It's National alert  —  Mets hope to avoid fight  —  Major League Baseball backed Pedro Martinez and the Mets' contention they did nothing wrong in their bench-clearing incident against Washington last week, suspending and/or fining three members of only the Nationals yesterday on the eve …

Out: Crisp has broken knuckle; no timetable given for return  —  The two-paragraph release issued by Red Sox physician Thomas Gill yesterday, and the equally brief comments general manager Theo Epstein made, indicated only that Coco Crisp has a nondisplaced fracture at the base of his left index finger …

Recognition comes early for Atkins  —  Play against Padres nets third baseman NL's weekly award  —  PHOENIX - Garrett Atkins epitomizes the Colorado Rockies.  —  He is easily overlooked.  —  But he would like to think he's ready to get some attention.  —  Chalk up a notch of notoriety for Atkins on Monday.

Derrek Lee agrees to new five-year, $65M deal  —  CHICAGO — NL batting champion Derrek Lee and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a $65 million, five-year contract, a deal expected to be announced Tuesday.  —  "It's fairly likely something will be worked out," agent Casey Close said Monday.

Field of screams  —  Qns. pols balk at Mets' offer  —  DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF  —  Seeking support for its stadium plan, the Mets have offered to spend $200,000 on sports programs for local kids - drawing howls of protest from some Queens lawmakers who demanded a $1 million payout.

Braves send Devine to Triple-A  —  Australian right-hander Moylan called up from Richmond  —  ATLANTA — After Monday night's home-opening win over the Phillies, the Braves announced that they are sending Joey Devine back to Triple-A Richmond.  —  Replacing him on the roster will be Peter Moylan …

Holding pattern in place  —  Foulke's outing breeds optimism  —  BALTIMORE — The three college students, all Red Sox fans, sitting just below the opening to the Camden Yards press box, had spent the afternoon showing off their homemade sign and yelling up toward Jerry Remy.

Notes: Hendrickson heading for the DL  —  Experiences tightness in shoulder after complete-game win  —  ST. PETERSBURG — The last time Mark Hendrickson felt tightness in his throwing shoulder, he was scared.  This time around, he said that he is more familiar about the feeling in his left arm.

Crisp's star on the rise  —  Coco Crisp is shopping his idea for a new reality show to television networks.  The program, which mixes the elements of dating-themed programs with the reward opportunities of a game show, is tentatively titled, "May/December."

Now, Winning It All Is the Only Thing  —  The groundskeeper Grant Kirbby putting the finishing touches on the team logo Monday at Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees play their home opener Tuesday.  —  It was 10 years ago this week, against the Kansas City Royals, that Joe Torre managed for the first time at Yankee Stadium.

New ballgame  —  Another season of home improvement  —  It's amazing now to think there were plans to tear the thing down.  —  Fenway Park was in decay, we were told.  It was becoming a safety issue.  The old ballyard was ready to crumble and you could only do so much with another layer …

Matthews' return to Rangers is looming  —  Struggling Nix could find himself without roster spot  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Gary Matthews Jr. played center field and went 3-for-3 for Triple-A Oklahoma on Monday and could be back in a Rangers uniform Friday.  —  How the club gets him on the roster could become quite a ticklish situation.

Green Monster and Manny  —  Each baseball season brings new books about the national pastime.  Some are stats-driven, a la Bill James's sabermetric specials.  Some go deep on hardball heroes and seasons past.  A few take swings at the game itself — none more mightily than ''Game of Shadows …