Harper: Zim rips Girardi  —  TAMPA - After all these years you can still count on Don Zimmer to tell you what he thinks, even if it means essentially calling a close friend like Joe Girardi a chowderhead.  —  So there was Zim Sunday, saying he was “dumbfounded” to hear that Girardi …

Backing out of Japan trip?  —  Beckett injury cause for concern  —  The Red Sox are slated to leave Florida for Japan a week from Wednesday and there's a distinct possibility ace righthander Josh Beckett won't be accompanying the team to pitch the opener.  —  Beckett suffered back spasms …

Pie looking like Cubs' center fielder  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Felix Pie has taken a big lead over Sam Fuld in the battle to be the Cubs' center fielder, but whether he'll be the man on Opening Day remains to be seen.  —  Manager Lou Piniella buried Pie on the bench after his recall last August …

Stadium game likely for Bronx Blueshirts  —  The House that Ruth Built is on track to be the house the Rangers bring down.  —  As the current Rangers continue to drive down the stretch of this season, what is shaping up as a historic 2008-09 schedule now is expected to include a game at Yankee Stadium.

Spring Training: Leyland sees former team getting better  —  Pirates manager John Russell is greeted by Detroit Tigers manager and former Pirates skipper Jim Leyland before the start of Sunday's game at Lakeland Fla.  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Jim Leyland yesterday predicted good things for the Pirates — with an important caveat.

Dodgers seeking assistance for Nomar, Kent  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX.  —  add this  —  Emptying the spring-training notebook:  — Instead of pursuing …

Notes: Nolasco strengthening arm  —  Marlins starter tires in fourth inning after three stellar frames  —  JUPITER, Fla. — For the first three innings Sunday against the Orioles, Marlins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco continued to dominate opposing hitters.

VET PRANKSTERS HIT ROOKIE HARD  —  The clubhouse pranks for the Yankees have picked up this spring, and last year's No. 1 pick Andrew Brackman, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, has been hit hard.  He walked to his locker yesterday morning to find that all of his sliders, his baseball underwear, had been slit down the middle.

CONFIDENCE MAN  —  MAINE HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE METS' NO. 2  —  Rick Peterson sensed John Maine was fighting his confidence, yet again, and so he sat Maine down in the Budweiser Hot Seat.  No, really, this is what he did, or at least the Mets' version of the ESPN gimmick.

Sluggers Faceoff: Man Ram vs Carlos Lee  —  Manny Ramirez has been one of the true sluggers is baseball over the past decade.  Carlos Lee has played most of his career in the American League, but has been on the National League the past few years (except for a cup of coffee in Arlington when he was traded away by Brewers).

Angel in the outfield  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Angel Pagan has hit 753 fewer career home runs than Barry Bonds' 762, but he also has one thing baseball's king of controversy isn't ever likely to receive:  —  A chance to start the season with the Mets.  —  Pagan has made the most of his …

Statheads and True Wins  —  I'm all over the map on this one ... maybe this is from the excitement of THE SOUL OF BASEBALL paperback coming on on Tuesday.  It's also available now as an Amazon Kindle Book, whatever that is.  I guess at some point I should write about this whole wireless book thing — is this going to take off?

There's a War Brewing  —  in Cincinnati.  On one side: the Dustyites.  On the other side: common sense.  Articles are being written every day celebrating the folksy wisdom of a man who thinks bases are only good when there's no one standing on them.  This is exactly what happened in L.A. when Grady Little was hired — “He's folksy!

Rangers sign right-hander Ponson  —  Veteran will challenge for spot in Texas' starting rotation  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Rangers have signed veteran right-handed pitcher Sidney Ponson to a Minor League contract and added him to their Spring Training roster.