ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball Early Season Schedule Features Rivalries  —  Multiple Appearances by Defending Champion Giants; Rangers/Yankees in ALCS Rematch  —  ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball - the exclusive, national game of the week - will showcase some of Major League Baseball's best rivalries including …

Jets' Antonio Cromartie tells Daily News he hates Tom Brady, calls Patriots QB an ‘ass—  ’  —  Now, it's really personal.  —  Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, taking the baton from Rex Ryan, who criticized Tom Brady's post-touchdown “antics” earlier this week, ripped into the Patriots quarterback …

Cards CEO optimistic about Pujols deal  —  PARADISE VALLEY, ARIZ.  —  William O. DeWitt Jr., chairman and CEO of the St. Louis Cardinals, said Wednesday that he is hopeful the team will sign superstar Albert Pujols to a long-term contract extension before Opening Day.

Not-so-closing arguments about the save  —  Relief statistic could be more meaningful than current formula  —  The past 16 seasons have reaffirmed what all of us knew and many of us have repeated, that records live in peril.  They are displaced from time to time.

Mets agree to Minor League Deal with LHP Taylor Tankersley  —  According to a source, the New York Mets have agreed to a minor league deal with Taylor Tankersley.  The deal includes a Spring Training invite and is not yet official but was agreed upon on Friday.

All's quiet on baseball front as Selig, GMs meet  —  PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz.—Commissioner Bud Selig met with baseball's general managers at the start of what promises to be an uneventful two-day meeting of owners at an appropriately tranquil Phoenix-area resort.

Death Match: Greenies vs. 'Roids  —  Over at It's About the Money, Larry has written an outstanding primer on athletes and amphetamines, and if you're interested in that sort of thing, I can't recommend it highly enough.  —  One section, though — yes, the section that's sort of about me — caught me short.

Tigers, Ryan Raburn Agree To Two-Year Deal  —  The Tigers announced that they agreed to a two-year deal with Ryan Raburn, avoiding arbitration.  The 29-year-old will earn $3.4MM for 2011-12, according to the AP (on CBSSports.com).  Raburn was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason …

Cubs, Outfielder Reed Johnson agree to Minor League Contract  —  The Chicago Cubs and outfielder Reed Johnson have agreed to terms on a 2011 minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.  —  Johnson, 34, returns to the Cubs organization …

Angels catcher Jeff Mathis agrees to $1.7-million contract for 2011  —  Catcher Jeff Mathis, perhaps knowing he had virtually no chance of another win in arbitration this winter, agreed to terms on a $1.7-million contract with the Angels on Wednesday, a moderate raise from his 2010 salary of $1.3 million.

Report: Rays sign reliever Kyle Farnsworth  —  UPDATE: The Rays have agreed to a deal with Farnsworth, but the team has no announcement planned today so it may not be final yet.  —  DEVELOPING: The Rays have agreed to a one-year deal with reliever Kyle Farnsworth, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.