Notes: Gotay's MRI unconvincing  —  Abreu strains hip flexor; Shea going completely smoke free  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Ruben Gotay's sprained right ankle, which on Monday was thought to be possibly fractured, is indeed only sprained.  Probably.  —  A reading of Gotay's CT scan on Tuesday revealed …

Notes: Matsui inching closer  —  Slowed by tight neck, outfielder plans to take BP by Thursday  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui has been slowed by neck stiffness and is hoping to take batting practice on Wednesday or Thursday.  —  The 33-year-old, who has not played …

O's play dangerous game with Markakis  —  Club did nothing wrong in renewing his contract, but should be careful not to alienate its best player  —  The Orioles didn't do anything untoward here, certainly not anything other teams haven't done.  They took advantage of a system that in most ways benefits the players and not management.

Notes: Bush invited for inaugural pitch  —  President a possibility for Nats' Opening Day at new park  —  WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush has been invited to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day, and Nationals president Stan Kasten said on Tuesday that Bush would attend “if he is at all able.”

Red Sox scout accused of lewd behavior  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — A Boston Red Sox scout was arrested, accused of masturbating at the window of his hotel room in front of two women and two underage girls at the swimming pool, records show.  —  Jesse Levis, 39, faces two felony charges …

Reason #14: The Thinker.  —  As a Royals fan, it's really been quite amazing to watch over the past few months as the baseball blogosphere has picked up on what we've known since last season: that Brian Bannister is one of the smartest players in baseball, and certainly one of the game's deepest thinkers.

Authority assessing face-lift of Wrigley  —  Cost could hit $400 million; purchase offer coming soon  —  Wrigley Field could get a face-lift worth $350 million to $400 million if it is purchased by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, former Gov. James Thompson, chairman of the authority, estimated Tuesday.

Team denies Roberts trade talks have resumed  —  MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs still want to add at least one hitter by Opening Day, but multiple high-ranking team officials shot down Internet and radio reports this week that trade talks with the Baltimore Orioles regarding second baseman Brian Roberts have resumed in recent days.

McNamee's Lawyers Seek Ouster of Hardin  —  Lawyers for Roger Clemens's former personal trainer Brian McNamee filed a motion Tuesday to disqualify Clemens's lead lawyer from representing him in a defamation lawsuit.  The motion was filed along with a second motion, which asked that a lawsuit brought …

Dodgers' Juan Pierre is right where he belongs  —  He's been booed by fans and brutalized by bloggers, but his old-school play and speed will benefit the team as he becomes a complement and not the cornerstone of the lineup.  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — There's a boxer in the house.

Batista pitches through pain to prove a point in Mariners' 9-6 loss to the Athletics  —  PHOENIX (AP)—Miguel Batista left the Seattle Mariners' 9-6 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday because of a sore back.  —  Batista gave up two runs and two hits in three innings.

Early O'Clock TV  —  To clarify on an oversight in Tuesday's Newsletter created by my scramble to get out the door and catch my flight to Denver for Wednesday night's booksigning and talk at Tattered Cover (the LoDo location, see the BP Events tab for details, and hope to see you there) …