ICON'S NEXT PACT WILL BE MOTHER OF ALL YANK FLAPS  —  CONSIDER this week, when Joe Torre revealed his inner vigilante, to be just another trial run toward the mother of all Yankee controversies.  —  Because if you think Torre blindsiding Brian Cashman or the Yanks slashing Andy Pettitte's salary …

Stark: Rumblings and Grumblings  —  We don't use words like “collusion” lightly at times like this, in a world like this.  —  So somewhere in this column, we're going to search for a different word, a more fitting word, to describe what might be the strangest offseason in modern baseball history.

Truck Day is here!  —  Sorry Punxsutawney Phil and your six-more-weeks-of-winter prediction, but if you live in New England and are a fan of Red Sox, a sure sign of spring has arrived — Truck Day!  —  Red Sox fans joined the team's mascot, Wally the Green Monster (pictured, right) …

Mets sign Pedro Feliciano, avoid arbitration  —  The Mets have signed lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano to a one-year contract for $1,612,500, Newsday has learned, meaning that Omar Minaya and his crew will not have go to to an arbitration hearing with any of their players.

Wolf, Dodgers closing in on deal  —  Return of left-hander would help bolster young rotation for LA  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are closing in on a deal to sign free-agent left-handed starting pitcher Randy Wolf.  —  The Dodgers could not comment, and rarely do on contract talks until a free agent passes a physical exam.

Rays sign righty Abreu to Minors deal  —  ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays signed right-hander Winston Abreu to a Minor League deal Friday with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.  —  Abreu, 31, last pitched in the Major Leagues for the Nationals in 2007, when he went 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA in 26 games.

Nats' Hill waits for arbitration decision  —  PHOENIX — Washington pitcher Shawn Hill became the first player in the major leagues to go to a salary arbitration hearing this year, asking a panel Friday to award him $775,000 rather than the team's $500,000 offer.

Joba tells News: I want to start … TAMPA - Back in November, Joba Chamberlain was in New York for a charity appearance and visited GM Brian Cashman at Cashman's office.  The GM told the phenom to prepare over the winter to be in the Yankee rotation.  —  “That was a little calming …

Bush in hot water again, Padres cut him loose  —  Matt Bush's days as a Padre are over.  —  And they ended in much the same way they began - with a controversial incident that involves the police.  —  The Padres designated Bush for assignment Thursday, just as El Cajon police were looking …

Lisa Guerrero — Jason Giambi on Joe Torre's book: 'It's hurtful'  —  While Joe Torre continues to plug his book, “The Yankee Years,” in New York as the Dodgers winter caravan continues without him, feedback is still rolling in, this time from one of the players mentioned in the tell-all.

Pitching Perspectives with Rick Peterson: Understanding the Epidemic of Youth Pitching Injuries  —  Bridging the Gap Between Potential and Peak Performance  —  Young pitchers are in trouble.  While that may sound like hyperbole at its finest, it most assuredly isn't.

Pudge a possibility for Marlins, but only at sale price  —  Marlins catcher Pudge Rodriguez hangs on to the ball as the Giants J.T. Snow tries to knock it loose.  The Marlins held on for a 7-6 win over San Francisco in Game 4 of the 2003 Division Series.  (Sun-Sentinel/Robert Duyos)

Seasons of Change, Part 1 (of 2)  —  What a difference 10 years can make.  —  We are not far from the beginning of spring training - which also marks the beginning of the 2009 Major League Baseball season - and this can be hard to fathom for those of us in the snowy, cold northern states and Canada.