Top News:
Fox Sports:
Snub of Alomar exposes flaw in voting — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. — I'm angry, too. — Angry that Roberto Alomar did not get elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
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Howard Bryant / ESPN:
Outrage at HOF voting baseless — Changes in MLB culture, punditry since '95 don't mean voters should ditch precedent — From the overheated outrage expressed by baseball fans, the blogosphere and, most embarrassingly, the ostensibly objective journalists over the fact that Andre Dawson …
Discussion:
Circling The Bases
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Montreal Expos, Forgotten by Many, Are Reuniting in Cooperstown — There is an episode of “Newhart,” the 1980s sitcom set at a lodge in Vermont, in which George the handyman considers which baseball team to root for. The Montreal Expos were somewhat local, but they would not do.
Discussion:
Chicago Breaking Sports, Bats, 24 Hours From Suicide, Federal Baseball, Circling The Bases, THE BOOK and A Red Sox Fan …
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Outfielder Scott Podsednik agrees to deal with Kansas City Royals — Free agent outfielder Scott Podsednik has reached preliminary agreement on a contract with the Kansas City Royals. — Podsednik — The deal will be completed after Podsednik passes a physical exam Friday.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Royals Review, Royals Authority, Fanhouse MLB Blog, Chicago Breaking Sports and Associated Press
Juan C. Rodriguez / Florida Marlins:
Florida Marlins: Puerto Rico series on tap for 2010, 2011; Iraq trip later this month — President David Samson anticipates the Marlins finalizing plans to relocate a June 28-30 home series against the Mets to Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico within the next week.
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Duk / Yahoo! Sports:
World Series champs against Japanese champs? It could happen — We were just talking about what moves Bud Selig might make to bolster his legacy before he steps down as baseball's commissioner in 2012, so it probably comes as no surprise that he's thinking big. — Like, globally big.
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Lisa Winston / MLB.com:
Mets claim reliever Marshall from A's — Left-hander has 2.85 ERA in 219 Minor League games — The New York Mets added to their bullpen on Friday with the addition of southpaw Jay Marshall off waivers from the Oakland Athletics. — Marshall, 26, was -2 with a 14.72 ERA in 10 outings …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com:
Delgado smacks first homer since return — Free agent playing winter ball to prove injury is behind him — Free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado hit his first home run for the Carolina Giants in the Puerto Rican Winter League on Thursday to help the team advance to the postseason.
Discussion:
24 Hours From Suicide
Lisa Winston / MLB.com:
A's designate Everidge for assignment — First baseman made debut with Oakland in 2009 — The Oakland A's designated first baseman Tommy Everidge for assignment Friday to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for newly-signed DH Jack Cust. — Everidge, 26, made his big league debut with the A's in 2009 …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Mark Hale / New York Post:
Mets' David Wright expects to bounce back in 2010 — In a lengthy and exclusive interview with The Post, David Wright said he firmly believes he will produce to his expectations in 2010, admitted he has “some things to prove” and maintained that launching homers at Citi Field is simply a matter of his adjusting to the ballpark.
John Sickels / Minor League Ball:
New York Mets Top 20 Prospects for 2010 — More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP — New York Mets rookie outfielder Fernando Martinez (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) — Top 20 New York Mets Prospects for 2010 — All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.
MLB.com:
Gammons: New year brings new season — Trek toward Spring Training begins with flip of calendar — People always kid me that every year on Dec. 22, no matter how badly it's snowing, I say, “You know what, tomorrow is the first day there is more light than there was today, so therefore we're on our way to a summer solstice.”
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates focus on Dotel, dim outlook on Ankiel — Team also interested in free-agent long reliever Carrasco — The Pirates have zeroed in on free-agent closer Octavio Dotel, according to multiple sources yesterday, but they might be looking away from outfielder Rick Ankiel.
Discussion:
Where Have You Gone …, MetsBlog.com, Bird Land, PBC Blog, MLB Rumors and Circling The Bases
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
It's official: Adrian Beltre, Bill Hall newest Red Sox — + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email — The Red Sox [team stats] finalized two important pieces to their offseason puzzle yesterday. — The club announced a one-year contract with third baseman Adrian Beltre, one of the best defensive players in the game.
Conor Glassey / Baseball America:
Detroit Tigers Top 10 Prospects — Detroit Tigers … The Tigers spent most of the 2009 season looking down on the rest of the American League Central. They moved into first place on May 10 and held a seven-game lead after they won their first six games in September.
Discussion:
Tiger Tales
Mike Puma / New York Post:
Denzel aces CC on ‘Leno Show’ — CC Sabathia got hit with his first loss of 2010 last night. — Appearing on “The Jay Leno Show” the ace lefty faced Denzel Washington in a game of Yankees trivia and was no match for the two-time Oscar winner. — Washington set the tone by beating Sabathia …
Discussion:
Zell's Pinstripe Blog
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Long already hard at work with Yankees — Hitting coach puts time in with Swisher; Granderson on deck — NEW YORK — While the rest of baseball clings to its last weeks of Hot Stove hibernation, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long has already rolled into the new season …
Discussion:
TYU, Pinstripe Alley, River Avenue Blues, Sliding Into Home, The iYankees Blog and lenNY's Yankees
Baseball America:
Dunn, Vizcaino Head South In Trade To Braves — Many observers looked at the Braves' recent deal that sent Javier Vazquez to the Yankees as a trade for outfielder Melky Cabrera. As far as both teams' front offices were concerned, that was far from the case.
Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com:
Blue Jays claim Bocock off waivers — Shortstop recently designated for assignment by Giants — The Blue Jays claimed shortstop Brian Bocock off waivers from the Giants on Thursday. — Bocock was designated for assignment by San Francisco recently to make room on the 40-man roster for the Juan Uribe signing.
Discussion:
Batter's Box Interactive …
