Hammel traded to Rockies; Niemann fifth starter  —  After the long wait, RHPs Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann finally have closure.  —  Hammel has been traded to the Rockies and Niemann was told he'll be the Rays fifth starter.  —  Hammel, 26, said he received word of the trade from the Rays Sunday afternoon.

Sheffield in great mood, but it will get tougher  —  Gary Sheffield coasted through his first official act as a Met during yesterday's news conference at Citi Field.  He joked.  He smiled.  For a guy with a reputation as a team-wrecker, Sheffield was on his best behavior, and he fielded every question cleanly.

Pena edges Berroa for 25th roster spot  —  Yanks infielder's impressive spring earns him utility job  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees finalized their Opening Day roster on Saturday, selecting infielder Ramiro Pena as the club's 25th man over former American League Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa.

Evans sent to Buffalo  —  As expected, the Mets sent prospect Nick Evans to Triple-A Buffalo this afternoon to make room for Gary Sheffield on the Opening Day roster.  The Mets will have to make another roster move by Saturday, April 11, to create a spot for fifth starter Livan Hernandez.

McDonald named Dodgers' fifth starter  —  Weaver among six players assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers trimmed their roster from 36 to 30 on Saturday night and manager Joe Torre named James McDonald the team's fifth starter.  —  The Dodgers sent shortstop Chin-lung Hu …

Baseball 2009: Seven minutes that changed the franchise  —  The Jason Bay trade, handled in a cool, calculating way by the Pirates' management, has taken time to simmer with those on the field  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — The ball had burst off Nate McLouth's bat, followed by what McLouth later described as …

PADRES: Pest patrol: Suffering from a severe shortage of big boppers, the Padres are taking a new, more irritating approach to producing runs  —  David Eckstein's plan of attack, one that has been agitating pitchers for eight seasons, falls in line with the Padres' vision of improving an offense …

New York Yankees' Joba Chamberlain strong in final spring start  —  TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees right-hander Joba Chamberlain allowed two runs and two hits over 5 1/3 innings in his final spring training start on Sunday.  —  Chamberlain, pitching for Double-A Trenton in a camp game …

City officials: have fun this baseball season, but behave  —  There is a buzz in the air this weekend that can only mean one thing: home openers for the Cubs and White Sox are on deck.  —  Hopes are being renewed.  Kegs are being delivered.  Livers are being steeled.

Webb: Manny won't hit as much in '09  —  Profile: Brandon Webb  —  The Diamondbacks will meet the Dodgers this week during their season-opening, nine-day homestand at Chase Field, and ace pitcher Brandon Webb had a message for Arizona fans concerning Los Angeles slugger Manny Ramirez.

Astros set roster; Ortiz cracks rotation  —  Veteran beats out Capellan; Abercrombie to Minors  —  HOUSTON — Jason Smith didn't need a mathematician to tell him that he made the final cut on Saturday, considering his direct competition, Edwin Maysonet, had already been sent down to the Minor Leagues earlier in the week.

Bones to pick: Obstructions  —  I took almost 200 pictures of YS III today - some artsy, some for fact-finding purposes, some for memories, etc.  Here are some bones to pick in regards to the various obstructions of the ballpark.  —  Obviously, much has been made about the bleachers in Sections 201 and 239.