Joe Girardi embraces challenges as he heads into 10th year as Yankee manager  —  TAMPA - Joe Girardi is entering his 10th season as Yankees manager.  —  “That's hard to believe,” Girardi said Sunday.  —  Girardi, during his 15-year playing career, was never with one team for longer than four seasons.

Bases-loaded walk in 2nd, RBI infield single in 10th lead to victory  —  SEOUL, South Korea — The 2017 World Baseball Classic began in dramatic fashion on Monday, with Israel beating Pool A host Korea, 2-1, in 10 innings in the tournament's opening game.  —  With MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred …

White Sox Request Release Waivers On Brett Lawrie  —  In a surprising move, the White Sox announced on Friday that they've requested release waivers on infielder Brett Lawrie.  Assuming Lawrie clears waivers — a fair bet, given his $3.5MM salary for the 2017 season — he'll become a free agent upon clearing in 48 hours.

Rays' Taylor Guerrieri gets stitches after hitting head on bathtub  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — Prospect RHP Taylor Guerrieri had the most adventurous day of any of the Rays on Saturday and he didn't even play.  —  Guerrieri needed stitches to close a cut near his right eyebrow after hitting his head on the bathtub of his rental home.

Loria moving forward with Marlins sales talks  —  A few Marlins notes on a Saturday:  —  • The question is no longer if Jeffrey Loria will sell the Marlins.  It's how quickly.  —  According to people briefed on the situation in the past week, Loria is fully expected to sell …

Patriots among teams interested in Brandin Cooks; Saints want mid-first round pick: sources  —  Brandin Cooks 65-yard touchdown reception  —  New Orleans Saints receiver Brandin Cooks scores on a 65-yard pass by Drew Brees during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday …

Statcast wants to change how we're consuming baseball games  —  Sometime soon, there is going to be a new version of Wins Above Replacement available, and its goal, aside from encapsulating a player's value into one tidy number, is simple: Don't be scary.  The plan does not involve dumbing …

Matt Kalil called ‘100 percent healthy’ for free agency, will Vikings re-sign him?  —  For those wondering about Matt Kalil's health entering free agency, his father says there's nothing to worry about.  —  The Vikings left tackle was lost for the season after the second game of 2016 …

Joely Rodriguez, rare lefty reliever, has shot with Phillies  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - The best lefthanded reliever the Phillies used last season was demoted to high-A Clearwater at the end of April.  He had been jettisoned from the 40-man roster, did not attend major-league spring training …

Is time running out for Texas' top talents?  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Jurickson Profar has a sixth tool in his arsenal, but it was hard to find during two lost seasons in the Texas Rangers organization.  When shoulder problems kept him off the field for almost all of 2014 and 2015, the emotional strain was etched across his face.

Red Sox backing off Tyler Thornburg for the time being  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox are backing off Tyler Thornburg this week as the reliever is battling both his mechanics and what he called “a dead-arm period.”  —  “I've thrown a lot of pitches in both outings …