Red Sox, MLB resolve dispute over coaches' pay  —  Red Sox Players Take a Stand for their Coaches  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox ended a threatened boycott Wednesday of their final spring training game in Florida, resolving a dispute over paying coaches for the season-opening trip to Japan.

Canseco not vindicated yet  —  With less than two weeks to go before Jose Canseco's “Vindicated” hits bookstores, the book's publisher, Simon and Schuster, has the former Bash Brother slated for a lavish publicity tour.  —  Canseco, whose 2005 steroid tell-all “Juiced” rocked the baseball world …

A's notes: Minor-leaguer De Los Santos hits 97 on gun  —  (03-18) 19:52 PDT Surprise, —  Ariz. - Fautino De Los Santos, who might be the real prize in the Nick Swisher deal, made his first appearance for the A's, and several other potential Oakland players also made their spring debuts with the team.

Ten people to avoid at the ballpark  —  I'll probably cover 120 or so games this season.  But I also plan on attending at least four or five as fan.  It's fun to watch a game and not have to worry about coming up with a story afterward.  —  There are few things better than watching a game in person with your buddies.

Don't rush him: Rays would be wise to send Longoria back to Durham  —  His time is near, on that we can all agree.  The tricky part is defining near.  ¶  If you are Evan Longoria, then opening day sounds like the nearest thing to heaven.  If you are a Rays fan, after seeing another Longoria home run …

Interview With Voros McCracken  —  Voros McCracken  —  has consulted with the Boston Red Sox front office, and won a World Series during his time with the team.  He revolutionized pitcher evaluation methodology by discovering Defensive Independent Pitching Statistics (DIPS) in 1999.

Assessing Fernando Martinez  —  I get frequent questions from Mets fans about Fernando Martinez.  How good will he be?  How soon will he be ready?  How much power will he develop?  It sounds like a copout, but the most honest answer is that I simply don't know at this point.

Back spasms sideline Kerry Wood  —  Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood has developed back spasms and was scratched from today's pitching assignment.  This comes as Wood was declared the team's probable closer.  —  Manager Lou Piniella downplayed the significance of the injury, but Wood was examined …

Coaches and staff will be compensated  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - Here's what we know about the deal to compensate players.  —  A major league source said moments ago that all staff associated with the trip will be compensated.  Not sure whether it's $40,000 or even more because the receipts from the trip will be split at the end.

Marquis plying his trade  —  With 1.93 spring ERA, right-hander could help Cubs one way or another  —  MESA, Ariz. — With his name a regular part of trade rumors, Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis was asked if he had allowed himself to consider some of the possibilities — like, say …