Marlins mull bid for Phillies' catcher Paulino, trade De La Cruz  —  Phillie may be on block; he could add depth behind plate  —  Pudge Rodriguez is off the market, but the Marlins continue to evaluate available catchers.  —  The latest they may be mulling is Ronny Paulino.

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.

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.

Price, 4 others optioned to Durham  —  LHP David Price was among five players optioned to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.  —  Also sent down were OF Justin Ruggiano, INFs Reid Brignac and Elliot Johnson, and C John Jaso.  —  Price said he expected the move and considers it “part of the game …

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% …

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.

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.

Ambidextrous Yankees reliever a matchup nightmare  —  TAMPA, Fla. - The curiosity that led the Yankees to draft ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte last June has quickly been replaced by intrigue.  And that's as good an indication as there is of just how impressive Venditte's debut season as a professional switch pitcher was.

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.

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 …

Jackson the Younger Impresses Jackson the Elder  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Reggie Jackson beat the Yankees prospect Austin Jackson into the clubhouse Tuesday night, and it was hard to tell who was happier.  Jackson, the youngster, pulled a full-count pitch high over the left-field foul pole for a grand slam in the eighth inning.

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 …