Top News:
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Nomar: It's a dream fulfilled to retire as a member of the Red Sox — Nomar Garciaparra, who for the better part of seven years was the face of the franchise before his shocking trade in 2004, has come home to the Red Sox. — At his request, the Red Sox today signed the 36-year-old …
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Alex Speier / WEEI:
NOMAR TO RETIRE AS MEMBER OF RED SOX — WEEI.com's Lou Merloni reports that Nomar Garciaparra will sign a one-day, minor league deal with the Red Sox and then announce his retirement as a member of the organization. Garciaparra will then commence a career as a baseball analyst for ESPN.
Gordon Edes / ESPN:
Longtime Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra announces retirement — FORT MYERS, Fla. — Longtime Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday morning, signing a one-day contract with the Red Sox in order to retire as a member of the team.
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Nomar Garciaparra To Announce Retirement — Nomar Garciaparra will announce his retirement at a Red Sox press conference this morning, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes. WEEI's Lou Merloni reports that Garciaparra is signing a one-day minor league contract with Boston to retire as a member of the club, and then begin work as an ESPN analyst.
MLB:
New York Mets say Jose Reyes has thyroid issue; he says no — The New York Mets say Jose Reyes has an overactive thyroid, but the shortstop isn't buying it. — The team said on Tuesday that Reyes is expected to remain in New York while the results of additional blood tests are used …
Discussion:
CitiField of Dreams, MetsBlog.com, New York Mets Fan Blog, Jorge Says No!, New Jersey Online and HardballTalk
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Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Tests on Reyes confirm overactive thyroid
Discussion:
The Real Dirty Mets Blog
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Panel Part III: Efforts to develop black talent in USA insufficient — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Fans look down from their seats onto the baseball field, see dark-colored skin and might assume they are African-American players. — But increasingly, the players instead hail from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico or Venezuela.
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Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Damon misses Yanks matchup with turf toe — Injury not believed to be serious for former Bomber — LAKELAND, Fla. — Tigers outfielder Johnny Damon missed his first matchup with his old team Wednesday due to turf toe in his left big toe, but the injury is not believed to be serious.
Sports Illustrated:
Tom Verducci: Selig, committee making good on promise to better the game … When baseball commissioner Bud Selig named a 14-person “special committee for on-field matters” four months ago, he promised that all topics would be in play and “there are no sacred cows.”
Sports Illustrated:
Brewers may be young, but they're ditching the youthful exuberance … MARYVALE, Ariz. — The Milwaukee Brewers are a young team, but they are growing up fast. They recognize that they are new school and not old school, but that they must go to school to avoid the mistakes of a year ago …
Bill Conlin / Philly.com:
Phillies have best infield of baseball's modern era — CLEARWATER, Fla. - Joe Tinker was the shortstop. Johnny Evers played second. The first baseman was Frank Chance. Poor Harry Steinfeldt. — He was the third baseman who faded into obscurity because he didn't make the short poem titled …
ESPN:
Bradley felt like prisoner in Chicago … Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley said he felt like a prisoner in his own home when he played for the Chicago Cubs last year, and that he feared for the well-being of people around him. — “It was pretty bad,” Bradley said during an interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez.
Jeff Zrebiec / Baltimore Sun:
Orioles worry that Roberts might not be ready for Opening Day — Second baseman has herniated disk, then was sickened by medication — SARASOTA, Fla. - - For the first time this spring, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail acknowledged that the club is concerned …
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Price exits after scare with bat shard — Rays pull lefty in second after jagged edge brushes palm — FORT MYERS, Fla. — Rays left-hander David Price left Wednesday's game against the Red Sox with no outs in the second inning after getting struck on his glove hand with a broken bat.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER:
One great debut; now what? — Stephen Strasburg couldn't have done much more in his spring training debut. — VIERA, Fla. — It lasted all of 20 minutes, included only 27 pitches (21 fastballs, four breaking balls, two change-ups) and was witnessed by 4,305 fans, several dozen scouts …
Discussion:
Nationals Journal, Washington Post, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, MASNsports.com, Chicago Breaking Sports and The Nationals Enquirer
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Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Marlins name levels for new ballpark — Miami's multicultural flavor to be reflected throughout — JUPITER, Fla. — It's still a year or so away for the naming rights of the Marlins new ballpark to be announced. — Yet, it's not too early to name the various levels of the retractable-roof stadium that will open in 2012.
Marc Hulet / FanGraphs Baseball:
The Top 50 American League Prospects — Following up the recent Top 10 lists for each club in Major League Baseball, we now have the Top 50 prospects in the American League. Tomorrow, we'll look at the Top 50 prospects in the National League. On Friday, we'll unveil the Top 100 MLB prospects list …
David Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Twin Cities paper goes way back in time for Strasburg headline — Fifty seasons ago, the American League franchise in Washington, D.C. picked up and moved to Minnesota, transforming from the Senators to the Twins. — That anniversary might have been on the mind of the copy editor …
