Pelfrey vs. El Duque for Mets' fifth spot  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Heading into today's showdown with Mike Pelfrey in Fort Lauderdale for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, the Mets insist publicly that the job belongs to Orlando Hernandez.  —  With one important caveat, however.

The Great Yankee Variable: Pitching  —  The dust has cleared on the New York Yankees' spring, and the many unresolved questions at the beginning of the pre-season about their pitching are... still unresolved.  —  The already fragile coalition that makes up the starting rotation may be splintering.

Y! experts peer into a crystal baseball  —  Will the Boston Red Sox repeat as champions, or will the New York Yankees punch back?  Which team among the American League newly rich - the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners - will make the strongest push?

Yankees' Hideki Matsui gets married  —  Hideki Matsui shows a sketch of his new wife during a press conference at a hotel Thursday in Tampa.  (The Associated Press/Kyodo News / March 27, 2008)  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Hideki Matsui, whose every move is watched closely by the Japanese media …

As hinted at last week, I've joined the staff at MinnPost, where my byline will appear in the sports section alongside the likes of former Minneapolis Star Tribune reporters Steve Aschburner and Jay Weiner, former City Pages editor G.R. Anderson, and frequent New York Times contributor Pat Borzi.

Rolen may be sidelined six weeks  —  Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen said yesterday his broken right middle finger could sideline him for six weeks.  —  Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in an offseason trade, Rolen was injured when he was hit on the hand by a ball during …

New scoreboard gives Oriole Park a bit of ‘rebirth’  —  Demonstration of $5 million stadium project goes well  —  The precisely manicured green grass at Oriole Park leads the eyes to the outfield seats and up to the scoreboard.  —  The board, with its big clock on top …

JOE'S REUNION  —  DESPITE FIRING, GIRARDI ‘EXCITED’ TO FACE MARLINS  —  Dumped by the ugly duckling less than two years ago, Joe Girardi returns to Dolphin Stadium tonight with the prom queen on his arm.  —  Despite keeping the young Marlins in the wild-card chase into the final month …

No setbacks for Pettitte during bullpen session  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Andy Pettitte, who was hampered by back spasms for a few days, had no setbacks after throwing a bullpen session Wednesday.  —  Pettitte, who originally was scheduled to start the Yankees' second regular-season game …

ACE OF ACES  —  The Mets acquired Johan Santana in a six-player trade with the Twins on Feb. 2 and cemented the deal by signing him to a six-year, $137.5-million contract.  Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner at the age of 29, is considered the best pitcher on the planet.

Is Joe Torre Worth the Money?  —  L.A. Gave Him $13 Million, But Stats Guys Are Dubious; His Problem With Pitchers  —  Frustrated by finishing fourth last season, tired of being the second-best team in town, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a major move last fall.

Pitcher Injury Risk Assessment: Pavano and More  —  Our scouting and consulting division, The Baseline Group, has created a process for projecting injuries and surgeries for major league pitchers.  The process is centered on the theory of Proper Pitching Mechanics, or PPM …

Trade-Off Looms on Mitchell Proposals  —  With all 30 major league teams about to begin the regular season, the players association and the commissioner's office continued efforts Thursday to reach an agreement on the Mitchell report's recommendations on performance-enhancing drugs.

Yankees to play final home opener in current Yankee Stadium  —  The New York Yankees will open the 2008 Championship Season-the 106th in franchise history and the 84th and final season at the current Yankee Stadium-on Monday, March 31 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m.