Top News:
David Lennon / Newsday:
El Duque hopes new windup will work out — Moises Alou found out Wednesday of a hernia in his hip that will cause him to miss the start of the season. (Newsday/David L. Pokress) — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Orlando Hernandez, with a revamped lower leg kick, may not look the same on the mound.
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David Lennon / Newsday:
Alou's hernia adds to Mets' injury woes — Moises Alou found out Wednesday of a hernia in his hip that will cause him to miss the start of the season. (Newsday/David L. Pokress) — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - The Mets, despite a dizzying rash of injuries, clung tightly to the belief that they would be at full strength by Opening Day.
Discussion:
Philliesflow.com
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
IN DENIAL: INJURY FLURRY CAUSING NO WORRIES — It is early. Keep saying that over and over. None of these injuries is serious. Repeat that non-stop. When faced with questions of age, deny, deny, deny. — The Mets are the Black Knight in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” …
Bart Hubbuch / New York Post:
JOHAN REBOUNDS; PEDRO IS UP NEXT — Some vintage Johan Santana gave the injury-ravaged Mets an emotional lift yesterday. — They're hoping they can say the same about Pedro Martinez tonight. — Redeeming himself after a rocky Mets debut last Friday against the Cardinals …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Joba Chamberlain bitten by HR ball — TAMPA - Joba Chamberlain called it “just one of those days.” — Of course, Chamberlain had never experienced a day like this since joining the Yankees last August, at least one without midges around. — The hard-throwing 22-year-old allowed two runs on two hits …
Discussion:
River Ave. Blues
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MLB.com:
Chat wrap: Frank Coonelly — Bucs' new president answers fans' questions … scubevol: Do you really think you can compete for a championship against the big-market clubs? — Coonelly: Absolutely. The Pirates will not use economics, our financial resources or the economic system of baseball as a crutch.
Discussion:
Where have you gone …
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Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:Spring Training: Middle infield center of bench attention
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Kelly Thesier / MLB.com:
Notes: Slowey's spot not set in stone — Adjustments needed for young right-hander to seal rotation job — TAMPA, Fla. — The assumption this past offseason was that Kevin Slowey's spot in the Twins' rotation for 2008 was all but guaranteed. — Yet there already seems …
Discussion:
Twinkie Town
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Rick Morrissey / Chicago Tribune:
Sox have rhetoric, but what's behind words? — The new ad campaign for the White Sox is “Share the Passion, Show the Swagger,” and it hits all the right notes, as far as those things go. — But I would like to go on record as saying “Show Some Life, For Crying Out Loud” didn't get a fair shake.
USA Today:
Yankee Stadium set to begin its final season — Plans to raze Yankee Stadium and auction off some of its contents are being put in place by the team and New York City, but don't make any plans for a big haul of memorabilia. — Once the Yankees are settled into their new Yankee Stadium …
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Cano plans on Star turn in first half — TAMPA - Robinson Cano has hit .342 and .306 in the past two seasons, but he believes there's a lot of room for improvement. — Last season, Cano batted .274 before the All-Star break, then hit .343 in the second half.
Peter Scrivener / BBC:
GB's Olympic baseball dream ends — British Baseball has called UK Sport short-sighted after being forced to pull out of a final Olympic qualifying tournament which starts on Friday. — Team GB have been unable to raise the £40,000 needed to fund the trip to the competition in Taiwan …
Jeff Goldberg / Hartford Courant:
He's Worry Free, Too — Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester delivers a throw while working out on the mound at the teams baseball spring training facility, in Fort Myers, Fla. (STEVEN SENNE / AP / February 24, 2008) — FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jon Lester hasn't had a normal spring for three years.
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Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Murcer's biopsy shows no cancer — Broadcaster plans to rest before returning to Yankees' booth — TAMPA, Fla. — Bobby Murcer received “great news” on Wednesday, as a biopsy performed on his brain revealed only scar tissue and no signs of cancer. — “We are very excited about this news,” Murcer said.
Discussion:
Pinstriped Scranton
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Art Garfamudis / ESPN:
Stop the revolution . . . I want to get off — So Jeremy Brown has called it quitskies, huh? You'd think that the retirement of a guy who is built somewhat like me would make me sad, but it doesn't. Instead, I danced a hora when I heard it. — At least, I did the dance after the person …
Discussion:
ShysterBall
ESPN:
Report: HOF to display Bonds ball by Opening Day — Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball — which owner Marc Ecko said he would brand with an asterisk and send to the Baseball Hall of Fame to comply with the results of an Internet poll — could be on display at the Cooperstown, N.Y., museum by Opening Day.
Spring Training / Yahoo! Sports:
Beane seeks delayed gratification — PHOENIX - He checks the standings every day. Billy Beane surfs the box scores, listens to a few podcasts and sponges every last iota of knowledge the world has to offer on his favorite sport. — Then he starts to think about baseball.
