Top News:
Richard Sandomir / Bats:
ESPN Breaks Up ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ Team — ESPN ended its 20-year association with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan as the voices of “Sunday Night Baseball” on Monday. They declined to renew Morgan's contract and have asked Miller if he wants to stay on as the radio voice of the Sunday night games.
RELATED:
MLB:
Jon Miller, Joe Morgan not returning — Jon Miller and Joe Morgan's 21-year run on ESPN's “Sunday Night Baseball” is over. — Morgan's contract is expiring and he will not be renewed. Miller's contract is also expiring though he may remain at ESPN working the “Sunday Night Baseball” series and postseason baseball for ESPN Radio.
Duk / Yahoo! Sports:
They're out! Joe Morgan and Jon Miller nixed from ESPN Sundays — The imperative that Ken Tremendous and Co. jokingly turned into Internet legend has now actually been realized. Starting in 2011, ESPN's “Sunday Night Baseball” will be Joe Morgan free. — Celebrate, lovers of broadcasts free of ego-driven inanity, celebrate!
Discussion:
Toeing the Rubber, NBCSports.com, Walkoff Walk, A Red Sox Fan … and The Good Phight
Henry Schulman / SFGate:
Jon Miller, Joe Morgan out as ESPN Sunday broadcasters
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and The Soxaholix
Wallace Matthews / ESPN:
Source: Yanks will overpay Derek Jeter — Derek Jeter is going to be paid Ryan Howard money for putting up Marco Scutaro numbers. — “The Yankees are going to overpay him,” said a source with intimate knowledge of the discussions between the team and Casey Close, Jeter's agent.
RELATED:
Colin Wyers / Baseball Prospectus:
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Derek Jeter? — One of the things about being a baseball analyst as a writer is that I have the luxury of taking the broad view. If I am right about most players, I'm doing a pretty good job. If I miss on a player here or there...I don't enjoy it …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and THE BOOK
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Yankees Likely To Offer Jeter $45-60MM
Discussion:
TYU and IT IS HIGH!
Joe Posnanski / Joe Blogs:
History Lessons With Bud — Look, I like Bud Selig. Veteran readers of this blog will know that when I start that way — with “I like Person X” — that usually follows with me attempting to then skewer Person X. Well, I can't help it. I do like Bud. I like him for two main reasons, I think.
Discussion:
Red Reporter and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
RELATED:
Tommy Craggs / Deadspin:
Bud Selig Thinks Abner Doubleday Invented Baseball. Of Course He Does.
Discussion:
The Mighty Quinn Media Machine
Associated Press:
DePodesta Joins Alderson in Mets Front Office — NEW YORK (AP) — Paul DePodesta is joining Sandy Alderson in the New York Mets' front office, the second high-profile hiring by the new general manager. — DePodesta, the former GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was hired as vice president …
RELATED:
MLB.com:
Blue Jays complete coaching staff for 2011 — The Toronto Blue Jays announce the following additions to the coaching staff of manager John Farrell for the 2011 season. Joining Brian Butterfield, Third Base Coach, & Bruce Walton, Pitching Coach, will be Don Wakamatsu, Bench Coach …
Discussion:
Britt's Bird Watch
RELATED:
Rob Bradford / Full Count:
Source: Red Sox show interest in Justin Duchscherer — According to a baseball source, the Red Sox have expressed interest in right-hander Justin Duchscherer as a potential addition to their pitching staff. Duchscherer, who was drafted by the Sox in the eighth round of the 1996 round …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, SOX & Dawgs and HardballTalk
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Cliff Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, says decision won't come quickly as Yankees chase lefty ace — Cliff Lee is the marquee free agent on the market this winter, and according to his agent, that isn't going to change anytime soon. — Two days into Lee's first free-agent experience …
Discussion:
Zell's Pinstripe Blog and HardballTalk
Tim Kurkjian / MLB:
Source: Tsuyoshi Nishioka to be posted — Tsuyoshi Nishioka, a 26-year-old middle infielder for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League in Japan, will be posted for MLB teams this week, a source close to the situation said Monday. — Nishioka won the Pacific League batting title this year with a .346 average.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, MLB Rumors, HardballTalk, Fanhouse MLB Blog and Britt's Bird Watch
Bob Brookover / Philly.com:
Sandberg up for IronPigs managerial slot — The man involved in perhaps the most infamous trade in Phillies history could finally be returning to the organization that always regretted losing him. — Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg is among the candidates for the Phillies' managerial vacancy …
Discussion:
Phillies Nation and HardballTalk
Baseball Hall of Fame:
Expansion Era Committee to Consider 12 Candidates for Hall of Fame Election at December's Winter Meetings — Ballot Features Eight Long-Retired Players, Three Executives and One Manager for Consideration of Careers Whose Greatest Impact Felt from 1973-present
Discussion:
Mike Silva's … and The Captain's Blog
Jeff Sullivan / Lookout Landing:
Ichiro Ten Years Ago — Ichiro wouldn't be caught dead in this — Reading old articles is one of those things I don't think any of us do often enough. We're always on the lookout for what's brand new, or what happens next, and it's because of our ceaseless push forward that we leave so much behind …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
The annual ultimate free-agent tracker — Here is the free-agent class of 2010-11, ranked from Nos. 1 to 164. The rankings are based on a number of variables, including each player's history, age and potential, and they reflect a combination of predicted performance and market value …
Sports Illustrated:
Potential free-agent busts (Pavano, Wood) and bargains (Garland, Lee) … No teams want to make a mistake in free agency, as a bad contract can hamper a franchise for years (although the world champion Giants overcame bad deals for Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand). Nobody wants to add the wrong person to their clubhouse, either.
Discussion:
Sliding Into Home, MLB Rumors and MetsBlog.com
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Washburn interested in comeback with Crew — Veteran lefty played under new manager Roenicke with Angels — MILWAUKEE — It sounds like left-hander Jarrod Washburn is interested in a comeback with his home-state Brewers. — Washburn, who hails from western Wisconsin …
Discussion:
Mariners Insider and MLB Daily Dish
RELATED:
Jon Paul Morosi / Fox Sports:
Washburn considering MLB comeback
Discussion:
JSOnline, HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
2011 Top 50 Free Agents — It's time for the fifth annual MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agents list! The entire list of available free agents can be found here. — A note before we begin - this is a complicated puzzle, and I'll be satisfied if I'm correct on a quarter of these guesses.
RELATED:
Gordon Edes / ESPN:
Source: Red Sox eye Jayson Werth
Discussion:
Boston Globe, USA Today, Over the Monster and Phillies Nation
