Myers goes to bullpen, Lieber to start  —  The Phillies are mired in a 3-9 start and their manager recently challenged a reporter to a fight.  So what's next in Philadelphia?  Try shaking up the pitching staff.  —  Manager Charlie Manuel said Wednesday the Phillies will move Brett Myers into the bullpen …

Phillies manager challenges radio personality to fight  —  As baseball season began, the Philadelphia Phillies were being eyed as a contender in the National League East.  In fact, outspoken shortstop Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies were the team to beat.  —  But the Phillies have stumbled …

Nats Show Their Support  —  Team Wears Va. Tech Hats : Braves 6, Nationals 4  —  The Washington Nationals fell behind against a pitcher bound for the Hall of Fame and predictably ended up losing to the Atlanta Braves last night, 6-4.  But what otherwise would have gone down as a routine April defeat …

Braves manager Bobby Cox signs contract extension  —  Franchise's winningest skipper under contract through 2008 season  —  ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves announced today that they have signed manager Bobby Cox to a one-year contract extension through the 2008 season.

Jim Hendry on Line 2  —  Felix Pie made his major league debut yesterday and chipped in an RBI double.  Full disclosure: I'm a fan on a number of levels.  Pie's a big-time PECOTA tout, as the system rates him as one of the best prospects in the game.  He's on one of my fantasy teams, which could badly use his steals.

Dodgers put Schmidt on 15-day DL  —  He has mild inflammation in his pitching shoulder, but no one is convinced it's the reason for his loss of velocity.  —  PHOENIX — The Dodgers handled Jason Schmidt's tender shoulder the same way his fastball has approached home plate — with great deliberation.

Backman longs for his second chance  —  Two years after D-backs fiasco, he returns as manager in independent league  —  One month from today Wally Backman will officially be back in baseball.  May 18 is Opening Day for the independent South Georgia Peanuts, and the former Met is their new manager.

"To See Ramon?"  —  OK, I'll say it.  —  I love Ramon Castro.  —  Seriously, is there a better backup catcher in the game?  The guy sits on the bench for three innings, he's ice-cold (literally), and Paulie Lo gets dinged and Ramon gets the call.  So what does he do?

Lo Duca hit by foul tip, X-rays negative  —  Mets catcher removed from Tuesday's game vs. Philadelphia  —  PHILADELPHIA — X-rays of the right index finger of Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca, taken on Tuesday night during the Mets game here, were negative, but additional tests may be run on Wednesday when the Mets are in Miami.

The Big Picture  —  More on Attendance  —  Last week's column brought some comments wondering if there were other factors contributing to the rise in attendance that were missed.  Barry Reed asked if something as simple as the increase in population over time held responsibility for most of the rise seen.