Top News:
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Spring Game 1: Yankees at Blue Jays — YANKEES — Pitching: Brett Tomko followed by Kei Igawa, Christian Garcia, Mike Dunn, Dave Robertson, Dan Giese and Jose Veras. — BLUE JAYS — Inglett 3B — Hill 2B — Rios RF — Millar 1B — Lind DH — Barajas C — Snider LF
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Tyler Kepner / Bats:
Will Joba Start the Home Opener? — DUNEDIN, Fla. - If the ballpark has banners for Lloyd Moseby, Tom Henke and Aaron Hill (yes, Aaron Hill), we must be at the spring home of the Toronto Blue Jays. It's opening day of the exhibition schedule, but the matchup is not Roy Halladay and C.C. Sabathia.
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Matsui Works His Way Back, With Little Fanfare — TAMPA, Fla. — Shadows crept onto Steinbrenner Field just before 4 p.m. Tuesday. Most of the Yankees had been gone for two hours, having finished the final practice before their exhibition opener. — Yet there was Hideki Matsui standing near …
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Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Rosters set for World Baseball Classic — U.S., Dominican Republic feature entire team of Major Leaguers — The final rosters of the 16 teams participating in the second World Baseball Classic were released on Tuesday evening, and they include a bevy of All-Stars.
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, Walkoff Walk, The Good Phight, The Heater, A DIE HARD YANKEES FAN, iYankees and Sliding Into Home
Buster Olney / ESPN:
Decision-makers have decided on Manny — Whenever there are words here or elsewhere about the ugliness and the impact of Manny Ramirez's departure from Boston, there is uniform reaction from Ramirez defenders along these lines: — 1) The suggestion that Ramirez did something wrong …
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nationals Prospect: ‘I Feel Bad, Really Bad’ — Alvarez Says His Cousin Thought Up Scheme to Assume Fake Name, Age — Carlos Daniel Alvarez Lugo grew up here, where potholes and pavement compete for space just off what amounts to a thoroughfare between the south-central cities of San Cristobal and Bani.
Daulerio / Deadspin:
Andy Phillips And The Bizarre Porn Star Police Report — Former Yankee prospect Andy Phillips is considered one of the nicest family men in all of baseball by other writers and his peers. So why has an adult actress filed a police report against him? — There have been a slew …
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues
Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:
Appreciating Carlos Delgado, the lost slugger of the Steroid Era … PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — I came here to Mets camp looking for the lost slugger of the Steroid Era. There had to be some power hitter out there, I figured, whose profile and legacy suffered because too many other great hitters …
John Walsh / Hardball Times:
Beyond OPS: filling in the gaps — I wanted to talk a little about OPS. I love OPS. I use it all the time when I need to know, say, whether Nick Markakis had a good year in 2008*, or if I'm wondering which was Vlad Guerrero's best year. ** OPS will not give you a definitive answer, but it'll get most of the job done.
Discussion:
THE BOOK
Dave Zirin / The Nation:
The US v. Barry Bonds — This is a story about garbage. There's the actual garbage overzealous federal investigators examined in their efforts to prosecute a surly sports celebrity. There's the shredding of the Bill of Rights, crudely ignored by the government in the name of obsession and ambition.
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
A fresh start — JUPITER, FLA. — Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan said if he was hurting for a starting pitcher last year and heard from Class AAA Memphis that the best available there was Blake Hawksworth, he would have “bypassed” him. — Today he's starting him.
John Harper / NY Daily News:
Harper: Fernando's potential in full swing — PORT ST. LUCIE - Fernando Martinez was so good so young that Jeff Wilpon once said he envisioned him flanking Carlos Beltran in the outfield when Citi Field opened. In that sense Martinez hasn't lived up to the hype because there's not a chance …
JSOnline:
To Cameron, non-trade a good deal — By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel — Phoenix - One telephone call. — That's all it would have taken for Mike Cameron to be wearing the pinstripes of the New York Yankees this spring instead of the blue and white of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Paul Hoynes / Plain Dealer:
Joe Borowski, former Cleveland Indians closer, says he's retired — GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The math didn't work for Joltin' Joe Borowski. So to paraphrase Chief Joseph at the end of the Trail of Tears, he will pitch no more, forever. — Borowski said big league teams weren't buying his numbers.
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Ballpark figures — FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox have moved into City of Palms Park, where today, at 1:05 p.m., Josh Beckett will fire the first real, live pitch of Red Sox 2009 spring training, when the Sox face Boston College. Later tonight, they'll head across town to Hammond Stadium …
Discussion:
Center Field
Wayne Coffey / NY Daily News:
Ruth, other monuments settle in new Yankee Stadium — Monuments are moved two blocks into new Yankee Stadium in Bronx. (For more images of the historic move click the gallery link below.) — Rudy Lavazoli left his home in Center Moriches, L.I. at 4:30 Tuesday morning.
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals manager looks to long camp as way to experiment, find solutions — Cardinals bench coach Joe Pettini, second from right, and Tony La Russa, forground, center, instructs infielders on bunt defense during this week during spring training in Jupiter, Fla. (Chris Lee/P-D)
Joe Frisaro / The Fish Pond:
Ohman, Cordero on radar — Florida continues to have interest in left-handed reliever Will Ohman, who looks like he will not return to the Braves. — Speculation that Ohman could sign with the Marlins surfaced recently on ESPN.com. For the right price, the lefty could wind up in Florida.
David Andriesen / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
M's hope Beltre chooses to skip WBC — If Adrian Beltre plays in the World Baseball Classic, it wouldn't be against the Mariners' permission, but it would be against their wishes. — The third baseman left camp for the day Tuesday saying he remained undecided about whether to play …
Discussion:
U.S.S. Mariner