Ethier wins left-field job  —  Pierre forced to bench after hitting just .169 this spring  —  LOS ANGELES — Andre Ethier won the Dodgers' starting left-field job from veteran Juan Pierre and will start Opening Day vs. the Giants on Monday, Los Angeles manager Joe Torre announced Sunday.

Orioles release Gibbons  —  Team responsible for paying $11.9 million left on outfielder's contract  —  The Orioles finalized their roster today, releasing veteran outfielder Jay Gibbons, who had been the second longest tenured member of the club.  —  With the move, the Orioles …

Bush: Mitchell report part of ‘cleansing process’  —  WASHINGTON — As the U.S. portion of the major league schedule got under way Sunday night, President Bush said he thought December's Mitchell report on drugs in baseball “was part of the cleansing process.”

A Journey to Baseball's Alternate Universe  —  Ithaca, N.Y.  —  WITH the baseball season under way and the memory of scandal in the sport so fresh, many fans yearn for an earlier era, a time when mythology mingled with baseball.  The sport's most mythic achievement is Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak …

Phillies finalize Opening Day roster  —  Philadelphia enters regular season carrying 11 pitchers  —  LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. — With no last-minute waiver claim or trade, the Phillies set their 25-man roster on Sunday in preparation for Monday's regular-season opener against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

Unsung Braves built for October glory … We take you back in time to the first week of March.  The 2008 Grapefruit League was only a few days old.  But a National League scout already had caught on to something that hadn't yet dawned on the rest of the hemisphere.

From Views to Fastballs, Wagner Won't Hold Back  —  MIAMI — In late November, about a week after Tom Glavine signed with Atlanta, Billy Wagner told MLB.com that he viewed the Mets as a third-place team.  Within a few days, Wagner received a call from General Manager Omar Minaya, who asked if he was misquoted.

Note: The 2008 New York Mets  —  According to the team, Orlando Hernandez, Duaner Sanchez and Ramon Castro will begin the season on the 15-day disabled list.  —  As such, Raul Casanova, Mike Pelfrey, Joe Smith and Brady Clark have been added to the team's 25-man roster.

Report: BALCO founder working on tell-all book  —  Victor Conte will amp up the sports world once again — in a much different way, however.  —  According to the New York Daily News, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative is working on a tell-all book that he claims will spill the dirt on athletes and federal agents.

NL Central Preview  —  Cardinals … This is a sad team.  Not two years removed from their World Championship, St. Louis looks like a team scraped from the scrap heap.  Even their great players are questionable.  Albert Pujols's elbow is hanging together by a thread.

Pelfrey named No. 5 starter  —  MIAMI — The Mets decided El Duque wasn't healthy enough to be their No. 5 starter out of spring training, naming Mike Pelfrey instead.  —  Pelfrey was tabbed over Orlando Hernandez despite an 8.14 ERA this spring.  —  El Duque pitched well in his last start Friday …

To Be Dealt: Bay, Nady, Marte, Morris, Wilson  —  A short but sweet article came out in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette this morning detailing the Pirates' five main trade candidates.  No new or surprising names appear on the list but it's a handy roundup for those not up to date on their Bucco news.