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Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
M.L.B. Defends Fred Wilpon and His Financial Role — It sounds like a punch line: Fred Wilpon, the majority owner of the Mets, is the new chairman of Major League Baseball's finance committee. — Wilpon was a victim of Bernard L. Madoff's Ponzi scheme and has slashed the payroll of a team that has struggled significantly with debt.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Metsblog, Bless You Boys, MLB Trade Rumors, Amazin' Avenue and ESPN
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Rob Manfred's top five priorities — MLB commissioner Rob Manfred routinely gets letters from Pete Rose loyalists who hope he will take a more forgiving stance than his predecessor, Bud Selig, on the subject of overturning the Hit King's lifetime banishment from baseball.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and SI.com
MLB.com:
Commissioner Rob Manfred's letter to fans — Rob Manfred is the 10th Commissioner of Major League Baseball. — Dear Fans: — On the night of August 14, 2014, I left a Baltimore hotel after being elected Commissioner of Baseball. As I began to reply to the overwhelming number …
Discussion:
Royals Review, SBNation.com, Bleacher Report, World Series Dreaming, HardballTalk and ESPN
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Paul Hagen / MLB.com:
Outgoing Commissioner given Long and Meritorious Service Award — Commissioner Rob Manfred presents the ninth Commissioner of MLB Allan H. (Bud) Selig with the Long and Meritorious Service award — NEW YORK — In one of his last official acts as Commissioner, just hours before stepping …
Discussion:
Talking Chop and Amazin' Avenue
Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:
Indians ace ‘excited about getting going’ for 2015 season — Hall of Famer John Smoltz presents Indians pitcher Corey Kluber with the 2014 American League Cy Young Award during the 2015 BBWAA dinner — CLEVELAND — It sat near the edge of a table inside the training room within the Indians' clubhouse.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
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Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:
Progressive Field should be ready for Indians' April 10 home opener — Crews begin work in the right-field area that eventually will be home to a new two-story, climate-controlled bar at Progressive Field — CLEVELAND — Fans pouring into Tribe Fest this weekend were able to get a glimpse …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Shi Davidi / Sportsnet.ca:
Blue Jays end negotiations for Orioles' Duquette — TORONTO — Negotiations for Dan Duquette are over after the Toronto Blue Jays refused to consider the Baltimore Orioles' demands for promising right-hander Jeff Hoffman and two other top prospects as compensation for the executive.
Discussion:
School of Roch, Camden Chat, HardballTalk, MLB Trade Rumors and Sporting News Feed RSS
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Bob Elliott / Toronto Sun:
The inside story on how Rogers tried to replace Blue Jays president Paul Beeston
Discussion:
Toronto Star, South Side Sox, ESPN, New York Post, Camden Chat and MLB Trade Rumors
Nada Tawfik / BBC:
Baseball's toxic tradition of chewing tobacco — Cheeks bulging with chewing tobacco are a common sight on the baseball pitch. — Once described as the nation's religion, baseball has a special place in American culture. But there is a darker side: the cancer-causing tradition of chewing tobacco …
Bob Dutton / Mariners Insider:
Mariners notebook: Jackson looking to bounce back from disappointing year — SEATTLE — Familiarity can also breed contentment. That's Austin Jackson's view as he prepares for his first full season with the Mariners after two disappointing months last year following his July 31 arrival.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, CBSSports.com and MLB Trade Rumors
Teri Thompson / NY Daily News:
Yankees reject Alex Rodriguez's mea culpa meeting request after Biogenesis scandal — The disgraced superstar offered to meet face-to-face with team executives to apologize for his role in the Biogenesis scandal and clear the air before players report to Tampa next month, the Daily News has learned …
Discussion:
CBSSports.com, HardballTalk and baseballmusings.com
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Ken Davidoff / New York Post:
A-Rod, sans lawyers, secretly meets with incoming commish
Discussion:
Halos Heaven, Pinstripe Alley, Sporting News Feed RSS, CBSSports.com and HardballTalk
Marc Carig / Newsday:
Wilmer Flores is working hard to prove he can play shortstop … Mets — Mets in 2015: Keep 'em or dump 'em? … Baseball — Ranking MLB's free agent position players
Discussion:
New York Post
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Rockies shortstop, recovering from hip surgery, wants to prove doubters wrong — When healthy, 30-year-old Troy Tulowitzki is one of the league's best hitters, but injuries remain a lingering concern heading into 2015 — DENVER — In a sense, Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's offseason is not much different than winters past.
Discussion:
Rockies Zingers Colorado … and MLB Trade Rumors
