Uecker stalker gets warning at Brewers game  —  MILWAUKEE — A woman once charged with stalking announcer Bob Uecker was asked to leave a Milwaukee Brewers spring training game.  —  The baseball team notified the Phoenix police that Ann E. Ladd was at Monday's game, Police Sgt. Joel Tranter said Tuesday.

Rangers' mid-spring analysis  —  Lineup is taking shape, but questions remain at some positions  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  Infielders  —  1B Mark Teixeira, 2B Ian Kinsler, 3B Hank Blalock, SS Michael Young, UTIL Jerry Hairston Jr.  —  Closeup on Jerry Hairston Jr.: The difficult decision involves INF Matt Kata.

Nats sign Astacio to Minor League deal  —  Veteran right-hander will start season at Triple-A Columbus  —  JUPITER, Fla. — In need of pitching depth down the road, the Nationals signed right-hander Pedro Astacio to a non-guaranteed Minor League deal on Tuesday.

It's anyone's ball game  —  Freeway World Series beckons as parity grips MLB  —  Here is a message for George Steinbrenner, Derek Jeter, Brian Cashman and everyone else who has bought in to the Yankees culture that the season is a failure if New York does not win the World Series: The '90s are so over.

Ramirez auctioning off fancy grill on eBay  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — How much would you pay to cook up a few steaks on a fancy grill?  If you buy it from Manny Ramirez, prepare to shell out about $5,000 or more — but it comes with an autographed baseball.

Little given one-year contract extension  —  Dodgers manager rewarded for guiding club to playoffs in '06  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — Grady Little, the Dodgers' surprising hire as manager more than a year ago, was rewarded Tuesday for last season's on-field turnaround with a one-year contract extension.

Indians hire formerly imprisoned sportscaster  —  WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Cleveland Indians are taking a chance on a sportscaster fresh out of prison for not paying taxes on gambling earnings.  —  SportsTime Ohio, a 24-hour TV network owned by the club, announced Tuesday …

Herges making his pitch to stick  —  Veteran battling youthful duo for spot in bullpen  —  TUCSON - Ramon Ramirez and Manual Corpas are in the bullpen mix, hardly surprising because both relieved extensively last year for the Rockies.  Still competing with them is newcomer Matt Herges, something that is a bit stunning.

Surprise!  Groundless Hope and Bad Seasons  —  I find it both goofy and oddly touching that the Kansas City Royals train in a city called "Surprise."  It's a bit like Bill Clinton being from a place called Hope.  Every year, I come here, get stuck in the quagmire that is suburban Phoenix traffic …

Guillen likes what he sees in right-hander Russell  —  Russell has done that and more, pushing his way into the mix as a surprise candidate to break camp with the big-leaguers.  —  ''Adam Russell, enjoy the ride,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said Monday after another solid performance from the hard-throwing right-hander.

Angelos Says Plenty  —  It's better to remain silent and be thought a meddlesome nightmare owner than to speak and remove all doubt.  Now the Orioles and their fans know the truth.  Peter Angelos hasn't changed.  His silence in recent years, the claims of his organization …

Young Brew Crew thinking two-strike swing, playoffs  —  Miller: Five things to know  —  MARYVALE, Ariz. — Among the more unsavory news stories in recent weeks was the item that misconnected toilets in Milwaukee's Miller Park were flushing into the Menomonee River and, eventually, Lake Michigan.

Looking at 2007's top milestones and records  —  The 2007 baseball season is just around the bend.  —  The pennant races are always the lead story in any baseball campaign, but the upcoming season also figures to provide us with an extra-large helping of individual drama.

Other Voices: Here's hoping weight is all that Felix has lost  —  Editor's note: The Stranger identified Seth Kolloen the best sportswriter you've never heard of for his work at seattlest.com.  His columns appear occasionally in the P-I.  —  FELIX HERNANDEZ LOST a bunch of weight in the offseason …

How the Philadelphia Phillies Can Win the World Series  —  Brad talks with Steven Goldman about the Phillies' chances on Baseball Prospectus Radio.  Click to download the mp3.  —  I am not a devoted Phillies fan, but in the years before I became publicly associated with the Yankees …