Top News:
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
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.
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Tony Massarotti / Boston Herald:
Sox release Mirabelli … FORT MYERS - The Red Sox [team stats] almost seemed reluctant to re-sign Doug Mirabelli [stats] to one-year contracts during the last two offseasons. This morning, their reasons became more apparent. — They released him. — Prior to today's meeting between …
Boston Herald:
Clay throwing his A game with new Pet … As you may have suspected, life is good if you're Red Sox [team stats] hurler Clay Buchholz. — First he throws a no-hitter in his second start in the bigs. Then Josh Beckett [stats] goes down with a bad back, meaning Clay's odds of starting just got a whole lot better.
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
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.
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Mirabelli released — FORT MYERS, Fla. - Who knows whether the Sox will stick with Kevin Cash as their backup/Tim Wakefield catcher, but for now he appears to be the man. — The Sox haven't yet announced it, but they've released Doug Mirabelli. The veteran, who has been with the Sox since 2001 …
Discussion:
SOX & Dawgs
Kat O'Brien / On the Yankees beat:
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 …
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
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 ...
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Dan Fox / Baseball Prospectus:
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 …
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 …
Discussion:
Associated Press
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Patrick Sullivan / Baseball Analysts:
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 …
Discussion:
THE BOOK
Howard Megdal / New York Observer:
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.
Associated Press:
Ga. baseball team plans “Eliot Spitzer” theme night — MACON, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia minor league team is hoping to turn Eliot Spitzer's scandal into a packed stadium. — The Macon Music is capitalizing on the outgoing New York governor's prostitution-related downfall, by serving up a “Eliot Spitzer Night.”
Alyson Footer / MLB.com:
Lee not a fan of batting in five-hole — Slugger prefers to hit cleanup, but will do what's best for team — LAKELAND, Fla. — Before the start of Spring Training, Astros manager Cecil Cooper projected the Opening Day lineup to include Miguel Tejada hitting third, Lance Berkman fourth and Carlos Lee fifth.
Associated Press:
Awed Padres perched atop Great Wall of China — BADALING, China — Perched on the Great Wall of China, Trevor Hoffman gazed over the slick cobblestones and through the watchtowers to survey a barrier to invading armies that once stretched 4,000 miles. — This weekend, the Padres …
