Raissman: A-Rod expected to talk 'roids with ESPN … The next words out of Alex Rodriguez's mouth, the first since he was outed for steroids use by Sports Illustrated, will set the tone for how he is viewed for what's left of his baseball career.  —  He is expected to utter those words on ESPN …

Events that put A-Rod under scrutiny … SAN FRANCISCO — But for a combination of bad luck, bad timing and aggressive legal tactics by the Major League Baseball Players Association, alleged steroid use by Alex Rodriguez might never have been exposed.  —  The story that Rodriguez tested positive …

Rangers Have Crowded Outfield  —  By Tim Dierkes [February 9 at 9:53am CST]  —  Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that the Rangers have six candidates for the outfield: Josh Hamilton, Andruw Jones, Nelson Cruz, David Murphy, Frank Catalanotto, and Marlon Byrd.  Is a trade in order?

Alfonzo to play for Yomiuri Giants  —  Infielder played more than 1,500 games in Major Leagues  —  Edgardo Alfonzo is making a comeback in another country.  —  The 35-year-old infielder has signed a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League.

Brewers might sign Looper  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  I'm starting to hear that the Brewers have changed their minds about adding a starting pitcher prior to camp and might sign free agent Braden Looper.  —  From what I hear, the sides could be working toward a deal at this very moment.

Ensberg has shot to make Rays roster  —  Former All-Star third baseman Morgan Ensberg has reached agreement on a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.  —  Ensberg will earn a base salary of $650,000 if he makes the major league club out of spring training.

First Basemen “Scoops” - The Value of Handling Errant Throws at First Base  —  Most of you are familiar with Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), a metric for evaluating fielding using detailed play-by-play data.  For first basemen, like all other fielders, it measures the number of ground balls …

St. Louis Cardinals to release Adam Kennedy today  —  The Cardinals have abruptly reversed course, releasing second baseman Adam Kennedy and declaring an open competition for the position, the Post-Dispatch has learned.  —  The move, apparently made at the strong urging of manager Tony La Russa …

Ryan Howard's big deal  —  With or without the new contract he signed yesterday, Ryan Howard was going to be with the Phillies through 2011.  Look at it that way and his big deal - $54 million over three years - doesn't seem like such a big deal, at least to Phillies fans.

Categorizing Starting Pitchers by Strikeout and Groundball Rates - 2008 Edition  —  Strikeout and groundball rates have become my favorite way to evaluate pitchers.  While I also pay close attention to walk rates, I am most interested in whether pitchers can miss bats and keep batted balls in the park.

McNamee: I had to be truthful about Clemens  —  NEW YORK — Brian McNamee says he couldn't risk lying to federal agents when they asked him about Roger Clemens and performance-enhancing drugs.  —  McNamee, the pitcher's former trainer, appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” on Monday morning.

GAMES OWNERS PLAY  —  Major League Baseball officials bristle at the suggestion that the owners are playing games again with free agents.  No one actually is accusing the owners of the kind of games that cost them $280 million for conspiring against free agents in the 1980s …