamondbacks in November 2004.
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Alan Schwarz / New York Times:
As A.L.-N.L. Gap Widens, General Managers Tread Cautiously — CHICAGO — His shoulders shrugged. His lips pursed. But Kenny Williams bit his tongue one syllable too late. — “A guy going from the American League to the National League, no disrespect, but. ... ”
MLB.com:
Red Sox announce ticket prices for 2010 Spring Training and regular season — Annual “Christmas at Fenway Celebration” to be held on Saturday, December 12 — BOSTON, MA - The Boston Red Sox today announced prices for existing seats and standing room tickets available to the public …
MLB.com:
Twins unveil new uniforms and official team marks for Inaugural Season at Target Field — Merchandise Available Exclusively at Twins Pro Shops and twinsbaseball.com — MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL, Minn. - The 2009 American League Central Division Champion Minnesota Twins today unveiled new official team marks …
Discussion:
Hardball Times
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Vernon Wells Extension Reactions — On December 15th, 2006, Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi signed center fielder Vernon Wells to a seven-year, $126MM extension. The heavily-backloaded contract included a full no-trade clause and an opt-out clause after the 2011 season.
Discussion:
Talking Chop
Buster Olney / ESPN:
The free agent do-call list — The free-agent signing period begins four days from now, and we know that Matt Holliday, John Lackey and Jason Bay are going to be paid the most money. But other free agents might draw more interest, in terms of the total number of teams that get involved in the discussions.
