After a few days off, ladies and gentlemen, we are back to baseball. The Yankees and the Rangers face off this evening in Texas, and we'll see Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum take the mound in Philadelphia tomorrow, in what could be the first game of a pretty good series.
DBacks News:
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[dbacks.com] D-backs' 2010 organization review - Mike Berger said, regarding our prospects: "Overall, I couldn't be more pleased. We challenged guys out of last year's Draft and jumped them a full level and [they responded]." Berger, why is that name familiar? I know I've heard it somewhere...
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[azcentral.com] Brogna replaces Berger as farm director - Oh, whoops. Berger will remain with the organization, though- they're putting him in the scouting department, but haven't defined his role there yet. Brogna spent the year managing the Mobile BayBears, our AA affiliate.
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[dbacks.com] D-backs progress toward filling vacancies - We might hear the names soon. Kevin Towers said "By the end of next week, we may have the Major League coaching staff. I think a lot depends on if we feel comfortable with the group we've talked to or if we want to talk to some others."
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[dbacksvenom.com] How Would Yu Darvish Look in a Diamondbacks Uniform? - While the rumors of the Diamondbacks making a run at Yu Darvish seem like a longshot, we've got the free time to consider what it might mean. Amit gives us a look at how Darvish has pitched in Japan, and how he might perform in the United States.
After the jump, links for each series, and some other news from around sports.
Rangers/Yankees:-
[dallasnews.com] Rangers in 7! And here's how it happens... - The Dallas sports media seems pretty optimistic- in another article from the Dallas Morning News, 5 of their 6 reporters said the Rangers would win the series, but all six said it would go to seven games.
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[dallasobserver.com] 2010 ALCS: Yankees v. Rangers Position-by-Position Breakdown - Comparing each team by position- and again, they predict that this series will go the full seven.
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[playerpress.com] Did NY Yankees Lose ALCS in July? - The New York media, though, isn't quite as thrilled. There seems to be some concern, and nothing is prepared to haunt them more than failing to trade for Cliff Lee.
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[sny.tv] Five questions for the ALCS - This series isn't just about Cliff Lee, though. There's plenty to consider going into game one.
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[sfgate.com] Giants-Phillies shapes up as pitching classic - Though I dislike both teams, I'm actually looking forward to the Giants-Phillies series. It should be pretty good.
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[philly.com] Manuel likes Phillies rotation set up 'the way we had it' - "If a manager's biggest decision is whether to start Roy Oswalt or Cole Hamels in Game 2, well, things really aren't too bad." I think 30 managers out of 30 wouldn't mind having that be their biggest concern.
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[sfexaminer.com] Giants better at cashing in on pitching - I love how this article talks about how the Giants have gotten such value from their starting three, and then just mentions Zito towards the end, even though it pretty much goes against everything they said before.
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[philly.com] Phillies-Giants: 5 reasons why each team can win - While Brian Wilson's awful facial hair does get mention, Jayson Werth's awful facial hair does not.
Around Sports:
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[nbcsports.com] Mickey Mantle was a "neuromuscular genius" and may have played 17 years with a torn ACL - Dear current baseball players- You're a bunch of pansies. Sincerely, Baseball players before about 1990.
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[businessinsider.com] Baseball's 20 Most Expensive Busts In 2010 - An interesting look at who vastly underperformed their contracts. Some names I'm surprised to see on there.
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[deadspin.com] Soccer Team Signs 11-Year-Old - An eleven year old? Really?