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
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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 …
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.
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.
Marc Lancaster / Rays Report:
Rays: Duncan play ‘flat-out dirty’ — Most of the Rays' starters are out of the game now and their opinions on Shelley Duncan's bench-clearing slide into Aki Iwamura in the second inning were unanimous. — “Dirty play,” said B.J. Upton. “Just a flat-out dirty play. Period.”
Tyler Kepner / Bats:
Aches and Pains Fell Two Yankees — As far as we can tell, Billy Crystal, that rookie sensation wearing No. 60, is healthy. Some more important Yankee players are a little banged up today. — Jason Giambi asked Manager Joe Girardi if he could skip Wednesday's trip to St. Petersburg …
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:Benches clear as Yankees-Rays rivalry ramps up
Discussion:
Sports Scope
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.
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Marc Lancaster / Rays Report:
Baldelli dealing with muscle ‘abnormalities’ — Rocco Baldelli addressed his mysterious medical problems for the first time today, saying a litany of tests by doctors around the country had revealed “some type of metabolic and/or mitochondrial abnormalities.”
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Baldelli headed to DL with fatigue — Condition to sideline veteran Rays outfielder indefinitely — ST. PETERSBURG — Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli is going on the disabled list for an indefinite period due to an abnormality that has kept him in a constant stage of fatigue.
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.
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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.
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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 …
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Pettitte will skip today's start — Andy Pettitte has what the Yankees are describing as mild tendinitis outside his elbow and will not start today. — Pettitte, Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman all say that the lefty will make his next start and will be ready for the regular season.
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Larry Stone / The Seattle Times:
Ichiro still looking for a hit — TUCSON, Ariz. — The nightmare continues. — OK, not a nightmare. More like a curiosity, eliciting increasing levels of incredulity. — Ichiro hitless? It's like Paris Hilton going dateless, Jon Stewart going quipless, Eliot Spitzer going escortless.
Discussion:
South Side Sox
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Tom Haudricourt / Brewers Blog:
Pitchers for sale — Phoenix - In about a week or so, teams that find they need another starting pitcher are going to start looking around. And don't be surprised if the phone starts ringing in the office of general manager Doug Melvin. — In fact, Melvin already has launced …
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Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Beckett looks very unlikely for Japan — FORT MYERS, Fla. - Though the Red Sox are still stopping short of saying Josh Beckett will not pitch the season opener in Tokyo, it looks increasingly likely that the ace will miss the two games there. — Beckett did say that he was feeling better yesterday …
Discussion:
Providence Journal, The Bottom Line, Peter's Red Sox Forever, Associated Press and Sports Illustrated
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Ailing Mets will get Castillo back next — PORT ST. LUCIE - By Wednesday, there's a strong chance that Moises Alou will be the lone Mets regular still unavailable. Luis Castillo wants to be the latest rehabbing Met to return to the depleted lineup. — The second baseman said he's ready …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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