Alou out 4-6 weeks  —  The Mets just announced that Moises Alou will have surgery tomorrow to repair a hernia and will miss the next four to six weeks.  Alou was sent back to New York earlier today for further tests after complaining of discomfort in the groin area and the Mets got word of the results this evening.

Report: Murcer's biopsy negative  —  According to the YES Network's Michael Kay, tests undergone on Bobby Murcer's brain showed a form of necrosis, or scar tissue from radiation treatments and not another cancerous tumor.  The Yankees broadcaster underwent a brain biopsy at a Houston hospital on Monday.

Francona faces Torre without Red Sox-Yankees rivalry  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - After four years as Boston's manager, Terry Francona can finally put his arm around Joe Torre behind the batting cage.  —  If Francona tried that when both led enemy squads in the intense Red Sox [team stats] …

Congressman Anthony Weiner asks FBI to end Roger Clemens investigation  —  America has bigger problems than Roger Clemens and steroids, Rep. Anthony Weiner said Wednesday.  —  The New York Democrat called on the FBI to end its investigation into whether the Rocket lied to Congress.

Four combine for five perfect innings  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. - Phil Hughes got pulled from a perfect game again yesterday.  —  OK, so this one - a spring training game in which he didn't continue after a rain delay in the second inning - had little or nothing in common with the no-hitter …

30 Questions: What can we expect from the starting rotation? … Thirty teams, 30 burning fantasy questions.  Throughout the preseason, we put one of these questions to an ESPN.com analyst for an in-depth look at the most interesting, perplexing or dumbfounding fantasy facet of each major league team.

Kendrick sticking with his aggressive approach  —  Editor's note: This is the second in Jonah Keri's series of Q&As with players and executives from the Cactus League.  His first Q&A was with Arizona GM Josh Byrnes  —  Howie Kendrick is a batting champion waiting to happen.

Cano remains hot in Yankees' loss  —  Second baseman collects three hits; Chamberlain touched up  —  TWINS 7, YANKEES 5  —  Twins at the plate: Delmon Young blasted a long solo homer in the second inning off the black batter's eye beyond the 408-foot mark in center field.

Organizational Rankings, Part 2  —  Last Year's Ranking: 1  —  Why They're Unchanged: Evan Longoria's full-season debut went even better than expected, and they added No. 1 overall pick David Price to the system.  —  Strengths: Yes.  There are just tons of prospects everywhere …

Rays welcome Wiggy (and Astros)  —  Carl Crawford plows into Astros catcher Humberto Quintero at home in the fourth on a B.J. Upton double.  Quintero was charged with an error for not holding onto the ball and Upton scored from second.  [James Borchuck, Times]

Are You Smarter Than a Tenth Grader?  —  At the beginning of each season I present my players with a general baseball knowledge quiz.  With our season set to begin this Friday, I thought it would be fun to see how our readers match up with a bunch of high school kids.

Minor League Report: Wilkin Ramirez  —  Talented prospect looking to shake off past injury woes  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Wilkin Ramirez likes to believe that if he works hard, everything will be fine for him one day.  —  Lately, these days are looking pretty good.

amLinks: CT Scans, and Backups  —  According to the results of his CT scan, Ruben Gotay did not fracture his leg or foot, instead they are calling it a sprained ankle.  —  For more on Gotay, and the other Mets injuries, check out David Lennon in Newsday, as well as Joel Sherman in the New York Post …