Top News:
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Yankees-Rays: The Live Blog — Here we are at Al Lang Field for the Yankees vs. the Devil Rays. It's 71 degrees and there's a sellout crowd on hand. — I have three stories to write (Andy Pettitte, Billy Crystal and a notebook) but I'll update this post from time to time. — FIRST INNING
RELATED:
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Tempers flare in Yanks-Rays matchup — Rays' Gomes, Yanks' Phillips, Duncan among five ejected — ST. PETERSBURG — One day after Yankees manager Joe Girardi insisted his club would not retaliate for a violent home-plate collision in Saturday's game against the Rays …
ESPN:
Yankees, Rays brawl after Duncan's takeout slide — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays brawled in the second inning of a spring training game Wednesday, an inning after Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips was ejected after hitting Rays prospect Evan Longoria with a pitch.
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:
Yankees, Rays brawl in Florida — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The bad blood between the Yankees and Rays boiled over Wednesday afternoon with a benches-clearing brawl. — The fight started when the Yankees' Shelley Duncan lined a single over Rays third baseman Evan Longoria's head.
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Benches clear as Yankees-Rays rivalry ramps up
Benches clear as Yankees-Rays rivalry ramps up
Discussion:
Sports Scope
Geoff Baker / Mariners Blog:
Ramirez released — There you go. Doesn't quite rate as a surprise. As many of you have noted, there was just no room on this year's squad for Horacio Ramirez. By releasing him today, the M's only have to pay him a sixth of his $2.75-million salary for the coming season.
Discussion:
Associated Press, MLB Fleece Factor, Phillies Nation, Mets Today, Rain Delay, MLB Rumors and Lone Star Ball
RELATED:
Jim Street / MLB.com:
Mariners release Ramirez — Lefty's struggles, stocked rotation spell end of road in Seattle — PEORIA, Ariz. — The Mariners' first roster move of Spring Training was a stunner. — Left-handed pitcher Horacio Ramirez, who spent most of last season in the starting rotation …
Discussion:
The Transaction Guy
Associated Press:
M's release lefty Ramirez 15 months after trading for him — CBSSports.com wire reports — PEORIA, Ariz. — The Seattle Mariners released pitcher Horacio Ramirez on Wednesday, giving up on the underperforming left-hander they acquired in a trade 15 months ago.
Discussion:
Chop-n-Change
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Coco no go to Mets — Ignore that rumor started about Coco Crisp heading to the Mets for Angel Pagan. — Theo Epstein, through media relations director John Blake, said that the Red Sox have not been talking to the Mets. That the story was a fabrication. — Meanwhile...the Red Sox are leading 6-5.
RELATED:
Anthony Rieber / On the Mets beat:
Cuckoo for Coco? — Not really. A Mets official chuckled …
Cuckoo for Coco? — Not really. A Mets official chuckled …
Discussion:
Ya Gotta Believe
Marc Topkin / The Heater:
Baldelli's issues: “Abnormalities” that cause extreme fatigue — Rocco Baldelli will be sidelined indefinitely - but is not retiring - because of what he said are “some type of metabolic and/or mitochondrial abnormalities,” a condition that leaves him feeling extremely fatigued after just a brief workout.
RELATED:
Jim Street / MLB.com:
Capuano can't find groove vs. Seattle — Left-hander struggles for third straight outing in Cactus play — MARINERS 5, BREWERS 1 — Mariners at the plate: Outfielder Mike Morse tacked on three more hits to his productive spring: a single in the fifth, run-scoring double in the seventh …
RELATED:
Dan Steinberg / D.C. Sports Bog:
Nats Pick Stadium Music (Updated) — Mea major culpa, full list of song choices below, Chuck Brown is indeed included, apologies to the Nats. — This asking-the-fans-to-pick-the- music trend has been percolating for a few years—remember last spring, when fans were allowed to pick David Wright's …
Discussion:
Oleanders and Morning Glories, Nats320, Just A Nats Fan, Nats Triple Play and William World News
RELATED:
Jeff Blair / Globe and Mail:
Janssen's injury sends shock waves — Sometimes you need to look beyond the simple sentence that says “Player X has been diagnosed with Injury Y and will be out for the year,” because the finality of the statement doesn't do justice to the emotions it can send through an organization whenever …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
RELATED:
Maureen Mullen / MLB.com:
Manny finds wisdom with touch of gray — Slugger refines exercise, diet as career begins to wind down — FORT MYERS, Fla. — The experts will tell us one of the keys to aging well is to continue learning along the way. Older and wiser, as the saying goes.
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Piniella to test Soriano at No. 2 in lineup — Move an attempt to keep slugger healthy; Fukudome to bat fifth — SURPRISE, Ariz. — Lou Piniella plans to experiment with the Cubs lineup, dropping leadoff man Alfonso Soriano to No. 2 in an attempt to keep him healthy while inserting Kosuke Fukudome fifth.
Sports Illustrated:
John Donovan: Pirates new GM embarks on rebuilding job — BRADENTON, Fla. — I am ready to run through an outfield wall for Neal Huntington. I'm ready to jump over the Monongahela and the Allegheny and whatever the third one of those rivers is in Pittsburgh.
MLB.com:
Adam Dunn: Expecting bigger things — Reds outfielder focused on fulfilling his potential — Everywhere you go in baseball you'll hear that word “potential,” and it applies to me just like everyone else. I know I'm capable of a lot more than I've accomplished so far in my career.
Discussion:
Red Reporter