Pirates found it hard to connect  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Struggle?  Did someone say something about Daisuke Matsuzaka struggling?  —  "If that's struggling," manager Terry Francona said yesterday after Matsuzaka's best showing yet, "we're in for some fun."

Lieber might start season in Phillies' bullpen  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ending weeks of speculation, Jon Lieber was told on Wednesday that he's going to the bullpen because the Philadelphia Phillies have six starters.  —  "I'm disappointed," Lieber said Wednesday.  "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't.

NCAA Basketball Scouting Reports  —  Staying true to their state's motto, the Cardinals showed us in October, when they stormed through the playoffs and won the World Series despite their worst regular season in seven years.  But this wasn't your average 83-win team.

Vegas, Baby, Vegas  —  There's nothing like a long weekend in Vegas to recharge the batteries before the season starts.  From a couple Cirque du Soleil shows to one of the best fights I've ever seen, it was a four day vacation that Barney Stinson would describe as an "awesomefest."

Notes: Nats make roster changes  —  Club adds Fick, Belliard to 40-man roster, cuts three others  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The Nationals trimmed their roster to 38 players and added to two others to their 40-man roster on Wednesday night.  —  Washington purchased the contracts of infielders Ronnie Belliard …

Cashman: Yankees won't sweeten pot to retain A-Rod  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees don't intend to offer Alex Rodriguez a contract extension, leaving him the option of opting out of his deal after the season and becoming a free agent.  —  "Alex has a significant contract.

More on his plate  —  Lo Duca's putting in extra work to ward off wear & tear of catching  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. - About the only place you can see Paul Lo Duca these days is behind the plate.  Which is exactly the point.  In order to stay there, Lo Duca is among the first to arrive …

Tuesday's spring training report  —  rdurrett@dallasnews.com  —  Rangers 4, Giants 3  —  Nelson Cruz hit two home runs and Matt Kata delivered a big RBI single as the Rangers held on for the win.  Frank Francisco got the win after pitching two scoreless innings with one walk and two strikeouts.

Better glove earns Cedeno roster spot  —  Shortstop's work with Trammell clicks  —  MESA, Ariz. — Ronny Cedeno struggled last year after being handed the starting shortstop job in the off-season and was considered a long shot to make the team when camp opened in mid-February.

Mariners, FSN near 10-year deal  —  Extension of TV rights worth $300M to team  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — The Mariners and cable TV partner Fox Sports Northwest are nearing agreement on a 10-year extension of their current agreement, through 2020, that would bring the baseball club more than $300 million …

Royals tab Gordon as third baseman  —  Bell informs rookie of decision before Wednesday's game  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — It was not really a surprise from Surprise, but the Royals made it official on Wednesday that Alex Gordon would be their starting third baseman when the season opens.

Is Small Step for Johnson a Leap for Nats?  —  At 12:55 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, the home clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium was empty, a Grapefruit League game against the Atlanta Braves still more than six hours off.  But down the right field line at the barren ballpark, two figures emerged …