Schilling: I'll play in '08  —  Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said this morning on Boston sports radio station WEEI that he will not retire from baseball at the end of this season, as he previously had planned, and that he is in discussions with the Red Sox on a contract extension for 2008.

Bonds, Giants close to finalizing deal  —  Barry Bonds arrived in San Francisco on Monday, set to take a physical and complete a contract with the Giants nearly two months after they agreed on financial terms.  —  A federal investigation into Bonds' role in a steroids case and a report …

Cincinnati Reds  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

January 22-28  —  "Going into the season we didn't know how things would end up.  Obviously I was on the middle of the contract.  As the season went on, you have 3.5 million people coming out and they're talking a new ballpark, and SNY was doing well, you start thinking about sharing some of the wealth, of course."

Pettitte no bargain for Yankees  —  Enough fawning over the Yankees' signing of free-agent left-hander Andy Pettitte.  From the size of the contract to the condition of Pettitte's elbow to the decline in his 2006 performance, the deal is not as attractive as it appears.  —  First, the contract.

2007 Hitter Projections  —  Late January means only one thing.  Yup, it is projection season again.  After the postseason rumpus all those clever baseball sorts lock themselves away for a few months, tinker with their spreadsheets and databases before proffering their finest guesses/estimates …

The Curious Case of Captain Kirk  —  Last week, the Cincinnati Reds acquired Kirk Saarloos from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for a Double-A relief prospect.  There's nothing all that interesting about the trade; the A's freed up some salary while easing the crunch in their bullpen …

Another direct hit to MLB  —  Poor baseball.  —  Once again, it's got a "Kick Me" sign stuck to its back while the cool kids from the NFL get to swagger down the hall while everyone swoons.  —  This time, the problem is Major League Baseball offering its Extra Innings package …

Mariners star Suzuki may hit trade market  —  Ichiro Suzuki can become a free agent after the upcoming season.  Seattle's lack of recent success has been a disappointment for the Japanese star, but Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi doesn't believe Suzuki is aggravated enough to consider his options elsewhere.

NL West loaded with strong arms  —  Brian from California: Zito's in San Fran; Schmidt's in L.A. ...  ? … Everyone else in the NL West has stocked up on pitching with Barry Zito in San Francisco, Jason Schmidt in L.A., Greg Maddux in San Diego and now Randy Johnson in Arizona.  What do the Rox have?

Categorizing Minor League Pitchers: Part One - The Starters  —  Earlier this month, I published a two-part special designed to categorize major league starters and relievers by batted ball types and strikeout rates.  I am going to continue this project by analyzing minor league pitchers this week …

Winning is best way Nats can expand fan base here  —  VIRGINIA BEACH - Out of leftfield, as it were, the Washington Nationals' winter caravan arrived at the Princess Anne Recreation Center late Sunday morning.  —  Did we miss the memo that said South Hampton Roads is Nats territory?

Cardinals GM was a man of contrasts, high ideals  —  Vaughn Pallmore "Bing'' Devine was absolute proof that nice guys do finish first.  —  The two-term Cardinals general manager died Saturday morning at age 90 after a long siege with various ailments.  —  Devine served as Cardinals GM from 1957 to 1964, and again from 1968-78.