DEVIL RAYS NEWS AND LINKS

No deal: Giles remains with Padres
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:57:00 EDT)
It appears outfielder Brian Giles will remain with the Padres as the deadline for San Diego and the Boston Red Sox to work out a deal for the 37-year-old passed on Friday without a trade.

Olympic opening leaves U.S. breathless
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:11:00 EDT)
The Summer Olympics are officially under way, the cauldron flame has been lighted in a manner that they will be talking about for generations, China has a lot of new friends and "The Greatest Show On Earth" lived up to its $100 million expectations on a sultry Friday night inside the incomparable Bird's Nest.

White Sox try to turn tables on Red Sox
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:12:00 EDT)
After suffering a brutal sweep by Boston last season, the White Sox now stand atop the AL Central while the Red Sox are stumbling into this weekend's series.

Ankiel should start Saturday
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:30:00 EDT)
Having not made a start since July 26, center fielder Rick Ankiel took batting practice and shagged fly balls on Friday, and should start Saturday at Wrigley.

Gr-eight days in baseball
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:15:00 EDT)
The game of baseball has had its share of prominent 8's and variations thereof. Center field, a most celebrated position, particularly in New York, is the No. 8 position. Now, there are eighth-inning pitchers. And scouts still rate players' skills on scales of one to eight -- with eight being the highest.

Marlins bringing back catcher Lo Duca
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:50:00 EDT)
The Marlins signed veteran catcher Paul Lo Duca to a Minor League contract on Friday.

Rivera passes 1,000 career innings
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
Mariano Rivera retired Jay Payton of the Orioles on July 29 under typical circumstances. But the Yankees closer made a quiet claim to history. With the out, Rivera hit 1,000 innings pitched for his career, a relatively rare milestone for relievers. And Rivera, as he's apt to do, made a claim to something ever rarer.

Nathan named DHL's top reliever in July
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:05:00 EDT)
Twins reliever Joe Nathan won the "DHL Presents Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award" for July.

Abreu aims to return to Yankees
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EDT)
Bobby Abreu, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, loves New York. After coming to the Yankees in a 2006 trade, the right fielder wants to stay in pinstripes a few more years and is keeping his fingers crossed.

Classic complaints news to Blanco
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:55:00 EDT)
Cubs catcher Henry Blanco said Friday he wanted to get more information before commenting on remarks by Venezuelan players upset with the way they were treated during the first World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Tribe promotes Reyes, Donnelly
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:13:00 EDT)
The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has recalled RHP Anthony Reyes and purchased the contract of RHP Brendan Donnelly from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

Mather gets leadoff call vs. Cubs
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:15:00 EDT)
Friday marked the second time Joe Mather has led off for the Cardinals, and both times have come against the Cubs, who have their own slugging spark plug.

Minor Leaguers have major Olympic presence
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
Brett Lawrie, Milwaukee's top pick in June's First-Year Player Draft, is one of 46 Minor Leaguers in the Olympic baseball tournament in Beijing.

Veras, Ramirez doing their part
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:35:00 EDT)
With several of their key hurlers on the disabled list, the Yankees could easily have slumped. Thanks to the solid efforts of relievers Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras, however, New York remains in playoff contention.

Ex-files: After the deals
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:48:00 EDT)
Here's a breakdown of the notable names who were traded before the July 31 Trade Deadline, where they've gone and what they've done since joining the contending teams that picked them up.

Mussina named Clutch Performer
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
Coming up big for the Yankees when their rotation has needed him most, Mike Mussina has been the anchoring factor in his club's success. Recognizing his contributions, fans voted the hurler July's Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Month.

Angels host Yanks on FOX on Saturday
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
In his last six starts, John Lackey has a 6.05 ERA, raising his season ERA to 3.10. He'll look to end that trend when he takes the mound against the New York Yankees at 3:55 p.m. ET in Saturday's FOX Game of the Week at Angel Stadium.

Sunday's battle of the Sox on TBS
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:30:00 EDT)
Red Sox hurler Clay Buchholz has struggled for the majority of his 2008 campaign, and facing the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field won't be an easy assignment for the young starter on Sunday in the TBS Game of the Week.

Baseball in Alaska featured on TWIB
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
They call it the Midnight Sun Baseball Classic, and This Week in Baseball found it to be the perfect symbol for its August 9 episode, themed "Baseball is Everywhere."

Clemens asks judge to reject dismissal
(Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:06:00 EDT)
Roger Clemens' lawyers asked a federal judge to reject attempts by Brian McNamee to dismiss the former pitcher's defamation suit or have it moved from Texas to New York.

Venezuelans voice Classic concerns
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:13:00 EDT)
A quiet player protest that threatens to keep top Venezuelan Major Leaguers off the national team for next year's World Baseball Classic gained volume on Thursday, along with word that the country's organizers are already working with Major League Baseball on resolving the divisive issues.

US ready to make Olympic statement
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:05:00 EDT)
The U.S. Olympic baseball team, having routed China in an exhibition, was spending the time leading up to the Olympics preparing to go for the gold while also soaking in the atmosphere surrounding the buildup to the Summer Games.

RBI World Series gets under way
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:30:00 EDT)
On Thursday morning, the field at the Urban Youth Academy saw some heavy traffic as each player participating in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series gathered for the opening ceremonies.

Pudge news music to Yankees' ears
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:04:00 EDT)
A day after his home-plate collision, the Yankees were relieved on Thursday to hear that their starting catcher, Ivan Rodriguez, was feeling better, with only a deep bruise hampering his right knee.

Pavano makes headway in rehab start
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:40:00 EDT)
Carl Pavano made his third Minor League rehab start of the season on Thursday during Double-A Trenton Thunder's "Health Fair Night." The 6-foot-5 right-hander threw 63 pitches, allowed one hit, walked two, struck out four and uncorked two wild pitches.

Chipper eager to return to action
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:50:00 EDT)
Chipper Jones feels he'll be completely healthy when he is eligible to come off the disabled list on Friday. But Braves manager Bobby Cox might wait a few additional days before putting his veteran third baseman back in the lineup.

Collision lands Murphy on 15-day DL
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:38:00 EDT)
David Murphy has been officially placed on the 15-day disabled list and Jason Ellison had his contract purchased from Triple-A Oklahoma on Thursday to replace Murphy on the roster, while Milton Bradley remains day-to-day and Brandon Boggs will be called upon to be the club's everyday left fielder.

Rays get Bradford
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:52:00 EDT)
Just because the Trade Deadline has passed doesn't mean the Rays won't stay active. On Thursday, they picked up reliever Chad Bradford in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

Bay doesn't need much time to fit in
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:49:00 EDT)
Just one week of playing for the Boston Red Sox -- perennial contenders and defending World Series champions -- has been a dose of adrenaline for Jason Bay at a time of year that had always been the truest form of Dog Days in Pittsburgh.

Kent feeling Dodgers' changes
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:04:00 EDT)
Jeff Kent likes what he sees of the new-look Dodgers. Kent played a role in the new look Thursday, being moved up to third to bat ahead of new slugger Manny Ramirez. The result for Kent was a three-hit, two-run game.

Black, Colbert ejected amid confusion
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:27:00 EDT)
Eventually, a mix-up in how you to wave two fingers led to an argument with home-plate umpire Tim Tichenor and ejections for manager Bud Black and bench coach Craig Colbert.

Phillies acquire reliever Eyre from Cubs
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:54:00 EDT)
After a season of searching for a second lefty in the bullpen, the Phillies landed Scott Eyre from the Cubs for Minor League right-hander Brian Schlitter.

Gaston has backing of Ricciardi for 2009
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:19:00 EDT)
With each passing day, it's looking more and more likely that Cito Gaston's second tenure as manager of the Blue Jays is going to be a lengthy one.

Angels new duo AL nightmare
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:10:00 EDT)
When the Red Sox traded Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers just before the Trade Deadline, it ended one of the best 1-2 punches in the game.

Chicago remembers 'Opening Night'
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
Twenty years ago, a Chicago area sportswriter joined in the chorus of day baseball purists and wrote that Cubs home games should only be played in the sunshine, not under 1,500-watt lamps. The Cubs played their first night game anyways.

Turner Field to host Caray memorial
(Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:50:00 EDT)
Fans, friends and family members will have an opportunity to honor Skip Caray's memory with two separate events at Turner Field on Tuesday.

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