Beckett shines in slow motion  —  He's worked hard to hone repertoire  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Josh Beckett looked good in seven innings of three-hit ball in a 12-6 win over the Marlins yesterday.  —  Beckett struck out seven and walked three.  He threw 92 pitches, 57 for strikes.

Prognosis on Wood not good  —  Often-injured Cub hurt again, could be put on disabled list  —  MESA, Ariz. — Kerry Wood's chances to open the season on the Cubs' active roster likely ended Sunday when the injury-plagued right-handed pitcher suffered another setback.

Corpas fabulous in relief  —  Tucson - Considering the trials and tribulations of many of his bullpen brethren, Manny Corpas has had an easy time of it this spring.  —  After pitching a scoreless ninth inning in the Rockies' 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday …

Nationals' Roster Picture Clears Up  —  When spring training opened nearly six weeks ago, one could have been issued a road map, a compass, an astrology chart and a deck of tarot cards and still been unable to predict the Washington Nationals' lineup and roster for Opening Day.

Pelfrey locks up fifth spot  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The identity of the Mets' fifth starter was not much of a mystery by the time Mike Pelfrey threw his opening pitch in yesterday's start against the Astros at Tradition Field.  —  As long as the 6-7 Pelfrey walked off the mound under his own power …

Pirates Notebook: McCutchen upbeat despite demotion to Class AA  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Andrew McCutchen walked out of the Pirates' clubhouse yesterday morning with a wide smile.  —  Probably because, even though he finally was assigned …

Five Questions: Atlanta Braves  —  We all know the story: for the first time since 1991 the Braves failed to win their division.  Shocking, wouldn't you say?  Or perhaps not?  —  By thinking back to some of the events in 1990 we can put the Braves' achievements into perspective.

Interview with Bill James  —  Former independent writer turned revolutionary Bill James, who is now a part of the Boston Red Sox Front Office, was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.  Bill and I discuss Mark McGwire, his own potential website, parody in sports, and more.

Famous guest blogs in  —  Given 'invite,' Schilling issues direct answers  —  Curt Schilling isn't one to sit on an opportunity to get an unfiltered message to the fans.  (FILE/BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS)  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Getting a little tired and bored here in the final week …

Notes: Brewers relievers deliver  —  Villanueva pitching well in various roles this spring  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Finally, some relief.  Brewers manager Ned Yost delivered a message to his relievers on Saturday that it's time to see some results, and on Sunday, he got what he was looking for.

Why don't the Yankees win titles anymore?  —  Though they're supposedly baseball's neighborhood bully, the New York Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2000.  —  Yes, the Yanks always grab the column inches/bandwidth for being perennial free-spending contenders, but they haven't laid hands on a trophy in almost seven years.

Notes: Loe's done all he can in spring  —  Right-hander will start the season as a middle reliever  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Kameron Loe has proven one thing this spring.  He deserves to be on a Major League pitching staff after outpitching every other fifth starter candidate in camp.

Hot springs can turn cold in a hurry  —  Arizona averages can be deceiving for Cubs  —  MESA, Ariz. — Carrying over a hot spring into the regular season would seem like a relatively easy transition, but the Cubs know it's easier said than done.  —  Nomar Garciaparra tore up the Cactus League in 2005 …

Starting Pitcher Leverage (Part 1)  —  I've always loved hearing old time stories about baseball, and how they did things differently back in the day.  Local lore here in Chicago proclaims that Al Lopez used staff ace Billy Pierce as often as he could against the best opposing teams&meash;the Yankees …

Clubhouse chemistry winning formula?  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - "Hey Greg, I've got one for you," Brian Giles said to new Padres teammate Greg Maddux last month.  —  "Why was the mathematics book depressed?"  Giles said.  —  After the 333-game winner pondered the question for a few seconds, Giles slowly delivered the punch line.