Mets to honor Robinson on Friday  —  Pregame ceremony at 6:30 p.m. ET before game vs. Braves  —  The New York Mets today announced that they will honor Jackie Robinson on Friday night, April 20, when the Mets return to Shea Stadium to host the Atlanta Braves.  The pregame celebration is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Breaking news: Pavano, Mussina on DL  —  Mike Mussina (left hamstring) and Carl Pavano (right forearm) were placed on the disabled list.  —  RHP Chris Britton arrived this morning.  The team will play a man short today.  The team has not decided who will start on Tuesday but Class AA LHP Chase Wright …

Orioles call up Stern and Knott … The Orioles boarded their team charter with a three-game winning streak that stayed intact after today's postponement.  They savored a rain-shortened sweep of the Kansas City Royals and looked ahead to a series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays that has the chance …

WILLIE LOOKS TO HIS BENCH  —  Because of what he called a "weird schedule" that featured three off-days before the Mets had played eight games, Willie Randolph hasn't been able to get his bench players much starting time.  —  He partially remedied that yesterday, when catcher Ramon Castro …

Why 100 Pitches Don't Go as Far as They Used To  —  You can't open a newspaper, a magazine or a browser without reading a complaint about starting pitchers.  Complete games are at a historic low, the quality-start statistic has purists up in arms and the idea of pitch counts sends many people into convulsions.

4/14/07 vs. Los Angeles  —  Felix Hernandez is good.  Wow.  I remember watching Dwight Gooden when he first came into the big leagues and this kid has better stuff.  He throws harder and has 4 pitches.  Doc had that HOF curveball to go with his fastball but Felix was throwing a 91-93 mph slider …

Lies, Damned Lies  —  Snowbound Schedule  —  Let's face it: we live in a society that is reactive rather than proactive.  In spite of years of warning to the contrary, it took a storm of epic proportions to make us recognize that New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen.

Braves suspend AWOL Aybar  —  Injured infielder docked three games after not showing up  —  ATLANTA — Willy Aybar's future with the Braves became even cloudier on Sunday afternoon, when the club announced that he had been suspended for three games for violation of team policy.

WE ARE WITNESS TO RISE OF REYES  —  RICK Down begins ticking off numbers and does not stop for a while.  A hundred runs, the Mets hitting coach says, 100 steals, 100 runs batted in, 100 walks and 200 hits.  Some day, and soon, Down proclaims, Jose Reyes is going to become the first major leaguer to do all of that in one season.

Notes: Smith getting hang of New York  —  Life in big city has proven a challenge to young side-armer  —  NEW YORK — For the most part, Joe Smith is enjoying his first month as a big leaguer.  He fits in well in the clubhouse — his primary residence is under the wing of Aaron Sele …

The Short and Happy Career of Ron Wright  —  Five years ago, in an otherwise forgettable baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers, a 26-year-old rookie named Ron Wright struck out, hit into a double play and hit into a triple play.  —  "Best day of my professional life," Wright said.

Fast fact: Jenks' velocity is down  —  CLEVELAND — Somewhere in Sox closer Bobby Jenks' psyche is a 99 mph fastball just waiting to get out.  —  It's the job of full-time pitching coach, part-time team psychiatrist Don Cooper to help Jenks find it again.  —  ''I don't feel overused …

60 years after Robinson's debut, the number of black players is declining  —  The reason was literally as simple as black and white as to why Jackie Robinson wasn't allowed to play in the major leagues prior to April 15, 1947.  —  As Major League Baseball celebrates the 60th anniversary …