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.

Royals trade Gload to the Marlins and finalize their rotation  —  The Royals moved to trim their roster Wednesday morning by trading veteran first baseman Ross Gload to the Florida Marlins and asking release waivers on reliever Joel Peralta.  —  Manager Trey Hillman also confirmed Sidney Ponson …

Taking Joba out of Yanks' bullpen sets up failure  —  Joba Chamberlain had his best outing of the spring Tuesday,, limiting the Reds to five hits and two runs in 51/3 innings.  He was so good, in fact, that he pitched the Yankees almost to the point where, ideally, Joba Chamberlain would come into the game.

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.

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.

Designers of New Stadiums Play to History Buffs and Baseball Fans  —  History sells.  That is what the Mets and the Yankees are banking on as they unveil their new retro ballparks.  —  In Citi Field, the Mets aimed to erase any memory of Shea Stadium, a cookie-cutter bowl that was once considered state of the art.

Royals' Hudson hangs it up  —  Pain in right shoulder lingered for fan favorite  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Luke Hudson, who became a fan favorite as a pitching sensation in 2006, on Wednesday announced he was giving up his comeback attempt.  —  Hudson, 31, was in the Royals' Minor League camp …

Wednesday morning: Triple-A rotation lined up  —  Pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras revealed the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rotation this morning, but was careful to note that something could change between now and opening day.  “That's in pencil, not in ink,” he said.  The rotation, in order, will be...

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.

Manny Ramirez behind schedule, wants more action  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Manny Ramirez [stats] had one lament after leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers' final exhibition game in Arizona on Wednesday.  —  “No fly balls,” he said.  —  Delayed by a late contract signing and a subsequent hamstring injury …

Yanks to start season with Jeter in leadoff spot … TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Derek Jeter could be the first New York Yankees player to bat at their new stadium.  —  Manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday that his spring training switch of Jeter and Johnny Damon atop the lineup has worked …

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.

Jays release Bush  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — Matt Bush has not been behaving himself.  —  The troubled former first-round draft choice, who was brought into the Blue Jays camp as kind of a reclamation project, was released outright by the club today.  —  The converted shortstop was released …

The road to success begins with youth  —  Young players at the heart of any sustained run of good fortune  —  Click your TiVo back to last October and the League Championship Series.  —  There were the league champions.  The Phillies were built on layers of the scouting and development acumen …

Beckett has final tuneup; Sox edge Pirates  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Josh Beckett threw 88 pitches today in his final tuneup before his Opening Day start, giving up three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, walking one, striking out four, and surrendering seven hits in Boston's 4-3 victory over the Pirates.