Top News:
Oliver Macklin / MLB.com:
Dutch walk off vs. Taipei, advance to Round 2 — Dutch center fielder Jurickson Profar drew a bases-loaded walk to help the Netherlands complete a wild late-inning comeback and punch a ticket to the second round of the World Baseball Classic with a 6-5 win over Chinese Taipei at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul …
Discussion:
Lookout Landing, Over the Monster, Talking Chop, Minor League Ball and Yahoo Sports
RELATED:
Fox Sports:
Israel reaches 2nd round of the WBC with Mensch power — TOKYO (AP) With a little help from “The Mensch on the Bench” mascot, Team Israel is into the second round of the World Baseball Classic. — Just 41st in the world rankings, Israel shocked third-ranked South Korea 2-1 in its opening game …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
KTVU-TV:
Oakland Raiders player Aldon Smith detained in San Francisco — SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) — Suspended Oakland Raiders player Aldon Smith was detained Thursday morning in San Francisco after a vehicle he was a passenger in collided with a San Francisco police car near police headquarters, authorities said.
Discussion:
Niners Wire, FanRag Sports and East Bay Times
Jeff Wilson / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Rangers shut down Cashner after setback — SURPRISE, ARIZ. — Right-hander Andrew Cashner had a setback with the soreness in is right biceps and is becoming increasingly likely to open the season on the disabled list. — The former TCU star and native Texan was shut down by the Texas Rangers medical staff for at least a few days.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, Yahoo Sports and Lone Star Ball
Fox Sports:
A's lose Gray for a while, Rangers shut down Cashner — Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray will begin the season on the disabled list with a lat strain and has been shut down from throwing for the next three weeks. — A's general manager David Forst said Thursday there's no timetable …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Jon Heyman / FanRag Sports:
World Series raise makes Cubs' Maddon highest-paid manager — Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon's $25-million, five-year contract got a little bit better with the World Series win. — Sources told FanRag Sports his salary escalated from $5 million to $6 million each of the last three years …
Discussion:
Bleacher Nation and CBS Chicago
Mary Kay Cabot / Plain Dealer:
Browns will still try to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, source says, and now have extra 2nd rounder — CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns will still try to trade for Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, league sources tell cleveland.com, and they now have an extra second-round pick in 2018 to pull it off.
Discussion:
Niners Wire, The Big Lead, ProFootballTalk, NESN.com, USA Today and FanRag Sports
Marc Berman / New York Post:
Bucks intrigue free-agent-to-be Derrick Rose — More On: — MILWAUKEE — The Bucks need a starting point guard. Derrick Rose considers Milwaukee the closest thing to Chicago. And Rose grew up watching Bucks coach Jason Kidd dazzle. — Seems like a possible match come July when Rose …
Discussion:
Hoops Rumors
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals, Pirates set to play in the ‘MLB Little League Classic’ — JUPITER, Fla. • Depending on the way the rotation turns, Cardinals righthander Lance Lynn could become the first Little League World Series alum to return to Williamsport, Pa., and start a game as a big-leaguer.
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports
Jon Heyman / FanRag Sports:
Cubs' Kris Bryant makes history with 2017 salary — A source close to the situation has informed FanRag Sports that Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has signed a $1.05 million contract for the upcoming 2017 season, a record for a second-year player. — Bryant has now surpassed …
Discussion:
Chicago Sun Times, MLB Trade Rumors and Bleed Cubbie Blue
ESPN:
Manny Machado made dad proud by picking Dominican Republic — SARASOTA, Fla. — The World Baseball Classic is billed as a fierce competition pitting country against country with national pride on the line. — However, the motivation to compete runs even deeper than that for Baltimore …
Discussion:
Camden Chat and Talking Chop
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Fashion Statement: Matheny cracks wise on home wins & haberdashery — The front of the Cubs' spring training T-shirt shows a meditative bear, wearing Ernie Banks' No. 14. The slogan on the back — which is a mantra the team used during a January mini-camp — reads, “In Blue Out Red,” …
Discussion:
CBS Chicago
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
An appreciation: FOX Sports director Bill Webb epitomized baseball broadcast brilliance — Bill Webb was a historic figure in baseball, changing the way fans view the sport on television. But interacting with him, you never would have known. — All of us at MLB on FOX are mourning Webby, whom we lost Tuesday at age 70.
RELATED:
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Bill Webb, Tailor of TV Baseball Excitement, Dies at 70
Bill Webb, Tailor of TV Baseball Excitement, Dies at 70
Discussion:
Faith and Fear in Flushing and baseballmusings.com