Locker awaits Manny at Dodgers camp  —  Slugger's free-agent limbo doesn't sour club's first workouts  —  PHOENIX — Manny Ramirez stands out, even in absentia.  —  There are 70 nameplates above lockers in the Dodgers' new clubhouse at Camelback Ranch-Glendale and one locker without a nameplate, in the corner next to Rafael Furcal.

Mets consider dropping Reyes from leadoff spot  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Jose Reyes has a surprise in store when he arrives at spring training.  —  New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel is pondering the idea of dropping his speedy shortstop from the leadoff spot, one of several tweaks …

Sources: Braves making late push for Griffey  —  That Ken Griffey Jr.-to-Seattle reunion isn't a foregone conclusion just yet.  —  Two baseball sources told ESPN.com on Saturday that the Atlanta Braves are making a late play for Griffey and have begun discussing money with his agent.

Alex could use The Boss' help  —  A sunflower seeds bucket rested in the middle of the Yankees' clubhouse yesterday, a blemish on the formerly palatial ground that is George M. Steinbrenner Field.  —  The ceiling had been leaking Friday, a steady drip, drip, drip into that bucket …

Wrapping up Day 1 of camp  —  Now that the workout is over, here are a few notes and impressions:  —  · Hideki Matsui took batting practice for the first time since his knee surgery and looked good.  At one point he cracked three in a row into the right-field stands.

Cheaters take the joy out of baseball  —  The date was April 14, 1936, and it is etched in my memory.  —  “Baseball season starts today,” the father said to the son, exercising a precious part of Americana.  —  This is the rite of passage from father to son, or daughter …

JAYS MAY DEAL HALLADAY AT DEADLINE; LOSING TEAMS WILL LOOK TO UNLOAD  —  TAMPA - Camps were opening around baseball and the offseason was not yet done.  Near-certain Hall of Famers such as Tom Glavine and Ken Griffey Jr. were nearing jobs while Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez …

Pads' Peavy happy after offseason of trade talk  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Surrounded by trade speculation much of the offseason, San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy was surprised to find himself addressing the San Diego media Saturday morning.  —  Speaking with reporters for the first time since …

The No-Stats All-Star  —  Out of Duke University. . . . A 6-foot-8-inch forward. . . .  He had more or less admitted to me that this part of his job left him cold.  'It's the same thing every day,' he said, as he struggled to explain how a man on the receiving end of the raging love …

Phillies' Romero: Drug hotline not well-known  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Suspended Philadelphia Phillies pitcher J.C. Romero said Saturday that he wasn't aware of baseball's toll-free drug hotline until after he'd already tested positive for a banned substance contained in an over-the-counter supplement.

A calm first day; the latest on Crede; Lewis needs a new pair of shoes  —  If it were any calmer here in Scottsdale on Saturday, a hurricane would be approaching.  —  Of course, the storms weren't far away.  As colleague Henry Schulman pointed out, Bruce Bochy could've been asked an hour's worth …

Tek: ‘Happy and confident’  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox captain Jason Varitek said he was happy to be back and confident he could turn his career around after a long and arduous offseason filled with doubt and angst on whether he'd return as the Red Sox' starting catcher.