In historically bad taste here  —  Great player.  —  Total fraud.  —  Welcome home, Nomie.  —  I hate to be the fly in the punch bowl here, but yesterday's lovefest involving Nomar Garciaparra and the Red Sox was truly nauseating.  If Nomar had been hooked up to a polygraph, the machine would have exploded.

Chamberlain falls further behind in race for No. 5  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Joba Chamberlain says he knows the deal when it comes to the fifth starter's spot in Joe Girardi's rotation.  —  Now he has to start pitching like it.  —  “I understand what's at stake,” Chamberlain said after getting spanked …

Mets' Jose Reyes out 2-8 weeks with thyroid problem  —  New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes needs to “to rest, refrain from athletic activity and make changes in his diet” following a diagnosis of hyperthyroid, the club said today.  —  On a conference call with New York reporters, Reyes' agent …

Jerry Manuel determined to use Jenrry Mejia in short and frequent relief spurts for New York Mets  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - If Jenrry Mejia is assigned to the Mets' Double-A team, he's not going to be stretched out enough to immediately contribute in the Binghamton rotation.

Helton agrees to two-year contract extension  —  TUCSON — Todd Helton has agreed to a two-year, $9.9-million extension taking him through 2013, and in all likelihood, allowing him to retire as a Rockie.  As part of the contract, Helton will defer $13.1 million beginning next season, which gives the Rockies tremendous flexibility.

Curtis Granderson wows Yankees, former Tigers teammates with spectacular catch  —  LAKELAND, Fla. - Former Tiger Curtis Granderson had two hits, made a great catch and received a warm ovation from Tigers fans during the Yanks' 9-8 exhibition victory over Detroit Wednesday.

Selig and Co. should have their heads realigned  —  Major League Baseball, according to a Tom Verducci column at SI.com, seems to be considering a move that would allow the Blue Jays to escape the unbelievably tough AL East.  It sounds good, but thankfully is a long way from reality.

Royals Day in Camp |  Rookie Blake Wood pitching his way to bullpen spot  —  If this was the Royals' last visit to venerable Hi Corbett Field, as seems likely, they went out in style.  Zack Greinke and five relievers combined on a five-hit shutout Wednesday afternoon in a 5-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies in Tucson, Ariz.

Is it time for Twins to ponder the unthinkable?  —  If negotiations on a new deal continue to lag, the Twins might be forced to consider trading the hometown hero rather than risk losing him as a free agent.  —  FORT MYERS, FLA. - It's mid-March and the race of the reluctant Minnesota stars is on:

‘Not long for the minors’: Could Stephen Strasburg be on the fast track?  —  VIERA, FLA. From the box seats at Space Coast Stadium, you could see a huge piece of the Washington Nationals' future Tuesday.  It is 6 feet 4, weighs 220 pounds, and it's coming at you fast.  No, even faster than that.

Transaction Analysis  —  The Unsigned  —  It's a third of the way into March and we're less than four weeks away from when the games will count, and yet, there are names you won't find in any spring training boxscore, at least not yet.  It seems symbolic of the current state of the marketplace …

Lots of Memories, and Debris, at Old Yankee Stadium  —  The three excavators lined up Wednesday on the field of ruin that was once Yankee Stadium.  —  They idled in left field, side by side, their buckets down, prepared to pull down a section of the upper deck.

Now with Blue Jays, Drabek shows Phillies what got away  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. - There was no epiphany, no moment of genius, no heartfelt conversation between player and coach.  Bruce Walton had 34 pitchers in camp, and 26 days to prepare them for the start of the season, and yesterday just happened to be Kyle Drabek's turn to throw.

Escobar Is Ready to Return, or Retire if He's Still Injured  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The injured Mets reliever Kelvim Escobar said he was very confident he can come back from shoulder soreness to play this season, and hopefully very soon.  But in the event he cannot, Escobar can live with it.

Sandy Alderson to Review Baseball's Troubled Dominican Pipeline  —  Over the past two decades, the Dominican Republic has become the richest exporter of talent to Major League Baseball, providing some of the biggest names in the game.  The influx of Dominican players has also caused baseball major headaches …

Spring training: Vazquez thinks he's out  —  Infielder told his job in jeopardy, even though Pirates owe $2 million  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Is Ramon Vazquez history with the Pirates?  —  He certainly seems to think so, even though his $2 million salary for 2010 is guaranteed and the team would have to pay all of it if he is released.