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.

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.

Mets release Villone, Re-assign Others  —  The Mets have released infielder Jose Valentin, according to SNY.  —  Original Post:  —  The Mets released Ron Villone prior to today's game, while Nelson Figueroa, Rene Rivera and Andy Green were sent to minor leagues camp.

New York Mets' Johan Santana ‘ready to go’ on Opening Day after throwing seven innings Friday in 4-1 victory over Nationals … PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — It has been only a month since Johan Santana was sidelined by elbow soreness, sparking widespread concern about his status for Opening Day.

Duchscherer to have elbow surgery, out at least a month  —  PHOENIX — Justin Duchscherer will have arthroscopic elbow surgery next week, likely causing the Oakland Athletics' two-time All-Star to miss at least the first month of the season.  —  Manager Bob Geren announced the surgery on Friday …

A's Acquire Curtis Thigpen  —  By Tim Dierkes [March 27 at 2:23pm CST]  —  According to a press release, the A's acquired catcher Curtis Thigpen from the Blue Jays today for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  They also signed catcher Eric Munson to a minor league deal.

Levine Emerges as the Yankees' Voice  —  When politicians questioned the propriety of the Yankees' $1.2 billion in tax-exempt bonds for their new stadium, Randy Levine, the team's president, scolded them for having their facts wrong or for failing to examine similar financing for the Mets' Citi Field.

Pirates' Tabata says wife lied about being pregnant  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Pirates prospect Jose Tabata, reading from a statement in Spanish, said his wife lied to him about being pregnant and then showed to him a baby that she later handed over to authorities, who arrested her on charges of child abduction.

Hair-brained policy raises Hanley's ire  —  Hanley Ramirez, the lone Marlin with five stars to his resume, walked through Thursday morning's clubhouse with a message written across his chest in Sharpie.  —  “I'm sick of this s—,” it read.  —  He was serious.  “I'm angry,” he said.

Taschner to the Phillies done  —  UPDATE: The Giants have traded left-handed reliever Jack Taschner to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Ronny Paulino.  The Giants just announced it.  —  Paulino, 27, is a .278 hitter in 304 big-league games with Pittsburgh, which traded him to Philadelphia in December.

Melhuse informed he won't make team  —  Rangers decide to go with youth tandem as veteran ponders options  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Adam Melhuse is hitting .632 for the spring.  He is 12-for-19, giving him the highest batting average anywhere in Spring Training for a player with a minimum of 15 at-bats.

Organizational Rankings: #1  —  And we reach the end - the healthiest organization in baseball.  —  Rankings So Far  —  #30: Washington Nationals  —  #29: Florida Marlins  —  #28: Houston Astros  —  #27: Kansas City Royals  —  #26: Pittsburgh Pirates  —  #25: San Diego Padres

To Draft or Not to Draft  —  Apparently, that is the question Tom Boswell has been trying to answer this week.  First, in a column for the Post and then in his chat yesterday.  —  A point by point analysis … What he fails to mention is how many hitters drafted #1 overall in the draft are in the Hall of Fame?

Justice: If Tejada regrets anything, it's getting caught  —  Drayton McLane loves it when his players do community work, so he has to be thrilled Miguel Tejada has agreed to do an extra 100 hours this summer.  —  Nice going, Miggy.  Way to represent The Good Guys.

Spring Game 30: Reds at Yankees  —  YANKEES  —  Pitching today: CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Damaso Marte and Jon Albaladejo.  —  REDS  —  McDonald CF  —  Hairston SS  —  Phillips 2B  —  Nix RF  —  Gomes DH  —  Rosales 3B  —  Jones 1B  —  Hernandez C  —  Hopper LF

Marlins give Nolasco nod for opener  —  Right-hander will face Nationals on April 6 at Dolphin Stadium  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Perform the way Ricky Nolasco did in 2008, and you are bound to be rewarded.  —  Add to that an impressive spring, and upstanding character, and you can understand …