O's, Patterson agree on one-year deal … The Orioles have agreed to terms today on a one-year deal with Corey Patterson, avoiding salary arbitration with their center fielder, according to a club source.  —  Patterson will make a base salary of $4.3 million in 2007.

El Hombre's biggest hit: becoming a U.S. citizen  —  JUPITER, FLA. — He has been named a National League All-Star at three positions, and he has won a batting title, a Most Valuable Player Award and a Gold Glove.  —  Now, for the first time, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols will report to spring training as a U.S. citizen.

Reds' Arroyo agrees to 2-year extension through 2010  —  CINCINNATI — Right-hander Bronson Arroyo and the Cincinnati Reds agreed Thursday to a $25 million, two-year contract extension through 2010.  —  Arroyo's previous contract contains $8,075,000 in remaining guaranteed salary: $4,125,000 this year and $3.95 million in 2008.

Dellin dealin'  —  Betances, Yanks' 8th-round draft pick, ready to go  —  Dellin Betances  —  Yankee rookie Dellin Betances showed up early for work, arriving at the Yankees' training complex in Tampa last Monday, a month before most minor-leaguers are scheduled to appear for spring training.

Division tour: AL West  —  Yahoo! Sports is taking an early look at each division in the days leading up to Feb. 15, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.  Today, the American League West.  —  One of the most fascinating and underrated rivalries in baseball is separated by 365 miles …

Commentary: Marlins would be foolish to antagonize Cabrera  —  Larry Beinfest has lots of baseball smarts.  He's the general manager who has put together team after low-payroll Marlins team that has exceeded expectations be it by winning a World Series (2003) or by pushing a .500 record …

Young Marlins swimming in infield talent  —  Hanley Ramirez did a quick, visual reconnaissance of the sold-out crowd at the New York baseball writers annual dinner last week, seemingly overwhelmed by its size (1,500 people) and its passion (Jonathan Papelbon was thickly booed after being introduced).

Citi Field rising in Queens  —  Standing in the middle of a windswept dirt lot, with a wind chill in the teens, it was difficult to imagine David Wright or Jose Reyes occupying this very spot on Opening Day of the 2009 season.  —  But that's the timetable for Citi Field …

Kerry Joins Fans Upset by the Plan for Extra Innings  —  The pending deal to shift Major League Baseball's Extra Innings package exclusively to DirecTV starting in April is still not ready to be announced, but Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, would like to undo it.

White Sox strike while iron is hot  —  Hike prices after fans flock to Cell in '06  —  After winning the 2005 World Series, the White Sox were one of the hottest tickets in the majors in 2006.  —  But it will cost a few dollars more in 2007 to see what could be the Mark Buehrle/Jermaine …

Diamondbacks preseason preview  —  Like true snakes, Arizona could slither into playoff race  —  As fans of the Devil Rays would surely tell you—assuming for a moment that "fans of the Devil Rays" actually exist—an expansion team is typically all but guaranteed a long period of losing right off the bat.

Harvey hoping Veterans ballots will finally say, 'Yer in!'  —  Heaven is knock, knock, knockin' on Cooperstown's door.  —  Well, sort of.  You see, the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee ballots are being collected and counted this month, with the results to be announced on Feb. 27, and last time he was up, God missed by only 13 votes.

Selig unsure whether he will attend games as Bonds chases record  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Barry Bonds might get a telephone call from baseball commissioner Bud Selig instead of a handshake if the San Francisco Giants slugger breaks Hank Aaron's home run record.

TV Commentator Rankings  —  From the best to the worst of the NFL announcers  —  A new problem has arisen, as I attempt to make some sense out of the many charts that define my Ninth Annual TV Commentator Rankings column.  The problem is how do you rate a team when one member is obviously much stronger than his partner?

When Is A Win Not A Win?  —  Improving on MP/MW  —  by Neil deMause  —  It's a fact of life that if you invent a popular statistic, that's what you're going to be remembered for.  Charles Richter is known for his Scale, Virginia Apgar is known for her Score, and just try to tell me that if I say …