Nats' Brass Say They'll Rebuild From Within  —  Lerner, Kasten Promise No Precipitous Moves  —  Stan Kasten, the man who will run the Washington Nationals as their president, has been involved with professional sports for nearly three decades, virtually the entire span of free agency.

Delgado Has the Will and Finds a Way  —  The weather during last night's game between the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates was miserable.  The wind at Shea Stadium was howling during the first pitch, and rain began falling in the third inning.  —  But the stormy conditions did not begin in earnest until the top of the ninth.

Pavano can't wait to butt in  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Carl Pavano believes this will be it.  The injury-plagued righthander is scheduled to begin his minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday and is optimistic it won't be long before he is able to take his spot in the Yankees' rotation.

Prior's recovery runs into another roadblock  —  PHOENIX — Pitchers Kerry Wood and Wade Miller were with their teammates Wednesday in the Cubs' clubhouse at Chase Field, but Mark Prior was missing and no gear was in his empty locker.  He is dealing with a physical setback that has nothing to do with his right shoulder rehab.

Mulder in St. Louis to have back examined  —  HOUSTON - Lefthanded starting pitcher Mark Mulder returned to St. Louis Tuesday night to be examined for back stiffness that has bothered him for much of the last two weeks, club officials confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

Perez Could Be Headed for the Bullpen  —  On the day after Odalis Perez lost a 6-0 lead in one inning, Dodger Manager Grady Little said he might remove him from the starting rotation — for one start, or for an indefinite assignment to long relief.  —  "We do have options," Little said.

Notes: Leyland loves small ball  —  Veteran skipper doesn't want team to depend on home runs  —  DETROIT — The Tigers are on a historic pace for home runs at Comerica Park, but that's the last thing Jim Leyland wants his club thinking.  —  The more they homer, the more he seemingly worries about them relying too much on it.

Giles was almost a Dodger when Padres budged  —  LOS ANGELES - Brian Giles said it wasn't a bluff.  The native San Diegan and longtime Padres fan nearly became a Dodger in November.  "It was probably a day away," Giles said yesterday from the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.

Rolen expects to play Thursday  —  Cards third baseman eager to return from bout with bronchitis  —  HOUSTON — Scott Rolen put on a brave face on Wednesday, but it was a face obviously thinned by illness.  Rolen, who has lost about 10 pounds due to what the Cardinals are calling …

New pastime: Needling Barry  —  MILWAUKEE - There's a statue of Hank Aaron outside the main gate at Miller Park.  The plaque underneath contains the information that the Hall of Famer played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1954 through 1965, after which the franchise relocated to Atlanta …

Flashback From The Subconscious  —  Any similarities to Tike Redman and Braden Looper are completely coincidental.  —  We hope.  —  This is the game that you don't want to take a nap in the middle of...especially anytime after the ninth inning.  Because after Country Time spit the bit …

Rain delay provided an opportunity to soak the fans  —  Despite more brutal weather, they played baseball at Fenway last night.  Hallelujah.  But had they not played, the Red Sox still would have been winners at the cash register.  The $ox always win these days.

The survival guide: Jones credits his mother  —  If you think a few boo-birds are going to keep Jacque Jones down, then you don't know much about the Cubs right fielder.  Sure, he was disappointed about being booed at Wrigley Field.  No one likes to be booed.  But when you look at the big picture, the boos don't mean a thing.