Rangers trade for mound help; Eaton to have surgery  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers traded outfielder David Dellucci to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night for right-hander Robinson Tejeda and minor league outfielder Jake Blalock.  —  Tejeda could provide help soon …

Baseball Season Will Be Starting Soon  —  "Baseball season will be starting soon" begins Going to Tennessee by The Mountain Goats.  Fortunately, the next line "But we have no baseball team here" need not apply to us here in San Diego, nor any longer to my family back in Virginia.

Nationals' Astacio Heads to DL  —  No. 3 Starter Will Have MRI Exam On Stiff Forearm  —  BALTIMORE, April 1 — Washington Nationals starting pitcher Pedro Astacio was placed on the disabled list after he experienced stiffness in his right forearm; he threw two innings in Saturday's 8-4 exhibition loss against the Baltimore Orioles.

Spring Preview: Georgia Bulldog Group Evaluation  —  If Austin is the capital of the college sports world these days, Athens is the capital of the college sports blogosphere, with no fewer than six outstanding blogs devoted to the Georgia Bulldogs.  I'd be lying if I told you that I'm deeply interested …

Yankees win!  Thaaaa Yankees win! … We are peering through the haze, peering ahead to October.  —  We see confetti floating.  We see champagne spouting.  We see another of baseball's interminable World Series droughts fading into the past tense.  —  The Cubs, you ask?  The Indians?

Finally, an Error-Free Way to Measure Fielding  —  John Dewan was furious.  In November, when the defending champion Chicago White Sox traded their outstanding center fielder, Aaron Rowand, to the Philadelphia Phillies for the plodding slugger Jim Thome, Dewan was certain his favorite team …

AVOID THE 'ROID ENJOY THE RIDE  —  April 2, 2006 — Hardball's guide to an intriguing '06 season  —  ANOTHER baseball season arrives wrapped in steroid hell.  The past sins of illegally juiced players and negligent caretakers have created the mother of all performance-enhancing hangovers.

Take Me Out to the Box Score  —  To most baseball fans, box scores are as invigorating as the morning coffee sipped over them.  These ever-changing encapsulations of each game's events have a history of their own, one that mirrors baseball's evolving rules and values over more than 150 years …

Statistical significance  —  Laugh at them all you want, but 'stat masters' fill a role for serious fans, explaining and predicting most everything that happens on the diamond.  —  For millions of baseball fans, poring over the previous night's box scores while pouring out some cereal is a part of life.

Notes: Lofton placed on 15-day DL  —  Outfielder joins growing list of Dodgers' wounded  —  ANAHEIM — New management team or not, the Dodgers are starting out 2006 a lot like 2005: injured.  —  They had to put 38-year-old center fielder Kenny Lofton on the 15-day disabled list Saturday night …

It Appears Salmon Has Made the Team  —  Just in time for what could be his first appearance at Angel Stadium since Aug. 23, 2004, the Angels are expected to announce today that fan favorite Tim Salmon has made the team.  —  Salmon, who has excelled this spring in his comeback from knee …

White Sox, Contreras agrees to extension  —  CHICAGO (AP) - White Sox right-hander Jose Contreras agreed Saturday to a three-year, $29 million contract extension after being Chicago's most effective pitcher in the second half of their championship season a year ago.