Japanese schoolgirl Eri Yoshida makes pro baseball debut  —  OSAKA, Japan — Japan's first female professional baseball player made her debut Friday, striking out one batter in the ninth inning.  —  Eri Yoshida, a 17-year-old who throws a sidearm knuckleball, took the mound during Kobe 9 …

Hair-brained policy raises Hanley's ire  —  Hanley Ramirez, the lone Marlin with five stars to his resume, walked through Thursday morning's clubhouse with a message written across his chest in Sharpie.  —  “I'm sick of this s—,” it read.  —  He was serious.  “I'm angry,” he said.

Jeter hits 1st, Damon 2nd; it could stay that way  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - Johnny Damon didn't even get two steps into the Yankees' clubhouse yesterday morning before manager Joe Girardi intercepted him.  —  “Just the man I want to see!”  Girardi said.  —  On that note, they entered …

Pirates' Tabata says wife lied about being pregnant  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Pirates prospect Jose Tabata, reading from a statement in Spanish, said his wife lied to him about being pregnant and then showed to him a baby that she later handed over to authorities, who arrested her on charges of child abduction.

Marlins give Nolasco nod for opener  —  Right-hander will face Nationals on April 6 at Dolphin Stadium  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Perform the way Ricky Nolasco did in 2008, and you are bound to be rewarded.  —  Add to that an impressive spring, and upstanding character, and you can understand …

Gagne shows up at Dodgers' complex  —  Reliever not lobbying for job but plans to resume throwing soon  —  PHOENIX — With the bullpen being the Dodgers' greatest question mark, who should make an appearance at Camelback Ranch on Friday but the team's greatest reliever of all time, Eric Gagne.

A's Acquire Curtis Thigpen  —  By Tim Dierkes [March 27 at 2:23pm CST]  —  According to a press release, the A's acquired catcher Curtis Thigpen from the Blue Jays today for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  They also signed catcher Eric Munson to a minor league deal.

Beyond Thunderdome: In the 'pen  —  Young Parnell emerges as favorite to join Major League team  —  In this third installment of Beyond Thunderdome, the series that sets odds on the Mets' roster-margin positional battles, I'll examine the back end of the team's bullpen.

The Real Voice of the Yankees  —  When politicians questioned the propriety of the Yankees' $1.2 billion in tax-exempt bonds for their new stadium, Randy Levine, the team's president, scolded them for getting their facts wrong or for failing to examine similar financing for the Mets' Citi Field.

Opinion: My Tour of Citi Field  —  In November, 2008, following a media tour, I left Citi Field thinking it was very sterile, cold, ‘cookie cutter,’ and much too similar to PNC and Citizen's Bank Park.  —  This is no longer the case.  —  Citi Field will have its own unique feel, and Mets fans are going to love it.

Reds Values Return  —  The Cincinnati Reds have announced the return of $5 single game tickets and the debut of new value-priced concession items at Great American Ball Park for the 2009 season.  —  “We want fans to know that Reds baseball will continue to be an affordable entertainment destination …

Time for Honesty About the Great Derek Jeter  —  My father used to clip columns from a popular New York sportswriter named Jimmy Cannon that, in his old age, he enjoyed reading to me.  His favorites were about heroes of his youth who were now at their crossroads.

To Draft or Not to Draft  —  Apparently, that is the question Tom Boswell has been trying to answer this week.  First, in a column for the Post and then in his chat yesterday.  —  A point by point analysis … What he fails to mention is how many hitters drafted #1 overall in the draft are in the Hall of Fame?

ATLANTA BRAVES - ALL TIME HOME GROWN TEAM vs. ALL TIME ACQUIRED TEAM  —  To quote Red Leader in his Death Star Trench attack run... alllllllmost there!  —  Just two to go and I will have completed all 30 teams in my Home Grown versus Acquired opus.  —  Let's finish these babies!

Updates: Red Sox vs. Cardinals  —  WALK-OFF WIN (4:42, END 10, 11-8 SOX)  —  Sorry, everyone, but the end of the game did not go as planned.  With the score 7-4 in the eighth, Josh Beckett became availabe to the media in the clubhouse.  I went down there and, because it appeared the game …

Gammons On Pitching Shortages  —  By Tim Dierkes [March 27 at 9:51am CST]  —  The theme of Peter Gammons' latest blog post: almost every team needs pitching.  One GM told Gammons, “Other than the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Reds, Marlins and Twins, everyone is looking for pitching, at least affordable pitching.”

So far, SNY closed to captioning  —  Carl DeStefanis is deaf, and thus doesn't bother with TV shows that do not offer closed captions.  —  One exception: Mets games on SNY, which he called “a continuous reminder of my disability.”  —  “I can't help but try to watch the Mets,” DeStefanis …

Padres' ownership transition officially under way  —  Jeff Moorad, the new CEO of the Padres, donned a jersey at a news conference yesterday at Petco Park.  (Nelvin C. Cepeda / Union-Tribune)  —  Jeff Moorad assumed the dual roles of Padres CEO and vice chairman of the board Thursday …