Back From Classic, Pérez Is Source of Concern for Mets  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Mets have seen Oliver Pérez at his best and they have seen him at his worst.  They know his habits, his quirks, his foibles, and one thing they will not tolerate is laziness.

Phillies shopping catcher Paulino  —  Coste likely to serve as backup at position for Ruiz  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — It looks more and more like Chris Coste will be Carlos Ruiz's backup this season.  —  Baseball sources said Wednesday the Phillies are letting teams know that catcher Ronny Paulino …

Yanks remain open to trading Melky  —  Gardner's success in center gives club options with 2008 center fielder  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees are telling clubs that they remain open to trading Melky Cabrera before the beginning of the regular season, according a report published Wednesday by FOXSports.com.

Hunter leaves game after freak play  —  Angels center fielder expected to miss next contest  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Torii Hunter, ringleader and lightning rod of the Angels' clubhouse, missed all the fun on Tuesday.  —  While his team was putting an 18-11 hurting on the Rockies' pitching staff …

Remembering Arthur Richman, 83, a Baseball Lifer  —  Arthur Richman had a distinctive way of saying hello to me and to others.  He never really said hello.  He asked how you were doing, then asked if you needed any money.  He must have asked me that a thousand times.

Brewers release veteran Nixon  —  Outfielder hit .105 in 20 spring games; Crew also options Gamel  —  PHOENIX — The Brewers released veteran outfielder Trot Nixon on Wednesday in their latest round of roster cuts.  —  In other moves, the team optioned third baseman Mat Gamel …

Milton Bradley sure Chicago Cubs are top contenders  —  New Cub calls himself ‘a winner,’ predicts postseason appearance  —  MESA, Ariz. — Predictions are starting to emerge as the season draws near, and it's no surprise most prognosticators are picking the Cubs to win the NL Central.

Big Apple still loves the Yankees best - except in Queens, poll finds  —  New York City is still a Yankee town, a new poll found Wednesday, less than two weeks before Opening Day.  —  Among the New Yorkers who expressed interest in big-league baseball, more than half - 56% …

Former Yankee Bernie Williams jams with Springsteen, annoys Derek Jeter  —  With April 14's Moving Forward, former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams returns to his second great passion: jazz guitar.  The classically trained instrumentalist called the Music Mix today to chat about his new album …

WHITE SOX IN BRIEF: Danks betting on Danks  —  Lefty turns down same $15M deal Sox gave Floyd  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — The first thought in John Danks' head when he heard four years, $15.5million was “Heck, yeah.”  —  When it came time to sign the contract extension, however, it was “Heck, no.”

Grading three contemporaries: Boggs, Gwynn, and Ripken  —  With the success (as judged by my immediate family) of my last article picking apart the differences in career value of three Hall-worthy catchers, I thought I'd stick with that approach, this time highlighting the careers of three superstars …

Beltran goes to bat for kids from home  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Carlos Beltran always told himself he would build a high school in his native Puerto Rico once he became established as a major leaguer.  That ambition is set to open in the fall of 2010.  —  Using donated land that includes …

Please help John's family  —  THT and the baseball community lost a dear friend and writer this week when John Brattain passed away.  But, of course, his wife and two teenage daughters feel the loss much more keenly.  THT has started a donation drive to help them.

Carter, Palmeiro lead College Baseball Hall of Fame class  —  LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Former World Series star Joe Carter of Wichita State and Mississippi State's Rafael Palmeiro, who hit 569 home runs in the major leagues, are among 10 inductees into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Shooter Now: Ex-Yankee Johnny Blanchard dies  —  Johnny Blanchard, a Minneapolis Central grad who went on to play six seasons with the New York Yankees and in five World Series, died early this morning of a heart attack at home in Wayzata at age 76.  —  Blanchard was a close friend and confidant of Hall of Fame teammate Mickey Mantle.

Colon improves, but Ozzie not convinced yet  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — Bartolo Colon may have lost out on any chance of an extra 10-day stay at the lovely Camelback Ranch.  —  And his loss would be a huge White Sox gain.  —  Making his third start of spring training — and only his second …