A-Rod needs to shut up and play  —  Two years ago, I concluded an article about Alex Rodriguez by quoting an American League general manager as saying, "He should let his game do the talking."  —  Truer words were never spoken.  —  Rodriguez is talking himself out of New York …

Trade may settle back of rotation  —  Tucson - Competition between pitchers Josh Fogg and Byung-Hyun Kim for the fifth spot in the Rockies' rotation could be settled by a trade.  —  The Rockies have made it known in recent conversations with teams that Kim is available.

Prior's number appears to be up  —  Miller, Guzman likely battling for last spot in Cubs' rotation  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — A wide-open derby for the fifth spot in the Cubs' rotation now appears to be a two-man race between veteran Wade Miller and youngster Angel Guzman after two key decisions …

Statement from Gary Matthews Jr.  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Gary Matthews Jr. released the following statement Wednesday morning:  —  At the outset of spring training, my name was linked in the press with reports involving an investigation of unlawful trafficking in Human Growth hormone dating back to 2004.

Let Milledge Play!  —  The time has come for Lastings Milledge to be a major League ball player.  He's been outplaying Shawn Green and is ready to take the next step.  —  Young Lastings is having a great spring on offense, with the media, and in the clubhouse.

Benitez draws Mariners' interest  —  Reliever Armando Benitez, who is reportedly available in a trade from San Francisco. drew a huge crowd of scouts when he pitched for the Giants Tuesday night against Oakland.  —  Two of the estimated 40 scouts on hand — night games always draw lots of scouts …

Nationals Stay the Course With Logan  —  Nook Logan can look in the mirror and wish the reflection he saw was the way his life actually is.  He yearns to live in Bizarro World, where there is an exact opposite of everything he knows, where left would be right and right would be left …

No common cents  —  Penny-pinching Rays a lost cause  —  ST. PETERSBURG - It is 9 a.m. and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have just hit the field for the morning workout before their spring training game with the Philadelphia Phillies.  But instead of trotting out to their positions or lining …

Five Questions: Texas Rangers  —  I've never been good at intros (or conclusions), and this piece is long enough, so I'll spare you any big lead-up, other than to say that Ian Kinsler (whom I mention just once, in passing) is going to be a star, real soon.  Remember, you heard it here first.

Return of the slider  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. - He's been moved across the pitching rubber.  He's been slid over about two feet, from the third-base side to the first-base side, when he starts his delivery.  —  Believe it or not, that subtle change might turn Craig Hansen into the reliever …

Managerial Aging Patterns  —  Very Brief Background  —  Last year I wrote some articles for Baseball Think Factory attempting to determine who were the best and worst managers of all time.  The articles piggybacked on a terrific database put together for a SABR presentation in Toronto by Phil Birnbaum.