Elevated to an art form: Not simply a pitcher, Dice-K's a performer  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Circle the dates now: April 11 vs. Seattle, April 16 vs. the Los Angeles Angels and April 21 against the New York Yankees.  This season, every fifth game is now a Dice Game.  —  Red Sox 2007 Roster

MLB investigating K-Rod for doctoring the ball  —  Major League Baseball confirmed Thursday that it is investigating if Los Angeles Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez doctored the baseball during two appearances against the Rangers this week, the Dallas Morning News is reporting.

Rosario expected to bolster Phillies' bullpen  —  PHILADELPHIA — Hoping to bolster a beleaguered bullpen, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired hard-throwing right-hander Francisco Rosario from Toronto for cash on Thursday.  —  Rosario was 1-2 with a 6.65 ERA in 17 games with the Blue Jays last year.

Doctoring The Numbers  —  Charlie Haeger  —  It's no secret that I'm a fan of the knuckleball and the men who throw it.  Among the many clues I have left in my wake, the most obvious is the time I ignored the objections of a few...okay, all of my colleagues, and attached Charlie Zink …

Throwing Batters Curves Before Throwing a Pitch  —  The pitch was nothing remarkable: Pat Venditte, Creighton University's temporarily right-handed pitcher, threw a fastball past a Northern Iowa batter for a called strike three.  It was his next windup that evinced this young pitcher's uniqueness and, perhaps, professional future.

Insider: Reyes the marketing odd man out  —  The most accessible athlete in New York these days has to be David Wright.  Not even Derek Jeter has appeared on more magazine covers, video game boxes or ESPN promos lately than the Mets' photogenic third baseman.

This Hurts Us More Than It Hurts You, Colin  —  As some of you might be unfortunate enough to know, the man pictured here is Colin Cowherd, who has a show on ESPN Radio.  Like many sports radio hosts across this great land, he relies greatly on blogs to find himself some free, juicy content.

Decision 2007: Where will Rocket go?  —  Well, it's getting to be that time of year again:  —  Rocket-watching time.  —  If it's April, that must mean that any day now, Roger Clemens is going to have to wave a sad farewell to the pro-am golf circuit — and start gearing up his workout program for YouKnowWhat.

Pirates Notebook: Sanchez could return tomorrow  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  Freddy Sanchez could rejoin the Pirates in Cincinnati tomorrow, the first day he is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list.  —  Management is leaving the call up to the player …

Notes: Rodney feeling out of sync  —  Setup man believes he'll bounce back if he throws more  —  DETROIT — Jose Mesa's return from his two-game suspension likely means some rest for Fernando Rodney after struggling through the first two games of the season.  But Rodney actually wants more work when he can get it.

Chi White Sox 4, Cleveland 3  —  CHICAGO (AP) — With A.J. Pierzynski at the plate, anything can happen and often does.  —  The White Sox catcher was hit by a pitch from Roberto Hernandez with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Thursday, sending Chicago to a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Mariners offense ice-cold  —  CLEVELAND — On the drive past Jacobs Field, the site of the Mariners' first road game of the year this afternoon against the Indians, it's a winter wonderland.  —  Snow has been falling for a couple of days now, and while crews have been keeping the sidewalks clear …

Padres-Giants Preview  —  Barry Bonds has impressive numbers against virtually every team he has faced during his illustrious career.  His performance against the San Diego Padres , though, may be his best.  —  Bonds and the Giants hope to avoid their first -3 start in 23 years Thursday night …