Minor League Transactions: March 16-22  —  For the complete record: The asterisks (*) here denote instances of 40-man roster players who have agreed to terms on the minor league portion of their split major league/minor league contracts.  These players will have their minimum salary dictated …

MUSIAL NO MAN OF HONOR, MR. PRESIDENT  —  With the economy and international turmoil, President Obama has enough headaches; he doesn't need any more.  But his staff has created one for him with its failure to investigate fully the career and life of Stan Musial before recommending …

Wednesday notes: Hughes slides by with his cutter  —  Phil Hughes had seven strikeouts tonight, and the way he remembers it, all but one came on a modified version of his cutter.  Disappointed in the pitch this spring, Hughes tweaked his cutter grip and turned the pitch into more of a slider, something slightly slower and bigger.

Mets Fans, Meet Brad Emaus  —  With Plate Discipline, No-Name Rookie Appears to Have Won Second-Base Job  —  JUPITER, Fla.—For a professional athlete, Brad Emaus is a little bit doughy.  He is barely 6 feet tall.  He runs at a plodding pace.  He doesn't hit for much power.

2011 spring training: Texas Rangers set rotation, keep Neftali Feliz in bullpen  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — After plenty of discussion and evaluation over the last six weeks, the Texas Rangers said Thursday that Neftali Feliz will remain the team's closer in 2011.

Franklin Gutierrez isn't healthy yet … Franklin Gutierrez, the Gold Glove center fielder who's battled stomach ailments for more than a year, hasn't played in the Seattle Mariners last four games - isn't in the lineup today - and is undergoing more medical tests.

Report: Buck Showalter rips Derek Jeter  —  Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't backing down from the American League East's big boys.  —  In fact, it seems as if Showalter is going out of his way to antagonize the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Calf injury to shelve Ross for three weeks  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Giants right fielder Cody Ross said Thursday that he will be sidelined for an estimated three weeks by a strained right calf muscle.  —  Should Ross heal on schedule, he would miss about the first two weeks of the regular season.

Homer-happy Royals blast past Mariners 9-8  —  PEORIA, Ariz.—Melky Cabrera, Alex Gordon and Lance Zawadzki each hit two-run homers and the Kansas City Royals broke a four-game spring training losing streak with a 9-8 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.

go here  —  Michael Baron: How much did fan sentiment play into the decision to cut Castillo and/or Perez?  —  Short answer for Castillo: Yes, for Perez, probably not.  We brought both players back to see the players, get to know the players, and make a decision not jus ton history, but current events.

Marlins' Stanton hits two homers in spring debut  —  JUPITER, Fla.—Mike Stanton finally brought his big bat to a spring training game.  —  Stanton hit two three-run homers and had seven RBIs in his injury-delayed debut, and the Florida Marlins beat the Red Sox 15-7 Thursday.

Out Of Options: Maybin, Joyce & Other Position Players  —  Presumably finding little or no trade interest, the Mariners and Indians each attempted to send an out-of-options reliever to Triple-A in March.  Each player stood little chance of making the Opening Day roster …

Beachy wins fifth-starter spot for Braves  —  Top prospect Minor sent to Triple-A Gwinnett to gain seasoning  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Braves will begin the 2011 season with Brandon Beachy as their fifth starter, allowing Mike Minor a chance to gain some more experience with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Continual digs at Yankees' A-Rod unfair  —  The easiest target in baseball — probably in all sports — should just make life simpler for his detractors by replacing the No. 13 with a bull's-eye.  —  Look, Alex Rodriguez always has been Alex Rodriguez's worst enemy, and perhaps his litany of career sins …