Top News:
Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Helton weighing in on hefty issue — Tucson - Weight and see. Welcome to Todd Helton's experiment this season. — Helton, mindful of critics and eager to rejuvenate his career, underwent a radical physical transformation, bulking up from his sickness-induced 200 pounds to approximately 230.
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Tracy Ringolsby / Rocky Mountain News:
Sullivan's bat must spit fire — Arrival of Taveras, Finley sends clear message in center — TUCSON - In December, the Rockies acquired speedy Willy Taveras as part of a package from Houston for right-handed pitcher Jason Jennings, a not-so- subtle message that Cory Sullivan's two-year claim to the center field job was in jeopardy.
Gordon Edes / Extra Bases:
Q&A transcript — Greg Genske, one of Manny Ramirez's agents, met with reporters after Manny reported this morning. Here's a transcript (with some comments from Gene Matos, Manny's other agent, further below): — Why is Manny here today? — "He was ready to report, and he's excited to be here."
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Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Manny hits ground swinging — FORT MYERS — Never fear, Manny's here. — Rest easy, Red Sox [team stats] fans, Manny Ramirez [stats] has arrived — and three days earlier than expected. Sporting a new 'do, with interspersed Red Sox-colored red dreadlocks, the Sox slugger showed up at the team's spring training facility today.
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Sunday's spring training report — egrant@dallasnews.com — Fair or foul — Stats (Foul): Manager Ron Washington dismissed trying to rank fielders. "For me, defense is done on the field, not on paper," he said. — Cruzing (Down the line): He's seen nothing besides batting practice fastballs …
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NY Daily News:
Let the games begin, at least in intrasquad — PORT ST. LUCIE - Jorge Sosa, Jason Vargas, Pedro Feliciano, Ambiorix Burgos, Joe Smith and Willie Collazo are among the pitchers scheduled to take the mound today in the first of two intrasquad games as the Mets ratchet up their preparation for Wednesday's Grapefruit League opener.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Future Mets outfielders show promise — Prospect Martinez displays extraordinary power at young age — Hot topic: He is listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds. The height may be a bit generous. When Fernando Martinez swings, though, he looks significantly taller.
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NY Daily News:
Mets promote Pelfrey ability — PORT ST. LUCIE - You go from one side of the state to the other, from the Yankees to the Mets, and after watching Phil Hughes wow onlookers in Tampa, it felt important to see Mike Pelfrey as soon as possible. — It's the year of the phenoms, after all.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Slow starters may get minor-league at-bats — MESA, Ariz. — Some of the Cubs' key players could be going to the minors by the end of spring training if new manager Lou Piniella has his way. — Piniella plans to talk to his regulars to find out how many at-bats they feel they need …
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
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Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Lineup protection is up for debate — CLEARWATER, Fla. - Welcome to the No. 5 spot in the Phillies' batting order, the latest battleground in baseball's ongoing struggle between traditionalists and statistical reformers. — Phillies general manager Pat Gillick, representing the old school …
ESPN:
Colon progressing slowly from shoulder injury — Bartolo Colon's rehabilitation from a rotator-cuff tear is on schedule, but that schedule likely won't allow him to pitch in a major league game until May. — Manger Mike Scioscia said Sunday that Colon was "unlikely" to pitch in a Cactus League game this spring.
David Lennon / Newsday:
Peterson's pitch: Show & talk — Coach helps hurlers grow with unorthodox communication method — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — As the Mets prepare to begin their auditions for the rotation and bullpen, a few of them might want to stop off at Blockbuster so they can get a better idea of what pitching coach Rick Peterson is talking about.
John Hickey / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Mariners Notebook: Mariners look to lock up Lopez — All-Star 2B made just above league minimum last season — PEORIA, Ariz. — The Mariners are trying to sign second baseman Jose Lopez to a long-term contract extension. — Lopez's agent, Martin Arburua, is in Peoria and meeting with Mariners officials.
Discussion:
Lookout Landing
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Mets Try to Avoid Rushing Pitching Talent — Of the nine Mets pitchers in the mix for three starting spots, Philip Humber and Mike Pelfrey clearly have the most potential. They are tall, polished right-handers from strong college programs and are projected to be frontline starters.
John Sickels / Minor League Ball:
Prospect Smackdown: Cameron Maybin Vs. Jay Bruce — Prospect Smackdown: Cameron Maybin vs. Jay Bruce — Background and Intangibles — Maybin: Maybin was the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft, picked out of high school in Asheville, North Carolina by the Tigers.
Discussion:
TigerBlog
Carlos Gomez / Hardball Times:
The $103,000,000 mechanics of Daisuke Matsuzaka — I will let the smarter folks here at THT get into statistical projections of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Instead, I would like to focus on Matsuzaka's mechanics from a scout's point of view. — Specifically, I'd like to address the mechanical issues …
Chris Ruddick / Monsters and Critics:
Spring Training Preview: AL West — Smarter Than YouFeb 25th, 2007 - 19:51:25 — 'because the strength of the team in years past - its pitching staff - has some huge question marks surrounding it. You are out of your mind. The Angels have arguably the best staff in the AL.
Discussion:
Halo Herald
