Respect is a word we often associate with Mariano Rivera. Even if you hate — hate — the Yankees with every fiber of your being, as many baseball fans no doubt do, you have to respect Rivera for his extraordinary success in the ninth inning and the exemplary way he has carried himself on and off the field lo these many years.

Having placed Matt Harrison on the disabled list early in the day Wednesday, the Rangers needed some good news regarding their pitching rotation, and Yu Darvish delivered it with a smile.

Commissioner Bud Selig’s latest initiative to investigate and address the issue of on-field diversity was announced on Wednesday: the creation of a task force that will look at the talent pipeline that impacts the representation and development of minority players and on-field personnel, especially African-Americans.

In the grand scheme of everyday life a broken fingernail means next to nothing, but the same can’t necessarily be said for a knuckleball pitcher like R.A. Dickey.

Derek Jeter took batting practice, fielded ground balls and threw to first base at the Yankees’ Minor League complex Wednesday morning, and Curtis Granderson was in center field tracking line drives and fly balls.

Jered Weaver has a fractured left elbow and is expected to be sidelined for a month, maybe longer.

Jose Bautista made his return to the Blue Jays’ lineup on Tuesday afternoon following a three-game absence because of a twisted right ankle.

MLB Advanced Media and Qualcomm have joined together on a multiyear engineering and technology deal that includes a collaborative effort to survey, plan and optimize mobile network connectivity for fans at supported MLB ballparks.

Victor Martinez was out of the Tigers’ lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Blue Jays after cutting his right thumb on the bat rack in the dugout. He’s listed as day to day.

If this season is anything like the last one, then you may be enjoying Domino’s pizza shortly. Domino’s and Major League Baseball Advanced Media on Tuesday announced a “DomiNoNo” offer to all subscribers of MLB.TV.

The reunion of Nick Swisher and Travis Hafner with their former teams on Monday was interesting for reasons that extend beyond the reunions themselves. For the signings of these two sluggers tell us quite a bit about the direction of two distinctly different franchises and maybe even baseball, as a whole.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke is expected in the dugout as usual Tuesday night after a morning bout of back spasms sent him to a Chicago emergency room.

Of the numerous teams, such as the Yankees, starting the season with All-Star-caliber players on the disabled list, some haven’t missed a beat (think the Braves without catcher Brian McCann) over the season’s opening week, while others (San Diego minus Chase Headley) might be a bit more desperate to return to full health.

One hundred years ago Tuesday, Ebbets Field hosted its first regular-season baseball game as the home of the Dodgers. For those who saw games there, it remains vivid in memories of a time long gone.

Every lineup, every day, as they are made public by the clubs.

Pitching, defense, timely hitting and good execution are a pretty good formula in any game, and the Mariners got a healthy dose of all four in Monday night’s 3-0 victory over the Astros in their Safeco Field opener.

The Pirates downed the D-backs, 5-3, in Chase Field despite the premature departure of starter Wandy Rodriguez.