Top News:
Bill Madden / NY Daily News:
Bobby Murcer faces new brain cancer scare — Former Yankee outfielder Bobby Murcer's battle with brain cancer may have taken a turn for the worse, the Daily News has learned. — According to an emotional e-mail sent to friends Thursday from Murcer's wife, Kay, the Yankee broadcaster …
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Mets evade discipline from MLB — Office ‘satisfied’ with club's answer about Wednesday's game — JUPITER, Fla. — The Mets will not be disciplined by the league office for what appeared to be defiance of the edict that all teams must have at least four regulars in the starting lineups of exhibition games.
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Bart Hubbuch / Mets Blog:
Mets shut down by Cardinals — A quick wrap-up from Jupiter after the Mets' 7-0 loss to the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium: — 1. The Mets are off to a 0-2 start in the Grapefruit League after mustering just four hits in the Cardinals' blanking. John Maine's brief and ugly outing …
Jayson Stark / ESPN:MLB might punish Mets over thin traveling squad
Discussion:
Seven Train to Shea Mets Blog, On the Mets beat, NJ.com, The 'Ropolitans, MetsBlog.com and New York Post
George A. King III / New York Post:
PETTITTE: JUST LET ME PLAY — ANDY WANTS TO MOVE ON FROM CLEMENS 'ROID SCANDAL — Andy Pettitte doesn't have to move his lips for you to understand how tortured the pitcher is about his role in a possible prison sentence for Roger Clemens. His eyes tell you this is hell.
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Howard Ulman / Associated Press:
Red Sox ace Beckett pleased after 24-0 win over Boston College — FORT MYERS, Fla.—Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox were in October form during their exhibition opener. — Baseball's only 20-game winner last year didn't care that his first opponent of spring training was a Boston College team …
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Michael Silverman / Clubhouse Insider:How cold was it? — FORT MYERS - For Terry Francona and David Ortiz …
Dave Sheinin / Washington Post:
Step Right Up, And Greet The New Mets — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — In a year's time, Brian Schneider went from catching retreads such as Jerome Williams and Billy Traber — no offense intended to either — to catching legends such as Johan Santana and Pedro Martínez.
Discussion:
Capitol Punishment
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Jonathan Mahler / New York Times:
Oedipus Bronx — Hank Steinbrenner was driving like he owned the place. “This thing's got no pickup,” he said, gunning my midsize Hyundai down Steinbrenner Drive in Tampa, Fla. We had just finished lunch on a January afternoon at a Steinbrenner family favorite, an Italian restaurant called Iavarone's …
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Bowa sounds off on helmet rule — LA third-base coach says he won't wear new mandated gear — VERO BEACH, Fla. — Many base coaches are unhappy with the new rule mandating helmets in reaction to the death last year of Minor League coach Mike Coolbaugh, who was struck by a line drive while coaching first base.
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Game(s) over — After two seven-inning games against BC and Northeastern, City of Palms Park has emptied out. The Red Sox beat the two college teams by a combined 39-0, 24-0 over BC in the first game and 15-0 over Northeastern in the second game. — Terry Francona announced the regulars …
Brad Lefton / New York Times:
Hoping to Become the Next Hot Baseball Export From Japan — NAGO, Japan — No. 81 is the eighth uniform number of Masato Yoshii's professional career. — He wears this one, though, with a stopwatch dangling from his neck and a folded schedule of the day's exercises protruding from his back pocket.
Discussion:
The Griddle
WJZ-TV:
Call Girl Confesses: Sex At Exclusive Denver Club — DENVER (CBS) ― Sex, drugs and high rollers. A former prostitute said all three were in play during wild sex parties at an exclusive Denver social club, reports CBS station KCNC-TV in Denver. — “There was no trying to hide anything …
ESPN:
Rockies give closer Corpas four-year, $8M deal — Manny Corpas' clutch relief work as the Rockies' closer last year was a big reason they made it to the World Series. Now, the team has rewarded him with the longest extension it has ever given a reliever. — The Rockies and Corpas agreed to a four-year, $8 million extension.
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Mark Hale / New York Post:
FORMER MET ENJOYING GREEN-ER PASTURES — Shawn Green anticipated that it would happen. Now it's a done deal. — The right fielder, who played with the Mets for the last year and a half and spent parts of 15 seasons in the majors, told The Post yesterday that he has retired.
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Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Take Me Out to the Theme Park — TAMPA, Fla. — If everything works out for Joba Chamberlain — and life has been a dream lately — he will start and finish this season with a trip to Disney World. That is where athletes go after winning a championship, and it is where Chamberlain is going this weekend …
Jonathan Mayo / Baseball Analysts:
Facing the Facts on Clemens — A lot has changed since I started writing my first book, “Facing Clemens.” What was meant to be a fairly cut and dry baseball book about what it's like for a hitter to try and ply their craft against the Rocket over the course of his career has obviously turned into much, much more.

