Sox rally falls short  —  Clement hit hard in first home start of season  —  BOSTON — There's never a good time for a bad start.  But Matt Clement knows his timing Thursday night wasn't the best, especially considering his counterpart's recent success against the Red Sox.

Hernandez is second to none  —  WASHINGTON — The Mets expected a clear-cut winner to emerge in the fight for the second baseman's job by the end of spring training.  They were off by about two weeks.  —  When Kaz Matsui, as usual, was KO'd by an injury, this time a right knee sprain …

Boy Who Helped Yankees Is a Hit Again  —  Jeffrey Maier, a senior at Wesleyan, had two doubles against Bates on Wednesday to reach 170 hits.  He hopes for a career in baseball.  —  MIDDLETOWN, Conn., April 12 — The pitch was a fastball on the outside part of the plate …

Low Payroll and High Hopes for Brewers  —  TOM HICKS and Mark Attanasio have conducted business deals with each other, but it is a deal Hicks did on his own for which Attanasio owes Hicks a large thank-you.  Hicks, the Texas Rangers' owner, fired Doug Melvin as his general manager in 2001 …

Vidro, Tavares Argue About Dimensions at RFK Stadium  —  Jose Vidro was quite clear.  He feels RFK Stadium is unfair to hitters.  He thinks the club should have moved in the fences during the offseason.  He said so on Wednesday night.  And he didn't back down yesterday …

Grand jury investigating Barry Bonds  —  SAN FRANCISCO —Barry Bonds could be facing bigger problems than baseball's probe into his alleged past steroid use.  A federal grand jury is investigating whether Bonds committed perjury when he testified in 2003 that he never used steroids …

Bidders For Nats May Join Forces  —  With Major League Baseball poised to select a new owner for the Washington Nationals within the next week, the family of local real estate patriarch Theodore "Ted" Lerner yesterday was very close to teaming up with former Atlanta sports executive Stan Kasten …

Wood may be nearing minor-league rehab  —  Kerry Wood could begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment in about 10 to 12 days.  If Wood's strong comeback from shoulder surgery last August continues in a simulated game Saturday in Mesa, Ariz., the usual routine would be one more simulated game …

Mariners Notebook: Willie waits his turn  —  Utility player hasn't received much game time  —  CLEVELAND — Ten games into the season, Willie Bloomquist's starting percentage is .200  —  His batting average is .200.  —  The two are not unrelated.  Bloomquist isn't a regular starter …

Brand New Shoes  —  Ladies, here's a sneak view inside the Guy Code — that unwritten set of rules that govern what American Guys do in social situations, covering everything from the type of drinks which are acceptable to order to the selection of urinals in a public restroom.

Zambrano loses focus, game  —  Carlos Zambrano has been the Cubs' biggest disappointment so far this season.  Rather than shouts of "Cy Young,'' his performances have elicited sighs of exasperation.  —  While the Cubs are off to a 5-3 start, Zambrano has fumbled an opportunity to raise …

Rangers' Alfonseca relies on sinker, not a little extra  —  It's OK to stare.  He's used to it.  —  Antonio Alfonseca, the most famous - actually the only - polydactyl pitcher in major league history, has been around the league long enough to know that his 12 fingers and 12 toes make him more renowned than his leaden sinker.

Same ol' Zambrano  —  WASHINGTON — Yesterday was a standard outing for Victor Zambrano.  Not that great, not terrible.  —  But with the Mets' intimidating lineup, Zambrano may just be good enough this season — if he proves that his shaky five-inning performance in yesterday's 13-4 thrashing …

Looking for his groove  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Imagine for a minute that you're Brad Wilkerson.  —  You had spent your entire career, since being drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1998, in one organization.  —  You rode out the talk of eliminating the franchise, split two home seasons between Montreal …