My work is done until the Florida trip

Making quick work of the gap between this afternoon and my quickly approaching trip to Fort Myers is Bugs and Cranks, who graciously outlined the next few weeks of baseball coverage for all of us from the most self-important newspaper columnist to the lowliest blogger, hacking away at the computer lab at their community college.

Better than that, it's in handy mad lib form. I'll be starting with these three:

* Unsigned beyond this season, veteran reliever _____ _____ says he intends to test the free-agent market, and has no intention of giving a home-town discount to the ______, for whom he’s pitched his entire career.

* Still battling the lingering effects of off-season surgery on his left ______, All-Star _____ baseman _____ _____ plans to go easy this spring, hoping not to exacerbate an injury that kept him shelved for the second half of last season. “It’s a long season, ya know. If I’m going to be a help to my team in October, when we all hope to be playing, there’s no sense pushing myself now.”

* Journeyman pitcher _____ _____, known for his bullpen antics and clubhouse spirit, says the groupies in ______ give the best ______.

(Image from: middlesbroughpct.nhs.uk)