Top News:
David Lefort / Extra Bases:
Schilling plans to test free agency — In an interview this morning on Boston sports radio station WEEI 850 AM, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said he plans on filing for free agency after the season after learning the Sox weren't planning on offering him a contract extension before the end of spring training.
Discussion:
Surviving Grady, Can't Stop The Bleeding, Yanksfan vs Soxfan, A Red Sox Fan …, MLB Trade Rumors and The FanHouse
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Gerry Callahan / Boston Herald:
Hubbub lost on Drew: Boston pressure can't sour his carefree way — FORT MYERS - The blood-red cap looks as odd and out of place on his head as the buzz cut does on Britney's, but J.D. Drew [stats] has one thing going for him as he embarks on his Red Sox [team stats] career: He doesn't care.
Discussion:
Yanksfan vs Soxfan
Associated Press:
No dice — Red Sox deny Schilling's request for extension — FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Curt Schilling said Thursday he would file for free agency once the season is over after being told by Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein that the team would not offer him a contract extension in spring training.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
David Lennon / AM New York:
Mets rip Phils' Rollins for NL boasts — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — On the morning of the first full-squad workout, it is customary for manager Willie Randolph to deliver the keynote address as sort of a pep talk for his returning team. In doing so yesterday, Randolph mixed in some praise …
Discussion:
Hot Foot
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David Lennon / Newsday:
Mets Spring Training Buzz — One annual rite of spring (training) is that anxious moment when batters finally step in the box to face pitchers, and that happened yesterday when the Mets had their first full-squad workout. Usually, the batters are the ones lagging behind …
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Notes: Mets deal with 'own business' — Defending NL East champs disregard Rollins' comments — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Whether the Mets' reactions were genuine or couched to avoid a cross-state he-said, he-said, the defending National League East champions essentially dismissed challenging comments …
Discussion:
Always Amazin'
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Glavine slips into Opening routine; Ambiorix amazes — PORT ST. LUCIE - Still 38 days from the April 1 opener in St. Louis, the Mets have already placed Tom Glavine on a throwing program to ready him for that assignment. — Glavine will make his eighth career Opening Day start, and fourth in five years as a Met.
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Lee Jenkins / New York Times:
The Japanese Gyroball Mystery — Most major league pitchers throw a fastball, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. Some mix in a sinker. The experimental ones use a knuckleball. None of them throws a gyroball, at least not on purpose. — For most of the past decade …
Discussion:
The Biz of Baseball
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Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Finally, the gyroball mystery solved — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The man who discovered the gyroball wanted to clear up something. The pitch, contrary to its legend that might as well have been cooked up with water from Loch Ness, does not dart 4 feet or dip 2 feet or do the Macarena before it reaches home plate.
Discussion:
Dan Agonistes
Mike Phillips / Miami Herald:
Johnson throws, says arm is `fine' — Right-hander Josh Johnson threw Wednesday as he tries to get ready for the season. Johnson (12-7, 3.10 ERA last season) had irritation in his right biceps/triceps area three weeks ago and was shut down. — He reported to spring training Saturday …
Discussion:
FishStripes
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Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Auction may be in plans — Ramírez will travel to Atlantic City, says ad — FORT MYERS, Fla. — While Manny Ramírez's teammates are scheduled to be working out here Saturday at the team's player development facility, the Red Sox left fielder is scheduled to appear …
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Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Deals not driving Young, Teixeira — As negotiations loom, Rangers stars keep focus on playing ball — egrant@dallasnews.com — SURPRISE, Ariz. - On their last free day before reporting to Rangers training camp, Mark Teixeira and Michael Young got together for a round of golf Tuesday.
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Mark Hale / New York Post Mets Blog:
Duque hurting — GM Omar Minaya just told reporters that today Orlando Hernandez headed to New York to be examined because of neck "discomfort." — Minaya termed it "more preventitive stuff than anything else," and he said he wasn't "concerned at all." Interestingly, he said Duque felt …
Discussion:
Welcome Spring!, The Eddie Kranepool Society, MetsBlog.com, Baseball Musings and Them Mets
Will Carroll / Baseball Prospectus:
Starting Pitchers, Part One — Even the least risky pitcher is risky compared to a position player, making the fantasy draft even that much more important as far as who you pick and when. Worse, the replacement level for pitchers is a steep slope; it's not so bad when a team is forced …
Discussion:
TigerBlog
ESPN:
Around the Grapefruit League — Detroit Tigers: Gary Sheffield knew the New York Yankees were going to trade him. And from his comments in the New York Post for Wednesday's editions, he didn't seem to mind. — "Joe [Torre] took the fire out of me," Sheffield told The Post.
Discussion:
TigerBlog
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
His Father May Write About It, but Newhan Plays the Game — The father and son walked into Yankee Stadium together and went down a narrow stairwell last August. At the bottom, they paused. — The father, Ross Newhan, a Hall of Fame baseball writer for The Los Angeles Times, turned right, into the press room.
Thomas Boswell / Washington Post:
Numbers Might Add Up to One Shot in the Arm — VIERA, Fla. Go on and laugh at the Nats' starting pitchers now while you still have time. Get it out of your system. The surprise of camp so far is the growing realization that the mocked Washington rotation will be better than it was last year.
