Baseball

Sox-Yanks hype cranks up

FORT MYERS - Adam Fonrouge drove 32 hours from Maine, lay down on the hot sidewalk and continued his 35-hour wait for the ticket office to open.

And many of the Yankees' best players won't even be on the split squad that faces the Red Sox tonight, the first game between the rivals since the AL Championship Series.

"We're idiots," the 22-year-old Boston fan said, echoing Johnny Damon's description of his Red Sox teammates who won the team's first World Series championship in 86 years.

The spring game comes 41/2 months after Boston beat New York in the ALCS. It also comes a year after their exhibition matchup in which Alex Rodriguez made his Yankee debut. Commemorative pins costing $5.67 were sold for that one.

"I thought it was ludicrous," Damon said. "I mean, this is spring training."

Selig: No marks stripped

PHOENIX - Steroids or not, baseball's record book won't be changing. Commissioner Bud Selig said Sunday that no records will be taken away from players suspected of steroid use.

"That would be unfair to do that," he said before the Athletics-Angels game. "In fairness to those players, no one has been convicted of anything. And we can't turn history back."

Also, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., confirmed reports that the House Government Reform Committee is prepared to subpoena players and officials who turn down invitations to appear at a March 17 hearing on baseball's steroids policy.

ANGELS: Seminole High graduate Casey Kotchman drove in five runs for Los Angeles.

BRAVES: Making his first start since June 9, 2001, John Smoltz pitched two scoreless innings against a Mets split squad. He threw 19 of his 28 pitches for strikes. "Same Smoltzie," manager Bobby Cox said. "Just got to build up some endurance, that's all."

INDIANS: C.C. Sabathia was scratched from his start against Detroit because he strained a right abdominal muscle while warming up. The 24-year-old is scheduled for an MRI exam today. ... Adam Miller, regarded as the team's top pitching prospect, will be out until at least June with a strained right elbow.

PIRATES: Kip Wells will miss his next scheduled start because of stiffness in his right elbow. Wells was scheduled to pitch today against the Reds.

OBITUARY: Hall of Fame broadcaster Chuck Thompson, whose deep voice and enthusiasm for the job entertained Baltimore sports fans for more than 50 years, died at 83. Mr. Thompson had a massive stroke on Saturday. Thompson called Orioles games for the better part of five decades and served 30 years as the play-by-play announcer of the NFL's Colts.

[Last modified March 7, 2005, 01:58:12]