(@Jay_HorwitzPR)New Yorks Mets pitcher Shaun Marcum is apparently at his most intimidating not when throwing a baseball, but when he uses his special bowling ball.

Unveiled to the world by Mets PR man Jay Horwitz via Twitter, Marcum's new ball has a skull in its middle, with intense red eyes and a hole in its head. Oh, and he only uses the ball for collecting spares.

In other words, Shaun Marcum has a message for the rest of you Wii Bowling sissies out there: Step your bowling game up. Get a skull in your bowling ball or go home!

Derek Jeter talks to Joe Girardi before Tuesday's Grapefruit League game. (USA Today)Despite his Tuesday MRI showing only mild inflammation in his ailing left ankle, there's a possibility Derek Jeter could miss opening day and beyond as he attempts to return from breaking the ankle in Game 1 of the ALCS last October. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted as much on Wednesday after the 13-time All-Star received a cortisone shot to help ease lingering stiffness and general discomfort.

From the Associated Press:

''We've got to do what's right for him,'' Cashman said. ''Whatever's right for him will be right for us. I'm not saying he's going to be DLed, but I can't tell you it won't be. I don't think it's anything serious, I just think it's a timing issue.''

Wednesday marks exactly five months since his surgery to repair the ankle, which was the high number on the original timetable for his recovery. To this point he has been ahead of that schedule, but perhaps he's pushed it a little too hard over the past week to maintain his pace and meet the requirements needed to declare himself ready for April 1.

Well, America, you have one more reason to envy Bryce Harper.

Sure, he's one of baseball's most exciting young players — a 20-year-old manboy on one of baseball's most heralded teams, the Washington Nationals. He's a millionaire 10 times over and now, get this. Chipotle is just giving the guy free burritos whenever he wants.

Thanks chipotle for my free burrito's for life card! The best thing ever! I really appreciate it! @chipotletweets twitter.com/Bharper3407/st…

— Bryce Harper (@Bharper3407) March 19, 2013

But here's an interesting wrinkle: While Harper announced on Twitter that it was a "free burritos for life" card, a Chipotle rep tells The Stew that it's actually free burritos for one year. It should go without saying, folks, but there's a huge difference between the two.

(Getty Images)Note: Spring Breaks is a Big League Stew series that talks to players about their lives off the field during spring training. Today: Michael Bourn, the speedy centerfielder who joined the Cleveland Indians this offseason after years with the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]

Mike Oz: What's your favorite pastime during spring training not related to baseball?
Michael Bourn: Playing pool.

MO: Are you pretty good?
MB: I'm OK.

Fantasy baseballers, want to know how much caution you should exercise when ranking Ryan Braun? Or Chase Headley? Or Zack Greinke?

Want to figure out which pitcher should be No. 1 on your draft board? Want to know if it's worth drafting A-Rod — at all? Want to talk sleepers and keepers, busts and prospects?

Then we've got good news for you.

The Yahoo! Sports fantasy experts are doing one of the Reddit's popular Ask-Me-Anything sessions, which makes them almost as cool as Buster Posey and Jose Bautista.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]

You can head over to Reddit, drop off your questions and watch as Yahoo! Sports' Scott Pianowski and Andy Behrens doll out free knowledge starting at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday (aka today). It's as wonderful as free sample day at Costco.

(AP)

Major League Baseball is going to appalling lengths to find evidence that it can use to punish Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun for performance-enhancing drugs.

A report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today says MLB already is pestering Braun's friends and associates, and soon will be going after his peers, digging for any information that can damage Braun, the only major leaguer known ever to overturn a positive drug test. Hey, did you know that FBI stands for Futile Baseball Informants?

[Also: Dominican Republic rides powerful pitching to first WBC title]

MLB has no leverage against potential informants who fall outside of baseball, but the league is going to try and play "good cop/bad cop" with Braun's peers. The names of at least 90 players, including Braun's, reportedly appear in the records of the Biogenesis Clinic of Miami, which has been reputed to dispense PEDs. Nightengale writes:

These players will have no choice but to talk to MLB officials. If they don't cooperate, MLB can suspend them, according to the bylaws of the collective bargaining agreement.

In some cases, according to two officials who spoke to USA TODAY Sports but were unauthorized to speak publicly, some players will be granted immunity even if they admit guilt to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. They would have to fully disclose their arrangement with Tony Bosch, former director of the now-shuttered Biogenesis clinic, including any possible involvement by their agents or knowledge of other players who received performance-enhancing drugs from him. (Emphasis ours)

Astonishing. First, Braun infuriated baseball by winning an arbitrator's judgment to get his drug test overturned. Then, the Miami New Times poured salt in the wound by refusing to turn over its Biogenesis records to MLB. The league talks about wanting justice while it lets anger make it blind.

MLB vice president Rob Manfred, of course, denies to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the league is out to get Braun:

(AP)

Hanley Ramirez injured his right thumb diving for a ball at third base during the championship game of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night, and he'll get an MRI in Arizona as he returns to spring camp for the Los Angeles Dodgers. If it's a serious injury, it would be the second for the NL West in recent days, with the Padres also losing Chase Headley for 4-6 weeks because of a broken thumb. Among stars playing in the WBC, David Wright of the Mets also hurt himself, playing for Team USA.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]

Ramirez gave no comment, but coach Alfredo Griffin told reporter Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, "I don't think it's bad."

The Dodgers already been concerned about Ramirez because he has not been playing shortstop — his position in the majors — and need him to get reps before the season starts in 10 days. Even if the injury isn't serious, any lost time at Camelback Ranch will set him back in some way for the regular season.

The Dominicans beat Puerto Rico 3-0 and finished 8-0 in the WBC.

[Y! Sports Fan Shop: Dominican Republic WBC champs apparel]

Jeter's ankle keeps him out of lineup again: Stiffness and in his surgically repaired left ankle will keep Derek Jeter out of the starting lineup Wednesday for a second straight day. An MRI performed Tuesday showed mild inflammation. Since playing in his first spring game March 9, Jeter is 3 for 11. Jeter, who turns 39 in June, broke his ankle during the AL playoffs.

Danks for nothing so far this spring:

Now this was some olde-fashioned family base ball Tuesday afternoon — a major league umpire calling balls and strikes from behind the pitcher's mound, like they used to do in the 19th century.

After home plate umpire Seth Buckminster (good umpire name) sustained an injury three batters into the first inning of the Milwaukee Brewers-Los Angeles Angels' Cactus League game, base umps Tim McClelland and Jim Joyce were the only officials left on the field. A fourth ump, Anthony Johnson, had left the field with Buckminster, who had suffered a broken in his left hand after a pitch got away from Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta. Johnson went to change into Buckminster's apparently elaborate home-plate gear.

Rather than delay the game any longer, McClelland positioned himself behind the mound to call pitches, Joyce stood elsewhere and Peralta was told to resume pitching. Via MLB.com:

"Just keep it moving," McClelland said. "We didn't want people to sit. Both managers agreed to it, and I knew it wasn't going to be long. This way we didn't have to sit and could keep the game going."

It made for a strange scene, but Peralta induced an inning-ending groundout from Josh Hamilton, and Angels starter Jason Vargas took over in the bottom of the first.

"I don't remember the last time I was pitching like that -- probably Little League when I was, like, 13 years old," said the Dominican-born Peralta. "It just forgot about it and [focused on] the hitters. It felt a little weird when he called, 'Ball!' behind me. It was like, 'Oh, God!'"

What in the name of Old Hoss Radbourn is going on?!