George Kell, former Detroit Tigers broadcaster, dies at 86  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — George Kell, a Hall of Fame third baseman who outdueled Ted Williams for the 1949 American League batting title and became a Detroit Tigers broadcaster for nearly 40 years, died Tuesday.  He was 86.

Stan Kasten Discusses Nationals' Plans and Expectations  —  The transcript follows.  —  Stan Kasten: Hi there, everyone.  I'm happy to have this opportunity to speak with all of you.  I always enjoy having the opportunity to chat with fans, whether in person or online.

Nady Wins Job, and Swisher is Subdued  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - On Nick Swisher's Twitter page, his enthusiasm all but bursts through your computer screen.  It's a festival of exclamation points and effusive praise.  The trip to the pool hall?  A great idea.  Team U.S.A.?  Loaded with talent.

Marlins' ballpark vote passes  —  Retractable-roof stadium slated for 2012 opening  —  MIAMI — At last, a home the Marlins can truly call their own.  —  Miami-Dade County commissioners on Monday put to rest more than a decade-long quest by voting in favor of a retractable-roof ballpark for the Marlins on the Orange Bowl grounds.

Igawa impressive, but sent to Minors  —  Yanks advise lefty to continue preparing as starting pitcher  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Yankees reassigned left-hander Kei Igawa to Minor League camp on Monday, congratulating him on his spring and advising him to keep up the good work as a starting pitcher.

Dice-K, Ichiro delivers as Japan wins WBC title  —  By Associated Press / World Baseball Classic  —  LOS ANGELES — The World Baseball Classic belongs to Japan.  —  Again.  —  Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-out, two-run single in the top of the 10th …

Competitions won't end on April 6  —  Obsessed with who'll be the Yanks' starting CF on April 6?  Don't be.  Ken Rosenthal says battles like this won't end on Opening Day.

Alex: Keep 103 A-nonymous  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - Alex Rodriguez had to admit he was a steroid cheat after being outed by a Sports Illustrated reporter, but he doesn't want the other players who tested positive in the 2003 MLB survey to face the same fate.  —  In an interview with the YES Network …

Four-out saves for K-Rod?  Don't ask  —  Figured it might be worthwhile to ask Frankie Rodriguez this morning about being used for a pair of four-out saves during his stint with Team Venezuela.  After all, it was something that he hadn't done in a save situation since August 17, 2007 …

Hamels' debut may come April 10  —  Phillies ace lefty to pitch in Minor League game Tuesday  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — If everything goes well, Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels could start the fourth game of the regular season, April 10 against the Rockies in Denver.

Cards ship Gregerson to Padres  —  Right-hander completes Greene trade from December  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals and Padres completed their trade from December on Monday.  Pitcher Luke Gregerson is the player to be named later in the deal that sent shortstop Khalil Greene from San Diego to St. Louis.

Yankees announce some Stadium details  —  This press release from the Yankees ...  YANKEES AND LEGENDS HOSPITALITY TO DEBUT NEW GENERAL CONCESSIONS LINEUP IN YANKEE STADIUM; FOCUS PLACED ON QUALITY, CONVENIENCE, VARIETY AND VALUE  —  THE NEW YORK YANKEES announced today their new general concessions lineup for the 2009 season.

Armed, but Dangerous  —  It's too bad Stephen Strasburg is a pitcher.  Otherwise, he might be worth a record-shattering amount of money for a No. 1 overall draft pick.  But he's a pitcher.  So, he isn't.  —  History is unequivocal.  Strasburg, no matter how much he dominates college hitters …

Lupica: Gardner could grow into Yank version of Pedroia  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - The throw from Ryan Raburn of the Tigers, a spring-training throw out of palm trees and blue sky that seemed to explode out of the kid's hand in center field and carry all the way to his catcher, Gerald Laird …

Ex-Cub Scott Eyre not bitter, loves life with Phillies  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Scott Eyre apparently has a new nickname.  You can call him Cub Guy.  —  That's what the honeymooning woman in the red Philadelphia Phillies bikini did when their paths crossed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.