High school teammate, Dodger defends A-Rod  —  Buzz up!  —  LOS ANGELES - Allegations Alex Rodriguez used steroids in high school are inaccurate, according to one of Rodriguez's former teammates at Westminster Christian High in Miami.  —  “There's no way,” Dodgers utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz said.

Garza flirts with perfection in win  —  Right-hander retires first 18 batters in opener with Boston  —  ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays were falling early in the American League East standings, had just come off a tough road trip while losing their sixth straight series and badly needed a step in the right direction.

Pitching a dramatic script in Los Angeles  —  Buzz up!  —  LOS ANGELES - A Thursday night in L.A., the Lakers between series, the Dodgers secure in first place, more than 50,000 meet at the old ballpark on the hill, a good number of them clogging the neighborhood streets an hour …

Flag poles installed at ballpark site  —  Fans can now see infield layout  —  Miami, FL - The Florida Marlins today installed flag poles on the site of the new Miami ballpark depicting the exact location of home plate and the bases.  The announcement was made by Marlins' Sr. Vice President of Stadium Development, Claude Delorme.

Mets seem to lack heart  —  Three games separated the Mets from the Phillies at the end of the regular season last year.  Was there really only that much of a difference between the second-place team in the National League East and the eventual world champions?  —  The Mets thought so.

Jays call up three; rookie to start Saturday vs. Orioles  —  RHP Ray will make major league debut; ex-Oriole Burres among three sent down  —  The Blue Jays promoted left-hander Brett Cecil and right-handers Robert Ray and Brian Wolfe from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Minnesota Twins activate Joe Mauer; reliever Juan Morillo to minors  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been activated from the disabled list after missing the first month of the season with a back injury.  —  Mauer  —  Right-hander Juan Morillo was sent outright …

Prior reports shoulder soreness to Padres  —  Righty might have to ‘take a step back’ in comeback attempt  —  LOS ANGELES — Right-hander Mark Prior, who hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since 2006, reported soreness in his right shoulder after a bullpen session on Tuesday at the Padres' Spring Training facility in Peoria, Ariz.

Mets Management Trying to Create Sterile Environment  —  Kevin Kernan of the NY Post joined me on last night's edition of NYBD Radio.  The topic of fear and anxiety was a main theme when we were diagnosing what is wrong with the team to date.  The takeaway I had was that perhaps management …

Melky, Pena produce big hits in 8th as Yanks win  —  The Brett Gardner Era may officially be over.  —  Melky Cabrera continued his quest to take back the centerfield job he lost to Gardner in spring training, lacing a tie-breaking single in the eighth inning against the Angels last night.

David Cone On Air “Jerking Off” Reference - Round Two  —  UPDATE: Awww crap.  Just realized that Andrew over at No, You're A Towel had this up on Wednesday night.  Sorry for not giving you the proper credit, Andrew.  —  We owe everything we have here at NSI to David Cone.

Poor Mets, poor fans  —  It's been a while since you last came to visit.  You weren't missed all that much.  We love to hate each other, sure, but it was kind of nice without you.  —  This is your first trip to town since last August.  Philly has been a little busy since then.

Mannywood  —  OK, Dodgers, it's time to make your commitment to Ramirez a serious one  —  The Dodgers should stop waltzing around and make their marriage to Manny Ramirez a proper one.  I'm talking here about a real contract, not the truncated one they extracted during the off-season …