Top News:
Associated Press:
Arroyo cashes in with Cincinnati — Former Sox pitcher gets $25m extension — Bronson Arroyo is furthering his musical career in Cincinnati, but it's his right arm, not his voice, that Reds GM Wayne Krivsky (right) values most. (TOM UHLMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
RELATED:
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Source: Mets to sign righthander Chan Ho Park — When pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie in six days, the Mets will have another starter in the mix. Chan Ho Park is expected to sign with the Mets in the next 48 hours, a source told the Daily News late last night.
Hal McCoy / Philly.com:
Schmidt criticizes Burrell for strikeouts … DAYTON, Ohio - Unprompted, Mike Schmidt ticked off two names that, well, "tick me off. Pat Burrell and Adam Dunn, because they strike out so much." — This came from a guy who struck out 1,883 times during 18 years with the Phillies, including five seasons of more than 135 whiffs.
Washington Post:
Nats, O's On MASN In March — The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network yesterday announced a beefed-up schedule of spring training telecasts for both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles, broadcasts that will begin the network's third season — and first in which it will carry both teams simultaneously.
RELATED:
Jeff Zrebiec / Baltimore Sun:
O's, Patterson agree on one-year deal … The Orioles have agreed to terms today on a one-year deal with Corey Patterson, avoiding salary arbitration with their center fielder, according to a club source. — Patterson will make a base salary of $4.3 million in 2007.
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
El Hombre's biggest hit: becoming a U.S. citizen — JUPITER, FLA. — He has been named a National League All-Star at three positions, and he has won a batting title, a Most Valuable Player Award and a Gold Glove. — Now, for the first time, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols will report to spring training as a U.S. citizen.
RELATED:
Tim Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Division tour: AL West — Yahoo! Sports is taking an early look at each division in the days leading up to Feb. 15, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Today, the American League West. — One of the most fascinating and underrated rivalries in baseball is separated by 365 miles …
Ian Begley / NY Daily News:
Dellin dealin' — Betances, Yanks' 8th-round draft pick, ready to go — Dellin Betances — Yankee rookie Dellin Betances showed up early for work, arriving at the Yankees' training complex in Tampa last Monday, a month before most minor-leaguers are scheduled to appear for spring training.
RELATED:
Greg Stoda / Palm Beach Post:
Commentary: Marlins would be foolish to antagonize Cabrera — Larry Beinfest has lots of baseball smarts. He's the general manager who has put together team after low-payroll Marlins team that has exceeded expectations be it by winning a World Series (2003) or by pushing a .500 record …
Aaron Gleeman / NBCSports.com:
Diamondbacks preseason preview — Like true snakes, Arizona could slither into playoff race — As fans of the Devil Rays would surely tell you—assuming for a moment that "fans of the Devil Rays" actually exist—an expansion team is typically all but guaranteed a long period of losing right off the bat.
Discussion:
Diamondback Journal
David Lennon / Newsday:
Citi Field rising in Queens — Standing in the middle of a windswept dirt lot, with a wind chill in the teens, it was difficult to imagine David Wright or Jose Reyes occupying this very spot on Opening Day of the 2009 season. — But that's the timetable for Citi Field …
Comments for Mop Up Duty:
Line Drive % Possible Error : Minnesota Twins 2006 — I was throwing around different sabermetric stats and their validity, I came to the next entry on my list, Line Drive Percentage (LD%). When a batted ball is hit, it falls into one of three categories, groundball, line drive or fly ball.
Discussion:
The Pastime
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
White Sox strike while iron is hot — Hike prices after fans flock to Cell in '06 — After winning the 2005 World Series, the White Sox were one of the hottest tickets in the majors in 2006. — But it will cost a few dollars more in 2007 to see what could be the Mark Buehrle/Jermaine …
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Kerry Joins Fans Upset by the Plan for Extra Innings — The pending deal to shift Major League Baseball's Extra Innings package exclusively to DirecTV starting in April is still not ready to be announced, but Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, would like to undo it.
Scott Miller / CBS SportsLine.com:
Harvey hoping Veterans ballots will finally say, 'Yer in!' — Heaven is knock, knock, knockin' on Cooperstown's door. — Well, sort of. You see, the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee ballots are being collected and counted this month, with the results to be announced on Feb. 27, and last time he was up, God missed by only 13 votes.
Bob Klapisch / ESPN:
Young Marlins swimming in infield talent — Hanley Ramirez did a quick, visual reconnaissance of the sold-out crowd at the New York baseball writers annual dinner last week, seemingly overwhelmed by its size (1,500 people) and its passion (Jonathan Papelbon was thickly booed after being introduced).
RELATED: