THIS WAS SPRING PAYBACK  —  AFTER talking all spring about playing with the Big Boys, the Tampa Bay Rays came into Yankee Stadium last night and kicked the Yankees all over the historical ballpark.  —  In spring training the Rays ran over young catcher Francisco Cervelli, they steamrolled the entire Yankees team last night.

Tulo plans to get defensive in practice  —  For three hours on a sun splashed today, Troy Tulowitzki's field of dreams became a field of squirms.  —  Tulowitzki nearly won National League rookie of the year honors on the strength of a big bat and brilliant defense.  After four games, he has committed two errors.

Johnson positive amid uncertainty  —  First baseman's status with A's remains a question  —  OAKLAND — There was a time when Dan Johnson was viewed by the A's as their first baseman of the present and foreseeable future.  That time is long gone, but while Johnson is now uncertain …

Rangers left-hander Gabbard beats the Angels  —  Angels can't solve the pitcher, who keeps them off balance the whole game.  —  The Angels have one of baseball's most feared right-handed sluggers in Vladimir Guerrero, and over the winter they added Torii Hunter, who has considerable power from the right side.

Lack of Brooks statue here is monumental blunder  —  He still remembers the first professional uniform he ever wore.  He was 18 years old, fresh off the bus from Arkansas.  The jersey said White Roses across the chest.  In his first pro game, the public address announcer in York, Pa. …

Jose Canseco still raging over 'roids  —  Admitted steroid user Jose Canseco pushes campaign against baseball in a sometimes edgy book signing in Chicago  —  A courtesy cup of black coffee was waiting for Jose Canseco on Friday when he arrived at his seat inside a downtown bookstore …

What Is Wrong With Kei Igawa?  —  Ah, yes, the question that just about every Yankee fan would like an answer to.  There's probably a lot wrong with the Japanese southpaw that the Yankees wish they could fix.  But, there are also other things that seem to be more obvious, at least to me, that appear to be more correctable.

O's power past Mariners  —  R. Hernandez goes 3-for-4 with a home run; L. Hernandez drives in two runs  —  Ramon Hernandez is congratulated by teammates after his solo home run off Mariners pitcher Cha Seung Baek.  (Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. / April 4, 2008)

Don't get caught on TV in the All-You-Can-Eat Section  —  If you're a young lady at the ballgame and the camera zooms in on you ... it's usually a good thing.  —  Because it generally means you're a hottie.  —  Baseball TV crews are awesome at finding smokeshows in the crowd.

Reyes and Rollins are NL's Most Overrated Players  —  Determining who the most overrated players are is inherently difficult - and subjective.  Whose ability to rate players are we evaluating?  Fans, writers, hardcore fans, players, fantasy geeks?  Today I'm going to look at writers …

Pirates, Capps agree to 2 years, $3.05M  —  PITTSBURGH (AP)—Pittsburgh Pirates closer Matt Capps agreed Friday a $3.05 million, two-year contract that runs through 2009 and covers what would have been his first year of arbitration eligibility.  —  The Pirates and Capps discussed …