Top News:
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 …
RELATED:
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.
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Matsuzaka impressive vs. Marlins — Right-hander navigates out of trouble in scoreless three frames — JUPITER, Fla. — In his first exhibition start against a Major League team, Japanese sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka showed his ability to navigate out of a jam.
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
RELATED:
Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Vazquez agrees to three-year extension — Right-hander to remain on South Side through 2010 — TUCSON, Ariz. — The White Sox and right-hander Javier Vazquez have agreed to a three-year, $34.5 million contract extension, announced Tuesday after the right-hander worked three innings against the Rockies at Tucson Electric Park.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
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
RELATED:
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.
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.
RELATED:
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.
RELATED:
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.
RELATED:
Dave Sessions / Dallas Star-Telegram:SPRING BREAK — Five ways to pass time on the bus
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
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 …
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.
Rob Bradford / Bradford on Baseball:
I'm Mr. Cold Miser — I've had enough of all of this baseball and 80 degree afternoons, I'm headed home. And who was the last player I see upon leaving the clubhouse at 9 a.m. this morning? Manny Ramirez, who gave a cordial how-do-you-do with bats in hand while heading out to batting practice.
Deadspin:
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! …
Discussion:
Mondesishouse.com
Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
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 …
Discussion:
MLB.com
RELATED:
