Mets know they're in for lots of nervous time  —  Carlos Beltran was wearing a neophrene hood that made his face look as if it was peering out of a small ship's porthole.  Julio Franco came in from batting practice rubbing his hands together and said, "Look.  They're freezing."

Prior leaves game with sore shoulder  —  Mark Prior's first extended spring outing ended badly on Thursday when the injury-plagued right-hander was forced to leave his start early.  —  Prior experienced discomfort in his right shoulder, according to a statement by the Cubs.

Nats blank Braves in finale  —  Bergmann, three relievers combine on two-hit shutout  —  ATLANTA — At 9:32 p.m. ET on Thursday night, the Nationals took a lead for the first time since beating the Marlins on a walk-off single by Dmitri Young on April 4.  The lead stuck and they blanked the Braves …

A Gesture of Respect Grows Into a Movement  —  Sixty years after Jackie Robinson shook the baseball establishment and broke the sport's color barrier, an unforeseen grassroots movement by today's players has suddenly shaped the way Major League Baseball will commemorate the anniversary.

Benoit getting his opportunity  —  Manager once wondered why reliever didn't have bigger role  —  ARLINGTON — Ron Washington, coaching third base for the Oakland Athletics, was not the first to wonder about Joaquin Benoit.  —  He was hardly the first or the only one to wonder what a pitcher …

Milledge sent to Minors  —  Move makes room on 25-man roster for Pelfrey  —  NEW YORK — For one, it was an opportunity cut short — a fleeting glimpse of the limelight that never turned into more.  For the other, it's a new shot at that same opportunity, and a chance to stick around for good.

Notes: Dotel setback, return uncertain  —  Pain forces reliever to cut Thursday's rehab session short  —  BALTIMORE — Octavio Dotel's recovery from a strained left oblique muscle took another detour Thursday when the Royals reliever had to cut short a rehabilitation session at the team's Spring Training facility in Surprise, Ariz.

Ahead of the pack  —  Angels stand out as top World Series contender  —  Also in this column:  —  Everyone in baseball is talking about the current state of parity, how there are no superpowers anymore and about how almost anyone can win any division (no, not the Nationals).

Parking system rallies after tough start  —  Controlled-zone process moves on after 'difficult' opener  —  LOS ANGELES — At 5:45 p.m. PT on Wednesday, the entrance to Dodger Stadium on Elysian Park already was becoming quite busy, as cars passed through the gates and headed to the parking lots …

Cleveland 4, LA Angels 2  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — After taking two out of three games from the Los Angeles Angels in their retractable-roof refuge from the snow, the Cleveland Indians are ready for a real home opener — no matter how cold, wet and miserable it gets at Jacobs Field.

MLB Trade Value for 2007  —  About a year and a half ago, I did a post on who has the most trade value in the major leagues, blatently stealing off an idea from Bill Simmons of a column he's been doing for a while on NBA players.  It was pretty popular, so last summer, I did something similar for just the AL West.

Notes: No luck on Friday the 13th  —  New York holds 17-24 record for games on fateful day  —  NEW YORK — Courageously, the Mets carry on in the face of pending adversity.  They have played in the chill, and they have confronted the defending World Series champions, the improved Braves and the contender-wannabe Phillies.

Notes: Julio's security unclear  —  Right-handed closer could move into setup role  —  MIAMI — On Wednesday, a day after Jorge Julio was unable to seal his second save opportunity of the season, manager Fredi Gonzalez was noncommittal when asked if the 28-year-old right-hander would remain the Marlins closer.