A-Rod apologizes to SI's Roberts  —  Rodriguez accused reporter of ‘stalking’ during admission  —  Alex Rodriguez, who was critical of Selena Roberts' actions as she reported a story about him for Sports Illustrated, called her a couple of days later to apologize for his comments.

A few things . . .  Julio Lugo fields ground balls with the shortstops Monday.  (Chris Forsberg / Boston.com)  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — A few things from the clubhouse before players took the field . . .  - Julio Lugo said this morning he'll wait and see how things transpire by the end …

Clubhouse a quiet place without Smoltz … LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Ghosts of Cy Youngs Past still hang out at their same old lockers in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse.  Bobby Cox still sees them, hears them, laughs when he looks at them.  —  The manager has had to get used to life without Tom Glavine.

Believe it not, this is about JUAN CRUZ  —  I touched on this in my story for Monday's ink-on-paper editions.  —  A new wrinkle has come up that could make it easier for the Twins acquire someone like righthander Juan Cruz, who's considered one of the best set up men of the free agent class …

Ludwick close to deal with Cards  —  Outfielder cancels plans to attend arbitration hearing  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Ryan Ludwick expects to have a contract finalized with the Cardinals in the immediate future.  The outfielder is so confident that he has canceled plans to fly to Arizona …

Down the Rabbit Hole: Looking at 2009 Free Agency  —  By Maury Brown [February 16 at 10:50am CST]  —  With Spring Training arriving, we can start to peel back the layers of the onion we call free agency and look at some trends.  To begin with, I started by taking a look at total spending in the FA market this season.

INTERVIEW: Peter Schmuck  —  Pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp this week, so Splice talked with one of Baltimore's longest-standing baseball writers about his predictions for the season and his wallowing team.  —  The Baltimore Orioles, once considered a first-class Major League …

Gammons/A-Rod was no Frost/Nixon  —  After a nearly year-long retreat into the shadows, the squirrelly topic of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball darted into view several times in the past few weeks, before finally bursting onto center screen.

Zimmermann Eyes More Than Just a Spot in Camp  —  A month and a half ago, Jordan Zimmermann started to get a bit nervous.  The Washington Nationals still hadn't invited him to big league camp.  For all of his recent acclaim — Baseball America named him the organization's top prospect …

Mets launch Online Ticket Registration for Opening Day at Citi Field Tomorrow, February 17 at 10 A.M on Mets.Com and Losmets.Com  —  Season Tickets Featuring Opening Day on Sale Now at Mets.com and LosMets.com  —  The New York Mets today announced the launch of an online registration …

Family matters for White Sox's Mark Buehrle, who is considering retirement after 2011 season  —  So much so, that Buehrle may retire after 2011 season  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mark Buehrle arrived for his 10th training camp with the White Sox looking ready to go, as always.

Pudge prefers Mets, Marlins, Astros  —  Veteran All-Star catcher declares himself fitter than he's been in years  —  Ivan Rodriguez, the 14-time All-Star catcher who remains an unsigned free agent, said on Sunday that his options might have come down to three teams — or none.

Putz says Mariners clubhouse was divided, that there were some players who weren't “team guys”  —  Putz, however, sees a markedly different attitude with the Mets than on the downtrodden Mariners' team he left behind.  Putz, in fact, painted a grim picture of a house divided last year in Seattle …

A picture is worth 1000 words  —  AP Photo No, CC, I swear, Clemens may be bat-poo nuts about everything else, but that Icy Hot on the netherregions works.  I mean, it burns a little, but no more than your typical night of “playing ball with road beef.”  Please, leave your caption ideas in the comments :) —Lizzy

Yankees' Hughes, Kennedy looking to rebound  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy came to Tampa last February with their names penciled into the Yankees' starting rotation.  —  But injuries and ineffectiveness combined to ruin both their seasons; they went a combined 0-8 with a 7.45 ERA …

Pujols: Strategy will determine future with Cards  —  JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Albert Pujols said Sunday that the St. Louis Cardinals' commitment to winning will dictate if he re-signs with the club when his contract expires in two years.  —  “It's not about the money all the time,” the first baseman said.