I dated A-Rod, claims former madam  —  A former Manhattan madam who supplied Eliot Spitzer with hookers also counted Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez as a customer - and found him so charming she dated him herself for free, former employees of the call-girl agency tell the Daily News.

Andruw assumes lesser role to stay  —  Told he can't play every day, outfielder opts to remain with Rangers  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Outfielder Andruw Jones is likely to remain with the Rangers through the end of Spring Training and possibly into the regular season.

Manuel plans to bat Murphy second in Mets' order  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Daniel Murphy recently took some ribbing from teammates after adding his few-year-old Honda Civic to a sign-up sheet for transport to New York.  After all, the car stood out on a list that included new Mercedes, BMWs and Cadillac Escalades.

Busting the Bank: Top Seats at New Yankee Stadium Will Run as High as $2,625  —  Attending games during the inaugural season at the new Yankee Stadium will be decidedly elitist as the club today released single game prices for tickets that go on sale Tuesday.

Ozzie Guillen's muses include advising Obama  —  Buzz up!  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. - President Barack Obama's apology for his Special Olympics crack to Jay Leno while lampooning his bowling skills may not be enough to satisfy Gov. Sarah Palin, who ripped Obama for a “degrading remark.”

Igawa auditioning for return to Majors  —  Spring work with Yankees drawing interest from other teams  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Investing $46 million in Kei Igawa was a mistake.  It is a statement that Brian Cashman confirms without hesitation, carrying an indelible mark on his resume as the Yankees' general manager.

Glavine throws it back at Pedro  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Tom Glavine already is a bargain, so the Braves probably felt as if they got more than their money's worth in yesterday's 12-1 rout of the B-list Mets sent north to Disney.  Glavine, who barely broke 80 mph, retired nine of the 11 batters he faced.

More Sox moving down  —  The Red Sox made another significant round of cuts this morning, sending down four players, including Junichi Tazawa and Michael Bowden.  Tazawa, who, as expected, will start the year in Double A Portland, had a sterling camp with the Red Sox.

Maddon: Upton likely to miss at least first week  —  UPDATE, 11:40: Manager Joe Maddon went along with that assessment and even a bit further, saying it it is all but official that Upton won't be ready for opening day.  “I doubt that,” Maddon said.  “I would say no.”

Brewers decline Palmisano's return  —  Astros offer back Rule 5 catcher, but instead send him to Minors  —  As recently as one year ago, it would have been very difficult to imagine the Brewers declining an opportunity to add a catcher to the system.  But that's exactly what they did on Saturday.

Pitching surplus gives Braves trade bait  —  Josh Anderson, Prado also could be moved  —  Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — A surplus of pitching is starting to bubble up in Braves camp.  —  Javier Vazquez and Jorge Campillo are back from the World Baseball Classic, and Tom Glavine pitched his first spring training game Saturday.

Corey Koskie makes it official: He's retired  —  Dizziness forces him to leave Chicago Cubs  —  PHOENIX — Corey Koskie ended his comeback bid Saturday, deciding the risk of suffering another concussion wasn't worth it.  —  The 35-year-old veteran, who received a minor-league invitation …

Pudge, Astros make deal official  —  Rodriguez expects to be in uniform vs. Nationals on Sunday  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla. — For the majority of his career, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez has worn uniform No. 7.  —  But with the Houston Astros?  —  “No chance,” he said with a laugh.  “I know that number is untouchable.”

Trade to A's was best thing for Holliday  —  Matt Holliday's new Oakland teammates speak in reverential tones about his work ethic and his modesty.  One general manager, who has known him since he signed, says, “Matt has to be one of the 10 best players in the game.”