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The Pittsburg Pirates faced off against the Atlanta Braves at McKechnie Field on sunny, 85 degree Friday in Bradenton, Florida. The Pirates have been trying to find that winning combination of pitching and offense this spring, but so far they have only won two out of their first five games.

The Bucs stood proudly in front of their dugout during the National Anthem.

Southpaw youngster Zach Duke started against the Braves, who came into this year's spring training without a division title for the first time in 14 seasons. He pitched well in his four innings of work, only giving up one run on three hits while striking out five. Unfortunately, the Bucs couldn't pull out a win for their talented young hurler after Atlanta put up seven runs after the 5th inning.

Zach Duke's pitches pack some serious heat.

First baseman Adam LaRoche, the biggest acquisition this offseason for the team, wasn't scheduled to be in the lineup. WEBN was able to talk to him near the weight room about his life with a new team and what his expectations were for himself and the club. LaRoche commented on how the players are hoping to finish above .500 for the upcoming 2007 season, saying he thought that wasn't enough, that their goal should be to make the playoffs.

If LaRoche can live up to the Bucs' high hopes for him both at bat and on the field, then a playoff spot could become a reality.

Being a small market team, Pittsburg had to trade just to get a slugging first baseman like LaRoche. Closer Mike Gonzalez, who saved all 24 games he had an opportunity to save, was the key player the Braves wanted in exchange for LaRoche.

The Pirates will be battling teams like the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals to get a playoff spot in the National League East. Bright spots for this club are 2006 Batting Champion Freddy Sanchez at shortstop and outfield phenom Jason Bay.

-Tyler MacLeod
WEBN Sports Staff

CLICK HERE to see our Spring Training 2007 photo gallery

Anytime a New Englander goes to see a Red Sox game, it’s special for them. So, being a Massachusetts resident and journalist, I was especially excited to interview the players I’ve spent the past ten years watching every season.

Wednesday, after nearly a two and a half hour drive to Fort Myers, Glenn and I arrived to find the Sox taking some BP before their game against the Mets.

The Red Sox take turns batting and keep the atmosphere relaxed.

The Sox made a big edition to the pitching staff in Daisuke Matsuzaka and we were eager to find out how catcher Jason Veritek was crossing the language barrier with the Japanese pitcher.

V-tek has a drink after some fielding practice.

The solution, Varitek says, is using sign language to communicate, but the system isn't perfect yet. The captain also noted that defensive consistency and solid pitching will help the Sox get back to the playoffs.

Of course, it would be hard for the Sox to reach the playoffs without the offensive power and production from DH David Ortiz. We caught up with Big Papi after he finished his BP.

#34 will have to hit like he did last season to help power the Sox through 2007.

Despite the Sox reliance on Ortiz’s hitting, the big man doesn’t feel any extra pressure to produce run support for Matsuzaka. Why? He's got Manny Ramirez hitting behind him.

Sox fans can look forward to the dynamic hitting duo of Ramirez and Ortiz again this season.

Manny will be joined in the outfield once again by center fielder Coco Crisp. Crisp missed a large chunk of last season because of a dislocated finger that needed surgery, but this season he says he’s ready to go.

Crisp’s presence in center will bring consistency to the Sox outfield, which changed frequently last season.

The difference this season in the outfield is J.D. Drew. The Sox picked him up in the off-season and Crisp says that they already have a good working relationship on the field. Drew’s bat will also contribute to the Sox overall offensive power.

Drew goes full swing.

The Sox got the victory over the Mets 9-5 with a walk off grand slam by non-roster invitee Ed Rogers. Manny also picked up his first hit of Spring Training. RBIs for the Sox came from Rogers, Ramirez, Crisp and Mike Lowell.

-Cynthia Johnson
WEBN Sports Staff

CLICK HERE to see our Spring Training 2007 photo gallery

Expectations can sometimes ruin a good thing. That's why I tried not to let
myself get too excited for meeting some of the Yankees and being on the
field for their warmups. I didn't want to get all worked up only to find the
Bronx Bombers had sent their AAA guys and left the regulars back in Tampa.
Even still, when we got our credentials cleared, I couldn't help but think this would be my favorite day of the whole week.

The Yankees get their adrenaline going with short sprints.

I grew up rooting for the Yankees and now I had a chance to meet them as they took on one of the better teams in the American League. Luckily for Elyce and me,
the Yankees sent Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, A-Rod, Johnny Damon, and
Chien-Ming Wang. Even with Bobby Abreu hurt and
Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi not making the trip, that's a lot of star
power.

With Chien-Ming Wang's first pitch, the game was underway.

We were right there standing next to Jeter as he was catching to
warm up and 30 feet away from A-Rod as he took some swings- this day was
quickly exceeding any expectations I had. Even former Yankee catcher and Hall of
Fame member Yogi Berra was there.

Berra watched closely while the Yankees did rounds of BP.

Damon and Jeter were both in the first round of batting practice, which
meant I would only get a chance to ask one for an interview. I opted to ask
Damon because I thought he would be less likely to turn us down and give us
more candid answers. Damon was very friendly and seemed very honest in his
remarks about how new pitcher Kei Igawa was adjusting to the team and what it
was like not having 16 year veteran Bernie Williams around. He also told us
his favorite baseball movie is Fever Pitch. I guess it helps that he was one
of the stars.

The game was just as exciting as being on the field during batting practice.
Wang started off slowly, as he gave up a leadoff homerun to Grady Sizemore,
but the Yanks managed to take a 4-2 in the fifth inning lead thanks to Kevin Reese's two run homer.

Activated outfielder Kevin Reese dashes to first after his blast to right field.

Top pitching prospect Phillip Hughes also looked sharp, only surrendering 1 hit in 2 innings. He'll be starting the season in Columbus, but should be called up midseason. His control is
excellent and he really had batters fooled on his changeup. In the end, the
Indians ended up giving the Yankees their first loss of the spring by a
score of 6-5.

-Glenn Hyatt
WEBN Sports Staff

CLICK HERE to see our Spring Training 2007 photo gallery

Last season the Cleveland Indians had a losing record, but the team scored more runs than it gave up. And two seasons ago, the Indians just barely missed the wildcard. Glenn Hyatt and I traveled to Winter Haven to watch the Indians battle the The Evil Empire aka the New York Yankees.

We spoke with ace pitcher C.C. Sabathia to find out how the Indians' pitching staff compared to the rest of the division. Last year, the Detroit Tigers' starting pitching had the lowest ERA in the league. If the Indians are going to have any chance this year in competing, they'll have to match up to that standard. Sabathia believes his staff is capable even though the Central Division is loaded with talent. The past two American League penant winners came from the Central Division. The Tigers won last year and the Chicago White Sox nabbed both the penant and the World Series the year before.

Center fielder Grady Sizemore stays loose between innings.

Left fielder David Dellucci before scoring from third base.

Outfielders Sizemore and Dellucci both believe that consistency and staying healthy will lead the Indians to victory. After the interview, Dellucci mentioned to us that the best advice he had for journalists was that they should be fair and avoid putting players down. When players read or hear negative comments about their performance, they are less likely to give interviews, according to Dellucci. He said once a journalist is known to be negative, players will avoid him/her altogether.

Hall of Fame player Bobby Feller looks on as his former team prepares for the game.

For the past twenty years, Feller has shown up for Spring Training. He said that baseball is a simple game, but emphasized that there was nothing harder than hitting a baseball, and no atmosphere more exhilarating. It was evident that Feller's presence on the field was inspirational to up-and-coming Indians who hope to have equally sucessful careers.

Glenn and I had a great experience at the Indians' camp. Not only did we interview all-stars, we met an Emerson alum who currently works for EITV America Corporation. His name is Peter H. L. Wang and he gave us the scoop on covering baseball professionally.

Tomorrow, I'm off to see the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers. Be sure to keep checking in for more posts and more pictures.

-Elyce Taylor
WEBN Sports Staff

CLICK HERE to see our Spring Training 2007 photo gallery

The Houston Astros have managed to stay virtually intact the past four years, and the clubhouse chemistry is noticeable even to a one-day visitor like me.

The Astros camp is full of familiar faces.

Even the retired Jeff Bagwell, the long-time face of the Astros, is suited up for camp as a special instructor. For us Bostonians, there was one more familiar face in camp—former Sox second baseman Mark Loretta. Loretta seemed happy to be back with the Astros, a team he spent a short stint with in 2002. Even though his stay in Houston amounted to a mere matter of weeks, Loretta said returning feels like coming home.

Lorretta looked comfortable and confident during a round of BP.

It appears the team will use Loretta in all four infield spots, primarily second and third. Many fans were unsure what Loretta signing meant for long-time ‘stro Craig Biggio, but it appears he’ll still carry the lion’s share at second. This is especially significant because the 41-year-old Biggio sits just 70 hits shy of 3,000 for his career. Biggio has at least 100 hits in every season since 1989, so if he still plays regularly, it appears that he will join the elite 3,000 hit club in what could be his final season.

The crowd was eager to get a preview of Biggio's batting before the game began.

Biggio’s long time teammate Jeff Bagwell retired this offseason, but he’s spending another March in Kissimmee as a special coaching instructor. The team has given him a front office position which should keep the fan favorite a part of the Astros organization for years to come.

It looks like this season will come down to pitching again for Houston. Roy Oswalt will be the ace of the staff, and he’ll be backed up by imports Woody Williams and Jason Jennings. Lefty Wandy Rodriguez will need to give the team a viable southpaw after the departure of Andy Pettitte, and the jury’s still out on Roger Clemens. Recent reports say he won’t make a decision on whether he’ll return until May or even June.

-B.J. McLaughlin
WEBN Sports Staff

CLICK HERE to see our Spring Training 2007 photo gallery

I arrived in the Sunshine State with fellow WEBN Sports crew members Cynthia Johnson, B.J. McLaughlin, Tyler MacLeod, and Glenn Hyatt late Sunday evening. After settling into the hotel and getting a good night's sleep, I awoke to perfect baseball weather--blue skies, mild winds, and warm temperatures. Isn't Florida great?

The first game we covered was held at the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' home ballpark in St Pete.

When we first arrived, the Rays' competition, the Minnesota Twins, was on the field preparing for the game. Some players engaged in batting practice while others had individual meetings with coaches.

Twins starting catcher Joe Mauer is solid behind the place, but is also a force up at bat. Last year he was the American League Batting Champion.

Reporter Cynthia Johnson interviewed Twins pitcher Matt Garza. He said his strategy for the game was to keep the ball low and inside the zone. Unfortunately, he only survived a few innings due to neck soreness.

Garza (right) makes his way to the dugout.

I had the opportunity to talk with Twins outfielder Denard Span. It will be Span's first year in the Majors if he makes the roster this year. Judging by his performance against the Rays, he definitely has a shot. Span, a Tampa native, said Spring Training's location is ideal in his case since friends and family can easily come see him play. That day, though, he didn't know if he'd see any action. Oddly enough, he ended up playing a major role in the Twins' 4-2 victory over the Rays. He had two significant RBIs in the game, one being the winning RBI. To see Span and other players, be sure to check out our Spring Training Album.

Photographer Glenn Hyatt films Devil Rays Manager Joe Maddon's post-game media conference.

Our first day of Spring Training coverage was a success. Tomorrow, Glenn and I are off to see the Cleveland Indians take on the New York Yankees while Cynthia, BJ, and Tyler catch up with the Houston Astros and New York Mets. Keep checking in for our trip updates and more photos.

-Elyce Taylor
WEBN Sports Staff

CLICK HERE to see our Spring Training 2007 photo gallery