Pettitte's back holds up in session while Iggy impresses Phils & self  —  Read Mark Feinsand's Blogging the Bombers  —  TAMPA - Andy Pettitte threw 25 important pitches in the bullpen yesterday, but it was the 87 tosses made by Kei Igawa that may have most calmed the Yankees' fears.

Z-Day (cont.)  —  So, given some of those hefty numbers and the certainty that, next winter, they'll probably be even heftier, both sides are busy burning up calculator batteries and wording contract proposals just right.  Yet the question remains: Can Hendry and Zambrano …

Brandon Morrow  —  I guess it's my turn to weigh in on this.  —  I have to admit, I've been going back and forth on the issue - at first I liked it, but that's because my first impressions are always shortsighted, and the more I thought about it, the more I started to side with the "send him to the minors" camp.

Notes: Yost continues to sit tight on team's bench  —  Tucson, Ariz. - Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost confirmed Monday that outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., utility man Vinny Rottino and catcher Mike Rivera were the candidates he is considering for what could be only one remaining spot on his bench.

Padres decide Walker must go  —  Towers insists move wasn't about money  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - Unless they lose a grievance to the players' association, the Padres will save nearly $3 million via yesterday's decision to release utilityman Todd Walker, who will go on unconditional release waivers today.

Papelbon moves up: Closer seeks new arm slot  —  SARASOTA, Fla. - Jonathan Papelbon [stats] is back in the one-and-done business, and yesterday it looked like he had not missed much while he was gone.  —  In his first one-inning stint since he and the Red Sox [team stats] …

Kerry presses baseball to hold off on DirecTV deal  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John Kerry urged Major League Baseball on Tuesday to hold off on a deal to put the sport's "Extra Innings" package of out-of-market games exclusively on DirecTV Group Inc. A top baseball official declined to agree, with opening day less than a week away.

Throwing us a curve  —  Matsuzaka has little command and less comment  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — Dice-K Dissection.  Prepare yourself, Red Sox fans.  —  Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched five innings of no-hit baseball in a 5-0 spring training loss to the Cincinnati Reds yesterday, but that's not the story.

Decision time for Rangers rotation  —  Wright, Loe likely to make team; question involves their roles  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - All that's left is the decision.  —  The Rangers have watched Jamey Wright and Kameron Loe pitch all spring.

There's just a passion about the numbers in baseball … I learned a new number recently.  I now know how many yards Dan Marino, the record holder, threw for in his NFL career.  I'm told by football stat guys that it's an "awkward" number, but before the other day, I wouldn't have come within 10,000 yards of the correct number.

Sanchez could miss most of season  —  Surgery likely for Mets reliever to repair fracture in shoulder  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The bad news traveled neither far nor fast.  Even hours after the Mets publicly acknowledged that Duaner Sanchez's repaired shoulder requires additional surgical repair, some teammates were unaware.

Brewers acquire catcher Maxim St. Pierre from Kansas City  —  Send pitcher Ben Hendrickson to the Royals  —  MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers today acquired C Maxim St. Pierre from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for RHP Ben Hendrickson.  The announcement was made by Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin.

Take Me Out to the Mall Game  —  Hey, look what you're paying for!  A Voice guide to the new Mets and Yankees stadiums.  —  Time is running out for Shea and Yankee stadiums: By Opening Day, the skeletons of CitiField and the new Yankee Stadium (no corporate name yet, though …

Under The Knife  —  Hard Eight  —  It's crazier than you can imagine at the UTK home office.  As the season draws closer, there's always those last second surprises, the trades of guys like Brady Clark or Jorge Julio, based as much on roster crunch as talent.

Woody ailin' no comedy  —  Righty's future getting dicey with recurring woes  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — The more things change for the Cubs, the more they stay the same for Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.  —  But for how much longer?  —  With their roles on the team already reduced substantially coming …

Emil Brown fed up with criticism  —  Royals outfielder sick and tired of people calling him an "adventure" in the outfield.  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. |  Emil Brown glanced at the lineup card Sunday morning in the Royals' clubhouse, turned and observed to anyone within listening distance: