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 …

Commencing A New Chapter  —  NEW YORK—Of all the tidbits my father could have imparted at my high school graduation, the spectrum of timeless bons mots on life and love and other paternal precepts, he took me aside and discussed the word "commencement."  —  As a longtime champion …

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.

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.

K-Rod says he's not cheating, plays down smudge  —  Los Angeles Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez says he has nothing to hide in response to allegations he doctored baseballs during two games this week.  —  Photos on the Web site "The Cheater's Guide to Baseball Blog" appeared to show how Rodriguez …

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.

White Sox and Twins game postponed  —  CHICAGO — Tonight's game between the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins has been postponed due to the extremely cold temperatures and winds forecast for tonight.  —  The game will be re-scheduled on a date to be determined.

That Wasn't A Very Nice Thing To Do  —  Colin Cowherd is not a very nice person.  —  Earlier today, he used his vast ESPN Radio audience to stage an unwarranted attack on The Big Lead, shutting the site down for most of the day.  I'm hesitant to attempt an explanation of the entire story …

Mets: Peterson sees 'A' talent in young staff  —  ATLANTA — Even before John Maine's seven-inning, one-hit wonder against the defending world champions Wednesday night in St. Louis, Rick Peterson was excited about what he'd seen.  —  The Mets pitching coach has been around talented young pitchers before …

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.

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 …

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.

Sportscasters go comical in 'Blades'; Ripken, Gwynn join TBS  —  Like disfigured guys with chainsaws and precinct captains infuriated by rule-breaking maverick cops, sportscasters in movies are usually stock characters.  —  Usually, real sportscasters are cast to sort of sound like themselves.