BASEBALL ROUNDUP \ News and notes
Red Sox: Manny Ramirez's absence is becoming a bit of a mystery. The enigmatic slugger received permission from the team to report late to spring training for family reasons -- but he was slated to attend a car auction in New Jersey Saturday, according to the promoter of the event. It wasn't immediately clear if the club was aware of Ramirez's scheduled appearance at the Atlantic City Classic Cars Auction. Boston's first full-squad workout is today. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the deadline for players to report to camp is next Tuesday. Boston general manager Theo Epstein said Wednesday that Ramirez has an excused absence and will report March 1 for the second straight year. Monday, pitcher Julian Tavarez, Ramirez's close friend, said the slugger's mother recently had surgery and Ramirez was with her in Florida. But later Wednesday, Ramirez's plans to appear at the car show surfaced in a report posted on The Boston Globe's Web site. It said Ramirez's mother's condition might prevent him from attending -- and it wasn't known when the appearance was initially scheduled. Louise Cunningham, who works for G. Potter King, the Berlin, N.J., car dealer promoting the auction, told The Associated Press that Ramirez was still expected at the event.
Braves: Mike Hampton was on the mound, though he's still far from a sure thing. Seventeen months after reconstructive surgery on his left elbow, Hampton threw batting practice during the first full-squad workout of spring training. But he stuck mostly with his fastball, mixing in a couple of changeups before calling it a day. "Nice and easy," said Hampton, who estimated he was throwing at about 75 percent. "I didn't want to push it. Now, we'll see how it feels tomorrow." The Braves are counting on Hampton to be a major part of their rotation. He missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2005.
Giants: Closer Armando Benitez faced hitters for the first time since Sept. 2, taking the mound against a group that included Barry Bonds. "I feel like I am at 80-85 percent," Benitez said. "More important, I don't feel any pain and I used my legs." Benitez saved a team-best 17 games last year, but his season ended prematurely due to right knee inflammation. He also began the year on the disabled list and missed time with soreness in both his elbow and knee. "I want to make sure that I'm ready to go when I take the mound," Benitez said. "I'm not going to just hurry up and play in the games. I want to be physically and mentally ready."
Orioles: Pitcher Kris Benson is trying to avoid surgery on his injured right shoulder with aggressive rehabilitation. Following the advice of two of the three medical experts he consulted, Benson will start a program geared toward easing the pain from a torn rotator cuff. If successful, it would allow him to pitch this season. Benson boarded a flight Wednesday morning for Fort Lauderdale, where the program will take place. "It feels fine," he said. "Basically, it's what it is. It's sore in certain spots, certain angles, certain positions I put my arm in. It's not like I walk around and I'm hurting all around. It's just a matter of baseball activities are a little bit of a problem. "Right now, I'm just happy to be down here, glad to be with Richie [Bancells] and his training staff. I'll let them take a look at it over the next few weeks and see what they can do and get this problem solved."
Blue Jays: Pitcher Tomo Ohka arrived at camp, five days after the voluntary reporting date, due to visa problems. Ohka agreed last month to a 1.5 million, one-year contract after going 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA in 18 starts for Milwaukee last year.
Arbitration: Washington closer Chad Cordero and San Diego second baseman Todd Walker won their salary hearings, leaving owners with a 4-3 edge this year in cases decided by arbitration panels. Cordero received a raise to 4.15 million from 525,000 instead of the club's offer of 3.65 million. Walker will get an increase from 2.5 million to 3.95 million instead of the Padres' 2.75 million offer.
Associated Press
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