Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen apologizes for statements about Fidel Castro  —  Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen apologized today for a Time Magazine article in which he said he loved Fidel Castro.  —  “I am sure I'm against (the way) he thinks, the way he treats people and way he treats his country for a long time,” Guillen said.

For starters, this defeat looked a lot like September  —  DETROIT - The omens were all good.  The game was played on Bobby Doerr's 94th birthday.  The first pitch was thrown at a Teddy Ballgame time of 4:06.  Boston's absentee owner was buoyed by a big 1-1 draw in Liverpool …

Quality Dickey start headlines community win  —  Consider the steep hill of improbability facing the Mets, the odds against their ascent to the postseason.  Now consider their access to a full-fledged mountain climber, recent Kilimanjaro conqueror R.A. Dickey, whose survival-mode pitching Saturday summarized …

Starting his ninth season with Yankees, with a contract that runs through 2017, third baseman Alex Rodriguez hits fork in the road of his pinstriped career  —  In season he turns 37 years old, coming off miserable 2011, can he recapture past glory?  —  Alex Rodriguez hopes to be smiling a lot this season after a difficult 2011.

Mariners survive late rally to beat A's 8-7  —  OAKLAND, Calif.—Chone Figgins finished a home run short of the cycle and every Seattle Mariners batter had a hit, backing a shaky start from ace Felix Hernandez to beat the Oakland Athletics 8-7 on Saturday night.

Pirates Rally by Phillies 2-1 in 10 Innings  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Presley singled with two outs in the bottom of the 10th to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night.  —  Rod Barajas, brought in by the Pirates to provide some power …

In majors, motivation has a personal twist  —  Dustin Pedroia always has been motivated by the people who never thought he'd make it because of his size.  —  Albert Pujols recently told USA Today that every day he thinks about the fact he was a 13th-round draft pick.

Look, Daddy, the wheels are still off.  —  There are two ways you can manage a game, I suppose.  You can manage in a vacuum, simply making moves based on the game in front of you without considering the context of the standings or the number of games left in your season …

Baseball's opening lines: Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Valentine and Yu Darvish among early stories  —  The stories to watch as MLB opens another season  —  Keep a close eye on Bobby Valentine as the new Red Sox skipper could have his hands full in Boston.  —  Now that the baseball season …

Orioles Hit 3 HRs in 8-2 Rout of Twins  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Tommy Hunter took a four-hitter into the eighth inning, Nick Markakis went 3 for 4 with a homer and the Baltimore Orioles cruised past the Minnesota Twins 8-2 Saturday night.  —  Adam Jones and Matt Wieters also homered for the Orioles …

Luke Scott Drives in 3 to Help Rays Beat Yankees  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Luke Scott had three hits and drove in three runs in his debut as Tampa Bay's designated hitter, helping the Rays beat the New York Yankees 8-6 on Saturday night.  —  The Yankees trimmed a six-run deficit to two in the ninth …

Rios HR Gives Ventura First CWS Win, 4-3 at Texas  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Alex Rios led off the ninth inning with a home run and the Chicago White Sox got their first win for new manager Robin Ventura, beating the two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers 4-3 on Saturday night.