Spring training stories you might see

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training Tuesday. With that in mind here is a look at a few of the stories you might be reading between now and Opening Day.

• New York Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano is scratched from his first appearance in a spring exhibition game. Apparently, Pavano got too close to the pitcher's mound and became violently ill. He has been placed on the 60-day disabled list and sent for psychiatric evaluation.
• Sammy Sosa gets suspended. Sosa hit his first home run of the exhibition season but, unfortunately, a used syringe fell from his back pocket when he did his 'home run hop.'
• Bernie Williams signs to play for the New York Mets. Two hours later, two million Yankee fans demanded refunds on tickets they had already purchased and tried to become Mets season ticket holders.
• Roger Clemens makes stops in the training camps of the Astros, Yankees and Red Sox. Hands out business cards listing occupation as 'retired ... however, will make guest appearances at rate of $1 million per start.'
• A heckler calls Boston outfielder J.D. Drew 'Nancy' during an exhibition game. Drew curls up in a corner of the dugout sucking his thumb and mumbling, 'please let me go back to L.A.'
• After watching Joel Piniero get torched for eight runs in one inning, Boston expands its search for a closer to replace Jonathan Papelbon. GM Theo Epstein even contacts Kyra Sedgwick, star of the TNT hit show, 'The Closer ' to see if she would like to try baseball. Says Epstein, "Outside of Mariano Rivera she is the best closer in the business."
• Lou Piniella resigns as Chicago Cubs manager. Piniella said watching Alfonso Soriano try to play center field was worse than anything he ever saw in Tampa Bay.
• Commissioner Bud Selig tries to suspend Barry Bonds "in the best interest of baseball." Bonds laughs, tells Selig "if the federal government can't touch me neither can you" and continues to play.
  

Ah yes, it's baseball season again. Enjoy!

technorati tags: Baseball, MLB, Spring Training, New York Yankees, Carl Pavano, Barry Bonds, Boston Red Sox, Bernie Williams