Papelbon calls Manny a ‘cancer’ — Francona says trade speaks for itself  —  JUPITER, Fla. — In the latest issue of Esquire Magazine, Jonathan Papelbon calls ex-teammate Manny Ramirez a “cancer,” and says the team clearly had to get rid of him.  —  Papelbon didn't travel with the team …

Santana encouraged despite shaky spring debut  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets ace Johan Santana was relieved to get his long-awaited spring debut done with.  —  Held back because of elbow tightness for two weeks, Santana gave up four hits and three runs, including a homer to Dan Uggla …

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) …

Salaries for the 0-3 Yankees  —  When a player has 0-3 years of service time, there is no bargaining for a contract.  You are guaranteed only the minimum — which is $400,000 this year.  —  The Yankees, like most teams, have a salary scale for 0-3 players based on service time rather than performance.

Lupica: Yankees ignore A-Rod outlook  —  The good news for Alex Rodriguez, who was due for some, is that the first of the surgeries on his hip was classified a success by his doctors.  The even better news for Rodriguez, at least for the time being, is that he has now managed to change the subject …

Phils weighing several bench options  —  Club may opt to keep three lefties or add righties to reserve mix  —  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Phillies manager Charlie Manuel swears he hasn't started to think about how his bench might look Opening Day.  —  He said there is plenty of time for that.

Phillies name Wall of Fame nominees  —  Daulton, Kruk, Dykstra, Hayes, Fregosi among 15 candidates  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Fifteen former Phillies have been nominated for this year's Wall of Fame voting.  —  Fans can vote at phillies.com.  —  The top five fan choices will be voted upon by a Wall of Fame selection committee.

Mark McGwire Discusses Role as Hitting Instructor  —  The voice on the other end of the line, as enthused as a rookie's after the first day of spring training, belonged to Mark McGwire.  He was calling from California on Thursday to talk about his rebirth as a hitting instructor.

Percival pleased with first '09 outing  —  Coming off back surgery, Rays closer retires side in order  —  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Troy Percival made his first appearance of the spring Thursday against the Phillies, and all went well.  —  The veteran reliever retired the Phillies in order …

Los Angeles Dodgers are curious about Pedro Martinez  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — The New York Mets don't have any interest in bringing back Pedro Martinez.  But another one of Martinez's former employers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, could emerge as a candidate to rescue him from unemployment.

Zambrano gets Cubs Opening Day start; Marmol back  —  MESA, Ariz.- Manager Lou Piniella named Carlos Zambrano as his Opening Day starter on Thursday, giving Big Z his fifth straight opening assignment.  —  How did Piniella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild decide on Zambrano over Ryan Dempster?

Who Said There Was More Leg Room At The New Yankee Stadium?  —  We recently posted photos illustrating the much-improved leg room for the seats in the Grandstand at the New Yankee Stadium.  Unfortunately the same cannot be said about these multi-year commitment, $500 per ticket seats down the first base line:

Rockies Recap: Stewart in the zone  —  Rockies 6, Angels 4  —  At the plate: Ian Stewart found his zone today, proving his left biceps injury is fully healed.  He launched a three-run homer off Angels starter John Lackey in the first and added a run-scoring single in the seventh, increasing his spring RBI total to five.