Long lunch: Spanish civil servant skips work for years without anyone noticing  —  Joaquín García failed to show up for his job at the water board for at least six years - and possibly as many as 14  —  Only when Joaquín García, a Spanish civil servant …

Eight years later, still sea...»  —  Valentine's spat leads to felonious assault charge  —  On February 14, 2016 at 10:59 am Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call at 3712 School House Road, in Belpre Township.  Upon arrival Deputies discovered John Hammond …

MLB win totals: How we see the 2016 season unfolding  —  From April through October, 30 major league teams will contest 2,430 games and pay out some $3.7 billion in player salaries in the hope they win a few more than they lose, catch a fortuitous bounce or two and - should everything break just right - find their way into the playoffs.

Grassley joins call to delay Supreme Court nomination  —  The Senate should not take up the nomination of a replacement for Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court until after the November presidential election, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a statement on Saturday.

Matt Harvey open to inking long-term extension with Mets  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Matt Harvey is the first among the heralded young pitchers with the New York Mets to be eligible for free agency.  And upon arriving at camp Monday, Harvey did not rule out a long-term extension with the organization.

The rise of FanGraphs: Stats site gives fans, front offices view to baseball's evolution  —  On Baseball  —  A decade ago, the serious baseball fan - serious, as in desperately wanting to increase his or her chances of winning his or her fantasy league - had few places to turn.

Pirates Ready to Prove Themselves Again as Camp Opens  —  PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have the second-best record in the majors since 2013, a run that restored faith in the franchise after two decades of misery and led to three straight playoff berths.

Mookie Betts Drove A Golf Cart Right Into A Lake  —  Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts is an adept baseball man, as well as an extremely skilled bowler.  What he's not good at is driving a golf cart, apparently.  He and Travis Shaw went golfing this afternoon, and they got a bit more amphibious than they wanted to.

Aaron Hernandez settles civil lawsuit in Florida  —  Aaron Hernandez has settled a lawsuit in Florida brought by an associate who claimed that the former NFL star and convicted murderer shot him in the face, court records show.  —  Lawyers for Alexander Bradley, a former friend of Hernandez …

ZiPS' Top 100 MLB prospects  —  Last Thursday, ESPN colleague Keith Law released his Top 100 prospects, his ninth such annual ranking for ESPN.  This means it's time to put Keith's selections through the ZiPS wringer, testing his prospect rankings against the ZiPS projection system's data-driven, emotionless algorithms.

Not every team that's rebuilding should be accused of tanking  —  Here's the thing about “tanking,” which the owners reportedly discussed at their recent meetings, and which some will tell you is a scourge on baseball as we know it:  —  When teams such as the Phillies, Brewers and Braves go young …

Rangers sign first baseman Ike Davis to minor league deal  —  Left-handed-hitting veteran has invitation to big league spring training  —  Davis played for Pirates in 2014 when Banister was coach  —  Hit career-high 32 home runs with 90 RBIs for Mets in 2012