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SYDNEY (AP) -- Adrian Gonzalez ripped line drives to all areas of the park, often scattering his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in the outfield from the safety of the batting cage. It was just a few hours after arriving in Australia, with his body thinking it was about midnight. Related Stories Still, the first baseman who led the Dodgers in hits, home runs, RBIs and games played last season did a good job of making Sydney Cricket Ground, the home for two Major League Baseball season-opening games this weekend, sound and look like a real ballpark. The Dodgers and their...

Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers applauded as the team was sold for $2 billion, and cheered with each expensive new addition. Now the bill is coming due. And guess who is going to pay the price? Actually, you don't need to guess. The way baseball finds ways to separate fans from their money knows no bounds... At the heart of the issue is a new regional sports network that will pay the Dodgers $8.35 billion over the next 25 years. It was created by Time Warner Cable solely to broadcast the team's games, and it's the reason the new...

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter says he will retire after this season. In a lengthy letter posted Wednesday on his Facebook account, Jeter, 39, started by thanking his fans and supporters throughout his career. He also referenced a "bunch of injuries" that had him sidelined for much of last season. "And this is, I could not be more sure," Jeter wrote. "I know it in my heart. The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball."

Alex Rodriguez has dropped his lawsuit against Major League Baseball and the players' association, according to court records, and MLB announced the Yankees third baseman intends to accept his season-long suspension.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – The baseball Hall of Fame says slugger Ralph Kiner has died. He was 91. The Hall says Kiner died Thursday at his home in Rancho Mirage. Kiner hit 369 home runs during his 10-year career, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He won or tied for the National League lead in homers in each of his first seven seasons.

Curt Schilling, the former Red Sox pitcher and current ESPN analyst, announced in a statement with the network this afternoon that he has cancer. "I've always believed life is about embracing the gifts and rising up to meet the challenges. We've been presented with another challenge, as I've recently been diagnosed with cancer,'' said Schilling, who turned 47 in November. "Shonda [Schilling's wife] and I want to send a sincere thank you and our appreciation to those who have called and sent prayers, and we ask that if you are so inclined, to keep the Schilling family in your prayers."...

According to one baseball legend, Alex Rodriguez has “ruined the game.” Tommy Lasorda, who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976-96 and guided the club to two World Series titles, was curt when asked by ESPN about A-Rod’s one-year suspension. “He should have gotten more,” Lasorda said Tuesday. “What he's done? He's trying to ruin the game. You can't do that.” Lasorda is of the opinion drug users shouldn’t be elected to the Hall of Fame and was upset by A-Rod after presuming the New York Yankees star was clean. “I was thinking, ‘At least this guy is doing it...

In a trying month for baseball, this was a good day.For much of the week, it seemed as if Alex Rodriguez was intent on shattering two decades of relative peace in our national pastime. But here was one achievement even Rodriguez couldn’t smear: Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, and the World Umpires Association decided — collectively — to expand instant replay, and they did it the right way.It took years of thoughtful evolution on the issue — from commissioner Bud Selig and others — and then months of intense work from the triumvirate of John Schuerholz, Joe Torre...

Clayton Kershaw already has won two Cy Young Awards and led the National League in earned-run average three times. Now, the 25-year-old left-hander is about to become the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history. Kershaw and the Dodgers have agreed to a seven-year, $215-million contract, according to people familiar with the situation ...

On Thursday, Major League Baseball formally approved the use of instant replay for the 2014 season. Under the new system, managers will have one challenge they can use. If their challenge is successful, managers will be able to retain that challenge and use it one more time during the game for a maximum of two challenges per game. After the start of the seventh inning, the crew chief of the game may choose to use instant replay on any reviewable call even if a manager is out of challenges, according to Major League Baseball's announcement:

... The ruling, issued by arbitrator Frederic Horowitz, is a reduction from the 211-game suspension Rodriguez was handed by MLB commissioner Bud Selig back in August, but it’s still the longest drug-related suspension in MLB history. For the 38-year-old Rodriguez, it means the loss of an entire season and $25 million in salary. The Yankees will gain $27.5 million worth of salary relief for luxury tax purposes, since the average annual value of his deal is what counts there. That will aid the team’s attempt to get below the $189 million threshold to reset their luxury tax rate, but it...

Fox news reporting Arod suspended through the 2014 season due to use of performance enhancing drugs.

The Hall of Fame says it's up to baseball writers to propose any changes in the selection process. The Baseball Writers' Association of America has voted on Hall of Fame candidates since 1936, and elections have become more controversial in recent years as stars tainted by accusations of steroids use have fallen well short of the 75 percent needed for entry to Cooperstown. Writers are limited to a maximum 10 votes, and some say there's a logjam as Barry Bonds, Rogers Clemens and Mark McGwire remain on the ballot at a time new players are added.

Former Atlanta Braves star pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and retired superstar slugger Frank Thomas were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in voting announced on Wednesday. With 75 percent support from 571 votes cast by a media panel needed to ensure enshrinement, Maddux received 97.2 percent while Glavine had 91.9 percent backing and Thomas was supported by 83.7 percent.

No player has ever been elected unanimously to the Hall of Fame and four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux, the most obvious of the many deserving candidates on this year’s ballot, won’t be the first. We now know that for sure thanks to MLB.com’s commendable tradition of posting its writers’ ballots the day before the results are announced. There are 17 MLB.com writers who have been members of the Baseball Writers Association of America for 10 or more years and thus are eligible to vote for the Hall of Fame. Sixteen of them voted for Maddux. Dodgers beat reporter Ken...

Enjoy the short video clip of Vin Scully, 2014 Rose Parade Grand Marshal VIN SCULLY TALKS ABOUT BEST MEMORY

During his 13-year career as an All-Star catcher, Mike Scioscia earned a reputation for being as tough as anyone when it came to blocking home plate. But in a sport filled with nostalgia, even Scioscia wouldn't mind seeing a few modifications. "I think everyone is in agreement that the mindless collisions at home plate where a catcher is being targeted by a runner, that needs to be addressed," the Los Angeles Angels manager said.

A deal for hundreds of millions of dollars in public money to draw the Atlanta Braves north of their downtown home is pitting conservative tea party activists against the elected and civic leaders in the staunch Republican county, with opponents saying the use of public money to help a private business is not what American capitalism should be about. The argument for the deal is simple, says Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee and other supporters. Almost $400 million in county bonds and immediate infrastructure improvements, with debt payments approaching $600 million over 30 years - will generate enough economic...

Brian McCann, the best-hitting catcher in Atlanta Braves history, is about to become a New York Yankee and the highest-paid catcher in baseball history. The Braves free agent and seven-time All-Star agreed to terms Saturday with the Yankees on a five-year, $85 million contract that includes a sixth-year vesting option that could push the total value of the contract to $100 million, a personal familiar with negotiations said. The deal was pending a physical exam. “It’s a bittersweet day for him,” said McCann’s agent B.B. Abbott. “He has a special place in his heart for Atlanta.”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Baseball fans should expect to go through a metal detector to see their favorite team play in 2014. Major League Baseball security director John Skinner said on Friday that all 30 teams are expected to screen all fans entering their ballparks next season. Some aspects of the screening will be left to individual teams, but the commissioner's office is planning to recommend walk-through metal detectors, he said.