Sox to Curt: Fat chance — Team sticks with wait-and-see tactic  —  FORT MYERS - When you really stop and think about it, Curt Schilling [stats] never had a chance.  Not when he is 40 years old and just one in a strong class of potential free agent pitchers.

Q&A with Tom Hicks  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Rangers owner Tom Hicks encountered a strong headwind as he flew into Arizona on Friday and because he was 30 minutes late, he missed the first team meeting conducted by new manager Ron Washington.  —  "I got a little tardy," Hicks said.

Notes: Graffanino turns the page  —  After offseason of discontent, infielder focuses on baseball  —  PHOENIX — Tony Graffanino's long, strange offseason came to a happy end on Friday, when he became the final Brewers regular to report for Spring Training.

Legal troubles remain an issue for White Sox's Uribe  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Conflicting reports emerged Friday about the status of Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe's legal troubles.  —  Uribe is alleged to have shot a farmer in his native Dominican Republic during the offseason.

Notes: Comebacker fells Walker  —  Lefty suffers minor concussion after taking line drive off head  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The serene and carefree atmosphere of Spring Training was shattered in a moment Friday, when Baltimore reliever Jamie Walker was hit in the back of his head by a line drive.

Mets Bench Coach Prefers Being Heard and Not Seen  —  Jerry Manuel sat in his hotel room in Dearborn, Mich., early in the 2000 season watching his Chicago White Sox eke out a tense victory against the Detroit Tigers when he started planning a welcome back party.

Five National League Bullpens in Flux  —  In writing a series of team previews for Beyond the Boxscore, I've discovered that forecasting bullpens in February is fraught with difficulty.  I suppose that's obvious, but as I've tried to project the relief performance of teams like the Mariners …

Hard-charging Giles brothers reunited on hometown Padres  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) - Brian Giles never gave it a second thought, even though that was his little brother Marcus covering second base for the Atlanta Braves.  —  With runners on first and third and one out, Brian slammed into Marcus and knocked him head-over-heels.

Blue Jays sign Matumoto  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. (CP) - Calling pitcher Jo Matumoto an underdog wouldn't even begin describing the long odds the Brazilian left-hander faces of ever pitching in the major leagues.  —  But thanks to his determined wife, the clout of agent Randy Hendricks …

Extra Innings Deal Has F.C.C.'s Attention  —  For five or six minutes yesterday, there was delicious speculation that Major League Baseball would officially announce its extremely pending $700 million deal with DirecTV to carry its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games.  —  It didn't happen.

Imagine a world with Rays in the penthouse … ST. PETERSBURG - What if they mattered?  —  What if they were good?  —  The Devil Rays open their 10th spring training camp today, and shockingly, the public schools have not closed for the holiday.  If you judge by the fans who showed …

Eckstein plays on, mindful of the business  —  JUPITER, FLA. — December 2004 burned a two-week hole in David Eckstein's eternal optimism.  —  It's still there.  —  Two years into his term with the Cardinals and eight months shy of possible free agency, Eckstein speaks enthusiastically …

Starting Pitchers, Part Two  —  There's no real need for much of an intro here, but if you really need one, just check out yesterday's.  What holds true for the Ones and Twos in major league rotations is true for the Threes, Fours, and Fives.  About all that's different for them in many cases is health …

Getting With the Times Could Hinder Future  —  The Nationals may no longer have Alfonso Soriano's 46 home runs.  Maybe Nick Johnson won't be back until midseason after breaking the biggest bone in his body.  And the smooth switch-hitting of Jose Vidro won't be on display at RFK.  But look on the bright side.