New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez's brother Joe says A-Rod out 10 weeks  —  Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will have surgery to remove a cyst from his right hip and will be out 10 weeks, Rodriguez's brother told ESPNdeportes.com on Thursday.  —  Joe Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez's older brother …

Ex-Sox slugger Manny Ramirez' Ritz penthouse hits market  —  Call it Manny being canny.  —  Ex-Red Sox [team stats] slugger Manny Ramirez [stats] put his Ritz-Carlton penthouse on the market for $8.5 million yesterday, the same day the slugger inked a $45 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Japan silences China in Classic opener  —  Starter Darvish tosses four hitless innings; Ichiro 0-for-5  —  TOKYO — Team Japan won the opening game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, beating a punchless China club, 4-0, before a flag-waving, camera flashing, mostly Japanese crowd of 43,428 in Tokyo on Thursday night.

3 UP: A-ROD, MET PEN AND PAGAN  —  1. Even when Alex Rodriguez is not seeking controversy, he creates controversy.  Later today we expect to hear the condition of A-Rod's hip.  If the cyst is diagnosed as minor, then Rodriguez faces the conundrum of whether to play in the WBC or not.

Mets' New Home Is the ‘Anti-Shea’  —  For those fans who hated Shea Stadium, fear not: Citi Field is nothing like its predecessor, the last bits of which lie in ruins a few hundreds yards away.  —  The Mets' new park, which will open its doors for a Georgetown-St. John's baseball game March 29 …

The Biz of Baseball Organizational Report - The New York Yankees  —  In a continuation of The Biz of Baseball's Organizational Reports, we are now featuring the franchise that most clubs are envious of, and all strive to defeat: The New York Yankees.  —  The 2009 New York Yankees are looking …

New stance is on tap  —  After dismal '08, Varitek changes  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - Dave Magadan first wanted Jason Varitek to alter his lefthanded batting stance two years ago, a notion met with resistance by a proud man.  Varitek's style - tapping his front foot for timing …

1B prospect glad Teixeira didn't join Red Sox  —  FORT MYERS, Fla.—Lars Anderson paid little attention to the Red Sox pursuit of Mark Teixeira even though the talented prospect's position would have been tied up for a long time if the team succeeded.  —  The 21-year-old first baseman's name …

Bernie Williams Casts Look Toward the Majors  —  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Bernie Williams is a pragmatist.  He knows that playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic has allowed him to rejuvenate a career that has been dormant since 2006.  He can use the tournament to squeeze the last vestiges of baseball from his body.

A Stupid Position Battle: Yankees Right Field, or, How Much Better Would the Yankees Be With Manny Instead of The Swish?  —  OK, I wasn't planning on posting something like this, and maybe the issue is just that I like Nick Swisher, and blah blah blah.  But while I no longer live in New York …

Broadcasting, wedding appearances and Red Sox ghosts: An interview with Carl Beane, the voice of Fenway Park  —  Editor's note: With a new season around the corner, it's time to roll out what will hopefully be a long series of interviews with some of the movers and shakers in the Red Sox world.

Rivera and Matsui on the way back  —  Two guys with importance to the Yankees' season are on the comeback trail today: Hideki Matsui and Mariano Rivera.  —  Matsui is in the lineup for the Yankees today against Team Canada.  He's actually getting in there with a little more time before Opening …