Nats send Church down to New Orleans  —  VIERA, Fla. — The Washington Nationals optioned outfielder Ryan Church to Class AAA New Orleans yesterday, clearing the way for rookie Brandon Watson to be their starting center fielder.  They then added veterans Royce Clayton and Daryle Ward to their 40-man roster.

Spring Training: Pitching uncertainties pointing to trade  —  Pirates' talks with Mariners include Pineiro  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Pirates cut five more players yesterday, including standout third baseman Jose Bautista, but seem no closer to making several key decisions.

Mitchell to head steroid investigation  —  Major League Baseball will investigate alleged steroid use by Barry Bonds and other players and plans to hire former U.S. Senate majority leader George Mitchell to lead the effort.  —  Mitchell will not be the lead investigator, but he will head the investigation effort.

Mets Make Bannister's Day; Heilman to Bullpen  —  JUPITER, Fla., March 28 — In one corner of the Mets' clubhouse, Brian Bannister fired off blissful text messages to friends and family back in Arizona, preparing for his first workout as a genuine major leaguer.

Didn't See That Coming: Dodgers Extend Kent's Contract  —  Jeff Kent has hit 20 or more home runs in nine consecutive seasons and was the best second baseman in the National League last season.  But at age 38, most - if not all - figured that after this season, he would give way to the Dodger youth movement.

Phillips packs bags without destination  —  Indians prospect does not know details of a deal  —  WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Brandon Phillips slowly packed up his belongings and prepared to wave his final goodbye to the Chain of Lakes complex and the Indians organization.

Five Questions: St. Louis Cardinals  —  1. What roster changes have the Cardinals made?  —  Let's do this in chart form:  —  Hello Goodbye  —  Deivi Cruz Mark Grudzielanek  —  Braden Looper Abraham Nunez  —  What can we say about these newcomers as a group?

Injury may land Rangers' Eaton on DL  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Rangers set their starting rotation Wednesday morning and watched the plan blow up early in the afternoon.  —  Not more than two hours after naming R.A. Dickey the fifth starter, solving one spring-long issue …

Phillips leads Yanks over Tigers  —  First baseman finishes 2-for-4 with walk, pair of runs scored  —  YANKEES 4, TIGERS 2  —  Yankees at the plate: Russ Johnson had an RBI double to go with two walks, one of them a bases-loaded pass to plate Robinson Cano with the go-ahead run.

Klesko likely to start season on disabled list  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Padres first baseman Ryan Klesko probably will begin the season on the disabled list, Manager Bruce Bochy said before today's spring training game against the Texas Rangers.  —  Klesko, recovering from a shoulder ailment …

Lies, Damned Lies  —  PECOTA Breaks Hearts  —  I've done a lot of local radio over the past week or two, which means that I've broken a lot of hearts.  No, Kansas City, not even the Good Witch of the North can bring Carlos Beltran back to the prairies, and no, Baltimore …

Eddie Guardado: The M's undisputed king of hijinks  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Cristian Guzman could not stop itching.  This went on for four days, until he found himself on the shoulder of a Minnesota freeway, outside of his car, scratching at his underwear like a man with the worst case of chicken pox in human history.

Cleveland locks up another youngster in Sizemore  —  CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians locked up their center field position into the next decade, agreeing Wednesday to a $23.45 million, six-year contract with Grady Sizemore.  —  Sizemore's deal has the most guaranteed money for a player …

2006 Lookouts Team Will Be A Mixture Of Veterans And New Players  —  Three Players Are On Baseball America's Top Ten Prospect List  —  Although the opening day roster for the 2006 Lookouts may not be complete until the last day of spring training, it appears that the team will be a mixture …

Small ball is yielding big results  —  Time to play ball.  Real ball, not the mutant, pharmaceutically enhanced monstrosity that supposedly saved the sport.  —  Some call it small ball.  Others call it a return to fundamentals.  Still others call it a pitching-and-defense revival.

Boswell's An Idiot  —  Boswell has one of his big, sweeping columns that is written really purty and would make your great aunt wonder how Boz got to be so smart.  But it's full of inaccuracies and distortions as Boz continues the sportswriter's tradition of distorting the facts to fit the hokey beliefs they already have.

Hill, Terrero stuck in limbo  —  TUCSON - It's the final week of spring training, which means catcher Koyie Hill and outfielder Luis Terrero are entering "here-today-gone-tomorrow" mode with the Diamondbacks.  —  Neither is going to make the 25-man roster and both are out of minor league options …