(USA Today)All speculation surrounding Nolan Ryan's future with the Texas Rangers came to an end Wednesday evening.

In statements released by both Ryan and Rangers co-chairmen Ray Davis and Bob Simpson, it was announced that the 8-time all-star pitcher and current Rangers CEO will continue in his role going forward.

Reports began surfacing in early March that suggested Ryan's relationship with the organization may be deteriorating after general manager Jon Daniels was promoted to president of baseball operations while holding on to the GM title, and Rick George was named president of business operations while remaining the the club's COO. It's believed Ryan was concerned about losing power in the organization despite holding a higher position and fully intended on walking away. But those concerns have been squashed now and all parties are comfortable continuing on with the partnership.

[Also: Red Sox's historic sellout streak ends at 794 games]

Here's what Ryan himself had to say via the Rangers' press release:

"After productive discussions the last several weeks with Ray Davis and Bob Simpson about the structure of our organization, together we are moving forward. In my role as CEO, I am focused on working closely with ownership and with Jon Daniels and Rick George to build on the success of the past five years and to bring a championship to Arlington."

Sam Sianis with his goat in 1984. (AP)We've all heard the story before. During the 1945 World Series, Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis placed a curse on the Chicago Cubs when the team denied his pet goat Murphy entry into the famed Wrigley Field. Since, the Cubs have not appeared in another World Series, let alone won one, so the "Curse of the Billy Goat" is still referenced to this day.

It's ridiculous, I know, but the urban myth lives on and on and on, sometimes thanks to the Cubs themselves.

Sadly, I think too many people buy into the idea of a curse to begin with. And even sadder, I think too many people take the idea way, way too seriously. That has to be the only way to explain what happened at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, when a package containing the severed head of a goat addressed to owner Tom Ricketts was dropped off at the ballpark.

Yes, the severed head of a goat. Your eyes did not deceive you.

[Also: Red Sox's historic sellout streak ends at 794 games]

Here are some additional details on the incident courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

A package with a goat’s head was dropped off at Wrigley, 1060 W. Addison St., addressed to Ricketts, Cubs team spokesman Julian Green said.

The package was dropped off at Gate K at the field, Green said. The delivery was reported to police, he said.

Police were called to the ballpark about 2:30 p.m. because of an "intimidating package," and officers filed an appropriate report, said Police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala. News Affairs did not have information on details of the incident, but police are investigating, Zala said.

Fans file in on Monday — sellout No. 794. (USA Today)The Boston Red Sox knew it was coming, and now it's official. The 794 game sellout streak at Fenway Park — 820 when postseason games are included — ended on Wednesday night as the team's second home game against the Baltimore Orioles — which they dropped 8-5 — drew an announced crowd of 30,862. That's nearly 7,000 short of Fenway's current capacity of 37,499.

The streak began on May 15, 2003, and ultimately surpassed the Cleveland Indians 455 consecutive sellouts from 1995-2001 to become the longest sellout streak in Major League Baseball history. As Matt Snyder of Eye on Baseball notes, when including the postseason games, it becomes the longest sellout streak in professional sports, passing the Portland Trailblazers mark set at 814.

[Also: Oakland's Nate Freiman caddies, studies history, defies logic in MLB]

Pretty remarkable numbers, and a record the Red Sox organization and their fans should be proud of. And it appears they are. Here's what a few of the important figures within the organization had to say in statements released on Wednesday.

Owner John Henry:

“The streak is a reflection of a phenomenal period of baseball in Boston and of America's greatest ballpark. But more than that, it is a testament to the baseball passion of New England fans. As we close the book on this incredible era, we look forward to another with a renewed certainty that the next couple of generations of Red Sox fans will also be enjoying baseball at the ever magical Fenway Park.”

From the world of college baseball comes a real doozy of a boxscore.

On Tuesday night, the Central Arkansas Bears defeated the Grambling State Tigers in one of the more lopsided games you'll see at the high school level or higher. The final score: 30-0 — and a quick study of said boxscore will leave your jaw on the floor as you digest some of the numbers posted by the Bears offense... or allowed by the Tigers.

As the home team, Central Arkansas had to do their damage in eight innings. That wasn't a problem, as they plated at least one in each frame and as many as six in three different innings. They did it by collecting 27 hits of their own, but were also aided by 12 walks, four hit batsmen and six errors (resulting in 13 unearned runs).

You know, it's almost a miracle they didn't score 40.

When all was said and done, Central Arkansas sent 72 men to the plate. That averages out to exactly nine hitters per innings. It also means only one-third of their hitters were retired successfully.

There are a couple different perspectives in which you can view the 13-0 drubbing the Toronto Blue Jays suffered at the hands of the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon.

On one hand, you could view it as a big breakout afternoon for the Red Sox bats as they connected for six home runs and scored 13 runs on 15 hits overall. Or you could look at it from the other side, which is R.A. Dickey isn't enjoying his transition to the American League one single bit.

In his opening day start against the Cleveland Indians, Dickey was a notch below average, allowing four runs on five hits over six innings. He also walked four. On Sunday, the Red Sox were less forgiving, touching him up for eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits (two homers) and a pair of walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Not good. In fact, his five runs allowed in the first inning equaled the total number of first inning runs he allowed all of last season — in 33 starts.

(USA Today)Some important information if you're planning on buying New York Yankees tickets in the near future. You'll want to update your list of box office phone numbers by crossing off 800-913-9793.

Just trust me on this one. Unless of course you want to find yourself explaining to a family member or significant other why "Jake from State Farm" is on the other line.

You know what I'm getting at.

According to Natalie O'Neill of the New York Post, the old toll-free number mentioned above that at one time connected you directly to the Yankees box office number is now owned by a sex hotline. Instead of pressing 2 to speak to a representative about how many tickets are available in section 214, you can speak to a hot lady who's been waiting for your call all of her life... for a small fee after a five minute trial!

Or however that works.

The jokes about the New York Yankees season going up in flames pretty much write themselves, but first and foremost we’re happy to report there were no injuries or property damage reported when a postgame fireworks display at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders — Triple-A affiliate of the Yankees — game on Saturday started a brush fire behind PNC Park in Moosic, PA.

Fireworks at the #RailRiders game started a forest fire behind PNC Field. Wow. #Scranton twitter.com/nicolesorce/st…

— Nicole Sorce (@nicolesorce) April 7, 2013

The Scranton Times Tribune reports that the blaze started after fireworks landed on some dry brush in a field just beyond the stadium, which we probably could have surmised on our own. They did add that the fire was contained to just one acre of land which means local firefighters reacted quickly and did a good job knocking it down.

(AP)The Juice returns for season No. 6! It's almost eligible for free-agency! Stop by daily for news from the action, along with great photos, stats, video highlights and more.

Albert comes alive: We won't have to worry about another homerless April for Albert Pujols. The Los Angeles Angels slugger muscled up twice in their 8-4 victory over the Rangers, pacing an offensive attack that also received home runs from Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos.

In a historical twist, Pujols was also intentionally walked three times in the game. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, that makes him the first player in American League history to homer twice and receive three intentional passes in a single game, and the third in MLB history.

His own outburst definitely played a role in the Rangers strategy. As did the struggles of Josh Hamilton, whose 0 for 4 dropped him to 1 for 20 (.050) on the season with 10 strikeouts to boot.

''I think it was a smart move,'' said Hamilton. ''Albert was dominating today, obviously. If I was in their situation, I would have done the same thing.''

Chances are the situation will dictate more of the same on Sunday.