Pulling for Pods; Jimenez to work minor league game  —  Tucson — It is awkward, strange.  One day you are interviewing a guy, talking baseball, the next day his locker his empty.  I have seen it happen for 13 years, and it never gets any easier.  —  Scott Podsednik was released today.

It's Going, Going ... Did You See Where It Went?  —  There is a reason baseball fans call them cheap seats, those perches far from home plate in the outfield, the upper decks and down the lines, often with obscured views of the game.  —  The Mets and the Yankees together have spent …

Porcello, Perry make team, Robertson in relief  —  Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry have a combined 38 games of professional baseball experience, none of it above Class A ball.  But they'll have two spots on the Tigers' 12-man pitching staff.  —  In the end, talent won out over the experience.

Ball-Strike Monitor May Reopen Wounds  —  JUPITER, Fla. — An improved camera system to monitor umpires' calls of balls and strikes will be used in all 30 major league stadiums starting opening day, ending the contentious QuesTec era but expanding the scope of baseball's oversight program.

New York Yankees' Joba Chamberlain pleads guilty to DUI charge  —  LINCOLN, Neb. — New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain has pleaded guilty to a Nebraska charge of drunken driving and has been given probation.  —  After a plea deal, prosecutors dropped the second charge of driving with an open alcohol container.

Veteran Ponson appears set for Royals rotation  —  It doesn't matter, it seems, that veteran right-hander Sidney Ponson gave up seven runs in five innings Tuesday in a 7-2 loss to the Oakland A's.  —  The Royals seem ready, regardless, to anoint him as the fourth member of their rotation — albeit not officially.

Angels' Joe Saunders may be experiencing ‘dead arm’  —  Manager Mike Scioscia says he is disappointed about his opening-day starter's outing Monday.  Possible culprits include a tired arm and food poisoning.  —  Reporting from Mesa, Ariz. — Just what the Angels need, another potential problem with a starting pitcher.

Park overjoyed to be Phils' No. 5 starter  —  After putting all aside in bid for role, veteran hurler overcomes Happ  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Chan Ho Park signed with the Phillies because they promised him the opportunity to win a job in the rotation.  —  He wanted that job so badly …

AP Poll: MLB games just too expensive, fans say … Take me out to the ballgame ... because I can't afford it.  —  The high price of going to a game is now the No. 1 problem in Major League Baseball, a new Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll of fans shows.

NL West Preview  —  Today, Rich, Jeremy and I preview the NL West.  You can find past previews below:  —  The numbers presented are the averages of each of the projection systems featured on the Fangraphs player pages.  —  Let's get to it.  —  CATCHER  —  AVG OBP SLG  —  Martin, R. .

Stadium laden with Trost's fingerprints  —  Long before Lonn Trost was given the responsibility of overseeing the construction of baseball's newest cathedral, he was charged with an equally demanding (though significantly less-expensive) architectural task: designing his own home.

Maine on track, Putz finger okay after exit  —  John Maine limited the Marlins to two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings as the Mets beat Florida, 9-2, Tuesday night.  Maine also produced an RBI when Anibal Sanchez walked him with the bases loaded.  —  “I still think I'm a couple …

AL EAST PREVIEW  —  The division preview series continues with what maybe the strongest division in baseball, the American League East.  I'm rating the core of the team, the eight position players and designated hitter, five starters and closer by value wins or WAR.  —  Tampa Bay Rays

Pena Given Unconditional Release  —  After refusing to accept a minor league assignment, Wily Mo Pena was released tonight by the Washington Nationals, ending the outfielder's tenure with an organization that once viewed him as a centerpiece of its future.  Pena had been placed on waivers this weekend, but went unclaimed.

Defensive Shift  —  A few changes in the field can dramatically change your team's D ... for better or worse.  —  STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME Become an Insider Today  —  ESPN The Magazine  —  How did we, at Baseball Prospectus, predict that the Rays, who had never won more than 70 games in any season …

And a Phillies Fan Has Already Been Asked to Leave Citi Field  —  The following fan report comes from one of the first Phillies fans to step foot in Citi Field, the Mets new home.  It also comes from the first Phillies fan to get the boot from said stadium.  Seems his choice in attire was not appreciated.

No Worries: Joba at 96 M.P.H.  —  SARASOTA, Fla. - If anybody is worried about Joba Chamberlain's velocity, don't be.  He is out after 5 1/3 innings here in Sarasota against the Reds, and he looked terrific.  A scout I just talked to said he clocked Chamberlain as high as 96 miles an hour …

Brewers' Braun day-to-day with thumb injury … PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun is day-to-day with a right thumb contusion after leaving in the second inning of Tuesday night's game against the San Diego Padres.  —  The 2007 National League rookie of the year …

Marlins part ways with McPherson  —  Team also sends Ryan, De Aza and Koronka to Minors camp  —  JUPITER, Fla. — With Emilio Bonifacio solidifying the third-base job, Dallas McPherson became expendable.  —  After the Marlins lost, 9-2, to the Mets on Tuesday night, the Marlins announced that McPherson has been released.