It's as easy as 1-2-3 for Lester  —  Lefty's eight-pitch outing a small but meaningful step  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — You can forget how big a guy he is.  How big his hands are.  How fluid his delivery is.  How much poise he has for a pitcher who is 23 years old.

Drew still a bit blue: Leaving LA hurtful  —  FORT MYERS - In a perfect world, J.D. Drew [stats] would have made the three-hour bus ride from Vero Beach yesterday and suited up in Dodgers blue.  —  Red Sox spring training:  —  Instead, batting fifth and playing right field for the Red Sox …

Sledge hits another long homer  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Padres weren't surprised to see Terrmel Sledge hit another mammoth home run, even if a few police officers were.  —  Unbeknownst to the cops who chatted away as they stood on a berm beyond right field, Sledge's 430-foot drive went sailing overhead …

Mariners Notebook: In with the old at M's camp  —  Veterans, retirees offer expertise at spring training  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — It was a flashback to 2001 at Mariners camp Monday, with familiar faces all around.  —  Ichiro Suzuki was the lone holdover from that team until …

Delgado Says That Green Can Be All He Once Was  —  Their friendship goes back to their eight seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, and it extends beyond baseball.  After the players who did not make the trip to Fort Lauderdale for Sunday's game had finished working out at the Mets' complex …

Nationals plant seeds on farm  —  VIERA, Fla. — On a hot and windy morning, prospect Chris Marrero takes 40 minutes of fly balls and grounders.  Then he does defensive situations, steps in the batting cage and finishes by fielding another 70 balls.  —  Three hours later he and his teammates …

Lawrence's bid to restart career is matter of time  —  Rockies' promise of patience made team a proper fit  —  TUCSON - Brian Lawrence saw the Rockies as the perfect fit.  —  Others, particularly Seattle, offered a bit more money.  —  No team, though, provided the opportunity the Rockies …

Making (new) pitch for success  —  Spring training perfect time to experiment and expand one's repertoire  —  Tucson - A year ago, Jeff Francis didn't look anything like a potential big-league ace during spring training.  —  His spring ERA was 5.54.  He surrendered a team-high four homers.

Mariners camp offers chance to make adjustments  —  Spring training ideal setting for M's players to make adjustments  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — It's spring, and that means it's time to tinker.  —  A new pitch or a new arm slot, a shorter swing or a change in weight shift.

It's The Hardball Times 2007 Season Preview  —  by clicking...  Pitchers are pitching, batters are batting, fielders are fielding and managers are mouthing platitudes.  This sure seems like a good time for The Hardball Times to unveil its first-ever season preview.

SPRING BREAK  —  Five ways to pass time on the bus  —  By his count, Ian Kinsler is a veteran of seven trips to Tucson, Ariz., in Rangers camp.  And while most starters would complain about having to make that many two-and-half-hour bus rides, Kinsler doesn't mind because Tucson is his home (he was 2-for-3 with a double Monday).

OSWALT NEARLY BECAME MET  —  Late last July, the trade collapsed, and Roy Oswalt didn't land with the Mets.  —  Before last season's trade deadline a little more than seven months ago, the Mets were trying to procure Oswalt, the Houston ace.  They were talking with the Orioles about a follow …

Outfielder talks of a career long on winning, playing the right way  —  As he enters his 17th major league season, Rangers center fielder Kenny Lofton has proven he can do two things exceptionally well: steal bases and win.  —  Lofton is the game's active leader with 599 stolen bases.