Alex Rodriguez's steroid stain will last forever  —  Yankees Alex Rodriguez stands behind the batting cage while waiting his turn to take batting practice at Steinbrenner Field on Monday.  —  “This is about someone else,” A-Rod kept saying.  —  Yes and no. Federal agents are indeed investigating …

Rocco Baldelli returns to Tampa Bay Rays as a special assistant  —  PORT CHARLOTTE - Former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli will rejoin the Rays as a special assistant, working with young players, executive vice president Andrew Friedman announced Tuesday.

Matthews: I'm natural choice for Mets leadoff spot  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — Gary Matthews Jr. felt right at home in the leadoff spot yesterday.  —  If Jerry Manuel's plan of batting Jose Reyes third in the lineup is to succeed, the Mets manager will need either Matthews or Angel Pagan to emerge as a reliable leadoff hitter.

Games.  Lots of games.  —  The Yankees will leave at 10:30 for an arcade game tournament.  —  They will play skee ball, a pop-a-shot basketball game and a racing video game.  The pressure is clearly in Andrew Brackman in the basketball event.  —  Joba Chamberlain is out with flu-like symptoms.

Sources: Upton, D-Backs close to multi-year deal  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  —  The Diamondbacks are close on a new contract for right fielder Justin Upton, according to major league sources.

NY Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez moves ahead of the curve … TAMPA, Fla. — It's not unusual for Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez to talk baseball with his father.  However, it is unusual for those conversations to drift toward the subject of pitching.  And it is even more unusual for Vazquez's father to offer advice.

Can Bonds get back in game?  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Their current situations are not perfect parallels.  But with Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds, it always has been more about intersections.  —  With the steroids era.  With controversy.  And with bat against ball.

What Puts Fans In the Seats?  —  One of the important questions to team management is how to put fans in the stands.  Obviously winning ballgames helps, but the question is how much and in what way?  Using data going back to 1950, I set out to create a model to help answer this question.

The '07 Mitchell Report's effect: Five active players reflect  —  It was, and probably still is, baseball's darkest day this century.  When the Mitchell Report detailing performance-enhancing drug use was released Dec. 13, 2007, old wounds were reopened and new sins exposed.

Call it a family affair in San Diego  —  Scott and Jerry Hairston are the latest set of brothers to unite in a Padres uniform  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Millions of brothers have grown up pitching to each other in the backyard with the shared goal of playing in the big leagues.

Manny Ramirez expected to make Dodgers trip to Taiwan  —  Outfielder Manny Ramirez is on the Los Angeles Dodgers' expected roster for an upcoming trip to Taiwan, the team announced Tuesday.  —  According to a release from the Dodgers, the expected roster may change before the team leaves for Taiwan on March 10.

Berkman will miss spring opener … KISSIMEE, Fla. (AP) — Houston All-Star first baseman Lance Berkman is likely to miss the Astros' spring training opener Thursday after bruising his left knee.  —  The 34-year-old Berkman complained of soreness and swelling in his knee after Monday's workout.

Barry Zito: “I want to be a top-of-the-rotation guy again”  —  Many people have chalked up Barry Zito's post-gajillion dollar contract struggles to complacency, comfort, wealth or poor character.  If you believe what he told MLB.com recently, however, his competitive fire still burn: