Giants send Ellison to Mariners for minor leaguer  —  SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners acquired outfielder Jason Ellison on Sunday from the San Francisco Giants for minor league pitcher Travis Blackley.  —  Ellison, who turns 29 on Wednesday, was added to the Mariners' 25-man roster …

Herb Carneal dies at 83  —  Longtime Twins radio broadcaster Herb Carneal died this morning of congestive heart failure at his home in Minnetonka, the team announced.  —  Carneal, 83, who received the highest honor in baseball broadcasting in 1996 when he was named the recipient of the Ford C. Frick award …

Baseball Actively Promotes Him, Advertisers Eagerly Chase After Him  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — At age 24, David Wright has an easy smile and brown eyes that have already appeared on the covers of ESPN's magazine, Men's Health, Player and The Sporting News, and inside the pages of Cosmopolitan, GQ, Sports Illustrated and People.

Thornton, Ozuna agree to deals with White Sox  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Pitcher Matt Thornton agreed Sunday on a $3.25 million, three-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, who also gave utilityman Pablo Ozuna a $1.25 million, one-year extension through 2009.  —  Thornton will earn $550,000 this season …

Brewers pay price for success  —  Attanasio ups ante in 2007  —  Arlington, Texas - There's an old saying in baseball regarding team payrolls: Spending money doesn't guarantee you're going to win, but not spending it almost guarantees you're going to lose.

Part 1 of Reds Blogger Rountable  —  Reds bloggers got together last week to discuss the upcoming season.  I have Part 1 of that discussion.  —  sweaver: All right, my microwave says 9:00.  Sound off!  —  Tim Mo: is the gang all here or are we short a few members? any tardy pupils?

'Roid regret  —  Two-time MVP Murphy: I should have spoken up about juice when I played  —  Dale Murphy remembers sitting in front of a television screen, staring.  There were Jose Canseco and the other beefy sluggers on the 1980s Oakland Athletics, slamming home runs and then bashing their ripped forearms in celebration.

Quiet Man, … FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. // You know his swing, so short, sweet and powerful that it prompted one baseball lifer to say that Nick Markakis could become one of the Orioles' best hitters ever.  —  But everything else about Markakis is hidden.  He gives few clues to teammates …

Stan Musial: Still The Man  —  JUPITER, Fla. — A hotshot rookie with the New York Mets last season once slapped high fives with fans on his way to the outfield and later found a sign hanging above his locker, "KNOW YOUR PLACE, ROOK."  —  Lastings Milledge had something new hanging on his locker this spring.

Of Rocks and Apples and the Disappearance of 20-Game Winners  —  The question was about 20-game winners, and Rich Donnelly wanted to talk about apple fights.  —  "As kids we had apple fights," said Donnelly, the Los Angeles Dodgers' third-base coach.  "I'll bet you there's no one in here who ever had an apple fight."

The 100-mph kid  —  In one of his few games as a pitcher, Colt Griffin threw faster than any high school player ever.  And that's when all the trouble started.  —  TYLER, Texas |  Colt Griffin moves across the mud-caked land he bought with baseball money, his face fresh, the past behind him.

No foolin': Rockies' pitching a problem  —  The Rockies will win 92 games and finish first in the National League West.  —  On this day, only an April fool would believe that prophecy.  —  I drank the Kool-Aid as a child in Vacation Bible School, but not now.  While at spring training I tried to buy what the Rox were selling.

Orioles Make Final Cut  —  The Baltimore Orioles' 25-man Opening Day roster, which will be announced Sunday, will include one big surprise.  Left-handed reliever Brian Burres has made the team, while reliever Todd Williams cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Norfolk, according to one baseball source.

Mouse Takes Fans Far Beyond Crumbs  —  The Red Sox addicts wake up with a craving and stumble to their computer.  —  They will surf from one website to another, from stories in newspapers to blogs composed by equally obsessed and informed fans.  Then there's also a mandatory stop on Curt Schilling's blog before they head to work.

hermanson gone  —  Will post more when I get it, but Dustin Hermanson was saying his goodbyes.  One more cut to go  —  Apparently, Hermanson had no interest in an assignment in Louisville.  —  And, no, I promise I will never put an April Fool's joke or something like that on here.