Prospectus Notebook  —  Angels, Rockies  —  ANAHEIM ANGELS  — The Angels aren't a team that can field an offense full of .375-OBP boppers, but one of their virtues is an emphasis on depth and flexibility.  Back in January, they announced a lineup shuffle that would return Darin Erstad to center field …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Notes: Rotation facing makeover?  —  Little indicates Perez may not make his next scheduled start  —  LOS ANGELES — Odalis Perez's next turn in the rotation comes up on Sunday.  Whether he makes it appears doubtful.  —  Perez took a 6-0 lead into the fifth inning on Tuesday night in Arizona.

The New Owner Is Old School  —  A billionaire can still hit the lottery.  —  Or, as Ted Lerner put it after becoming the new owner of the Nationals yesterday, "This is a 'wow' kind of day."  —  Everyone will have their own first impressions of Lerner, one of the few American tycoons …

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Pujols may be best ever by time he's done  —  At this moment, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols leads the National League in a bevy of offensive categories.  —  To wit, Pujols tops the loop in home runs, RBI, runs scored, slugging percentage, total bases and extra-base hits.

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.

Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week  —  Did you know...  These are not last year's White Sox.  —  The World Series champion White Sox are first in the American League, with an 18-8 record, but this is a different team than last year's.  — Last year, the bullpen had a 3.23 ERA.  This year, it's 4.55.

Losing one game is not the end of the world  —  While I was watching the blessed Reds get shutout by the Rockies and the Nats blow an awesome comeback in the ninth inning last night (yes, at the same time on the same computer screen), a friend of mine was dining next to Bono, Condi, and Queen Nour at Galileo.

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 …

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.