Royals ink Ponson to Minors deal  —  Righty starred for Netherlands in Cinderella Classic bid  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Sidney Ponson, who pitched for the amazing Netherlands team in the World Baseball Classic, was signed Tuesday by the Royals to a Minor League contract.

McLane's coming to press conference, Pedro isn't  —  I had not planned to blog again tonight, but Linda, Angel and several others among you have called or e-mailed to ask what the Astros will announce at this press conference.  —  Before we get to Drayton, let's address the latest rumor that hit the Internet.

Hamels a ‘long shot’ for Opening Day  —  MRI turns up no damage to left elbow, ace to throw Thursday  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies said Tuesday that Cole Hamels has no structural damage to his left elbow.  —  That, they said, is the good news.  —  But it also appears he is a long shot …

Mets' Murphy is true student of the game  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - The green-covered CVS-brand notebook sits deep in Daniel Murphy's locker at the Mets' spring training site, Tradition Field.  —  The notebook has been places, though.  And like the Mets' 23-year-old leftfielder, it seems to be going places, too.

Littleton in; Morlan out  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  The bid of Rule 5 draft pick Eduardo Morlan to make the Brewers' bullpen has failed, so they're going to give someone else a shot.  —  The Brewers have claimed right-hander Wes Littleton on waivers from Boston …

Lugo has surgery, Pedroia's status . . .  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Julio Lugo underwent a successful right knee arthroscopy this morning in Boston.  Doctors repaired a torn meniscus, which is what they expected to find.  Lugo will miss 3-4 weeks, almost certainly sidelining him for Opening Day April 6, which is 20 days away.

Perez making most of stars' absence  —  Veteran outfielder raps four hits in victory over Cardinals  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Timo Perez is not a complicated player.  He's a left-handed line-drive hitter who will step to the plate swinging.  He won't strike out a lot, but he won't draw an abundance of walks, either.

I'M SUCH A PRETTY BOY!  —  A-ROD MADLY IN LOVE WITH HIS MIRROR  —  Nothing gets between A-Rod and his mirror!  —  Troubled slugger Alex Rodriguez gets up close and personal - with himself - in a one-man love affair photographed and published in the upcoming Details magazine.

Prospect Interview Series: Spring Training Edition  —  I recently returned from a week out in Surprise and was fortunate enough to speak with several of the prospects participating in major league camp.  All of the interviews are brief and most of them consist of similar questions.

Top 200 Prospect List  —  Check out the evolution of our prospect thinking.  Revisit our 2008 Top 150 and 2007 Top 100.

Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Reds  —  By Tim Dierkes [March 17 at 11:21am CST]  —  Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Reds.  Here's what we wrote about them on September 26th.  Changes for 2009:  —  Additions: Ramon Hernandez, Willy Taveras, Arthur Rhodes, Jonny Gomes …

Hanley scratched against Nats  —  All-Star shortstop takes breather to rest sore right shoulder  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez was nursing a sore right shoulder, and right fielder Cody Ross was suffering tightness in his left calf on Monday.  Both were scratched from the lineup against the Nationals.

Marlins release reliever Garcia  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The Marlins released right-handed reliever Harvey Garcia on Monday, bringing their roster down to 52 players.  —  Garcia missed all of 2008 after having rotator cuff surgery on his throwing arm.  He appeared in eight games for Florida in 2007 …

Zambrano loves the Cubs, but he's also a Sox fan  —  MESA, Ariz. — It's hard to believe, but Carlos Zambrano has moved to the top of the Cubs' longevity list.  At 27, he is the team's elder statesman, moving into the suite formerly occupied by Kerry Wood.  —  Zambrano debuted with the Cubs on Aug. 20, 2001.

A's make their choice on backup catcher  —  The A's released catcher Rob Bowen on Tuesday, clearing the way for Landon Powell to be the No. 2 catcher behind workhorse Kurt Suzuki.  —  Bowen, 28, was on the A's roster for the entire 2008 season but played in just 37 games and hit .176 with one homer and nine RBIs.

Astros to hold news conference  —  McLane en route to Kissimmee for Wednesday meeting  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Club owner Drayton McLane is on his way to Kissimmee, Fla., where the Astros will hold “an important press conference,” according to a press release, on Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. ET at Osceola County Stadium.

Spring Game 21: Pirates at Yankees  —  Pitching today: CC O'Sabathia, Mariano O'Rivera, Alfredo O'Aceves, Edwar O'Ramirez.  —  PIRATES  —  O'Morgan LF  —  O'Wilson SS  —  McLouth CF  —  O'Jones 1B  —  O'Tabata RF  —  O'Pearce DH  —  O'Walker 3B  —  O'Jaramillo C  —  O'Cruz 2B

Optimizing Your Lineup By The Book  —  As teams begin to pare down their rosters towards the magical 25 number, spring training conversation will shift to debating each team's ideal batting order.  Because we care, BtB would like to remind everyone that lineups are pretty overrated.