Jonathan Papelbon pops off on Manny Ramirez  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  FORT MYERS - Jonathan Papelbon [stats] minced few words about the dark, final days of Manny Ramirez [stats]' tenure with the Red Sox [team stats] in an interview in the April issue of Esquire magazine.

Perez out at least three months  —  Update 10:32 An obviously disappointed OF Fernando Perez, out at least three months with a dislocated left wrist, tried to take the setback in stride, but said he learned a valuable lesson in the process.  —  Perez said he knew instantly …

Inbox: Time to bring back Pedro?  —  Beat reporter Marty Noble answers Mets fans' questions  —  I can't believe it's come to this, but I'm actually coming around to the idea of re-signing Pedro Martinez.  At first, I was adamantly against re-signing him because I wanted to see Jon Niese in the fifth spot in the rotation.

The art of the spring training autograph  —  Check out the video to the right  —  When it comes down to it, an autograph from a baseball player really is a bunch of illegible scribble.  But it is the journey, the memory and the moment of watching him sign his name that makes it special and, for many, something they will never forget.

For Yankees, CC Sabathia's workload over last two seasons could be concern  —  LAKELAND, Fla. - CC Sabathia didn't forget how to pitch, let's get that out of the way first.  Getting smacked around in early March is practically a rite of spring for veteran pitchers, and hardly cause for concern.

Joba among 20 to sign one-year deals  —  Yanks reach agreement with all of their non-arbitration players  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Joba Chamberlain was among a group of 20 Yankees players who inked contracts for the 2009 season, signing a split deal that would pay him $432,575 if he spends the entire season in the Major Leagues.

Rivera faces hitters, says he “feels great”  —  LAKELAND, Fla. - Mariano Rivera faced hitters for the first time yesterday since his October surgery on the AC joint of his right shoulder.  —  Rivera said, “Everything feels great,” and he is closing in on his first game action.

Piazza vs. Bench vs. Pudge  —  In case you missed it, Sean Smith introduced his historical WAR database last week, providing seasonal wins-above-replacement values for every significant player since 1955 (the retrosheet era).  Since he was kind enough to include a measure of catcher defense …

10 Reds prospects to watch  —  Bumper crop of middle infielders maturing on the farm  —  With the 2009 season quickly approaching, MLB.com takes a look at 10 of the Reds' most intriguing prospects that you should keep an eye on.  —  Yonder Alonso, 1B: The seventh overall pick in 2008 out of Miami …

Pristine mechanics caused Prior pain  —  Buzz up!  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - We are suckers for symmetry, because symmetry is beauty, and the idea of a beautiful pitching motion goes against everything we know.  Pitching is violent and unnatural, and to watch Mark Prior throw a baseball felt …

Texas Rangers believe stable batting order will help the win column  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — It seems like such a simple thing.  —  A player walks into the locker room, sees where he's batting in the lineup and goes from there.  —  But for the Rangers in 2008, picking a regular batting order was anything but simple.

Wrigleyville becomes hot spot for hypocrisy  —  Residents prefer to party on their terms — the wrong ones  —  If there's a subculture in town that has been more annoying than the residents of Wrigleyville, I haven't found it.  They live there because it's the liveliest neighborhood in Chicago, the epicenter of nightlife.

McGehee stating his case  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Glendale, Ariz. - Even if Bill Hall recovers from his calf injury in time to be the Brewers' starting third baseman, as expected, there might be room on the roster for Casey McGehee.