Manny clocks in 'early': Silent slugger surprises Sox  —  FORT MYERS - The sun rose, and the sun set, and Manny Ramirez [stats] showed up yesterday to play baseball for the Red Sox [team stats], who once again opened their arms to their maddening, gifted slugger.

Milledge throws & grows  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - The throw was a lightning bolt from right, a reminder that just because Lastings Milledge didn't live up to his phenom status last year, it doesn't mean he still can't be a star.  —  By itself, Milledge's throw in yesterday's intrasquad game …

Reliever fires away  —  Balfour aiming for comeback  —  Phoenix - Normally a pitching coach doesn't like to see a pitcher "overthrow" on the mound.  Mike Maddux made an exception Monday when right-hander Grant Balfour did it, however.  —  "It's good to see it with a guy coming off surgery …

Abreu out 2-3 weeks with injury  —  Veteran strains right oblique muscle during batting practice  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees outfielder Bobby Abreu could miss two to three weeks with a strained right oblique muscle, freeing Spring Training at-bats for Melky Cabrera, but not free agent Bernie Williams.

Honus Wagner baseball card sells for record $2.3 million  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The "Holy Grail of baseball cards," the famous 1909 Honus Wagner tobacco card once owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky, has sold for a record-setting $2.35 million, the seller of the card said Monday.

As Season Approaches, Some Topics Should Be Off Limits  —  Things I don't want to read or hear about anymore:  —  ¶  Roger Clemens saying he hasn't decided if he will play this year or retire, and if he decides to play, which team he will play for.  —  Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers ever, the greatest of his era.

Braves streak is over, but not hunger for October … LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — John Smoltz played in a golf tournament in Connecticut.  Bobby Cox puttered around his farm.  —  Chipper Jones packed up to travel to the ranch in Texas.  John Schuerholz headed for the office to begin the quest …

All Butler needs is glove  —  Royals' outfielder has a big-league bat; now he's working on his fielding.  —  This time.  —  It wasn't smooth, graceful or even particularly encouraging — except for the determination, which was evident and beyond question.  —  This drill, in fact, was extra work.

Peterson helps 'lost' pitcher gain new direction  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — When Oliver Perez arrived in New York last season, he admitted that he was lost.  The simplest solution was for Rick Peterson to provide a map.  —  "If someone says to you, 'I'm lost,' what would be the first thing that you would respond?"

Red Sox Bring in a Friendly Face to Greet Matsui  —  Hideki Okajima was so eager to discuss coming duels with his old Yomiuri Giants teammate that he waved his hands and nodded his head as he spoke.  Okajima, a newly recruited left-handed reliever for the Boston Red Sox, was using Japanese …

No shirt off his back - yet  —  Barmes offers his No. 12, but Finley is not in any rush  —  TUCSON - Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes was ready to defer to experience.  —  "He told me I could have (uniform) number 12," outfielder Steve Finley said.  "It was nice of him …

The Best Young Shortstops of 2007  —  This week, I will continue my position-by-position review of the game's best players by examining young shortstops.  The following list differs from traditional prospect lists in two ways.  First, anyone under 25 is eligible.

New scouting tool - Google - nets pitcher  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - Baseball scouts look everywhere, from the local high school team to the fields of Japan and Latin America, for prospects.  —  The Phillies may be the first team to find a player with a Google search.

Cubs' Perry not accepting excuses  —  New hitting coach stressing disciplined aggressiveness  —  MESA, Ariz. — It's still early in Spring Training, so Derrek Lee can't give a complete scouting report on new Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry.  But Lee, who won a batting title in 2005 …

And now, the lineups  —  So I know you all have been waiting for this.  I also know that no one can find the Journal now as it's not listed at the top of the sports page despite the fact that this is my third update today.  We here at the Journal do more before 9:30 a.m. than most people do all day.