Another Cubs' lineup fantasy ... it's dirty.  —  Had another lineup fantasy last night on the heels of Alfonso Soriano's hop-related calf injury (and nearing trip to the 15-day DL).  And this one was rated XXX.  —  In my dream, Kosuke Fukudome moves into the leadoff spot and plays centerfield …

Heckuva 1st game  —  Lowrie's debut a big hit … CLEVELAND - Jed Lowrie finally got his ball.  —  The story of how the toothy-grinned kid arrived in the glory that surrounded his major league debut last night would seem to start on his family's three-quarters of an acre plot where tennis balls …

CASTILLO ACHING FOR REST  —  An ailing Luis Castillo admitted he could use some time off after getting dumped all the way to eighth in the Mets order last night.  —  Willie Randolph demoted the slumping second baseman in favor of right fielder Ryan Church.

Mets fan killed in two-story fall over railing at Shea  —  NEW YORK — A man attending a New York Mets game with his family lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said.  —  Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters …

The secret to Chien-Ming Wang's success … He's just one man, one man with just one pitch.  The ball comes at hitters on a flat plane, thigh-high, at somewhere between 90 and 95 mph, then it takes a sudden plunge, some seven to eight inches toward the dirt.

Hawkins gives up No. 21 for No. 22  —  Yanks reliever criticized for wearing O'Neill's number  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Tired of receiving flak for wearing a number last used by Paul O'Neill, the Yankees' LaTroy Hawkins has decided to surrender his No. 21 before the club opens a two-game series against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Pedro more optimistic than Mets GM about return … KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Pedro Martinez said he hopes to return to the New York Mets starting rotation before the end of April, despite general manager Omar Minaya's recent statements that the pitcher was expected back by mid-May or early June.

Self-examination may bring Rays solutions  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays, the only franchise in the majors never to win more than 70 games in a season, are taking a long, hard look at themselves.  —  One man critiquing the performance is former big-league infielder Tim Bogar …

Pavano can't rehab his image  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The days blur together, distinguished only by minor developments in his throwing program — an extra 10 feet of distance, another dozen throws.  For Carl Pavano, even these marginal increments serve as benchmarks on yet another agonizingly slow journey back to the mound.

Forbes: Yankees worth $1.3 billion  —  NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Yankees' value increased to $1.306 billion over the past year, according to the annual estimates by Forbes magazine, a rise of 9 percent over the past year.  —  The New York Mets were second at $824 million and the Boston Red Sox third …

RIVALRY'S BUZZ TAKES A BEATING  —  I DO NOT want to write this column, but I must, because the Red Sox and Yankees start a series tonight and someplace next to the original Gutenburg press is a journalistic playbook that demands we trumpet each new sighting of The Rivalry as if it were the ball coming down on New Year's.

Pirates Notebook: More patience, more pitches  —  LOS ANGELES — The patient Pirates?  —  Believe it.  —  Consider these numbers ...  They rank second in the National League in pitches seen per plate appearance, at 3.89.  Only their opponent in this series, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have seen more, at 3.97.

Angels select contract of pitcher Alex Serrano from Triple-A Salt Lake  —  Club options outfielder Reggie Willits to Salt Lake  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels Wednesday selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Alex Serrano from Triple-A Salt Lake.  To make room for Serrano on the 25-man roster …

End of an Era in Buffalo?  —  Opening Day in Buffalo was missing a regular tradition this year.  Sure, fried bologna sandwiches were a hit as always at the concession stands and Buster the mascot was as entertaining as ever.  —  However, unlike the four previous times that Buffalo's player …