The hot topic  —  Forget all other analysis.  When your mother weighs in, as Sheila Papelbon did on the fine Web site Soxprospects.com, than the definitive word has been said.  —  Wanted to weigh in on some observations from the previous post:  — First off, I really wanted to address this comment from Griffin:

Orioles claim Tracey off waivers  —  Righty added to 40-man roster; Benson shifted to 60-day DL  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Orioles claimed pitcher Sean Tracey off waivers Friday and made room for him on the 40-man roster by shifting Kris Benson to the 60-day disabled list.

Figgins expected to be out at least 5 weeks  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Los Angeles Angels third baseman Chone Figgins is expected to be sidelined five to six weeks with two broken fingers on his throwing hand.  —  X-rays taken Friday by hand specialist Dr. Steve Shin at the Kerlan-Jobe …

Notes: Williams helps his cause  —  Righty nears solid rotation spot with another impressive outing  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Right-hander Jerome Williams inched closer to joining the Nationals' starting rotation on Thursday.  Williams had his second consecutive solid outing …

Wang injures right hamstring  —  Right-hander's discomfort may be just a leg cramp  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees' rotation endured another scare on Friday, as right-hander Chien-Ming Wang experienced discomfort in his right hamstring during conditioning drills at Legends Field.

All-Unlucky Team looking to rebound  —  Members could benefit from reversal of fortune in '07  —  Over the past five years, PROTRADE has mapped out every inch of the baseball diamond, charting the location of every batted ball and calculating the probability that — given their distance …

Mariners' Guillen starts over - for the ninth time  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Seattle Mariners right fielder Jose Guillen, sitting on the floor in front of his locker looking at the schedule, breaks into a wide, devilish grin.  —  Here he is, with another new team, his ninth in nine years and another chance to prove he's a model teammate.

Cedeno's blast backs Zambrano  —  Cubs ace fans five in six innings; Wood has scoreless frame  —  CUBS 6, GIANTS 2  —  Giants at the plate: Kevin Frandsen tripled and scored on a wild pitch by Carlos Zambrano in the second.  Bengie Molina hit an RBI double with two outs in the eighth off Bob Howry.

SWEET DEAL FOR DARLING  —  RON IS SET TO RE-UP AT SNY  —  Ron Darling is close to a three-year contract extension with SportsNet New York, NYP TV Sports has learned.  —  The deal would keep Darling as a game analyst on Mets telecasts through the 2010 baseball season, sources said.

Painful day for Dodgers Furcal, Repko  —  Shortstop injures ankle in collision; outfielder later hurts leg  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — Dodgers Rafael Furcal and Jason Repko, expected to be on the club Opening Day, were on crutches Thursday.  —  Furcal suffered a moderate sprain of his left ankle …

Questions remain about fourth starter  —  Left-hander Rodriguez has edge over Sampson, Moehler  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla. — To the critics who wonder why manager Phil Garner is still giving Wandy Rodriguez that "leg up" for the No. 4 starter job, even though the left-hander has had less than a stellar spring …

Prior shows 'big improvement'  —  Four-inning stint a big step for rehabbing right-hander  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — All Mark Prior needed was a little more time.  —  Prior threw 59 pitches, 35 for strikes, over four innings Thursday for the Cubs in a rain-shortened game against the San Diego Padres …

Erstad teaching — and winning  —  Veteran lending hand to Anderson despite battle for CF job  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Darin Erstad and Brian Anderson don't talk about ''the situation.''  —  Why should they?  —  ''Things work out the way they work out'' is Erstad's philosophy.

Free La Russa  —  Cardinals manager Tony La Russa evidently is through discussing Thursday's DUI arrest.  Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight — a close friend — accompanied him to today's game at Tradition Field and La Russa did not entertain questions on the subject.

Mets Have More Very Young Phenoms  —  Last year, the Mets were aggressive and sent not one but two 17-year-old prospects to make their pro debuts at low Class A Hagerstown.  Outfielder Fernando Martinez and righthander Deolis Guerra didn't just survive-they thrived.