Dowd criticizes Selig's selection of Mitchell  —  NEW YORK — Baseball launched its probe Thursday into alleged steroids use by Barry Bonds and others, and right away the head of the investigation came under attack because of his close ties to the sport.  —  In the wake of a searing book about Bonds …

Anna Benson files for divorce from O's pitcher  —  New Baltimore player says Mets traded him because of wife's actions  —  Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kris Benson, left, and his wife Anna Benson talk with media after the pitcher's trade from the Mets in January.  —  Slide show

Baseball 2006: Tracy's goals are big, but strategies small  —  FORT MYERS, Fla.— When presenting challenges to his players, Pirates manager Jim Tracy stresses thinking big.  —  The day before the first full workouts of spring training, he gathered all 62 of them in a Pirate City cafeteria …

Dear Blue Jays, we are gathered here ...  Halladay and Burnett arrange mock nuptials of infielders  —  DUNEDIN, Fla.—The groom wore a ballcap.  So did the other groom.  —  Aaron Hill and Russ Adams, the Blue Jays' young second base/shortstop combination, were surprisingly "married" …

2006 Team Previews: St. Louis Cardinals, Pitching  —  This pitching preview was written by Ryan of Cardinals Diaspora, "A Refuge for Cardinals Fans Disenfranchised by Geography."  Be sure to check out his site, and enjoy this preview.  —  Imagine a Successories poster that said …

Reality Bites Back: Some at ESPN Assail Bonds Show  —  A two-day seminar attended by ESPN personnel at an airport hotel in Hartford earlier this week exposed a schism within the network about the wisdom of televising a 10-hour reality series starring Barry Bonds.

Myers Wants Frisbee to Be a Collector's Item  —  TAMPA, Fla., March 29 — There have been many, many players more famous than Mike Myers.  But somehow, year after year, Myers winds up on the same field with all the talented guys, delighted to be in on a wonderful joke.

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.

Notes: Roster spot for Fernandez?  —  Manager Yost says knuckleballer's 'chances improved'  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Jared Fernandez has one knuckle in the door, but his spot on the Brewers' Opening Day roster is not ensured just yet.  —  The Brewers placed Ben Sheets on the 15-day disabled list …

The American League: Like you knew them in high school  —  For my Major League Baseball 2006 Preview, I figured I would relate each baseball team to people you knew from high school.  Everybody remembers high school and if not, play along with these slight stereotypes.  —  American League

MLB Opens Nats' Books to Eight Bidders  —  Major League Baseball invited the eight groups bidding on the Washington Nationals yesterday to examine the team's most recent financial information before the league proceeds with selecting a new owner, according to several bidders who spoke …

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 …

Only The Agent Was Free  —  Last September, I republished an article written by my Dad for the Long Beach Independent, Press-Telegram about Sandy Koufax's perfect game.  The title of that entry was "It Was Forty Years Ago Today..." Well, in the spirit of 40-year anniversaries …

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.

Red Sox's Tavarez suspended 10 days for brawl  —  NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox reliever Julian Tavarez was suspended for 10 days and fined Thursday for his role in a brawl this week.  —  Bob Watson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline, cited Tavarez for "violent and unsportsmanlike actions" …

Coming home to the big city  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Paul Lo Duca Sr. cried when the Dodgers left Brooklyn almost a half-century ago.  —  Some 30 years later his son was on the verge of tears on a crisp, cool October night in 1986 as he sat alone in his room.