Karstens leaves with elbow stiffness  —  Right-hander threw 46 pitches against Tigers on Sunday  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Yankees right-hander Jeff Karstens left his start against the Tigers on Sunday after two innings with stiffness in his pitching elbow.  —  "I didn't want to push …

Groins, dizzy spells ... and some NEWS  —  Stopped by HSCS this morning before driving to hell ... I mean Disney, where the Nationals take on the Braves today at 1 p.m. (I would say, since this is a Sunday, that you'd all be able to hear the game on Washington Post Radio …

Will fans say Danks for nothing?  —  ksherrington@dallasnews.com  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Brandon McCarthy figures there's no reason he'd monitor John Danks' results in Chicago's rotation, which puts the latest Rangers starter in a distinct minority among the faithful of his new team.

Rockies out to win numbers game  —  Their roster nearly finalized, their optimism fully stoked, it's time to take a closer look at what separates the Rockies from last place and relevance.  The answer is three.  —  This number holds the key to the Rockies posting their first winning season since 2000 …

Royals send Berroa down  —  'Decision speaks for itself,' GM Moore says after shortstop is optioned to Omaha.  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. |  It was a quieter Royals clubhouse Saturday morning as a subdued Angel Berroa silently watched television while slumped in a couch before pregame drills.

In Baseball, Searching for Balance in the Scheduling Vortex  —  As anyone holding his riddled N.C.A.A. tournament bracket will groan, records of college basketball teams — 29-5 here, 18-10 there — are often not what they seem.  The collective strength of a team's opponents over a season plays …

Notes: Cardinals rotation announced  —  Despite off-days, La Russa plans five-man staff to start season  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announced his team's pitchers for the first week of the regular season on Sunday.  La Russa said that the club will use all five …

Best-case scenario in NY?  —  Yankees believe they are the team to beat  —  What Johnny Damon told the New York Post last week — "We're the best team" — is no different from what he said after the Tigers eliminated the Yankees in four games in the American League Division Series: "The best teams don't always win."

Pirates Notebook: Demotion has Burnett 'furious'  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The final makeups of the Pirates' and Class AAA Indianapolis' starting rotations became much clearer yesterday, and Sean Burnett was none too happy to learn he'll be a member of the latter.

Ten days of Top 10s: Reasons for hope  —  Sure, these clubs haven't a prayer in 2007, but the future isn't entirely grim.  Here, then, are the ...  1. Devil Rays: The Future  —  With youngsters like Delmon Young, B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford, Scott Kazmir, Reid Brignac …

Prospectus Q&A  —  Curtis Granderson  —  Curtis Granderson went into the 2006 season competing for a job.  He'll go into this season on the heels of a solid .260-19-68 campaign, firmly entrenched as Detroit's centerfielder and leadoff hitter.  He'll also go into 2007 trying to cut down on his strikeouts.

Working Overtime  —  Extra Duties Have Varitek Struggling At Plate  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — He is one of the most prepared catchers in baseball.  Jason Varitek will spend hours poring over the stats of opposing hitters as he puts together the next day's pitching game plan.

Ready or not here's the setup  —  Duchscherer threw an inning in his first spring training game and has three more appearances scheduled before Opening Day  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Justin Duchscherer was happy to watch his bullpen mates pitch so well while he was sidelined with tendinitis in his right triceps.

Former baseball pro Bailey dies at 75  —  Congressional aide, city councilman diagnosed with cancer 6 months ago  —  Ed Bailey, former professional baseball catcher and a Knoxville City Council member for 12 years, died at 10 p.m. Friday at Parkwest Medical Center.  He was 75.