Blog Helps a Yankee Connect With Fans  —  TAMPA, Fla. — It was a month or so before the start of spring training, and Phil Hughes had no weekend plans.  Hughes is 21 and single, a Californian living in Tampa, and he needed some advice.  —  “So tomorrow I have nothing going on and have the option …

Congress May Single Out Clemens  —  A Congressional committee has taken the first steps toward asking the Department of Justice to start a criminal investigation into whether Roger Clemens committed perjury during testimony about performance-enhancing drugs, according to three lawyers with knowledge of the matter.

Eight selected to Red Sox Hall of Fame  —  Eight individuals have been selected for induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame, according to a press release from the team.  They are:  —  Wes Ferrell: Pitched for the Red Sox from 1934-37 with a 62-40 overall record in that span.

Bonds playing in '08 would be bad for baseball  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX.  —  Barry Bonds has every right to play baseball this season.

A's going to Tokyo get sweet cash bonus  —  (02-26) 04:00 PST Phoenix —  All players who travel to Tokyo for the season-opening series between Oakland and Boston will receive $40,000, according to Major League Baseball officials, and that figure could rise depending on how much revenue the event creates.

A Tour of the New Ballpark  —  Tom Bridge:  —  This weekend, as part of the Super Flush, I got an excellent tour of the new stadium under construction.  Nationals Park (which I hope it remains) is truly a wonder to behold.  The concrete and glass exterior was the part I was most concerned …

Hank Steinbrenner to talk contract with Cashman  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Hank Steinbrenner sounded very much like someone enamored with his general manager as he talked about Brian Cashman's future Monday afternoon.  —  The Yankees senior vice president said he will talk with Cashman about his contract, which expires after the season.

Searching for the game's best pitch  —  Is it Santana's changeup or Papelbon's four-seamer?  Maybe Carmona's wicked sinker or Mariano's mythical cutter?  Smoltz's slider is right there and Beckett's curveball has to be in the discussion, right?  So, who has the very best pitch in the game?

Walker weighs in on steroids era  —  JUPITER, Fla. — When the report that called into question the era in which he starred became public, former Cardinal Larry Walker shared a laugh with a few neighbors.  —  “Gee, I might go into the Hall of Fame now,” Walker said he joked.

Harper: Mets down on Reyes' upswing  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Jose Reyes swore he was just trying to hit a line drive up the middle, or even to the opposite field, as instructed.  Yet with a flick of his wrists he hit a screaming shot that crashed high off the 20-foot fence in center field, 408 feet from the plate.

Jerry Owens is Your De Facto Leadoff hitter  —  Let's forget for a moment that leadoff hitter is not a position or that Ozzie and Kenny (generally) say they just want a leadoff man who gets on base.  Their actions, as observed and relayed by the three local media-type bloggers, speak exponentially louder than their words.