Top News:
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
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.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, The Platoon Advantage, Pinstripe Alley, Drunk Jays Fans and Baseball Nation
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Randy Galloway / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Rangers must decide if Josh Hamilton can be trusted
Rangers must decide if Josh Hamilton can be trusted
Discussion:
HardballTalk, MLB Daily Dish, Baseball Nation and Foul Territory
Richard Durrett / ESPN:
Source: Josh Hamilton has relapse
Source: Josh Hamilton has relapse
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball, The Yankee Analysts and MLB.com
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
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.
Discussion:
Getting Blanked, William World News and HardballTalk
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Dan Steinberg / Washington Post:
Nationals launch ‘Take Back the Park’ campaign — (John McDonnell - The Washington Post) Visits from the Phillies in recent years have meant quotes from the home clubhouse about getting booed at home — “You wish they were cheering for you,” Michael Morse said last August.
Discussion:
Baseball Nation, Phillies Nation, Nats Enquirer and SI Tracking Blog
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
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.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Bronx Baseball Daily, MLB Daily Dish and The LoHud Yankees Blog
Paul Swydan / FanGraphs Baseball:
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.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and Al's Ramblings
ESPN:
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 …
RELATED:
A.J. Daulerio / Deadspin:
The Weird Relationship Between Brian Cashman And Louise Meanwell, His Alleged Stalker
The Weird Relationship Between Brian Cashman And Louise Meanwell, His Alleged Stalker
Discussion:
New York Post, Mike Silva's … and HardballTalk
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
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.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, MLB Daily Dish and Baseball Nation
David Laurila / FanGraphs Baseball:
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 …
Discussion:
Motor City Bengals
Larry Granillo / Baseball Prospectus:
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.
Adam McCalvy / Brew Beat:
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.
Discussion:
MLB.com, MLB Rumors and MLB Daily Dish
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
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.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
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.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish
Associated Press:
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 …
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Tom Withers / Globe and Mail:
Sources: Indians, Kotchman agree to one-year deal
Sources: Indians, Kotchman agree to one-year deal
Discussion:
Associated Press and Yahoo! Sports