Issues abound in march toward Opening Day  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — One of the Mets' most pressing issues was easy to patch for Monday night's Grapefruit League opener, a 3-1 loss to the Nationals at Digital Domain Park.  —  Justin Turner started at third base for David Wright, who is nursing a sore left rib-cage muscle.

Papi launches first spring homer in Sox's victory  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Clay Buchholz tossed two scoreless innings and David Ortiz homered to lead the Red Sox to a 10-2 win over the Twins on Monday night at Hammond Stadium.  —  Buchholz wasn't perfect — he walked two and hit a batter …

Carlos Guillen Retires  —  Infielder Carlos Guillen announced his retirement today, according to the Mariners on Twitter.  He'd returned to his old team this offseason on a minor league deal.  —  Guillen, 36, has spent an increasing amount of time on the disabled list in the last four seasons.

Snider follows the Zen of Green  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — During a difficult 2011 season that included two trips to the minors, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider took up reading about Zen.  —  It started with a book by former Blue Jay outfielder Shawn Green, The Way of Baseball …

Roundup: Agent Scott Boras Says New Owners Would Benefit Mets and Baseball  —  Scott Boras, considered baseball's most prominent player agent, strongly suggested Monday night that the sport and the Mets themselves would be better served if the team's current owners are replaced.

Girardi Challenges Hughes to Step Up Work Ethic  —  TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Joe Girardi rarely goes public with criticism of one of his players, so it was unusual Tuesday when the New York Yankees manager detailed his unhappiness with the physical condition of Phil Hughes last year.

Marquee additions Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson shine in Angels' opener  —  Pujols hits a run-scoring double in the first inning and a single in the second and Wilson throws two scoreless innings in a 9-1 Cactus League victory over Oakland.  —  Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is congratulated …

Dillon Gee finds his out pitch  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - The helicopter flew over a wooded area in Texas.  One of its passengers cradled a shotgun, waiting for the downwash from the vehicle's rotor to flush a collection of hogs out into the open.  —  The wind picked up, so after 90 minutes …

Glare on Mets GM about to intensify  —  Mets on Twitter  —  PORT ST. LUCIE ­— The first blessing for Buck Showalter upon being named Yankees manager was what was in the rearview mirror.  —  Showalter was organized and savvy, but he was going to get those points simply by not being Stump Merrill.

O's Matusz pitches 2 innings in first spring game  —  SARASOTA, Fla.—Brian Matusz had a forgettable 2011.  His 2012 started shaky, too.  —  Matusz allowed three runs in two innings in his spring debut, and a split-squad of Baltimore Orioles lost 10-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

Mets Owners Told to Pay Illegal Madoff Profits  —  The New York Mets owners have to give up as much as $83 million in illegal profits from Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme and face a trial over another $303 million of their own money to determine if they acted in bad faith, a judge ruled.