Dice-KKKKKKKKKK  —  Matsuzaka lives up to billing in debut victory  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dice-K was Ice K. He was also 10 K. And Special K.  —  Maybe even a Japanese Pedro.  Or a Pocket Rocket.  —  Given the hype and hysteria that have accompanied his every move and word since …

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.

In young season, MASN gets no-decision on O's … Early in the baseball season, when everything is new, each movement on the field is put under a microscope.  So the Orioles' 0-3 start gets scrutinized far more than a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season.

Strained Right Calf Could Put Damon on the D.L.  —  Johnny Damon has played 1,705 games in the major leagues and has never been on the disabled list.  That will change if his strained right calf becomes worse.  —  Damon had a magnetic resonance imaging examination yesterday that revealed a mild strain of the calf.

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.

Piniella preaches pitcher patience  —  CINCINNATI — After watching Larry Rothschild's patented slow walk to the mound for pitching confabs the last five years, it was surprising to see Cubs manager Lou Piniella's fast-food version of a mound meeting in the ninth inning of Wednesday night's victory over Cincinnati.

Cubs fans, beware of Colangelo's past  —  There seems to be a presumption around town that most everybody will get behind Jerry Colangelo's bid to put together a group to buy the Cubs.  —  Good guy.  Chicago Heights native.  Former University of Illinois basketball player.  Strong Chicago ties.

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.

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.

Willis inherits a social responsibility  —  Left-hander will wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day  —  MIAMI — If it wasn't for baseball, Dontrelle Willis doesn't have a clue what he would be doing with his life.  —  Raised in Alameda, Calif., Willis says the reason he became a baseball player …

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.

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 …

Pettitte's Return Gets Lost Amid Sloppy Play and a Stalled Rally  —  It was as if a glass bubble covered Yankee Stadium in the eighth inning last night, the way the snow flurries swirled against the black sky.  A disjointed game was reaching its peak and the ballpark was all shook up.

Ringolsby: Team-by-team MLB reports  —  Tracy Ringolsby's team capsules, with an eye on payroll matters, using calculations done by USA Today:  —  NL West  —  ARIZONA  —  has a projected starting rotation, including Randy Johnson, with a salary of $26,488,046, which is 50.9 percent of the total payroll for five pitchers.

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 …