Who Are These Guys?  —  In December, I looked at the awe-inspiring mediocrity of the Washington Nationals' projected starting rotation.  Back then, I figured the front five would consist of John Patterson, Michael O'Connor, Shawn Hill, Tim Redding, and an as-yet-unnamed free agent.

Colorado 4, Arizona 3, 11 innings  —  DENVER (AP) — Troy Tulowitzki may get fooled once.  —  But not twice.  —  Tulowitzki made the necessary adjustments against Arizona closer Jose Valverde in Colorado's 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in 11 innings Tuesday night.

'67 Sox gather for salute  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Red Sox [team stats] will mark the 40th anniversary of the fabled "Impossible Dream" team with a season-long tribute that begins prior to the home opener at Fenway Park [map] on Tuesday.  —  The 1967 Sox, who went from a ninth-place team …

Mariners Notebook: Age tips cap to youth  —  Batista, 36, talks up Hernandez on eve of M's debut  —  When Miguel Batista takes the mound tonight for his Mariners debut, don't try making comparisons with Opening Day starter Felix Hernandez.  —  Yes, the two are starters.  Sure, both are right-handers.

Francisco Rodriguez doctoring the ball  —  4-2-2007, against the Rangers, K-Rod put something on the ball repeatedly during the 9th inning, and wasn't even subtle about it.  First, I'm going to admit these are bad pictures.  Patches welcome, as they say in the open source world.

Guerrero pounds Rangers again  —  He gets four hits, including a home run, as Angels win their second in a row, 8-3.  —  Don't get Vlad, get even.  —  That was the theme of the night for Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, who continued to brush off Texas right-hander Vicente Padilla's brush …

George bans Swindal from Yank dinner  —  A standing ovation from his team brought George Steinbrenner to tears Monday night at the Yanks' popular "Welcome Home" charity dinner at the midtown Sheraton, a few hours after their Opening Day victory over the Devil Rays.

Sometimes It Is How Far You Hit Them  —  It's true that no matter how far you hit a home run, it's still only worth one run.  However, people still want to know who hits them the farthest and the hardest.  Using an analytical method and tool called Hit Tracker, I was able to show …

Josh wants to throw foes a curve  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Josh Beckett [stats] was always at his best last season right after he was at his worst.  —  Using words like "brutal" and "embarrassed" and others that must be bleeped out, Beckett would berate himself for the mound sins he had just committed.

BULLPEN GETS OFF TO GOOD START  —  The bridge from Yankees starter to closer Mariano Rivera was very sturdy Monday against the Devil Rays.  GM Brian Cashman has done a good job of acquiring power arms, signing Brian Bruney off the street and trading for Luis Vizcaino to go along with Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.

Unhappy Cantu to play for Durham  —  NEW YORK - Disgruntled and demoted second baseman Jorge Cantu will report to Triple-A Durham in time for Thursday's season opener and will be focused and prepared to play hard, agent Steve Canter said Tuesday.  —  But whether Cantu plays again for the Devil Rays could be another issue.

Sore elbow slows Carpenter  —  A bad Sunday night has become a bad week for Chris Carpenter.  Still to be determined is whether it will extend to a bad month.  —  The Cardinals' ace will miss at least his next scheduled start against the Houston Astros on Friday after notifying team trainers …

Cormier likely to go on DL  —  Cox says Davies may be recalled from Richmond  —  Philadelphia — Lance Cormier hoped his dream spring wouldn't be spoiled by a sore shoulder, but it appears it will be.  —  The Braves right-hander had some lingering discomfort when he long-tossed Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Ozzie's opening line: If we don't win, fire me  —  Ken Williams at first seemed a bit taken aback by his manager's latest words Monday.  But after pausing a moment, the White Sox general manager smiled and borrowed a phrase associated with enigmatic Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez.

Pirates Notebook: Lincoln has major elbow surgery  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  HOUSTON — Another top pitching prospect has gone under the knife.  —  Brad Lincoln, the Pirates' first-round draft pick last summer, yesterday had reconstructive surgery to repair ligament damage …