Hank Steinbrenner opens mouth, bashes Red Sox  —  Hank Steinbrenner has provided his share of Boss-like comments in the offseason, his first as one of the principal leaders running the New York Yankees.  —  He's made verbal digs at former manager Joe Torre and inserted himself during …

Wright to Milledge: Shut up  —  Mets upset after ex-mate airs laundry  —  Loading...  In addition to preparing for his first season with the Nationals, outfielder Lastings Milledge has taken time out during spring training to slam his former teammates on the Mets.  —  Newsday

Leap year shines light on Mets' feats  —  History of Mets franchise packed full of special ‘extras’  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — And now for a little something extra.  —  To celebrate the extra day we are living today, the day that makes a leap year longer than its three-out-of-four cousins …

Astros owner says ‘we will honor’ Clemens deal  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane will honor Roger Clemens' 10-year personal services contract despite an FBI decision to investigate whether the star pitcher lied under oath about his denials of steroid use.

Bans unlikely for 89 Mitchell players  —  Selig will probably follow report's advice  —  Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada and the vast majority of the 89 players mentioned in the Mitchell Report will not be suspended by Major League Baseball for their alleged steroid and HGH transgressions …

Johan Santana's Q & A  —  Johan Santana's mid-game news conference.  —  How did you feel out there?  —  It was fine.  I feel good.  I was trying to throw my fastball, locate all my pitches.  But those guys out there, they were aggressive, swinging right away, and then they put the ball in play.

Phil Hughes answers your questions  —  We put the call out earlier this week and more than 400 of you answered, sending questions in for 21-year-old right-hander Phil Hughes.  It was tough to cut them down, so please don't be offended if your question wasn't asked.  —  It was no surprise so many people had questions.

Best and Worst Names For Baseball Prospects  —  Having a great baseball name is important.  For example, lots of people remember Drungo La Rue Hazewood (who was 0-for-5 in the major leagues) and Van Lingle Mungo, but almost nobody has heard of Bobby Wallace even though he played 25 seasons in the majors and is in the Hall of Fame.

Pitcher, Donnie Smith, faces battery charge  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals minor-league pitcher Donnie Smith was jailed Wednesday night and faces a felony battery charge stemming from a bloodied nose last September.  —  Smith, 25, is accused of punching a Florida man in the face …

Preview '08: San Francisco Giants  —  by Lindy's  —  For 15 years, the face of the San Francisco Giants franchise wore a bored expression and a dismissive sneer from beneath a size 8 baseball cap.  Now the team's marquee position player wears a look of perpetual intensity and a gash across his nose.

Durham added to team's growing injury list  —  (02-29) 04:00 PST Scottsdale, Ariz. —  Second baseman Ray Durham's sore right shoulder had been improving, but the pain was worse when he reported to work and was to undergo an MRI exam Thursday evening to determine the nature of his injury.

Mets vs. Cardinals (take two)  —  3:48 p.m.: Well, make it 5-15-1 in their last 21, dating back to the collapse.  Final score: Cards 5, Mets 4.  It's 0-3 in the Grapefruit League, plus a tie against Michigan.  At least we heard an, 'It's out of here!' from Gary Cohen after Ruben Gotay's solo homer in the ninth.

Top prospect Bruce keeping his cool  —  Center fielder rated No.1 prospect by Baseball America  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — On any given day this spring, outfielder Jay Bruce will move comfortably through the Reds clubhouse, confident in his abilities and at ease with himself.