Pepperoni with that?  Flying pizza at Fens  —  Jason Sole just wanted to catch a foul ball.  Matt Madore was merely trying to eat some pizza.  —  Put the two together, and it sounds like the setup for a twisted Reese's peanut butter cup commercial.  But what started as a disagreement …

Cubs call up Pie; Soriano feeling 'much better'  —  The Cubs have called up Felix Pie to play center field and lead off Tuesday afternoon's game against Greg Maddux and the Padres, replacing Alfonso Soriano in the lineup.  Soriano strained his left hamstring Monday.

Nats Are Winning.  How Cool Is That?  —  In the first inning at frigid, drizzling and wind-whipped RFK Stadium last night, rookie Matt Chico got two quick outs, then gradually began to turn into a snowman.  As the wind dried his hand, the ball felt slick.  As the cold chilled the San Diegan's body, his pitches began to bounce.

Superstar in the making  —  Reyes continues to improve on dynamic talents  —  Jackie Robinson would have loved Jose Reyes, the New York Mets shortstop whose mentor may be Rickey Henderson but whose dynamic energy on the field recalls Robinson.  Baseball's tribute Sunday to the 60th anniversary …

Ozzie to fans: Give Sammy some love  —  Ozzie Guillen might be reaching.  Just as the White Sox manager wanted fans on the South Side to welcome back former Sox great Frank Thomas when the Oakland Athletics came to town last season, Guillen now is asking for the same warmth for Texas Rangers outfielder Sammy Sosa.

Mailbag: Franco the player/manager?  —  Mets beat reporter Marty Noble answers fans' questions  —  I read somewhere that Julio Franco wants to play past 50 years old then become a manager.  Any way he can become a player/manager?  Who was the last guy to do that?  Pete Rose?  Joe Torre?

Everett is Mr. Smooth in the field … "If Ozzie Smith was as good as Adam Everett, he was incredible."  —  "I can say in my heart of hearts that he's the best defensive shortstop on the planet.  From what I've seen, there's no way he can't be."  —  PHILADELPHIA — Adam Everett doesn't feel …

POWER OUTAGE  —  LONG BALLS IN SHORT SUPPLY FOR METS  —  There have been few reasons for curtain calls, no need for celebratory handshakes.  There's yet to be much need for a tape measure.  —  One of the strange developments so far in 2007 has been the Mets' head-scratching lack of home runs …

On Thom Brennaman  —  For some reason, I got games on MLB.TV on my PC on Saturday despite FOK$' dictatorship over baseball on Saturdays, and I was able to watch two games at the same time.  It was odd because I was blacked out on the laptop.  —  Anyway, I turned the sound off of the Anaheim Suburb …

Baseball's Worst Cliché  —  When I am king, one of my first acts will be to create a law that permanently eradicates the expression "a good piece of hitting" from the baseball announcer's lexicon.  Millions of Americans who now can't watch baseball games on television without hurling heavy items toward …

Minor League Transactions  —  As anticipated, this week's transactions were not nearly as hectic as the post-spring training maneuverings.  This installment looks at all the moves made between April 7-13.  —  Last week's transactions available here.  —  Arizona Diamondbacks

Mets pitchers putting in extra time  —  PHILADELPHIA — While the Mets may appreciate these days off when they are grinding out the dog days of August, to live through an April that has included nearly as many days off as games played, the tedium was easy to spot.

Sanjaya gets booed at baseball game  —  [ 17 Apr, 2007 1344hrs IST IANS ]  —  BOUQUETS & BRICKBATS: Contestant Sanjaya Malakar was booed at a recent baseball game in Los Angeles (AP Photo)  —  LOS ANGELES: American idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar was booed by crowd at a recent Dodgers-Padres baseball game in Los Angeles.