The clock is ticking. Derek Jeter has less than two weeks to get ready for Opening Day and on Tuesday, his surgically repaired left ankle didn't cooperate. The Yankees shortstop was scratched from a game against the Phillies due to stiffness near the front of his ankle, although not where Jeter suffered the break in October. ... [As] for April 1, the Yankees still don't know who their shortstop will be and Girardi admitted Jeter's desire to return by that date might be counterproductive to getting completely healthy. "I'd like to have him at shortstop on Opening Day, but if we collectively feel he could use a few more days, we'll wait," Girardi said earlier on Tuesday. (New York Post) Comment

Turns out, it really was just this simple. Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh called his brother, Jim, to see if he would be interested in a trade for veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin. So was Jim suspicious that his sibling would call to propose a trade? "Oh, I'm sure he probably was suspicious," John Harbaugh said Tuesday morning at the NFL owners meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. But 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was not skeptical enough from making the trade come together in a matter of minutes on Monday, March 11, on the eve of the new league year. ... John Harbaugh made the initial phone call at 3:30 p.m. (ET), and within 30 minutes Baalke and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome worked out the details. (CSN Bay Area) Comment

A bad loss came at a worse time Tuesday night for the Clippers, who were outscored, 38-18, during the fourth quarter against the Kings. [The] Clippers now have the fifth-best record (46-22) in the West, half a game behind the 47-22 Denver Nuggets. "We're not playing well enough right now," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We're not guarding hard enough right now. We're not physically and mentally tough enough, especially when we have to be, in the fourth quarter. And that's definitely a concern." ... Told that Del Negro wasn't happy with how the Clippers gave in, [Chris Paul] agreed. "He shouldn't be happy," Paul said. ... "[Right now], I don't think we have the confidence that we need defensively." (Los Angeles Times) Comment