Pirates sign Snell, beat Boston  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Ian Snell today agreed to a multi-year contract that could keep him with the Pirates through the 2012 season.  —  The Pirates made the announcement moments after beating Boston, 6-3.  A three-run double by Freddy Sanchez sparked a four-run seventh inning.

Pedro makes spring training debut for Mets  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - Pedro Martinez did a nice job dodging the dangerous bats.  Carlos Delgado wasn't so fortunate.  —  Martinez pitched four scoreless innings in his spring training debut while Delgado needed four stitches to close …

Yankees' Duncan, Cabrera to appeal suspensions  —  New York Yankees first baseman Shelley Duncan and center fielder Melky Cabrera said Sunday they will appeal their three-game suspensions for their roles in a spring training fight against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Conine to retire a Marlin  —  Inaugural player was member of both World Series title teams  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — Fittingly, Mr. Marlin will ultimately retire as a Marlin.  —  According to a source, Jeff Conine, one of the most popular players in Florida history, will sign a one-day contract on March 28 …

Selig: ‘This is where it started’  —  Commissioner believes baseball will soon be big in China  —  BEIJING — On the return drive from a Sunday pregame trek to the Great Wall, Commissioner Bud Selig passed a local university where he saw Chinese students playing baseball and softball.

Podsednik's bid for roster spot bolstered by diving catch  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Scott Podsednik has shown the Rockies plenty this spring: .360 batting average, .529 on-base percentage and six stolen bases in seven attempts.  —  But manager Clint Hurdle was still waiting to see Podsednik turn …

Wood closing in on closer job  —  Righty earns first save, to be tested on consecutive days  —  MESA, Ariz. — Maybe it was a sign of things to come, but on Sunday, Kerry Wood picked up his first save.  —  Wood retired the side to preserve the Cubs' 4-1 Cactus League win over the Angels, needing just seven pitches to end the game.

Some photos from Spring Training  —  I'm going to try to post most of the photos I took from Spring Training from last week.  Here are a series of photos of Reds minor leaguers, whose pitchers and catchers had just reported when we got there.

An Accident With One Door Opens Another  —  TAMPA, Fla. — It was not the best way to pave a path to the major leagues.  It was painful, and purely accidental.  But when Scott Patterson jammed his right middle finger in a door three years ago, it turned his career around.

Rays Are Still Mulling Outfield Possibilities  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA - For now anyway, Rays manager Joe Maddon's right field/designated hitter triangle is missing a side.  That might not be the case for long.  —  The Rays already were kicking the tires on additional outfield possibilities …

Wang using spring to experiment  —  Sinkerballer misses bats with development of two new pitches  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The last time Chien-Ming Wang faced the Indians, he lasted just one inning and the Yankees lost the American League Division Series.  The last time he faced C.C. Sabathia …

Patterson trying to regain form  —  Despite shaky outing, Acta pleased righty is healthy  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Nationals right-hander John Patterson had his toughest outing of the spring on Sunday afternoon, pitching four innings and giving up six runs on eight hits in an 11-3 loss to the Orioles.

Beckett throws pain-free but will skip Japan trip  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Josh Beckett will stay behind when the Red Sox fly 7,500 miles to Tokyo on Wednesday, even though he threw a ball 75 feet without back pain on Sunday.  —  Boston manager Terry Francona made official what had been obvious …