Team Prevails Over Patterson in Arbitration Ruling  —  The Washington Nationals prevailed Tuesday in an arbitration case over their presumptive ace, right-hander John Patterson.  —  A three-member panel in Phoenix ruled that Patterson — who went 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA last season …

Catching a lot of attention  —  Matsuzaka's tosses become media event  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Accidental fame doesn't give you much of a heads-up.  —  You can be minding your own business one minute, sweating up a storm while doing your job.  The next minute, your face …

Rangers' Gagne happy with early work  —  Ranger feels 'great' about first mound session since surgery  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  New closer Eric Gagne called his first trip to the top of a pitcher's mound since surgery last July "great."  —  Gagne threw off a mound at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home Tuesday and had no issues.

Save Rivera for later: Yanks  —  No deal till after season  —  TAMPA - Brian Cashman has nothing but respect for Mariano Rivera, but that doesn't mean he's planning to give the future Hall of Famer a contract extension before the end of the season.  —  Cashman said yesterday that he preferred …

Return a minor relief for Villone  —  TAMPA - After failing to land a two-year deal elsewhere, Ron Villone returned to the Yankees yesterday on a minor-league contract, getting a non-roster invitation to spring training.  He reported to Legends Field yesterday, where he will compete for a spot in the bullpen.

Cubs' bottom line is up  —  After spending millions, Hendry's next order of business is taking care of arbitration-eligible Zambrano  —  For all those hundreds of millions they've already spent on changes since last season, the biggest order of business for the Cubs this winter might …

All Zumaya Linking  —  You've probably all heard that Joel Zumaya just won't give up Guitar Hero.If you want my feelings on this, Roar of the Tigers has summed them up perfectly. … I'm not even that bothered that he missed the A's series last year.  I can understand a situation …

Players to watch  —  These are likeliest breakout success stories in the NL  —  Justin Verlander went to Tigers spring training last season with two games of major-league experience.  Scott Proctor had been rather useless over two seasons with the Yankees thanks to his ERAs of 5.40 and 6.04.

For Martínez and Sánchez, It's Good and Getting Better All the Time  —  One is celebrated for dashing through sprinklers and revitalizing a franchise.  The other is best recognized by his goggles.  —  One is not expected to throw from a mound for a few months.

The deal with Gibby  —  Lame-duck manager underpaid  —  Vernon Wells received a contract extension.  —  General manager J.P. Ricciardi has had his deal extended twice.  —  Then there is manager John Gibbons, who has only 162 games remaining on his contract with the Blue Jays.

Risk vs. Uncertainty  —  When we try to predict the outcome of a baseball season, whether as fans or pretend-general managers, there's a whole lot of stuff we just don't know.  In fact, if you want certainty, we don't know anything: any player in major league baseball could blow out his arm …

He Wept, For There Were No More Worlds to Conquer  —  I hope so.  But that's up to the guy upstairs.  —  Officer John McClane, Die Hard  —  I wonder if Stan Kasten ever gets tired of the implied warranty of team-building omniscience that gets assigned to him in every story, every column, and every interview.

Why we love baseball  —  Players, management and fans chime in on Valentine's Day  —  A record 76 million fans attended Major League Baseball games in 2006, and all signs point toward yet another single-season mark in 2007.  On this Valentine's Day, MLB.com decided to investigate …

White Sox grab reins after empty-handed '06  —  Set to buckle down after failing to repeat  —  The changes will extend beyond the new faces arriving at Tucson Electric Park when the White Sox's pitchers and catchers open spring training Saturday in Arizona.

Gaslamp Ball Interview with Paul DePodesta Part I  —  The San Diego Padres unquestionably have one of the most impressive front offices in all of baseball.  Sandy Alderson, Kevin Towers, Grady Fuson, Bill "Chief" Gayton and others are responsible for two division titles running.