Vanity Fair has a long article by Billy Beane Michael Lewis about baseball in Cuba, and the agent who was convicted of smuggling four players into the U.S. Definitely worth the time to read this one.

Apart from that, as the game starts, much is familiar. The managers do dopey things to remind everyone they exist - like bat their best hitter seventh or bunt the D.H. in the top of the first with runners on first and second and nobody out. There are players who clearly like to get dirty and players who don't. The catchers have the same subtle ability to distance themselves from pitchers in trouble - refusing to make eye contact as they hand him a new ball after a home run. Even the body language is the same - right down to the same startling amount of unself-conscious public crotch grabbing when things go wrong.

According to ESPN, the A's may be prepared to outbid "at least seven other teams", including the Yankees, for 16-year old Dominican RHP Michael Inoa. We'll see.

Milton Bradley flipped out:

Milton Bradley stormed out of the Texas Rangers clubhouse after an 11-5 victory Wednesday night over Kansas City and bounded up four flights of stairs looking for Royals television announcer Ryan Lefebvre.
Bradley, who led the AL with a .333 batting average heading into Thursday's games, heard what he considered derogatory remarks made by Lefebvre on a TV in the Rangers clubhouse. General manager Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington were close behind and intercepted Bradley, who was the designated hitter Wednesday, before he reached Lefebvre.
"I don't want to get necessarily into the details," Daniels said. "He was upset. Someone who doesn’t know him was passing judgment on TV. It was obvious he was hurt by the comments." Bradley never reached Lefebvre, although he was within about 20 feet of him in the TV booth before being led back down to the clubhouse.
"There was no incident," Daniels said.

And Ryan Sweeney went 3/4 with a HR last night on his rehab assignment with Sacramento. Overall, he's hitting .414 there, and is eligible to come off the DL tomorrow. (DFA Brown). Roster moves coming perhaps? (DFA Brown)