Jon Singleton hit a homer and a double to maybe! shake out of his Spring-long funk, but the Astros fell to the Tigers 7-3. Today the Astros will split the squad and play the Braves and the Blue Jays.
*Lance McCullers, Max Stassi, Evan Gattis. How the Astros deal with these injuries will tell Today's Knuckleball a lot about the team early.
*Richard Justice writes about 2016: The Encore.
*Brian T. Smith: Carlos Gomez never turns down.
*A day after George Springer got plunked, the Tigers hit Carlos Gomez and Jason Castro, giving the Astros seven HBPs on the Spring. A.J. Hinch isn't bout that life. "I can do without our guys being smoked...We'll pay attention to that. Let's put it that way.
*Luke Gregerson made his Spring Training debut with an 18-pitch scoreless inning yesterday, and anytime he can get absolutely blasted by a baseball is really what gets him going in the mornings.
*Feldman threw four innings in an intersquad game, working on a changeup that is 12 years in the making.
*Cheatin-ass Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa had his sentencing date moved yet again, from April 18 to June 6, because his lawyer is involved in a separate case and is just too darn busy.
*Judge Marvin Isgur ruled yesterday that CSN Houston can continue their lawsuit against Comcast for the whole...network...debacle.
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*The LA Times is straight panicked about Scott Kazmir's terrible Spring Training, but apparently the Dodgers do not share their panic.
*51-year old Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds beat the much-younger Marlins in a home run contest.
*Why did Adam LaRoche retire from the White Sox and leave $13m on the table? Because White Sox GM Kenny Williams didn't like that he kept bringing his son to the clubhouse. You can read this background piece from last June on LaRoche and his son's relationship. White Sox: Trash since 1919.
*20 years ago Western Carolina almost pulled off the #16 v #1 upset. And everything changed for their coach.
*Here's the New York Times' review of The Godfather from 1972.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
