Bill Plaschke: Ryan Braun needs to follow his own advice  —  In the winter of 2009, when news leaked that the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for a performance enhancing drug, he was faced with a decision.  —  Fight it or admit it?  —  Before Rodriguez made his choice …

Source: Aramis Ramirez to Brewers  —  Former Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez will sign a three-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, pending a physical, according to a source familiar with the situation.  —  Ramirez played the last eight-plus seasons with the Cubs.

Blue Jays Acquire Ben Francisco  —  The Blue Jays acquired outfielder Ben Francisco from the Phillies for minor league lefty Frank Gailey, announced the team.  The Jays also designated reliever Jesse Chavez for assignment.  —  Francisco, 30, hit .244/.340/.364 in 293 plate appearances for the Phillies this year.

Non-Tender Candidates  —  I initially published my non-tender candidates list on November 14th, and since then many of the 54 players I mentioned have been removed from 40-man rosters or traded.  Below is my revised list in advance of tonight's 11pm central time deadline.

The Cooperstown case for Tim Raines  —  It's that time of the year again: Hall of Fame voting season.  This month, the decade-long members of the BBWAA fill out their ballots for who belongs in Cooperstown.  —  There are many candidates on this year's ballot, and many would make perfectly fine Hall of Famers.

Manny Ramirez seeks another chance  —  MIAMI — Manny Ramirez acknowledged that he has made many mistakes in his life and he seeks a new chance to show that he has changed.  —  In an exclusive interview with ESPN Deportes, Ramirez said it was a mistake to have used banned performance-enhancing substances …

Marlins catcher John Buck helps rescue two women from overturned car  —  Think the Marlins front office had an eventful week last week in Dallas?  Consider Marlins catcher John Buck's week.  —  He started the week by bagging a trophy-class deer (209 points on the Boone & Crockett scale) on a hunting trip in south Texas.

Sox stick with approach  —  Little tweaks often can go a long way  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  One of these days, the Red Sox [team stats] will make a trade, sign a free agent and fill out their coaching staff.  —  In the meantime, all signs point toward …

Jon Daniels: ‘Very realistic’ that C.J. Wilson would've returned had Rangers matched Angels' offer  —  Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels appears at spring training in Surprise, Ariz., Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011.  —  of  —  Long before Newport Beach native C.J. Wilson signed …