Buzz: Mets, Front-Runners for Santana?  —  In yesterday's Daily News, citing a baseball official, Anthony McCaron wrote that the Mets are pursuing a trade for LHP Johan Santana.  —  According to the official, “Maybe this week something will heat up.  Nothing's going on right now.”

Podres dead at 75  —  Johnny Podres, the cool and clutch lefty who pitched the Dodgers to their one and only world championship in Brooklyn by shutting out the Yankees, 2-0, in the seventh game of the 1955 World Series, died Sunday night in a hospital in Glens Falls, N.Y. He was 75.

Option for '09 is key to trade  —  When the blockbuster exchange of former All-Star third basemen hatched, the Cardinals told Toronto that a vital part of dealing Scott Rolen was the assurance Troy Glaus would exercise his option for the 2009 season.  —  The other linchpin of the deal is expected today.

Braves receptive to Kotsay deal  —  Veteran core thinks center fielder will fit in well in Atlanta  —  ATLANTA — There was plenty to celebrate this past weekend as the Braves hosted their most successful FanFest ever.  The organization's celebratory mood will increase on Monday …

A PITCHf/x primer  —  Many of you are hopefully familiar with the PITCHf/x system and at least some of the data and analysis that have been produced on the subject over the past year, but it may be completely new to some of you.  In either case, I thought it would be helpful to provide …

Cubans see documentary of El Duque  —  HAVANA (AP) — Cubans got their first glimpse of Orlando Hernandez on state television since he fled to the United States in 1997.  —  Authorities aired a documentary Saturday in which the New York Mets pitcher vowed he was no traitor.

NESN's Tina gives Fox a sporting glance  —  Now don't breathe a word of this.  Because nobody's supposed to know.  But NESN's Red Sox [team stats] go-to gal Tina Cervasio was spotted in the Fox 5 newsroom down in NYC recently.  —  That would be the same Fox 5 that currently has an opening for a weekend sports anchor!

No Laughing Matter  —  ST. PETERSBURG - This column should come with a warning.  It is about Rays baseball and it does not focus on how good things are going to be three or four years from now.  We won't speculate about how bad things are going to be this season, which has been an annual rite of spring for more than a decade.

TIGERS CORNER: GM Dombrowski suggests Brandon Inge should catch  —  Player's future with club creates buzz at team event  —  Brandon Inge did not attend TigerFest on Saturday, but he nonetheless remained a popular topic of conversation at Comerica Park.  —  Tigers president/general manager …

Baseball fan sues team over drugs  —  A long-time baseball fan is suing the New York Yankees over some players' reported use of performance-enhancing drugs, saying he wants repayment for 221 US dollars (£112) in tickets and a public response from his once-beloved team.

Reds insider  —  Jocketty's eye for arms will be crucial  —  digg us!  del.icio.us!  —  The first advice the Reds would like newly hired special adviser Walt Jocketty to give them is this:  —  Where can we find our Chris Carpenter?  —  Jocketty signed Carpenter in 2002 after he went 4-5 with a 5.28 ERA for Toronto.

Dale Murphy comes clean  —  That Dale Murphy has not been hosting any Hall of Fame voting viewing parties says something about both his chances for induction and his humility.  In summation: “I realize I'm not knocking on the door, and it's just not my nature to campaign for it.”