Top News:
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Notes: Rockies put faith in Iannetta — Lopez's release shows club ready to bank on rookie — TUCSON, Ariz. — It's cool for a young player to realize that players he grew up watching are as nice as they are good. Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta is an even bigger fan of Javy Lopez.
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Tracy Ringolsby / Baseball Prospectus:
How the Colorado Rockies Can Win the World Series — Will talks with Tracy about the Rockies' chances on Baseball Prospectus Radio. Click to download the mp3. — Hall of Famer George Brett, in uniform with the Kansas City Royals this spring, was reflecting on the emergence …
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Soler waived as strange trip ends — VIERA, Fla. - Alay Soler's difficult journey to Flushing has reached a dead end. — The Mets released the Cuban defector last night, the Daily News has learned. Soler, pitching in relief of Chan Ho Park yesterday, allowed two runs on three hits …
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Howard Megdal / Gotham Baseball:
Inside Shea: Dreams of Soler, RIP — Former Mets General Manager Jim Duquette's dream of Alay Soler as the Mets' number-four starter died today when Soler was released by the team. — The cause of release was likely a fastball that never moved as fast as advertised, as well as Soler's reported inability to have just one Pringle.
Discussion:
Federal Baseball
Associated Press:
New Nats stadium on schedule for 2008 opener — WASHINGTON — Come April 2008, Ryan Zimmerman might become the first player in major league history to hit a home run into a cherry tree. — A grove of cherry blossoms behind the left field bleachers is one of the latest additions to the plans of the Washington Nationals stadium.
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Flexible Soriano gives Cubs, Piniella options — MESA, Ariz. - It's all but official: Alfonso Soriano will be the Cubs' center fielder. — FOX Bite — Videos — FOX Spotlight: Piniella, Pt. 1 — Lou Piniella traded in his FOX broadcasting job and returned to the diamond with Chicago.
Will Carroll / Baseball Prospectus:
A Tale of Two Closers — It's my mom's birthday today, one of those special "zero" ones. She doesn't read my column, probably never has, and actually doesn't like baseball, so I won't spend too much time saying things she won't read. I will thank all of you, people who don't know her and for the most part …
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Tim Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Welcome to the comeback — PHOENIX - Technically it still was Monday morning in Maryvale (though the sun was in mid-afternoon form) and Eric Gagne, off elbow and back surgeries, was on the mound and pitching well into the 90s. — That would be to Cole Gillespie, currently wearing No. 96 for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Discussion:
Dodger Thoughts
Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Former Marlin Castillo may be on move again — FORT MYERS - The only thing that's changed is the uniform. — A season removed from the trade that sent Luis Castillo from the Marlins to the Minnesota Twins, the All-Star second baseman greeted his former teammates with a two-hit performance from the leadoff spot on Monday.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Stats Geek: Pirates aren't a bad bet in weak division — By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — I wouldn't know a Bodog if one bit me in the wallet, but this online betting concern, bodog.com, puts the odds of the Pirates winning the World Series at 70 to 1. — That's relatively kind.
Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
Hustling Zambrano hits the ground running — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Carlos Zambrano has always had a flair for the dramatic, but his pileup coming out of Turn 2 at Scottsdale Stadium sent a scare through the Cubs on Monday. — The Cubs' Opening Day starter tattooed a first-inning pitch from San Francisco Giants veteran Matt Morris.
Yard Work:
The Physics of Baseball: Newton's Laws Speak Out (a commentary) — We can take solace in the utter predictably of certain principles in the cache of physics: Newton's 2nd law, Fermat's Principle of Least Time, and the BEC-BCS Crossover (if you recognize the first two but thought the third …
Discussion:
Knuckle Curve
Associated Press:
Mariners demote Parque after rough spring — PEORIA, Ariz. — Pitcher Jim Parque was reassigned to the minor leagues by the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday after allowing nine earned runs in his last two spring training outings. — Parque is trying to make it back to the majors …
