It Seems as if Everybody Hates Alex Rodriguez  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — According to some of his peers, Alex Rodriguez is a hypocrite and a “prima donna.”  He is not the “Yankee type,” either, and he has “monopolized all the attention” since arriving in the Bronx in 2004.

Rays color analyst Kevin Kennedy helps thwart potential hi-jacking on flight  —  Rays television color analyst Kevin Kennedy was one of several passengers that helped save the day and subdue a potential hi-jacker on a red-eye Delta flight last night.  —  Kennedy, on a flight from L.A. to Tampa …

Royals release Cruz, make 3 other moves  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Kansas City had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last year, a group that gave Royals fans an impending sense of doom with nearly every pitch.  —  When it started happening again this season, the Royals weren't going to put up with it for very long.

Zobrist gets 5-year extension; announcement today  —  The Rays this afternoon will announce a contract extension for Ben Zobrist that could keep him under their control through 2015.  —  The first three years, during which Zobrist would have been eligible for arbitration, are guaranteed.

Mets statistical analyst has seen growth and evolution of sabermetrics in MLB … Ben Baumer says his gig as the Mets statistical analyst was a direct result of the popularity of “Moneyball” early last decade.  And in his seven seasons in that position, he has seen the sabermetrics movement expand and deepen.

Red Sox hang on to beat Orioles  —  Jim Johnson walked Adrian Beltre with the bases loaded to force in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning and David Ortiz [stats] hit his first homer of the season, leading the Boston Red Sox [team stats] to their ninth straight win over the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 on Friday night.

Dodgers Manny Ramirez to 15-day DL with calf strain  —  The Dodgers have placed left fielder Manny Ramirez on the 15-day disabled list with a right-calf strain, an injury that caused him to miss two starts last weekend and flared up again as he legged out a base hit on Thursday night at Cincinnati.

Zambrano move shows Cubs are desperate  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  Follow him on Twitter.  —  Leaders frequently invoke the phrase, “Desperate times lead to desperate measures,” in times of urgency.

New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel toying with idea of moving first baseman Ike Davis up in lineup  —  When David Wright arrived in New York in July 2004, then-Mets manager Willie Randolph assigned his new phenom to the seventh spot in the batting order.  Wanting to limit pressure on Wright …

JAYS TURN TO CECIL TO COOL OFF FIRST PLACE RAYS  —  Sports Network  —  (Sports Network) - Hard-throwing right-hander Matt Garza can continue the Tampa Bay Rays' best start in franchise history tonight when they return home to open a three-game series at Tropicana Field with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cleveland (7-8) at Oakland (10-7)  —  are working their way back from injuries that kept them sidelined for all of 2009.  —  Each pitcher walked away from his last start with reason for optimism.  —  Westbrook and Duchscherer will square off Friday to open a three-game series between the Indians and Athletics.

Ask the Booth: Left and right  —  SNY's Keith Hernandez answers fans' questions  —  Post on facebook Fan Comments print email  —  Keith, I often hear people say that lefty hitters like the ball down low, but I can't figure out why that would be.  Is there any particular …