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 …

Art Fowler, former pitcher and pitching coach, dies at 84  —  SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Art Fowler, who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers' 1959 championship team and became a pitching coach for five major league clubs, died Monday.  He was 84.  —  He died at his home, his son John said.

Objectivity  —  The second thing from Farid's interview with MLB.com's Bill Ladson that I wanted to talk about was the idea of objectivity.  It seems that one of the things that bothers Ladson the most is the idea that he's in the Nationals' pocket, so to speak.

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.

Cook: Wilson's first great play is calling out Castillo  —  There were 16 PirateFests before the one that ended yesterday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, all highly successful, more successful than the losing seasons that almost always followed.  Who doesn't feel good thinking …

Perkins back on track  —  Glen Perkins rebounded nicely after struggling in Class AA last summer, and he could be part of the Twins' pitching rotation this season.  —  Glen Perkins strolled around the Metrodome at TwinsFest over the weekend getting better acquainted with what he hopes …

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 …

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.

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.

Inside Dish: Mariners' Hernandez plays biggest loser  —  The Mariners were giddy when RHP Felix Hernandez showed up at a team function 20 pounds lighter than he had reported in 2006.  Hernandez, 20, says he learned a lesson after arriving out of shape last spring and dedicated himself …

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?

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 …