A-ROD TROUBLES ARE OPEN BOOK  —  WON'T SAY IF HE'LL OPT OUT OF DEAL  —  What A-Mess.  Call it Alex in Blunderland.  —  Alex Rodriguez's appearance at a signing for his children's book was mishandled by his publicist and bookstore staff members, turning the ballyhooed event into a media circus …

Source: A's agree to 1-year deal with Stewart  —  The Oakland Athletics have reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Shannon Stewart for a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $2.5 million with incentives, pending a physical, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney has learned.

Alou could make Mets' lineup even more formidable  —  The Mets haven't exactly loaded up on starting pitchers this offseason.  They struck out on Barry Zito and got outbid for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka.  Their biggest signing of a starting pitcher was the re-signing of 40-year-old Tom Glavine.

Reynolds's Pact Is Included in Amended ESPN Suit  —  Harold Reynolds, a baseball analyst who was accused of sexual harassment and fired by ESPN last year, was scheduled to earn at least $4.875 million in a six-year contract that went into effect last March.  —  Reynolds's contract is part …

Pedro in fight to the finish  —  Pedro Martinez is working his way back into shape in hopes of returning to his old form and the Mets in time for a run to a World Series title.  —  Barring a change of heart, Pedro Martinez will likely retire once the remaining two years of his Mets' contract are up.

Manny questions yet to be answered  —  There is a long checklist of issues to be addressed during the upcoming Red Sox season, but one that has been in hibernation since the winter meetings in December is Manny Ramírez's frame of mind.  —  The people who know — or think they know — just aren't saying, or they're hedging.

Player Profile  —  Adam Dunn  —  Former Baseball Prospectus cover boy Adam Dunn has long been known for his incredible combination of power and patience at the plate, but none of that seemed to matter much in the second half of 2006 when Dunn's performance at the plate helped the Reds miss out on an easily attainable playoff spot.

A Spring-Training Invitation Remains Unanswered  —  The next road trip on Bernie Williams's schedule is not to Tampa, Fla., for Yankees spring training.  He will not be packing bats and gloves.  Instead, he will bring his guitar to a church in New Milford, Conn., tomorrow, for a benefit concert with Chynna Phillips.

Marlins continue hunt for closer, outfielder  —  Florida has not addressed its needs in the bullpen and outfield this offseason and is `prepared to go as is right now.'  —  Taylor Tankersley went on his first hunting trip in October, climbed a tree and with a single shot using a bow took …

Owning up to a problem  —  Sixty years after integration, baseball still has few black managers  —  DALLAS — Here we are in the second week of Black History Month, less than a week removed from the first Super Bowl in which both head coaches were African-Americans, and it would seem …

Will Red Sox get bang for their bucks?  —  The Boston Red Sox delight in branding themselves as a hardscrabble, salt-of-the-earth alternative to that behemoth in the Bronx.  —  Well, they're full of it.  —  Sure, the Sox don't spend as much as the Yankees, but 28 other teams in baseball see them as being cut from a similar cloth.

Raines Is the Next Great Player To Be Shut Out of the Hall  —  It's early yet — we have another year before the results of the 2007 Hall of Fame voting are announced — but it's time to start banging the drum for a player who will be up for election for the first time this year …

What a relief: Guillen likes Sox' new pen  —  It was a bold statement made by Ozzie Guillen.  —  Not that the White Sox manager ever falls short in that department.  —  But in talking two weeks ago about the 2007 version of the Sox, Guillen made an assessment that was completely heartfelt

100 Names You Need to Know  —  Here's the 11th annual list of Sports Weekly's 100 Names You Need to Know.  These are the next wave of players coming into the majors who, in our view, could make the biggest impact during the 2007 season.  —  These aren't necessarily baseball's 100 best prospects.

Dotting Ts and Crossing Is  —  The Nats agreed to contracts with 12 more players, which is certainly more impressive than it sounds.  These players were all under the team's control, and none of them were arbitration eligible since they lacked the three full years of major-league service time.

Bazardo And Butto . . .  Yorman Bazardo-who has been outstanding since the Mariners designated him for assignment after signing Jeff Weaver-and Francisco Butto were two of the main reasons Venezuela was able to put away Puerto Rico on Tuesday and hand the Caribbean Series title to the Dominican Republic.