Voice of Yankee Stadium Retires  —  The new Yankee Stadium will sound much different than the old one.  Bob Sheppard, the public address announcer for the Yankees since 1951, has retired.  —  Paul Doherty, a friend and agent who has represented Sheppard, said Sheppard's son, Paul, told him about Sheppard's plans on Wednesday morning.

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.

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.

Izzy stays, says he needs only “a couple, few weeks”  —  UPDATE, 12:12: Isringhausen said he was very pleased to be able to stay with the Rays and - barring any setbacks from his September elbow surgery - should only need “a couple, few weeks” until he is ready to pitch in the majors.

Phillies one of three teams interested in Sheff; Drabek out after 2 1/3  —  Jim Leyland told Detroit reporters this morning that Gary Sheffield, the veteran slugger released yesterday by the Tigers, has received serious interest from three major league teams, one of them presumably being the Phillies.

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 …

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.

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. .

A-ROD WANTS TO RETURN SOONER THAN EXPECTED; CASHMAN CAUTIOUS  —  SARASOTA, Fla. - Alex Rodriguez thinks he can return from hip surgery prior to May 15, and though the Yankees would certainly welcome their cleanup hitter back before then, GM Brian Cashman isn't betting on it.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …