New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez to remain in Colorado as decision on hip surgery looms  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez will remain under the care of a Colorado hip specialist “for the foreseeable future,” New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Friday night …

Bernie Williams: A-Rod injury could be ‘blessing in disguise’  —  SAN JUAN - Bernie Williams certainly knows about playing amid distractions after his 16 seasons on George Steinbrenner's Yankees, including the three years he was Alex Rodriguez's teammate.  —  There was A-Rod's infamous …

CC comes up aces in first start  —  TAMPA - CC Sabathia was as good as advertised Friday night, giving the Yankees their first look at his $161 million left arm.  —  Sabathia allowed one unearned run in two innings against the Tigers, giving up two hits and striking out two.

Another lefty off board, Sisco signs with Oakland  —  And then there were two.  —  Joe Beimel and Wil Ohman remain available among left-handed relievers as Oakland signed Andy Sisco to a $550,000 minor-league deal.  The Rockies had interest in Beimel, but their offers were never considered serious by his agent.

INCONSISTENT DUANER MAY BE A GONER  —  JUPITER, Fla. - Duaner Sanchez might not have much longer to prove himself to the Mets.  —  If the Mets release the right-handed reliever by April 1, they would save three-fourths of his $1.6875 million contract, and yesterday, manager Jerry Manuel …

Blue Jays give Miller a shot  —  Pitcher Wade Miller has reached a preliminary agreement on a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to his agent, Bob Garber.  —  The deal is pending completion of a physical exam.  Miller, 32, posted a 45-25 record from 2001 through 2003 in Houston …

Obama to throw Nats' first pitch  —  The Washington Nationals should draw a healthy crowd to their home opener with the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies in town.  But just in case that's not enough, the Nationals have an even bigger guest lined up.

Yankees' Levine blasts Brodsky at hearing on stadium deal  —  Yankees president Randy Levine tossed a brushback pitch at Assemb.  Richard Brodsky during a hearing Friday in Manhattan on the financing deal that is helping the Yankees build their new stadium in the Bronx.

Commish defends role steroids scandal again  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Baseball commissioner Bud Selig again defended his role in the sport's steroids scandal Friday, pointing to the players' union opposition to drug testing and a lack of curiosity by the media as the problem started to grow.

WBC Day Three Wrapup  —  We'll be keeping an eye on the World Baseball Classic from day one to the championship game.  Today things really got going with action in three different pools.  We'll keep updating the results throughout the day.  —  What happened: Has China passed Taiwan in baseball?

Sweeney finished playing, joins Dodgers' staff  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Sweeney, whose 175 pinch hits rank second in major league history, announced his retirement Friday and joined manager Joe Torre's coaching staff with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  Only Lenny Harris had more pinch-hits …

Brewers monitoring outfield market  —  With Gwynn ailing, Milwaukee may be in need of reserve  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Tony Gwynn Jr.'s lingering shoulder woes are prompting the Brewers to keep an eye on the free-agent market for outfielders.  —  “I would say very, very casually that we're keeping …