You have to admire the Tampa Bay Rays. They are the little engine that could, the young kid who stood up to the neighborhood bullies of the AL East and delivered a few bloody noses on the way to the 2008 World Series. But despite the team’s recent run of success, the Rays have had…

Dustin Ackley, the No. 2 pick in last year’s First-Year Player Draft, was among six roster cuts the Mariners made on Tuesday morning. And according to what general manager Jack Zduriencik told Jim Street of MLB.com, Ackley, who was drafted as an outfielder, will continue his transition to second base with Double-A West Tennessee. “He…

Hold the panic White Sox fans, Jake Peavy says he’s OK after he was involved in a car accident on Tuesday. The right-hander, who is looking forward to having a full, healthy season in Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune that he was barely “tapped” by a driver who didn’t brake in time. Earlier in the…

“I’m Jewish. I can be bought. But he likes litigation. We’ll see what happens.” – Jamie McCourt, joking about the ongoing saga over the ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers during a Monday luncheon put on by Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Orange County, California. In other news, Jamie McCourt’s publicity campaign in…

It’s still pretty early on in the spring for notable cuts, but one from Tuesday will force me to revise my projections a bit, as the Royals optioned right-hander Carlos Rosa to Triple-A. Now, I’m sure most won’t care about such a move. Rosa was, at best, going to be a setup man for one…

I’ve come to the conclusion a long time ago that Craig is a big fan of one of the aforementioned steroid cheats.  I’m not sure which one. He’s upset that said cheat won’t be voted into the Hall of Fame and is on a mission to clear the cheat’s name by muddying the waters and…

Adam Dunn had to leave today’s Nats-Marlins game due to back spasms. According to Bill Ladson, he hurt his back trying to make a defensive play in the top of the second inning. Dunn says he’ll be fine and will probably play tomorrow, but add this to the ever-growing list of bad things that have…

I’m usually not a big fan of the football mindset infiltrating baseball, probably because I’m not a football guy by nature.  But Peter Gammons has an anecdote involving Bill Parcells in his latest column that hit the spot: When Parcells’ daughter married now-Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, the best man was Indians GM…

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes the most shocking thing you’ll read today: Bengie Molina was a shortstop in college. It turns out that before Molina settled in for a career behind the plate, before he became the Sultan of Squat, he was a lithe and rangy shortstop for Arizona Western Community…

John Smoltz was forced into the broadcast booth, but everyone’s favorite Knight of the Netherlands/problem drinker/starting pitcher, Sidney Ponson, has landed a job. He has signed a deal with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.  OK, I suppose they would have taken Smoltz over Ponson if the former would have made himself available,…

This press release came out of Anaheim Angels central earlier today: On Tuesday April 6, 2010, the Angels will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets.” All fans in attendance at the Angels vs. Minnesota Twins game (7:05PM) will receive a complimentary Hideki Matsui Blankie courtesy…

Cory Wade missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, but upon arriving at spring training last month the 26-year-old reliever said: “My shoulder is healthy. My back is strong. This is the best I’ve felt since 2008.” Unfortunately that was short-lived, as Wade complained of shoulder pain just two weeks later and is…

So Bud Selig appointed a committee to study the intricacies of maybe possibly hopefully hypothetically moving the Athletics to San Jose.  The problem: the Giants’ territorial rights.  I’m not expert of decision making, but it strikes me that Bud’s committee had to answer a relatively small, relatively simple few questions: (1) Are the A’s viable…

Turner Sports announced that John Smoltz has joined the TBS broadcast team as an analyst for their Sunday afternoon games and select Braves games. Smoltz joins a lineup of color commentators that includes Ron Darling, Buck Martinez, David Wells, and Dennis Eckersley, with Ernie Johnson, Brian Anderson, and Dick Stockton filling play-by-play duties. Chip Caray’s…

The New York Times’ Tyler Kepner runs down the differences between spring training in Florida vs. spring training in Arizona. He focuses on how as of next year every Cactus League team will play in the greater Phoenix area and how everything in Florida is spaced out. He could have added that the weather, generally…

Lance Berkman is questionable to be ready for Opening Day following knee surgery last week and Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are leaning toward veteran utility man Geoff Blum as his replacement at first base. In his absence, Geoff Blum started in the No. 5 spot in the lineup Sunday,…

Everyone has had a lot of fun with Buster Olney’s report about the Phillies having internal discussions about trading Ryan Howard for Pujols.  Today Buster strikes back. After making it clear that he never said that any St. Louis-Philly negotiations took place and that neither team was inclined to make such deal, Buster says he…

Jed Lowrie has been sidelined for the past four days because of a so-called “mystery” illness that sapped his energy and accelerated his heart rate. He underwent a stress test and various blood work yesterday and has apparently been cleared of anything serious, with Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reporting that he “could resume…

Mike Scioscia more or less confirmed what folks who think a lot about baseball had been hoping for: Brandon Wood will break Angels’ camp as the starting third baseman.  There had been concerns that the three-year, $10-million deal the club gave to Maicer Izturis this winter would serve to block Wood. Again.  Scioscia says, however,…