Valentin among seven cut by Mets  —  Veteran second baseman hopes to catch on with another team  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The composition of the Mets' Opening Day roster came into somewhat sharper focus Friday night, when the club removed seven players from its Spring Training roster.

Tie game, decisions  —  It's tied 1-1 after three innings.  Derek Jeter led off the game with a double and went on to score on a Mark Teixeira single.  CC Sabathia has allowed one run on four hits, with three strikeouts.  —  Joe Girardi said before the game that he wants to have the centerfield job settled by Sunday or Monday.

The Sox set their rotation  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox finalized two major pitching decisions (the first four starters and Justin Masterson's role) while leaving two others (the fifth starter and Clay Buchholz's role) open for now.  —  None of the developments, revealed by manager Terry Francona, are surprising.

Marlins acquire Paulino from Giants  —  Giants to get right-handed pitcher Hector Correa  —  JUPITER, FL — The Florida Marlins have acquired catcher Ronny Paulino from the Giants in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Hector Correa.  The announcement was made by Marlins President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest.

Duchscherer to start season on DL  —  Projected Opening Day starter will have surgery, miss at least six weeks  —  PHOENIX — A's right-hander Justin Duchscherer, a 2008 All-Star and Oakland's projected Opening Day starter when Spring Training opened last month, is headed for surgery …

Bochy's status doesn't bode well  —  THE A'S STEPPED UP this week — in between Lew Wolff's serial tauntings of the East Bay — and wisely extended manager Bob Geren's contract beyond this season.  —  Next up to the plate: The Giants.  Or, specifically, their lame-duck manager, Bruce Bochy.

Martis, Zimmermann Make Rotation; Pena Placed On Waivers  —  The Nationals this morning made a flurry of roster moves and decisions, finalizing their starting rotation, reassigning several veterans to minor league camp, and placing outfielder Wily Mo Pena on waivers.  —  Here's the skeletal breakdown:

Tabata addresses wife's charges  —  Bucs prospect believed 2-month-old girl was his daughter  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Under his own insistence, Pirates prospect Jose Tabata wrote and delivered a statement on Friday concerning the kidnapping charges his wife, Amalia Tabata Pereira …

Always, the Crack of the Bat  —  HANGING on my office wall is a baseball photograph taken in 1926.  I bought it from an antiques dealer many years ago because I had never seen a picture that so perfectly distills the essence of the game; it almost looks staged.

Corpas' lifts his chances at closer job  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Manuel Corpas answered back Friday.  —  In a tight race with Huston Street for the Rockies' closer job, Corpas threw a strong ninth inning against the Mariners.  He allowed a single to Jeff Clement but was otherwise very sharp.

pre-Game: Mets vs. Marlins at 1 PM  —  The Mets play today against the Marlins at 1 pm.  —  Livan Hernandez will instead pitch in a minor-league intrasquad game, while right-handed pitching prospect Dillon Gee gets the start against the Marlins, because Jerry Manuel specifically requested to see more of him.

BREAKING THE GENDER BARRIER  —  A woman pitched for a Japanese professional team today, Friday. … I've thought for a while that the path for women to professional baseball would be through the knuckleball.  Glad to see that happened in Japan.