Griffey picks Braves over Mariners  —  Negotiations still on-going, both sides working to finalize deal  —  Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Ken Griffey Jr. has chosen to sign with the Braves, according to a person close to the veteran star and familiar with the on-going negotiations.

Bud Selig says he doesn't deserve blame for steroids era  —  In the volatile wake of Alex Rodriguez's admission that he used performance-enhancing substances earlier this decade, Bud Selig remains bothered by the suggestion that he is to blame for Major League Baseball's steroids era.

Pirates, McLouth reach long-term deal  —  In a sharp reversal, the Pirates and center fielder Nate McLouth this morning agreed to terms on a three-year contract — plus a club option for a fourth — that avoided an arbitration hearing that had been scheduled for this afternoon in Phoenix.

A-Rod live blog  —  Our man Nick Cafardo is in Tampa to document today's highly anticipated Alex Rodriguez press conference, and following the controversial Yankees superstar's first formal chat with the media since he admitted using performance-enhancing substances, he will file a full report right here on Extra Bases.

Brad Penny's escape from L.A.  —  Buzz up!  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - Though he loved Los Angeles and in its place was subject to the softest free-agent market in years, Brad Penny is happy to be free of the Dodgers.  —  And though they were left to rebuild a pitching staff that could use another power arm …

Gagne is back  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Phoenix - I'm guessing most of you didn't see this coming because we sure didn't.  —  Eric Gagne is back.  —  The Brewers just announced that Gagne signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring camp.

Swisher sweet on his new role  —  TAMPA - When the Yankees traded for Nick Swisher back in November, he was penciled in as their starting first baseman for 2009.  That plan was quickly erased when the Bombers signed Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180 million contract, leaving Swisher unclear on his role.

Dodgers settle with Ethier  —  The Dodgers have settled with Andre Ethier on a one-year, $3.1 million contract plus $100,000 in incentives.  Ethier would get $25,000 each for 596 (his total last year) and 625 plate appearances, and $50,000 for 650 plate appearances.

Manuel's unusual hitting drill hands-on  —  Manager believes tool will help Mets combat fatigue at the plate  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Some degree of any big league training camp is about conditioning, of course.  Pitchers run sprints and “poles” — foul pole to foul pole — and throw, and everyone builds stamina.

These Are Your Phillies  —  The Phillies could use another lefthander in their bullpen, but the Phillies won't be signing one of the remaining free agent lefthanders on the market like Joe Beimel and Will Ohman.  —  “They're available, but we're not on them,” Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said.

Spring Training Trade Candidates  —  Big trades are a rarity in Spring Training.  Still, possibilities emerge as rosters begin to take shape.  Here's a close look at 10 Spring Training trade candidates.  —  1. Cardinals outfielders.  If everyone's healthy, the Cardinals have more outfielders than they need.

Former Cardinal Jason Isringhausen would like to make comeback with St. Louis Cardinals  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The door for Jason Isringhausen's return to the Cardinals appears more closed than open, for now.  —  Pitchers and catchers have reported to all 30 major-league camps …

Your newest Padre? ...  Emil Brown  —  The Padres announced a few minutes ago that they've signed outfielder Emil Brown to a Minor League contract.  —  Brown, 34, an everyday player the last four seasons with Kansas City and then Oakland a year ago, has a .258 career batting average and has twice driven in over 80 runs.

The injury zone  —  By my count, sifting through MLB's transaction pages, 423 pitchers threw at least one pitch in the big leagues and then landed on the disabled list.  This doesn't even count pitchers who began the year on the disabled list like Carl Pavano or pitchers who missed the entire year like Chris Capuano.