A-Rod: 'I want to stay ... no matter what'  —  Alex Rodriguez is hitting .400 and told reporters he and his family love living in New York.  —  kat.obrien@newsday.com  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez has said he loves New York before.  He even has said he wants to remain a Yankee before.

Notes: Cabrera anchoring improved 'D'  —  Angels showing impressive strides in the field this season  —  ANAHEIM — An Angels defense that unraveled in the first half last season has held together nicely, thanks to a few home improvements and a renewed commitment reflected in the steely eyes of shortstop Orlando Cabrera, the anchor.

Griffey passes Reggie on HR list; Big Unit outpitched by Wells in season debut  —  Ken Griffey Jr. moved up on the career home runs list with another of his familiar sweet swings, swatting Reggie Jackson out of the top 10.  —  "To pass him, sometimes it's mindboggling because I didn't think …

Mets top Rockies in 12 on Chavez's bunt (AP)  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Damion Easley hit a tying homer with two outs in the 10th inning and Endy Chavez drove in the winning run with a beautiful bunt single in the 12th, giving the New York Mets a 2-1 victory Tuesday night over the Colorado Rockies.

Twins LHP Santana loses again at home (AP)  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Johan Santana has a new streak at the Metrodome.  —  Santana lost his second straight home start and Fausto Carmona got a long-awaited win in Cleveland's 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

STAT NERDS ARE OUT!  BIOMECHANICS NERDS ARE IN!  —  The other day I was talking baseball with a friend.  At first we were, lamely, comparing our fantasy teams.  This is something I never really enjoy.  How much can be said about how eye-popping A-Rod's stats are or how badly some guy in your league got fleeced in a trade?

Notes: Disabled list filling up fast  —  Swisher leaves with a hamstring injury in the first inning  —  BALTIMORE — The A's used the disabled list 15 times in 2006, and they could have used it quite a bit more often.  —  Third baseman Eric Chavez spent the whole year battling a variety …

Cubs coach Perry denies challenging ump to fight  —  It's only April, but the Cubs already lead the league in umpiring controversies.  —  Monday night's postgame incident in which hitting coach Gerald Perry got into shouting match with umpires in the tunnel was the second confrontation between Cubs personnel and umpires in four days.

Lesson from Oakland: Patience pays off  —  The best manager the Rangers ever had was also the most patient one.  —  If Johnny Oates could resist making a change, he would.  Players, he figured, would eventually be who they really are, and a poor two-week stretch or even a month would fade …

Notes: Vidro heating up  —  Designated hitter is on a tear at the plate  —  ARLINGTON — Jose Vidro extended his hitting streak to eight games when he logged two hits Monday night at Texas.  The Seattle designated hitter has a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, during which he's gone 17-for-48 (.354).

Franco marks 25th anniversary of debut  —  Ageless wonder singled in first at-bat with Phillies  —  NEW YORK — Twenty-five years has its way of blurring memories.  So it is with Julio Franco, who, on the silver anniversary of his big-league debut, can't dig out details of the night that became the intro to an epic.

Best in the biz  —  Ranking the top managers in the game; A-Rod update  —  The news last week that Braves manager Bobby Cox received a one-year extension shouldn't surprise anyone.  He deserved it, and he should be allowed to decide when he goes out, if ever.