Josh Hamilton suffers another very public relapse  —  The worst part about Josh Hamilton's relapse is that he didn't care.  The most famous addict in sports does not go to a bar in the town where he is best known without full knowledge that his exploits will become public in a matter of hours.

Nats ask fans to ‘Take Back the Park’ vs. Phils  —  Loyal Washington-area fans can buy tickets to May 4-6 series  —  WASHINGTON — When it comes to the Phillies, chief operating officer Andy Feffer wants Nationals fans to fill up Nationals Park — and for a good reason.

Jayson Werth, Center Fielder?  —  As Dave discussed yesterday, Nationals manager Davey Johnson is in favor of having Bryce Harper begin the season as his starting right fielder.  This would undoubtedly affect Jayson Werth, since he is the incumbent right fielder.  —  First, let's work under a couple of assumptions.

Police: Woman extorted Brian Cashman  —  NEW YORK — A woman stalked and shook down New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, getting him to pay her $6,000 and demanding more by threatening to harm his reputation, prosecutors said Thursday.  —  The case represents …

Dodgers To Sign Todd Coffey  —  The Dodgers agreed to sign Todd Coffey, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.  The deal, which is pending a physical, is worth $1.3MM and includes a club option for 2013, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.  The Beverly Hills Sports Council represents Coffey.

Girardi would welcome one more bat  —  Yanks' manager considers Ibanez, Damon, Matsui candidates  —  NEW YORK — Joe Girardi is generally pleased with the work done during his club's offseason, but the Yankees' manager would like to have one more bat added to his lineup card before Spring Training begins.

Q&A: Brian Peterson, the Tigers Mental Edge  —  You probably haven't heard of him, but Brian “Pete” Peterson is an invaluable member of the Detroit Tigers organization.  Working within the realm of sports psychology, and alongside Dr. George Carlo, the 58-year-old Peterson is heading …

Friday Fun - Popeye and PEDs  —  On a Friday afternoon when all the “baseball talk” around the web has been decidedly not about baseball, how about a little fun?  —  They say the PED problem in baseball is a recent issue in baseball, with most experts placing it's emergence to somewhere around Jose Canseco's career.

Marcum deal went down to wire before settlement  —  It turns out that Shaun Marcum's arbitration hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT today in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the parties were minutes away from presenting their cases when they agreed to settle at the midpoint of each sides' salary request.

Garza avoids arbitration, signs for $9.5 million  —  Instead of going into a hearing room in St. Petersburg on Friday, the Cubs and Matt Garza avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $9.5 million contract.  —  Garza's representatives at CAA Sports announced the deal on Twitter, and said he could also earn performance bonuses.

Minor Moves: Tallet, Smith  —  The latest minor moves from around MLB...  - The Pirates signed left-hander Brian Tallet, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets.  In 13 1/3 innings for the Cardinals and Blue Jays last year, Tallet posted a 9.45 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9.

Signs point to Rex Hudler replacing Frank White on TV for Royals  —  Rex Hudler, a former big-league player with extensive broadcast experience, has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Frank White as the analyst for Royals' telecasts on Fox Sports Kansas City.

AP: Kotchman, Indians agree to one-year, $3 million deal  —  CLEVELAND (AP) - After exploring other options and coming up empty this winter, the Cleveland Indians may have finally found their new first baseman: Casey Kotchman.  —  The team agreed to terms Thursday night on a one-year …