They may have put their finger on the problem  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — There are progressions that must continue in Josh Beckett's game.  —  Last season, he went over the 200-inning hump for the first time.  He faced American League hitters for the first time and realized how much tougher the lineups with a DH can be.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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).

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.

Cuban defector Herrera among Pirates' first cuts  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  BRADENTON, Fla. - Cuban defector Yoslan Herrera was among eight players the Pirates reassigned this morning to minor-league camp, trimming their spring training roster to 61.

Baseball Season Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates  —  You might remember, from back at the beginning of the NFL season, when we previewed each team by having a writer we liked write about their favorite team.  —  Well, we're less than a month away from the start of baseball — spring training is here! …

Inside the Steroid Sting  —  SI's Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, on the scene for the Florida raids, continue to report on the ongoing investigation that promises to rock sports  —  The Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center is decidedly less exotic than its name might suggest.

Loose Jenks comes back strong  —  Stretching routine eliminates tightness from spring debut  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — It wasn't about hitting 100 mph on the radar gun.  —  That can wait.  —  It was 93 to 94 mph, mechanically sound and no tightness.  —  More importantly, it was about easing a lot of minds, including his own.

Fuhgeddabout those post All-Star blues  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Hand on his heart, David Wright swears he wasn't trying to steal Alex Rodriguez away from the Yankees, or tell the Mets' front office how to build a dynasty to last through the next decade.  —  All Wright was doing when he offered …

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.

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 …

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 …