Three observations  —  1) A sudden reversal of fortune.  The Yankees entered last season believing that they'd be carried by what they were sure would be a powerful and question-mark-free offense, and hoping that an ace-less pitching staff — which was to include a bunch of rookies at its backend …

Cashman Takes Issue With Book Anecdote About Giambi  —  Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman angrily took issue Thursday night with an anecdote about him and Jason Giambi that is contained in a new book about Roger Clemens.  —  The book, “The Rocket That Fell to Earth,” (Harper Collins) …

PR woman claims Bernie Williams hit her at club  —  Buzz up!  —  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)—A woman has filed a complaint against former Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams for allegedly hitting her at a nightclub while she took his picture.  —  Officer Angel Nazario …

Gibbons among first Marlins cuts  —  Considering he hit a three-run homer Thursday night, the last thing on Jay Gibbons' mind as he was reading the newspaper at his Roger Dean Stadium locker this morning was getting released.  —  “I went out on a high note, put it that way,” said Gibbons …

Venezuelan team bus catches on fire … MIAMI — The bus that transported the Venezuelan team to the World Baseball Classic caught fire after the team was dropped off at Dolphin Stadium Friday afternoon.  No injuries were reported.  —  The team was practicing in the stadium for the WBC …

M's defense was “above average” in 2008  —  Many thanks to Larry Stone for pulling OT duty filling in for me this week while I was in Philadelphia after the death of a close family member.  Larry even broke the story yesterday about the M's signing of Chad Cordero to a minor-league deal that could …

New York Yankees prospect Jesus Montero is working hard to catch on  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Even before his bat earned him universal regard as the top Yankees prospect, before his raw power prompted the organization to pony up $1.6 million to sign him, before some observers hailed …

Murray Chass Q&A  —  By Tim Dierkes [March 13 at 1:40pm CST]  —  Murray Chass covered baseball for the New York Times for almost 40 years, and now his work can be found at MurrayChass.com.  Chass answered questions for MLB Trade Rumors over email recently.

Cano, Marte hurt  —  Robinson Cano and Damaso Marte both re-joined the Yankees today after returning from the World Baseball Classic.  And both came back with injuries.  —  Cano has tightness in the back of his right shoulder, an injury that apparently occurred before he joined the Dominican Republic's WBC team.

Sneak Peak Inside Citi Field Reveals Final Touches … Sitting in the field-level seats at the new Citi Field ballpark will give spectators quite a view.  But if you don't want to open your wallets that wide, you can always head up to the cheaper seats in the promenade — a much different experience from the old Shea Stadium.

Rockies' rotation races continue  —  TUCSON — What was considered an area of depth is increasingly becoming a question mark for the Rockies.  —  With 25 days remaining until the opener at Arizona's Chase Field, the Rockies' rotation consists of three men and two maybes.

Brewers should really make a few bold moves  —  “The Fielding Bible” is back, and it's (much) bigger and (definitely) better than ever.  For example, Bill James' article about Defensive Misplays: … That's 29 Defensive Misplays, with 15 more to go (Bill describes them in loving detail), after which we get a spot of analysis:

James Parr's Not Buying Into All This Obama Hype  —  Atlanta Braves' pitcher James Parr got a taste of the big time this week when he was featured in SI's “Pop Culture Grid” section.  But his answer to one question may raise a few eyebrows.  —  The last question on The Grid asks …

Cox: Braves center-field battle ‘wide open’  —  Anderson considered the favorite, but Schafer, Blanco in the mix  —  Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — It was a battle waged solo by presumed favorite Josh Anderson for most of early March.  But Braves manager Bobby Cox reiterated Thursday that it was — and is — indeed a battle.

Mets' Santana Feels ‘Pretty Good’ in Spring Debut  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Johan Santana's first Grapefruit League appearance of the season was notable more for what did not happen than what did.  —  Santana did not clutch his elbow, knee or any other body part that would give the Mets reason for concern.