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 …

Madden: Yanks need to ditch Alex the Grate  —  When the Yankees re-signed Alex Rodriguez in the fall of 2007, they envisioned the “clean” alternative to Barry Bonds - the knight in shining armor who would erase the stain of steroids from the all-time home run record, and they would bask in the glory of it with their brand.

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?

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 …

Stuff on Looper  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  For those not acquainted with Braden Looper, he was a closer with Florida and the New York Mets before going to St. Louis and being converted to a starting pitcher the past two seasons.  —  Over that span, Looper went 24-26 with a 4.52 ERA in 63 starts.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Texas Rangers sign Andruw Jones to minor league deal  —  Impressed by a Jan. 26 workout with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers have agreed to terms with free-agent center fielder Andruw Jones on a minor league deal.  —  An official announcement is expected soon, general manager Jon Daniels said.