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.

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 …

ESPN MLB analyst Sutcliffe diagnosed with cancer  —  ESPN baseball analyst Rick Sutcliffe has been diagnosed with cancer.  —  Sutcliffe, 51, was diagnosed after a routine test during a physical revealed that he has a treatable and curable form of colon cancer.

Lohse agrees to one-year deal with Cards  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals moved to address their question-filled starting rotation Thursday by reaching agreement with free agent righthander Kyle Lohse on a one-year contract, pending Lohse passing a team physical Friday.  Terms were not disclosed.

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 …

Giants Scouting Crede, Inge  —  This morning we have reports that the Giants have recently scouted Joe Crede and Brandon Inge.  Even without a decent third baseman in the house, I don't really see the point of acquiring either guy.  —  On Sunday, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo noted …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Bonds' 762nd HR ball to fetch $1M?  —  DENVER (AP)—After snaring the baseball Barry Bonds hit for career homer No. 762, Jameson Sutton stored it in the safest place he could think of—deep inside his closet.  —  “I didn't tell anyone,” he said.  —  The 24-year-old from Boulder quickly moved …

Win qualifies Canada for Olympic baseball  —  Team marks 4-3 win over South Korea in final qualifying tournament  —  They gleefully sang O Canada on the bus back to the hotel and again on the street after they arrived at the Howard Prince in Taichung, Taiwan.