Top News:
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Sandy Alderson tours Citi Field, remains favorite to fill Mets GM slot over other five candidates — The first round is finally over in the Mets' GM search. — Sandy Alderson remains a leading candidate after completing the second half of his interview with executives Jeff Wilpon and John Ricco Thursday.
Discussion:
Amazin' Avenue and HardballTalk
RELATED:
ESPN:
Mets eye Sandy Alderson, Josh Byrnes — The New York Mets have narrowed their search for a general manager to two candidates: longtime former GM and current MLB executive Sandy Alderson and former Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, the team announced in a statement.
Discussion:
MLB
Patrick Flood:
Sandy Alderson For GM — You know how newspapers will sometimes endorse a candidate for mayor or governor? Well that's what I'm going to do here for the Mets next general manager. I'm going to endorse a candidate. Do I have all the information to make the decision? Nope. But then again, who does ...
Discussion:
Amazin' Avenue, The 'Ropolitans and MetsBlog.com
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
Sandy Alderson and Josh Byrnes make the Cut
Discussion:
MetsMinorLeagueBlog.com
NY Daily News:
Lupica: It's time for Alex to be Great — They are the Yankees, defending champions of the sport, best team money can buy, most expensive pitching staff ever assembled. They are Mo Rivera, the greatest money player of them all, and Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano …
Discussion:
Subway Squawkers, HardballTalk and Texas Rangers
RELATED:
Andrew Marchand / ESPN:
Nick Swisher sick of Cliff Lee questions — ARLINGTON, Texas — Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher wants to face Cliff Lee in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, but he is sick of talking about him. Swisher cannot stand hearing another question asked about Lee.
Discussion:
Subway Squawkers, Fanhouse MLB Blog, HardballTalk, Pinstripe Alley and Sliding Into Home
Mike Sielski / Wall Street Journal:
Same Old Ghost Story
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley and Tedquarters
Sports Illustrated:
October's heroes: Twenty-five who have stepped up in the playoffs … Several players have enhanced their reps this October, though none more so than the top two guys on this list — the unheralded Cody Ross and the much-heralded Cliff Lee. Ross has done what no one expected …
Fox Sports:
Don't even try to predict NLCS outcome — Phillies Roy Halladay and Jayson Werth with Ken Rosenthal after Game 5. — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. Follow him on Twitter. — SAN FRANCISCO
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports, Philly.com, Phillies Nation and New York Times
RELATED:
Brian Costello / New York Post:
Bruised Berkman ready to go for Yankees — Tweet — ARLINGTON, Texas — Other than a bruised ego and a sore bottom, Lance Berkman is ready to go tonight in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series. — After taking a hard spill on the Yankee Stadium warning track during Game 5 …
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily and HardballTalk
RELATED:
Richard Griffin / Toronto Star:
Jays manager search: 3 GMs say John Farrell is the guy — It is the opinion of three major-league GMs that Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell will be named as Blue Jays manager replacing Cito Gaston, according to MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons. None of those GMs was Alex Anthopoulos who ultimately will make the call.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, mlbbuzz, The Joy of Sox and Full Count
RELATED:
Robert Macleod / Globe and Mail:
Jays won't confirm that Farrell is new manager
Discussion:
Boston Globe, SOX & Dawgs and Projo Sox Blog
Luke Adams / MLB Rumors:
Manager Roundup: Blue Jays, Brewers, Pirates
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Britt's Bird Watch, Where Have You Gone …, JSOnline and NESN.com
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Texas Rangers manager says he wanted to face Tampa Bay Rays in ALDS — Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington admitted in an ESPN.com interview with Howard Bryant that the Rangers were hoping the Tampa Bay Rays would win the AL East because they wanted to face them first in the playoffs.
RELATED:
Matthew Futterman / Wall Street Journal:
When the Yankees Lose, So Do You — Early Exits in the Postseason's …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
Kelly Thesier / MLB.com:
Twins' bullpen could see an overhaul in '11 — Several key relievers are potential free agents — MINNEAPOLIS — Jesse Crain doesn't quite know what awaits him this offseason. — The 28-year-old reliever has spent his entire career in the Twins organization and now is getting ready …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Rob Neyer / ESPN:
Let's not call the whole (BABiP) thing off — I like potahto... From the mailbag at Bill James' subscriber-only site: — Hey, Bill: You wrote “Please stop saying ‘BABIP’; it's just laziness.” Is saying “ERA,” RBI," “WAR,” and so on any different? If so, why? — Bill: “WAR” is laziness, yes.
Discussion:
THE BOOK
David Laurila / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Q&A — Scott Servais … David Laurila: What is it like seeing so many players that came through the system making such a big impact in the postseason? — Scott Servais: It's very gratifying, obviously. It speaks volumes to our scouts identifying guys …
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Brian Costa / Wall Street Journal:
The Long Walk From Chicago — After a Meteoric Rise and a Painful Fall, Yankees Reliever Kerry Wood Is Writing His Own Ending — ARLINGTON, Texas—The pivotal moment of Kerry Wood's career didn't happen at Wrigley Field. And it won't happen at Rangers Ballpark this weekend.
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily and River Avenue Blues
Luke Adams / MLB Rumors:
Multiple Japanese Teams Interested In Kawakami — A Japanese team has shown a “strong interest” in acquiring Kenshin Kawakami from the Braves, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Bowman writes that a Japanese reporter indicated that the Yomiuri Giants and Nippon Ham Fighters are interested in Kawakami.
RELATED:
Bowman's Blog:
Odds and ends: Freeman and Kawakami updates
Discussion:
Talking Chop and HardballTalk
