Top Items:
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Selig announces steroid investigation — Former Sen. Mitchell named to head probe into past drug use — NEW YORK — Commissioner Bud Selig has named former Sen. George Mitchell to head a full-scale investigation into the past use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
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ESPN:
Report: MLB sponsors won't celebrate Bonds — Major League Baseball plans to celebrate if Barry Bonds passes Hank Aaron as the all-time home run kind. MLB's sponsors, however, have a different idea. — According to Bloomberg News, one of baseball's 18 national sponsors, Bank of America Corp. …
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
The Kid Is Now the Man — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., March 29 — Anderson Hernandez's teammates did a double take when they saw him Wednesday morning, and it was not because they thought he had missed the bus. — Gone was the substantial Afro that Hernandez had nurtured, replaced by a shorter, more refined style.
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Scouting the Mets — CATCHER — Paul Lo Duca (two years, $12.5 million) became a cost-effective alternative to free agents Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez. His ability to put the ball in play - only Juan Pierre has fewer strikeouts among active players with as many career at-bats - should be an asset hitting second.
Todd Zolecki / philly.com:
Floyd likely to make Phils' rotation — The youngster will open the season as a starter as the Phillies finalize their pitching staff. — DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Phillies offered a blueprint of their pitching staff yesterday, and barring a trade or late addition, Gavin Floyd will be on the team.
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Ken Mandel / MLB.com:
Floyd's big spring lands him No. 5 slot — Brito, Tejeda demoted; Franklin or Madson going to bullpen — DUNEDIN, Fla. — The picture that shifts one of the two Ryans from the rotation to the bullpen came into sharper focus on Wednesday, when the Phillies eliminated three pitchers from the competition.
Kelsie Smith / Boston Globe:
Numbers cruncher — When it comes to baseball statistics, analyst Bill James wrote the books — LAWRENCE, Kan. — You can't MapQuest 445 Tennessee St. Not technically, anyway. — It's on a block that doesn't actually exist, the street ending where it runs into ''The Kaw" — what locals call the Kansas River.
St. Petersburg Times:
Maddon won't fret over starters' struggles — SARASOTA - Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon continues to say everything is fine, as do his starters. It is spring training, after all, and pitchers spend more time working on mechanics than worrying about statistics.
Will Carroll / Baseball Prospectus:
Under The Knife — Early Worries — One of my favorite readers asked a question about pitching yesterday that touched on a subject I've often wondered about. In golf, you'll often hear about a golfer taking some time off to rebuild his swing. Even Tiger Woods, the top golfer of this era …
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Baker plans sitdown with 3 second basemen — TEMPE, Ariz.—Dusty Baker says he isn't concerned about the three-headed monster at second base, where Jerry Hairston appears to have the edge over Todd Walker and Neifi Perez. — Baker plans to talk to all three of them together in Las Vegas …
Mark Zuckerman / Washington Times:
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.
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:Nats, Guillen Seek A Happy Balance
Discussion:
Washington Times, District of Baseball, William F. Yurasko's …, MLB.com and Church of Baseball
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Angels Barely Covered on TV — Moreno ends talks with FSN on 10-year, $500-million deal that was supposed to be set. Only 58 games are on the schedule for now. — The Angels pulled the plug on Fox Sports Net on Wednesday, putting their fans in jeopardy of losing television coverage …
Discussion:
Can't Stop The Bleeding
Eric Simon / Mets Geek:
MetsGeek.com Pre-season Predictions — Around this time last year, the writers here at MetsGeek sat down and tried to make some predictions about the season, specifically the winners of the divisions, wild cards, and year-end awards. Many of us nailed some of the obvious ones (Braves …
Baseball Prospectus:
Preseason Predictions — AL Staff Picks, 2006 — When BP welcomes new contributors, we like to test them right away—usually by demanding that they take out their crystal ball. Yes, it's time to wrap up the off-season by predicting what things will look like at conclusion of the 2006 season.
Brian Gunn / Hardball Times:
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?
