Hamilton's slip could cost him millions  —  “I feel like I've got a handle on it.  But every time I feel like I've beaten it, I take control back of the situation, and I end up falling on my face again.”  —  Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton drank alcohol in a bar Monday night.

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.

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.

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.

Dodgers Sign Todd Coffey  —  The Dodgers have signed Todd Coffey to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013, the team announced.  He'll earn $1MM in 2013, and the club option is worth $2.5MM with a $300K buyout for a total guarantee of $1.3MM.  The Beverly Hills Sports Council represents Coffey.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.