He wants to return, says face-to-face with owner ‘went OK’  —  Longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek met with club owner John Henry for approximately 90 minutes near Varitek's Atlanta-area home last night in an apparent attempt to resolve the winterlong stalemate between the player and team.

Rangers looking to land Vizquel  —  Gold Glove-winning veteran would provide another option at shortstop  —  The Rangers' infield situation has taken an interesting twist, as the team is trying to sign free-agent shortstop Omar Vizquel for what will likely be a utility role.

Tampa Bay Rays' senior adviser Don Zimmer recovering from small stroke  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Senior adviser Don Zimmer is recovering from a small stroke suffered last month and hopes to join the Rays in spring training for what would be his 61st season in the game.

Tigers' discussions with Lyon ongoing  —  Reliever may make decision next week; Parrish weighing options  —  DETROIT — The Tigers continue to hold discussions with the agent for free-agent reliever Brandon Lyon, who could end up making a decision on a team next week.

Yankees Hearing Offers for Swisher and Nady  —  On his official Web site, Nick Swisher is depicted in a Yankees uniform, staring out at a pitcher as he wags his bat over his head.  The photo has obviously been altered — Swisher has a beard, for one thing — and the scene it depicts may never come to pass.

City Approves $370.9 Million to Complete Yankee Stadium  —  New York City's Industrial Development Agency approved $370.9 million in primarily tax-exempt bonds on Friday to finish construction of Yankee Stadium with all the upgrades the team had sought, from better security to a new scoreboard to replace one that did not meet its needs.

Dobbs agrees to two-year deal with Phillies; Oliver signs with Angels  —  Greg Dobbs, a key role player for the Phillies, has found a measure of security with his new World Series ring.  Dobbs agreed to a two-year, $2.5-million contract today.  —  Dobbs, who hit .301 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs …

Eye surgery on docket for Big Z  —  Enigmatic Cub to undergo Lasik-type procedure to clear up ‘fuzzy’ vision  —  Forget the Milton Bradley signing, Ryan Dempster's return and the Jake Peavy intrigue.  —  The best-laid plans of the 2009 Cubs start with the no-hit, no-predicting enigma that is their would-be ace, Carlos Zambrano.

Mets are unlikely to be keeping up with Jones  —  The Mets briefly contemplated trading for Andruw Jones earlier this winter as a way to unload Luis Castillo's contract.  —  But while the Dodgers have eaten the final year of the free-agent bust's whopping deal, one team official still answered …

EXTRA CREDIT  —  The Red Sox may be idiots, but their captain, Jason Varitek, is one of the smartest men in the game  —  There's a term that's been around baseball for ages, and it's about the worst label one player can hang on another.  Actually, it's not what one guy would say about another …

Pitching Perspectives with Rick Peterson  —  An Overview of 4 Key Issues of Major League Pitching  —  If one was to poll major league executives, players, and coaches along with fans and the media about the most important element for the success of a team, the resounding answer would be pitching.

Team could draw fewer than 2 million because of low season ticket sales  —  Sharp declines in Padres season ticket sales could result in home attendance dropping below 2 million for the first time since the 1994 season was cut short by a labor dispute.  —  Season ticket sales were at about 15,000 entering the 2008 season.

Marlins discuss Andruw Jones  —  If Andruw Jones doesn't return to the Atlanta Braves, he might find a landing spot in South Florida.  —  According to a baseball source, the Marlins have conducted internal discussions about Jones, who the Dodgers released Thursday after restructuring …