Brian Giles, Hall of Fame Class of 2016?  —  Ted Williams?  Babe Ruth?  Lou Gehrig?  How about Brian Giles?  —  The Cleveland Indians drafted Brian Stephen Giles out of Granite Hills High School (just east of San Diego) in the 17th round of the 1989 draft.

Ruben Tejada could be New York Mets shortstop on Opening Day in Jose Reyes' absence  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - The Opening Day shortstop for the Mets?  With Jose Reyes expected to open the season on the disabled list, it very well could be Ruben Tejada.  —  The 20-year-old middle infielder hit .289 …

Mets viewed Lackey a bigger health risk than Bay  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — According to a major league source, the Mets viewed John Lackey as a bigger medical risk to sign at five years than they did committing to Jason Bay at four.  —  It should be noted that the Mets did have strong interest …

Guillen defends Latin players  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen responded on Thursday to comments Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter made to USA Today about Latin players.  —  In the article, Hunter said: “People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they're African-American.

Red Sox-Cardinals rained out  —  There will be no baseball today.  The Red Sox-Cardinals game in Jupiter was rained out and is tentatively scheduled to be made up March 22 as part of a split-squad doubleheader.  —  Clay Buchholz, today's starter, will start tomorrow's game against the Pirates with Michael Bowden following him.

The Nationals' draft plot thickens  —  For a while now, I've harbored a deep suspicion the Nationals would ultimately use their No. 1 overall draft pick this June on someone other than 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper.  It was an educated hunch, based on a few facts:

Should Carlos Gomez hit more ground balls?  —  Yesterday, Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy reported that Milwaukee would like new center fielder Carlos Gomez to keep the ball on the ground.  At first blush, it makes sense.  Gomez doesn't have much power, so he's unlikely to hit many home runs …

Inside How the Sale of the Texas Rangers Gets Done  —  It's been nearly a year since Tom Hicks began exploring the sale of the Texas Rangers.  Hicks Sports Group, who is $525 million in debt, put the team up for sale in late March of last year.  —  When there is a debt component in play, there are creditors to contend with.

Reds' Heisey follows a different arc  —  17th-rounder has shot to stick  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. - All the other rookies in the mix to make the Reds this year come with the usual pedigree.  —  They were drafted high, received big bonuses and were fast-tracked through the system.  —  Not Chris Heisey.

Baseball Player Jason Kendall Name Checks Two Others In Baseball Drug Scandal  —  Shocking divorce papers filed by Jason Kendall's estranged wife Chantel have placed the Kansas City Royals catcher at the center of a new baseball drugs scandal involving Adderall.

Oakland A's oft-injured Eric Chavez rediscovers his stroke  —  PHOENIX — Eric Chavez looked like his old self during the A's game against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday as he hit two home runs, including one in the first inning to right-center field that manager Bob Geren estimated to be close to 500 feet.

Helton gets two-year extension, will be Rockie for life  —  Tracy Ringolsby is a Hall of Fame baseball writer.  He is in his 34th year covering Major League Baseball, is a co-founder of Baseball America, and appears on pre- and postgame shows for Colorado Rockies games on FSN Rocky Mountain.