Bonds will be lonely man in San Francisco  —  Sing along with Barry ...  Congratulations to Akon, the Senegalese hip-hop star.  His reprise of the old Bobby Vinton hit, Mr. Lonely, should be the official theme song of Bonds' countdown to 755.  —  What, no posse?  Say it ain't so!  —  Those mean Giants.

Rockies end talks to trade Helton  —  Red Sox won't give up a top prospect, ending trade talks  —  Todd Helton dropped by Coors Field on Monday and went through his normal winter workout with several other Rockies players.  —  Nothing had changed for Helton.  —  "Just a normal day," he said.

Mariners sign RHP Weaver to one-year contract  —  SEATTLE (Ticker) - After winning a World Series ring in the National League, Jeff Weaver has decided to move back to the American League.  —  The Seattle Mariners on Monday announced that they have have agreed to terms with the free-agent righthander on a one-year contract.

Art Fowler, 84, Who Coached for Yankees Again and Again, Is Dead  —  Art Fowler, who became George Steinbrenner's sixth, ninth, 17th and 26th Yankees pitching coach in a turbulent baseball pairing with his often hired and fired manager and drinking buddy Billy Martin, died yesterday in Spartanburg, S.C. He was 84.

Pitchers Sanchez, Johnson slowed by sore arms  —  Two of the five members of the Marlins' starting rotation, right-handers Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez, are dealing with throwing arm injuries that could put a crimp in their spring training plans.  —  Though the injuries aren't considered serious …

Yankees to help build interest in baseball in China  —  BEIJING — The New York Yankees agreed Tuesday to send coaches, scouts and trainers to China to help boost interest in baseball, furthering a push by the major leagues into one of the world's fastest-growing sports markets.

Williams stocks Sox's pen with Cell-friendly power arms  —  No more gimmick pitches or attempts to trick team officials or trainers.  —  In a span of two years, the White Sox's bullpen has undergone a dramatic transformation that borders on an in-your-face, hard-throwing style similar …

An Effort to Get More Fans to Meet the Mets  —  For more than an hour, five of the Mets' better-known players had been posing for photographs, signing autographs, shaking hands and exchanging high-fives, when Judi Millar made a slightly less common request of Tom Glavine.

Wilkerson working toward better season  —  Wilkerson put Rangers above all else, even his Gators, this off-season  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  The celebratory confetti was still fluttering from the Georgia Dome roof when Brad Wilkerson, a proud Florida Gator, sprung into action.

Zimmerman Remains Upbeat About Lineup  —  While Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was on his way to driving in 110 runs as a rookie last season, there was one constant.  Leadoff man Alfonso Soriano, enjoying a season in which he became just the fourth player to hit 40 homers …

Orioles claim pitcher Guthrie off waivers from Indians  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles claimed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie off waivers from the Cleveland Indians on Monday and added the right-hander to their 40-man roster.  —  The 27-year-old Guthrie had a 6.98 ERA in nine games with Cleveland last year.