Hanley Ramirez still has yet to publicly comment on whether or not he will agree to move to third base in favor of shortstop Jose Reyes. Florida wants Ramirez to slide to the left of the infield so Reyes can play his natural position of shortstop. There has been speculation that Ramirez is unhappy and would welcome a trade. Ideally, the Marlins don't want to go that route. They are hopeful that he will make a seamless transition.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson has spent the winter figuring out ways to keep his team hungry. "It's certainly something I put a lot of thought into," Gibson said. "You guys know me -- I constantly shake myself to remain humble. Success is hard to deal with. We've talked about it. I'm not worried about it, but yet I'm alert about it. It could damage our chances if we can't remain humble." One of the things Gibson will do is continue to emphasize the fundamentals, believing that all the work that was put in last spring only scratched the surface. Arizona entered the 2011 season as long-shots, but won the National League West title.

Rutgers and Iowa State met at Yankee Stadium on Friday for the second annual Pinstripe Bowl, a game that reconnects New York with its storied past in college football. Rutgers, feeding off a friendly crowd, started slow but scored 20 straight points en route to a 27-13 victory. The school has now won five straight bowl games -- all under coach Greg Schiano -- and hasn't lost since the 2005 Insight Bowl. Rutgers, in fact, has gone to six bowls in the last seven years.

Emilio Bonifacio was a rate bright spot for the Marlins during the 2011 season. The speedster enjoyed a breakout season and proved capable of playing multiple positions in both the infield and outfield. Bonifacio is likely to be the starting center fielder and bat second behind shortstop Jose Reyes in 2012.

The Cubs have hired former star Bill Buckner as a minor league hitting coach. Buckner will be with the Boise Hawks of the short-season Class A Northwest League. The Cubs made the announcement Friday. Buckner played for the Cubs from 1977-84 and won the 1980 NL batting title. He was a career .289 hitter over 22 seasons.

Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay recently helped rescue a boy from an anaconda attack in the Amazon. Professional sport fisherman Skeet Reese embarked on a fishing trip to Brazil earlier in the month with Halladay, Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter and former closer B.J. Ryan. Halladay and Reese found a local sitting naked next to a tree with a large anaconda bite. The anaconda wrapped around the motor of the boy's canoe, preventing him from fleeing. Halladay and Reese helped the local gather his belongings, flip the boat and tow it away.

Don Mueller, a two-time All-Star whose hit helped set up Bobby Thomson's famed home run that won the 1951 NL pennant playoff, has died at age 84. Mueller was a career .296 hitter in 10 years with the New York Giants and two seasons with the White Sox. The outfielder led the majors with 212 hits in 1954.

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton said that he will continue to throw balls into the stands to fans and appreciates the support for that endeavor from Shannon Stone's mother, SuZann Stone, who wrote the slugger a letter urging him to keep handing out souvenirs. Shannon Stone passed away from injuries sustained in a fall at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in July when he tried to catch a foul ball tossed to him by Hamilton. Stone reached over a railing and dropped about 20 feet. "My intent will continue to be to toss baseballs to fans in the stands," Hamilton said Friday in response to stories written about SuZann Stone's desire for him to continue to give fans souvenir balls. "However, I am also very mindful that this needs to be done in the right circumstances. Giving away baseballs during a game is an important part of how we interact with our fans. I assess each situation to make certain it is done safely. I appreciate the comments by Mrs. Stone and my prayers are with the Stone family."

The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a former Rangers pitcher, Rosman Garcia, died in a car accident in his native Venezuela on Thursday. Garcia, 32, played for the Rangers in 2003. He had been playing for a Venezuelan team, the Aragua Tigers.

Kobe Bryant confirms he recently directed Alex Rodriguez to the German doctor who performed the treatment the slugger had on his right knee. "I gave him the phone number," Bryant said Thursday night. Bryant opened up about the steps he has taken to heal his arthritic joints in a rare pregame interview, crediting the therapy with dramatic improvement in his own troublesome right knee and an injured left ankle in recent months.