Arenas Says He Will Opt Out of Deal in '08  —  Wizards Star to Explore Long-Term Options  —  Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said last night that he will opt out of his contract after next season and become a free agent.  —  Arenas, who signed a six-year, $65 million contract …

Lieber has 11 Ks in 4-0 win over Royals  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Keeping a hectic pace because of the birth of his son didn't keep Philadelphia's Jon Lieber from pitching the best game the Kansas City Royals have seen all year.  —  In fact, it seems to work every time for the veteran right-hander.

Speigner, Nats Have A Surprise  —  In Sin City — a long way geographically and emotionally from the heartland here — there exists the concept of "The Lock."  Dig deep into your pockets, wager as much as you want, but be certain to put money down, because when a bet is so definite, everybody wins.

Pirates show little leather in 9-3 loss  —  Yankees' Clemens fans seven in debut, but lack of defense costlier  —  NEW YORK — Roger Clemens got the raves and roars, but it undeniably was the Pirates' defense that defined their 9-3 loss to the New York Yankees yesterday at Yankee Stadium.

DOWN THE LINE  —  For L.A. or San Diego, a bat to Dye for?  —  Stat of the week: The White Sox bullpen has a 5.85 earned-run average, the worst in baseball.  —  The Dodgers and Padres, fighting in the tightly contested National League West, could use a slugger.

Papi talk: Red Sox slugger tells all in book with Herald's Massarotti  —  Editor's note: The following is excerpted from "Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits" by David Ortiz [stats] with Tony Massarotti.  The first section is Massarotti's preface.

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH...JORGE POSADA  —  Steve Serby talked to the Yankees' All-Star catcher, who is off to the best start of his career.  —  Q: Is fear of the Yankees not wanting to re-sign you motivating you to have the kind of season that you're having?  —  A: Fear?  I don't think it's fear (chuckle).

A's send backup C Melhuse to Rangers  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Oakland Athletics traded little-used backup catcher Adam Melhuse to Texas on Saturday for cash considerations, reuniting him with former A's coach and first-year Rangers manager Ron Washington.  —  Texas had expressed interest in acquiring Melhuse about a month ago.

Draft analyst likes Braves' diverse picks  —  Every baseball scouting director emerges from his draft room this time of the year and announces what a great draft his team had.  The same thing applies to college football recruiting on signing day.  —  So, looking for a third-party perspective …

Hatcher is again a hit at his trade  —  ST. LOUIS — So, what do you have to say about Mickey Hatcher now?  —  All the Angels hitting coach who was excoriated on radio talk shows and Internet message boards earlier this season has been hearing recently is the crack of his team's sizzling bats.

SHEFF: YANKEES COULD USE ME THIS SEASON  —  Gary Sheffield praised Bobby Abreu, the man who replaced him in right field for the Yankees, but the Tigers' slugger believes the Bombers certainly could use what Sheffield offers.  —  "Bobby Abreu's a great player and that's the thing.

Mets ready to fit Draft pieces into puzzle  —  New York leans toward pitching with eye toward quick risers  —  NEW YORK — When the day was finally over after hundreds and hundreds of names whizzed on and off of Draft boards and in and out of consciousness, the Mets' front office could finally rest.