Rodriguez Avoids a High-and-Tight Pitch  —  It seemed like a harmless enough event for Alex Rodriguez — a book signing for his new children's book at a Barnes & Noble store in Midtown Manhattan.  —  But the distractions began shortly after Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman, arrived around 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

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.

Q&A with Scott Boras  —  The following excerpts represent much of an interview with baseball agent Scott Boras conducted by Michael Silverman last week at Boras' Newport Beach, Calif., headquarters.  —  Q. Where's Bill Caudill these days?  —  A. That was my first multiyear contract, my first arbitration case.

Hicks: Third team not a crowd  —  New Liverpool co-owner insists he won't forget about Rangers, Stars  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  Tom Hicks spent Tuesday assuring sports fans on both sides of the Atlantic that he is about winning.  —  Early Tuesday, he and Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr …

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.

Dodgers preseason preview  —  Lots of pitching but little offensive firepower will make winning a grind  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team that have historically built upon a strong pitching staff with a solid ace, from the days of Koufax and Drysdale to Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser.

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.

Rotation  —  Thanks in large part to the spring training acquisition of Bronson Arroyo, the Reds' starting pitchers exceeded expectations in '06.  The rotation lowered its collective ERA by more than a half-run per game and was particularly strong down the stretch.

Beinfest has major holes left to fill  —  HOLLYWOOD — After the rookie-laden Marlins surprised the baseball world with 78 wins in 2006, the front office hoped to spend the off-season adding players who could make the team into a playoff contender in 2007.  —  But with spring training 10 days away …

The Best Young First Basemen of 2007  —  This week, I will continue my position-by-position review of the game's best players by examining young first basemen.  The following list differs from traditional prospect lists in two ways.  First, anyone under 25 is eligible.

Rangers sign left-hander Chen  —  The Rangers officially added left-hander Bruce Chen to the list of candidates for the fifth spot in the starting rotation Tuesday.  —  Chen, 29, agreed to a minor league contract and will be invited to spring training.  He joins right-handers Josh Rupe …

D.R. wins fifth straight, clinches title  —  Dominicans clinch Caribbean title with win, P.R. loss  —  CAROLINA, P.R. — Their red, white and blue uniforms read "Dominicano Soy," Spanish for "I am Dominican," but there is one word missing from the jerseys.  —  Campeon, the Spanish word for champion.

Planning Ahead in Milwaukee  —  I'd imagine that it's no secret to most of my readers that I'm a Brewers fan.  I've written with wonder about Milwaukee's stars on multiple occasions.  Today, I get to shower accolades on Doug Melvin for locking up Bill Hall through the 2010 season.