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 …

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 …

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."

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.

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 …

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.

A little less uncertainty for Nats' O'Connor  —  A little less uncertainty for Nats' O'Connor  —  Mike O'Connor hasn't picked up a baseball all winter, and thanks to elbow surgery in November, he won't be able to compete for a spot in the Washington Nationals' rotation this spring, but the left-hander can't complain too much.

Umpires finding their calling  —  Learning to be an umpire is a labor of love for hundreds of hopefuls each year.  `If you haven't actually stepped out there on the field, you really don't have an appreciation for what actually goes into it.'  —  kbaxter@MiamiHerald.com

Reggie, Hough feted at dinner  —  Baseball's past, spiced with Yankees flavoring, and its present, served with a heaping portion of Mets, was on the menu at last night's 84th New York Chapter Baseball Writers Association of American dinner at the New York Hilton.