Tavarez pitches Dominican Republic to victory  —  CAROLINA, Puerto Rico - Julian Tavarez pitched three-hit ball into the sixth inning and the unbeaten Dominican Republic eliminated defending champion Venezuela from title contention in the Caribbean Series with a 7-1 win Monday.

If They Don't Post It's a Shame  —  A Growing Chorus of Bloggers Chronicles the Nats, Who Are Reading  —  The e-mail popped in, and Chris Needham took a minute to digest it.  The sender was easily identifiable: Stan Kasten is the president of the Washington Nationals …

Rethinking the 2006 Rookie Class — NL  —  The rookie class of 2006 was so ridiculously packed with talent that they should have given out two ROY awards for each league.  Florida's Hanley Ramirez, the leader of the Marlins' kiddie brigade, ended up with the NL trophy while Detroit's Justin Verlander took home the AL honors.

METS LEFTY OUT FOR 3 MONTHS  —  Dave Williams could require three months of rehab before he is able to pitch for the Mets, his agent said yesterday.  —  The left-hander had surgery last Wednesday for a herniated disc in his neck, and yesterday his agent, David Pepe, said the understanding based …

PECOTA Takes on First Base Prospects  —  It's not a good day to be writing.  Sunday was the Super Bowl, and while I managed to avoid a serious hangover, our spirit is down in Chi-town, and so is the temperature, which at last glance was lower than Rex Grossman's passer rating.

What Does the Future Hold for Jake Peavy?  —  The honest answer is that we have no clue whatsoever, but that's boring and doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know.  So instead we gather available information and make educated guesses.  —  Why We Use Comparables: Justification and Limitations

Former 20-Game Winner Helling Retires  —  FARGO, N.D. — Rick Helling is retiring from baseball after pitching in the major leagues for 12 years, highlighted by a 20-win season.  —  "I've said all along that I would retire if I couldn't do it anymore or if I couldn't be away from my family anymore," Helling said Monday.

Put It in the Book: A-Rod Tells Children About Resolve  —  Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will release his second children's book Tuesday, two weeks before he is set to report to spring training.  —  Titled "Out of the Ballpark," the book is "autobiographical fiction" …

Nats announce schedule change  —  March 29 matchup against Orioles moved up one day  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals announced that their March 29 Spring Training game against the Orioles at Space Coast Stadium has been moved up to March 28.  The game will still be played at Space Coast Stadium, and game time remains at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Nationals preseason preview  —  With new ballpark opening in '08, Washington looks into the future  —  Yes, there still is a major league baseball team that plays in Washington DC.  —  Sure, no one outside the nation's capital save for the assorted fantasy geeks can name more than a handful of its players.

Drew the body good: New Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew goes to extraordinary lengths to keep his body - and mind - health  —  As much as the message might have boosted the spirits of Red Sox fans, it meant even more to Tamara Jo Mariea.  —  "I was talking to J.D. the other day," Mariea said …

Hall, Brewers agree to four-year, $24M deal  —  MILWAUKEE — Bill Hall and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed Monday to a $24 million, four year contract.  —  Hall, who is slated to play center field for the Brewers, gets a $500,000 signing bonus, $3 million this year, $4.8 million in 2008, $6.8 million in 2009 and $8.4 million in 2010.

Former Orioles pitcher Steve Barber dies at 67 … The first time Jim Palmer had the chance to watch Steve Barber pitch in person, during an exhibition game in Aberdeen, S.D., in 1964, the future Hall of Famer held one recurring thought in his head.  —  Toiling at the Single-A level …