Joba believes he'll begin in bullpen  —  Righty to discuss his role with Yanks' coaches Wednesday  —  TAMPA, Fla. — With less than two weeks remaining before the Yankees break camp, Joba Chamberlain believes that he will begin the year in New York's bullpen.

Broken bat makes mess of Delgado  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Carlos Delgado needed four stitches to close a bloody gash on his right forearm after he was speared by Brady Clark's broken bat as he led off third base in the third inning of Sunday's 7-4 split-squad win over the Tigers.

Categorizing Pitchers by Strikeout and Groundball Rates: Starters - 2007 Edition  —  It is no secret that the best outcome for a pitcher is a strikeout.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts about that statement of fact.  That's the way it has always been and that's the way it will always be.

Hendry not done dealing  —  MESA, Ariz. — Two weeks from today, the Cubs open the regular season by hosting the division rival Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.  This has been a seemingly smooth camp, with most of the key decisions made before pitchers and catchers reported last month.

Wang lit up in pitch experiment  —  TAMPA - Chien-Ming Wang is spending the spring working to make his changeup and slider more effective, so he can give hitters something else to look at - and think about.  —  Sometimes the results aren't pretty, like Sunday.

Simulated game goes well for Olsen  —  Marlins lefty could start or relieve Thursday against Cards  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — Scott Olsen met another benchmark Sunday morning, and the left-hander is putting himself on track to return to the Marlins' rotation by the time the season starts.

Volstad makes key start today  —  VERO BEACH — Raised in a churchgoing family by a dentist and dental hygenist, Chris Volstad of Palm Beach Gardens might be the most clean-cut pitcher the Marlins have ever produced.  —  But there he was in a Southern California tattoo parlor in December …

American League Over/Unders  —  I haven't been chiming in here nearly enough, and I couldn't resist taking a look at this year's team over/unders.  A lot of this is guess work, and I fully expect to look stupid on a bunch of them, but it's fun as hell nonetheless.  American League today, National League tomorrow.

An Accident With One Door Opens Another  —  TAMPA, Fla. — It was not the best way to pave a path to the major leagues.  It was painful, and purely accidental.  But when Scott Patterson jammed his right middle finger in a door three years ago, it turned his career around.

Sabathia won't bite on Apple  —  TAMPA - Some Yankee fans view Indians' ace C.C. Sabathia, last year's AL Cy Young award winner, as the perfect target for the team when the lefty becomes a free agent next year.  —  Sabathia, though, says he's not thinking about the future, unless it applies to this season with the Indians.

Not so fast on Braves backup jobs  —  Lovetron ... er, Jupiter, Fla. _ Coming to you not from Darryl Dawkins' home planet, but from the spring home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins, a fine little ballpark with a good BBQ concession (just ate the pulled pork).

Miller remains work in progress  —  Marlins lefty finds positives to build from in latest start  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — He's still a work in progress, but 6-foot-6 Andrew Miller took some steps in the right direction on Sunday afternoon.  —  The 22-year-old Marlins left-hander showed improvement …

Beleaguered Jim drops in for visit  —  TAMPA - The Yankees have dealt with plenty of controversy during spring training, most notably due to the fallout from the Mitchell Report.  —  But Sunday, controversy strolled into Yankeeland through the front door of the team's own clubhouse.

Pirates and Ian Snell reach deal on five-year agreement  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Ian Snell on a five-year contract, the first three guaranteed with club options for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.