Top Items:
Associated Press:
Church 'shocked' after being optioned by Nats — VIERA, Fla. — For the second straight spring, the trajectory of Washington Nationals outfielder Ryan Church's major league career was affected by a surprising roster move on the Tuesday before Opening Day. — This time around …
Discussion:
Baseball Toaster
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Chris Needham / Capitol Punishment:
A Tale Of Two Outfielders — Let's play a little game with two outfielders. Just for the sake of argument, we'll use some completely random initials like RC and BW. — Triple-A — RC BW — Batting Average .343 .318 — On-Base % .428 .360
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Watson's Numbers May Not Be Enough — JUPITER, Fla., March 27 — He came to spring training having been told he would have the chance to win a job as the Washington Nationals' starting center fielder and leadoff man, and on paper, he has done little to fritter away that opportunity.
Discussion:
Capitol Punishment, Federal Baseball, THE BELTWAY BOYS, The Nats Blog and District of Baseball
David Lennon / Newsday:
Heilman sent to bullpen — JUPITER, Fla. — The bullpen phone rang for Aaron Heilman shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, when the pitcher formerly known as the Mets' No. 5 starter was called in to the manager's office and told that his job title had changed. — Brian Bannister soon followed …
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Mark Hale / New York Post:
STARTING TO CLICK — March 28, 2006 — ONE BAD OUTING WON'T SEND METS OFF TRACH — Dodgers 12Mets 3 — PORT ST. LUCIE - Steve Trachsel allowed six hits and six runs in the fourth inning yesterday, the nadir of a brutal outing against the Dodgers for the Mets right-hander.
T.J. Quinn / NY Daily News:
Rocker brushes back Glavine over snubs — Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker said he didn't want to be "pigeonholed" as a bad boy last night, but then he took a few shots at onetime teammate Tom Glavine on the "Daily News Live" show on Sportsnet New York.
Discussion:
A New York Mets Blog
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ny.metro.us:
Rocker has new N.Y. target: Glavine — John Rocker hasn't endeared himself to Mets fans in the past, and it doesn't look like he's ready to change anytime soon. Rocker talked with Metro about playing in New York, why the Mets don't win and his good buddy, Tom Glavine.
Discussion:
Lonestar Met
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Grissom retires after 17 seasons — Departure of 38-year-old opens door for Pagan — MESA, Ariz. — Veteran outfielder Marquis Grissom ended what he called a "fun ride" and retired from baseball Tuesday, ending his career after 17 seasons. — "When it's time, it's time," Grissom said.
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Dick Kaegel / MLB.com:
Royals claim Graffanino — Andrade claimed; Ambres designated for assignment — SURPRISE, Ariz. — Infielder Tony Graffanino is back in the Royals' fold. — The Royals claimed Graffanino on waivers from the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday and he fits right into the picture in a backup role.
Discussion:
Baseball Toaster
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MLB.com:
Cubs acquire McCormack and Holdzkom for Wellemeyer — The Chicago Cubs today acquired minor league pitchers Lincoln Holdzkom and Zach McCormack from the Florida Marlins in exchange for pitcher Todd Wellemeyer. — Holdzkom, 24, has recorded a 2.86 ERA in 110 career games in the Marlins organization.
Discussion:
CubsNet.com
RELATED ITEMS:
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:
Salmon Gets It Right in Return — TEMPE, Ariz. — It had been 20 months — July 25, 2004, in Seattle to be exact — since Tim Salmon played the outfield, so as the Angel veteran stood in right field before Monday's triple-A game against Texas, one thought consumed him: "That first ball always finds you."
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Spring Training: No new deal for Littlefield yet — Pirates' GM to enter penultimate season — SARASOTA, Fla. — The Pirates have made no move to extend general manager Dave Littlefield's contract, which has two years remaining, even though that was the same amount of time he had left …
Baseball Crank:
2006 AL West EWSL Report — The second of six division previews, using Established Win Shares Levels as a jumping-off point. EWSL is explained here, and you should read that link before commenting on the method; 2006 revisions to the age adjustment are discussed here.
Discussion:
6-4-2
Rob Rossi / PittsburghLIVE.com:
Tracy shrugs off Perez's lack of velocity — SARASOTA, Fla. — Pirates manager Jim Tracy made a surprising assessment on Opening Day starter Oliver Perez before Monday night's exhibition game against Cincinnati. — Tracy effectively defused concern about Perez's lack of velocity throughout …
Rich Draper / MLB.com:
Notes: Greene, Wright secure spots — Catcher and right-hander heading for Opening Day roster — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a great Monday for non-roster catcher Todd Greene and pitcher Jamey Wright, whom manager Felipe Alou said have secured spots on the Giants' Opening Day roster.
Scott Barzilla / athomeplate.com:
Someone Forget Their Glove? — The New York Yankees are baseball's biggest team. They dominate the headlines, they dominate the standings, and their team seemingly has every position manned by an all-star. Yet, since 2003 they've made it to one World Series and they didn't come particularly close to winning that one.
