Ivan Rodriguez agrees to one-year, $1.5 million contract with Houston Astros  —  Catcher Ivan Rodriguez has agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Houston Astros.  —  The deal is contingent on Rodriguez taking a physical, the catcher said in an interview Monday on ESPN …

Madden: If Marte stumbles, Coke may be it  —  TAMPA - The MRIs on the Yankees' two wounded escapees from the World Baseball Classic turned up nothing serious Monday, which, at least until further notice, must be considered good news.  Robinson Cano has bursitis in his right shoulder …

Hamels speaks  —  Breaking news from Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.:  —  Cole Hamels will leave Clearwater tonight for the Philadelphia area to have his left elbow examined tomorrow by team doctor Michael Ciccotti.  Amaro said that Hamels' had complained of “a little bit of a persistent soreness” in the elbow.

Cubs flex muscles to down D-backs  —  Chicago belts four homers; Harden cruises before wild third  —  CUBS 10, D-BACKS 7  —  Cubs at the plate: Brad Snyder and Mike Fontenot hit back-to-back homers to give the Cubs the lead in the eighth inning, and Welington Castillo added a two-run shot later in the inning.

New York Mets name Julio Franco minor-league manager  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Julio Franco is back with the Mets.  —  Except this time, he isn't trying to extend his playing career.  He's starting a new one.  —  The team named Franco manager of the rookie-league Gulf Coast Mets on Monday …

No debate on starting Joba  —  TAMPA - The debate rages on, though mostly among television talking heads or on sports talk radio.  Should Joba Chamberlain be a starter or a reliever?  —  Some believe Chamberlain's highest value is as the eighth-inning bridge to Mariano Rivera …

The Branch Rickey Pirates (Part 2: 1950-1951)  —  As we recall from last time, Branch Rickey was hired as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in November 1950.  We summarized the state of the ball club he inherited, both at the level of the big league roster and in the minor leagues.

New stadiums for the Yankees and the Mets.  —  The Mets' new home echoes the famous entrance of the Dodgers' Ebbets Field.  The new Yankee Stadium's grandiosity is tempered by the energy of its urban setting.  —  KEYWORDS … In 1921, Colonel Jacob Ruppert, the co-owner of the New York Yankees …

IIATMS Exclusive: 20 Questions with Jeff Pearlman  —  A few weeks ago, I learned that author Jeff Pearlman was finishing a book about Roger Clemens, deftly titled “The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality”.  I emailed Jeff, requesting an interview via a 20 questions email.

Looper survives successful scrimmage  —  Brewers righty hit by line drive, but on track for home opener  —  PHOENIX — The Brewers' official report on Braden Looper's appearance in a Minor League intrasquad scrimmage was short and sweet.  —  It read: “Two innings, 30 pitches, no issues.”

Cook makes most of rare luxury  —  Tucson - Aaron Cook can afford luxury.  —  Not because he's the Rockies' No. 1 pitcher and is playing under a $34 million contract.  —  Rather, it's because he's talented enough, confident enough and secure enough in his position to afford experimentation.

Yanks get new loan for ballpark  —  The New York Yankees earlier this month borrowed $105 million from a group of banks led by Goldman Sachs to cover final cost overruns at the new Yankee Stadium, sources said.  —  The loan brings the total debt on the stadium, which opens next month, to more than $1.3 billion.