Who's sorry now?  Williams  —  White Sox GM says he has been too blunt, apologizes to Buehrle  —  Ken Williams admits he has a problem because he is too blunt.  —  The White Sox general manager apologized Saturday to Mark Buehrle and Buehrle's parents during a 30-minute conversation …

Helton trade up in the air  —  Todd Helton's future with the Rockies is in limbo.  —  The Rockies and Boston Red Sox have been discussing trade possibilities involving Helton since November, as reported originally by the Rocky, but have struggled to look for a fit since …

Bing Devine: 1916-2007  —  Vaughn Pallmore "Bing'' Devine was a collector's item among sports executives.  —  Not because his career spanned almost 70 years, most with his beloved Cardinals, from his start as an office boy in 1939 to his death Saturday (Jan. 27, 2007) at age 90, still employed as the team's special assignment scout.

Kazmir insists shoulder is fine … ST. PETERSBURG - If your biggest concern about the upcoming season is the state of Scott Kazmir's left shoulder, the just-turned 23-year-old ace says there is nothing to worry about.  —  "Not at all," he said.  "I don't even see that as a question."

Under radar for no good reason  —  Reds' Harang, others deserve a closer look  —  Quick now.  Who led the National League in complete games last year?  —  We'll give you a hint.  He was the same guy who led the NL in strikeouts.  He had six complete games out of 35 starts and went 16-11 with a 3.76 earned-run average.

Pirates management discusses team  —  PirateFest lets for fans ask Bucs executives hard questions  —  PITTSBURGH — From players brought in (Adam LaRoche) to players not (Jeff Weaver), from who'll play second base (it may not be the guy who started 145 games there last year) …

Super Bowl has nothing on these red-hot topics  —  Not to demean the NFL, but in baseball Indianapolis is home to the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate.  Chicago is home to, well, the Cubs.  —  The Super Bowl TV audience dwarfs even that of American Idol, but so what?

Santana vows to avoid Twin distractions of pressure and pay  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — By winning his second AL Cy Young Award in three years, Johan Santana set himself up for a big payday when his contract expires after the 2008 season.  —  While the Minnesota Twins ponder the possibility …

Middle Relievers Are Moving Front and Center  —  In an effort to raise the performance standards of their bullpens, teams have raised the standard of living for the pitchers who populate those bullpens.  The more important they are perceived to be, the more money middle relievers are earning.

Stars are on ball at autograph show … In a private room at one end of the 300 level of the Baltimore Convention Center, four Hall of Famers sat at separate tables, signing baseballs, bats, jerseys and helmets that later would be shipped as pre-orders and sold.

Rangers' Otsuka is OK with old role  —  Rangers' former closer willingly returns to pitch in eighth inning  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  For a few minutes Friday evening, Akinori Otsuka awkwardly searched for words to describe his new role as the Rangers set-up man to Eric Gagne.