Top News:
Karen Guregian / Boston Herald:
Manager resists lure of tobacco 'heaven' — FORT MYERS - It's bad enough Terry Francona is trying to give up an unhealthy, addicting habit he absolutely loves. — Even worse, the Red Sox [team stats] manager has to constantly be around the thing he's trying to quit - smokeless tobacco - when he's near a baseball field.
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Associated Press:
Shapiro agrees to extension — WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — General manager Mark Shapiro agreed to a five-year contract extension through the 2012 season with the Cleveland Indians, a team he has dismantled and rebuilt into a playoff contender. — Shapiro was signed only through this season …
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Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com:
Shapiro, Indians agree to extension — General manager to be at helm of Tribe through 2012 — WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — If Mark Shapiro's plan to bring championship baseball back to Cleveland comes to fruition in the next few years, the general manager will be around to see it.
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Mets arms 2 of a kind — Pelfrey, Maine deliver — LAKELAND, Fla. - John Maine hasn't searched for an apartment yet in New York, or signed up on the clubhouse list to have his vehicle transported north on I-95. — He ought to. So, as it's becoming clear, should Mike Pelfrey.
Discussion:
Hot Foot
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Heilman elbows way back — LAKELAND, Fla. - Aaron Heilman, who has not pitched since allowing four runs in an inning against the Tigers six days ago, hopes to return to action tomorrow night against the Marlins. Heilman has tendinitis in his right elbow, from which he had bone chips surgically removed on Oct.23.
Baltimore Sun:
Orioles' Benson is out for 2007 … FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. // Three weeks into a scheduled four-week rehabilitation program, Orioles pitcher Kris Benson has chosen to have season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn right rotator cuff. — Benson met with Orioles vice president Jim Duquette …
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Jack Etkin / Rocky Mountain News:
How low can Lopez go? — Colorado's goal for new starter is to keep ball down — SURPRISE, Ariz. - There is no understating the importance of newcomer Rodrigo Lopez to the Rockies rotation. — Someone has to replace the 200-plus innings Jason Jennings provided, rack up a double-figure victory total …
Discussion:
Purple Row
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Joe Capozzi / Palm Beach Post:
Sanchez, Reed duel for CF job — FORT LAUDERDALE — There are more than two weeks left in spring training, but the Marlins have seen enough of Reggie Abercrombie to know that he won't be their center fielder this season. — Abercrombie was sent to minor-league camp Wednesday as the Marlins narrowed …
Discussion:
FishStripes
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Sports Illustrated:
Council votes to ban metal bats in NYC high school baseball — NEW YORK (AP) -The City Council voted 40-6 Wednesday to ban metal baseball bats for high school teams citywide, a law that supporters say would make the game slower and safer. — The measure was not certain to become law …
Dave Studeman / Hardball Times:
Five Questions: Chicago White Sox — This is my fourth annual article "questioning" the White Sox. In my first preview, I wondered what kind of manager newly hired Ozzie Guillen would be. In the second, I spent a lot of time recapping Kenny Williams' busy offseason.
Carlos Gomez / Hardball Times:
Bringin' Some Serious Cheese: Rich Harden — Mid to high 90s fastball, slider, changeup, spuckle (thanks to Adam Melhuse for that one). Rich Harden's stuff can and will be described as: — a) nasty — b) dirty — c) filthy — d) all of the above — However, Rich Harden comes with the "When healthy" label.
Bill Madden / NY Daily News:
Greed between the lines — 'Loyal' A-Rod just after cash — TAMPA - Just when we thought the circus might finally have left Yankee spring training and been replaced by a tranquil, business-like routine, Alex Rodriguez manages to get himself all over the back pages again - and for all the wrong reasons again.
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
The Twins' supernatural talent — FORT MYERS, Fla. - Johan Santana's gilded left arm was twitching every 2 seconds, and Eddie was to blame. — Eddie is Santana's electrical-stimulation machine, named so because a rotund figure that appears on the machine's LCD screen reminds him of former teammate Eddie Guardado.
Discussion:
SBG, The World's …
Jon Naito / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Reitsma eager to prove his worth to M's — Reliever says he's nearly recovered from arm surgery — PEORIA, Ariz. — The scar is a blush of purple, still a vivid reminder. Yet Chris Reitsma insists his arm is near ready, that the surgery he had last summer has not diminished his capabilities …
Discussion:
Ben Maller's Sports …
Phil Rogers / Chicago Tribune:
Rose said he bet on Reds 'every night' as manager — Rose seems to suggest wagering incidental since he backed Reds — Breaking from his frequent denials, Pete Rose not only admitted Wednesday that he bet on baseball but seemingly raised the ante by saying he "bet on my team every night."
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
