Dice-K gives sneak peek: Excited to spring into Sox career  —  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Daisuke Matsuzaka apologized to the Japanese media and nation for scheduling his press briefing yesterday on the same day as the start of spring training in Japan.  —  2007 Red Sox roster:

Pittsburgh Pirates Roundtable #11  —  Question #1:  —  True or false: The Pirates are putting too much stock in their top four starting pitchers.  —  Wilbur T. Miller from Pirate Player Profiles:  —  True.  The bullpen figures to be deep but not outstanding, especially with Gonzalez gone.

Cubs, Prior reach $3,575,000, 1-year deal  —  Right-hander Mark Prior and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a one-year deal Wednesday and avoided salary arbitration.  —  Prior will get $3,575,000 and would earn an additional $150,000 each for making 27 and 30 starts.

Yanks to Stot: Yer out!  —  For the first time time in the Joe Torre era, Mel Stottlemyre won't have a role with the Yankees this season, not even in spring training.  —  After retiring as pitching coach following the 2005 season, Stottlemyre helped the Yankees make the transition to Ron Guidry in spring training last year.

Kerry takes up 'Extra Innings' issue  —  WASHINGTON — A proposal to make Major League Baseball's "Extra Innings" exclusive to DirecTV has drawn the ire of Sen. John Kerry.  —  The Massachusetts Democrat said he plans to raise the matter with the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission at a hearing Thursday.

LaRoche: Braves, fans were spoiled  —  The Braves will hold their FanFest Saturday at Turner Field, and Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and 15 other players are scheduled to attend and sign autographs.  —  Not on the list, of course, is Adam LaRoche.

GM: Pitching will not be a problem  —  Mets general manager Omar Minaya has always been a glass-is-half-full kind of guy.  It's of little wonder, then that as the team's demanding, boisterous fan base frets over the state of the team's pitching staff heading into the 2007 season, Minaya is offering a top-shelf sales pitch.

His legacy is thriving  —  Jackie Robinson would have been 88 years old today.  —  Wonder what he would have thought.  No doubt he'd be honored that Major League Baseball permanently retired his No. 42 (Yankee Hall of Famer closer Mariano Rivera will be the last one to wear it).

O's close in on one-year deal with Roberts … While continuing to discuss a long-term contract extension with Brian Roberts, the Orioles are closing in on a one-year deal with the second baseman that, in the short term, will help the two sides avoid salary arbitration.

ATLANTA BRAVES  —  Signed RHP Tanyon Sturtze to one-year deal.  [12/3]  —  Acquired RHP Rafael Soriano from the Mariners for LHP Horacio Ramirez.  [12/7]  —  Non-tendered 2B-R Marcus Giles and RHP Chris Reitsma.  [12/12]  —  Signed RHP Buddy Carlyle, LHP Steve Colyer, OF-L Doug Clark …

Living on the edge of a goal  —  The air-supported bubble was bursting with activity on a wintry afternoon in central New Jersey.  Two teams of top high school-age players were playing a game in one corner of the facility.  A pair of Little League-age teams played in another area.

Agent: Bonds won't sign revised contract right now  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Barry Bonds' contract with the San Francisco Giants isn't final just yet.  —  After the commissioner's office rejected Bonds' $15.8 million, one-year deal because it contained a personal-appearance provision …

Mets LHP Williams has neck surgery; Sierra agrees to minor league deal  —  NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets pitcher Dave Williams had surgery Wednesday to repair a herniated disk in his neck and it's unclear how long he could be sidelined.  —  The team also announced that it agreed …

Congressmen Back Up Mitchell's Steroid Warnings  —  Two weeks after George J. Mitchell warned baseball owners that Congress could become involved in his steroids investigation if he did not receive more cooperation from those within the sport, two congressmen offered their backing for Mitchell's efforts.

Trying to reach a long-term goal  —  Hall, Brewers eye multi-year deal  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  When Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin considers offering a multi-year contract to a player, he goes through a mental checklist of three primary items.

Clemens: `I'm failing at retirement'  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Roger Clemens talked about his plight and laughed.  —  "I'm failing at retirement," he said.  "Let's just face it.  I'm failing miserably at it."  —  The 44-year-old right-hander, unsure whether to retire or return for a 24th major league season …