Flannery seeks adventure  —  Why would Tim Flannery leave the security of the Padres broadcasting booth for the uncertainty of a third-base coaching job with the Giants?  —  "For adventure and excitement," Flannery said yesterday after confirming that he has agreed to join Bruce Bochy's Giants staff.

Mariners won't bid for Matsuzaka  —  Team instead expected to pursue Schmidt and/or Eaton  —  SEATTLE — There figures to be a handful of Major League teams who will be involved in the posting process for the right to sign Japanese starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.  —  But the Seattle Mariners won't be one of them.

Rockies exercise club option on Byung-Hyun Kim  —  DENVER — The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have exercised the club option on right-handed pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim for the 2007 season.  —  Kim, 27, was 8-12 with a 5.57 ERA (155.0 ip, 96 er) with 61 walks and 129 strikeouts in 27 games/starts for Colorado in 2006.

Wright's HR gives MLB stars tie with Yomiuri  —  What a day for David Wright.  A few hours after joking with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in his downtown office, the Mets third baseman crushed a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning Thursday night as the MLB All-Stars finished …

Matthews has Angels interested  —  Team also reportedly will bid on Zito, but not Japanese sensation Matsuzaka.  Stoneman tells Kennedy he will not be retained.  —  The representative for free-agent center fielder Gary Matthews Jr., said the Angels are "extremely interested" …

Wells leaning to retirement, but will file … David Wells will spend much of this month in Africa hunting lions, leopards and water buffalo on safari with a bow and arrow.  —  He still maintains that he's finished as a professional baseball player.  But in the event he changes his mind …

Reliever Guillermo Mota suspended 50 games  —  Reliever Guillermo Mota was suspended for 50 games Wednesday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, becoming the third player penalized this year for violating Major League Baseball's toughened drug policy.

Pirates' AAA Skipper Is Latest to Interview  —  The Washington Nationals have interviewed yet another candidate for their open managerial job, talking to Trent Jewett, the manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Class AAA affiliate, about becoming Frank Robinson's replacement.

Tigers extend Dombrowski's contract  —  Four-year deal keeps executive in Detroit through 2011 season  —  DETROIT — The Tigers' comeback from 119 losses to the World Series in three years will mean a long stay for Dave Dombrowski, who agreed on Thursday to a four-year contract extension to remain with the Tigers through 2011.

Generalities in Pitch Location  —  How often have you heard a player attribute his success to "throwing more pitches inside," or heard a manager say a pitcher was "hitting his spots?"  Pretty much everyone talks about pitch location, but how often is it actually quantified?

No decision by Glavine  —  If Tom Glavine's agent, Gregg Clifton, were to place odds on his client's future, the Mets would be the favorites over the Braves to land his signature on a new contract.  —  But Clifton bases that sense only on "an evaluative point of view," …

Report: Pirates to sign Cuban defector  —  Pending a physical, Herrera will get a three-year deal  —  PITTSBURGH — According to various published reports, the Pirates are close to inking a deal with Cuban defector Yuslan Herrera.  —  Herrera, 25, is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed pitcher.