Sox make Mirabelli release official  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Red Sox have just made Doug Mirabelli's release official.  He was placed on unconditional release waivers.  —  Will he be back?  —  That all depends on how well Kevin Cash or Dusty Brown handle Tim Wakefield.

Francona and Theo chat with Coco  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Willie McGinest used to say “You can't make the club from the tub.”  In the case of Coco Crisp, “you can't make a trade from the shade.”  —  If Coco Crisp wants an exit out of Boston, teams want to see that he's healthy and playing before trying to swing a deal.

Girardi talks it over with Duncan  —  Joe Girardi said yesterday that if he saw a replay that showed what Shelley Duncan did was dirty, he would have a meeting with him.  —  Girardi and Duncan met this morning.  —  Duncan said later he didn't want to talk about the meeting.  Let's see, 2 + 2 ...

Crystal strikes out  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Billy Crystal got a standing ovation when he stepped to the plate to fulfill his lifelong dream this afternoon - batting leadoff for the New York Yankees.  —  Crystal, who turns 60 tomorrow, got even bigger applause when he made contact on the second pitch …

Wilpon: Mets to host All-Star Game in near future  —  New York Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said Thursday he has been informed that commissioner Bud Selig soon will announce the Mets will host an All-Star Game in the near future.  —  “I'm assured by the commissioner …

Sutcliffe battling cancer  —  Van Horn graduate, former major league star pitcher ready to fight it  —  EXAMINER EXCLUSIVE  —  Rick Sutcliffe, the Van Horn High School graduate who won the National League Cy Young Award with the Chicago Cubs in 1984, is battling colon cancer.

Schrodinger's Bat  —  Spring Fling … —A. Bartlett Giamatti  —  For baseball fans, it almost goes without saying that the first game seen each season is a special event.  Having not been able to catch the smattering of games on cable or the now indispensable MLB.tv because of other commitments …

To Take or Not To Take  —  I can't imagine that many readers of this site do not have at least some form of addiction to Baseball Reference, a veritable data goldmine for any baseball junkie.  I know I sure do.  —  Recently I have taken to coming up with some point of interest …

The Yanks Need Mussina, and That's Not So Good  —  The Yankees may have been encouraged by Mike Mussina's second outing of the spring over the weekend, when the 39-year-old veteran struck out 5 batters in just 2 2/3 innings.  Then again, he also walked a pair and allowed a home run, failing to finish the third frame.

Tools determine who is MLB's elite  —  Scouts examine skill categories that make top players  —  How do you determine MLB's Best?  —  How do you figure out which of the world's foremost players are the elite among the elite?  And how do you really break it down to the individual talents …

Bonds' 762nd HR ball to fetch $1M?  —  DENVER (AP)—An auction house says a Colorado man has decided to sell the baseball Barry Bonds hit for career homer No. 762, and it could fetch $1 million.  —  SCP Auctions said Thursday that 24-year-old Jameson Sutton of Boulder snared Bonds' final homer of last season on Sept. 5 at Coors Field.

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 …