Top News:
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
White Sox GM Williams won't sit still — Perhaps no general manager is trying harder than the White Sox's Ken Williams to stay ahead of the escalating market for starting pitching. — If, at first glance, Williams' logic appears elusive, so be it. After a moment's reflection — OK …
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Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Vazquez, White Sox agree to $34.5M extenstion … The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a three-year, $34.5-million contract extension with right-handed pitcher Javier Vazquez. He will make exactly $11.5 million in 2008, 2009 and 2010. — "Javier and his representative made a proposal …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Associated Press:
Dice-K flashes glove, holds Marlins scoreless — JUPITER, Fla. — Daisuke Matsuzaka reached to snare a line drive, then grinned and bowed to his shortstop. — It turns out the rookie from Japan is a pretty good fielder. — He can pitch, too: Matsuzaka threw three scoreless innings …
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Tom D'Angelo / Palm Beach Post:
Marlins debate existence of 'gyroball' — JUPITER — Jason Stokes insists he saw it. Joe Borchard described it, but wasn't sure what it was. — So the legend of the gyroball grows - if there is a gyroball. — No batter has ever claimed to see the mystifying pitch supposedly thrown by Boston Red Sox phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Justice B. Hill / MLB.com:
Sanchez injured, Bucs pitchers struggle — Batting champ leaves game with knee injury after third — PHILLIES 11, PIRATES 10 — Phillies at the plate: Ahead in the count in the third inning, Ryan Howard drove a fastball into the gap in right-center to knock in a pair of runs, which gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead.
Discussion:
Pittsburgh Lumber Co.
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Associated Press:
Pirates' Sanchez injures knee — Reigning N.L. batting champ scheduled for MRI — BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Reigning NL batting champion Freddy Sanchez sprained a ligament in his right knee Tuesday and left the Pittsburgh Pirates' 11-10, 10-inning loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sports Illustrated:
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.
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ESPN:
Two more arraigned in nationwide steroids probe — ALBANY, N.Y. — Two more people linked to a nationwide investigation into the illegal sale of steroids were arraigned Tuesday on drug-related charges as published reports implicated more athletes, including former Atlanta Braves relief pitcher John Rocker …
Discussion:
Oriole Post
Bob Klapisch / NorthJersey.com:
Willie tinkers with hitting Wright after Reyes — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - This was a few minutes before noon in Willie Randolph's office, long before his Mets would take the field on a perfectly sunny, perfectly nondescript spring training day. But the Mets' lineup against the Indians …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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Jim Suhr / Associated Press:
Man faces new federal charges in alleged shakedown of athlete — ST. LOUIS (AP) — The athlete targeted in an alleged $150,000 shakedown by an unemployed ex-con was former St. Louis Cardinal second baseman Ronnie Belliard, a person close to the matter confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
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Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Mets Rookie Uses All the Angles to Disguise His Pitches — On one of the first nights of the rest of his baseball life, Joe Smith returned home from practice at Wright State and practiced some more. Sitting in front of his television, Smith popped in a baseball video game …
Dallas Morning News:
Rangers can be best in West — This column should come with the following warning from the Surgeon General: — IF YOU ARE PRONE TO ATTACKS OF DOUBT OR FEAR THE POSSIBILITY OF A JINX, DO NOT READ THE NEXT 500 OR SO WORDS. GO IMMEDIATELY TO THE QUESTIONS.
Jorge Arangure Jr / Washington Post:
Orioles, Roberts Appear Close to Extension — In the middle of the Baltimore Orioles' exhibition game against the Florida Marlins on Monday, Brian Roberts, given the day off, walked out of the team's executive offices at Fort Lauderdale Stadium in full uniform and was stunned to see a group of reporters waiting outside the clubhouse.
Tom Singer / MLB.com:
Gagne has 'huge day' in comeback bid — Bullpen session is his best in two years, says Texas closer — SURPRISE, Ariz. — Eric Gagne became a bit less of a mystery to himself Tuesday. As for the rest of the American League, they will just have to wait a bit longer to solve the puzzle he can represent.
Discussion:
Baseball Time in Arlington
Dave / U.S.S. Mariner:
Giving the Finger to BP — One of the things you learn when you run a relatively large blog is that people are going to say crappy stuff about you from time to time. We get nasty emails from readers frequently, and there's no shortage of folks out there who think we're the worst people walking the earth.
Owen Perkins / MLB.com:
Tejeda, Ojeda star against Rockies — Starter tosses two scoreless innings; catcher belts first homer — RANGERS 8, ROCKIES 2 — Rangers at the plate: Former Rockie Miguel Ojeda hit his first spring home run deep to center field for a two-run shot in the fourth, expanding the Rangers' lead over the Rockies to 5-0.
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Dave Sessions / Dallas Star-Telegram:SPRING BREAK — Five ways to pass time on the bus
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
