Notes: Alomar Jr. inks Minors deal  —  Veteran catcher could be third family member to play for club  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Sandy Alomar Sr. played with the Mets in briefly in 1964, Robbie Alomar had an uneven tenure with the Mets in 2002 and into 2003, and now a third Alomar …

Young to compete for spot with Nats  —  First baseman battled through many personal problems in '06  —  VIERA, Fla. — When Nationals general manager Jim Bowden contacted first baseman Dmitri Young almost two weeks go, Bowden started the conversation by asking, "Do you need a tow?"  —  They both laughed.

Crisp's finger not yet sharp  —  FORT MYERS - Coco Crisp still is experiencing the aftereffects of a fractured left index finger almost a year after suffering the injury, according to Terry Francona.  —  The Red Sox [team stats] manager said that his switch-hitting center fielder recently told …

Bullpen makes a powerful statement  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Even White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen found himself getting caught up in all the hype.  —  Monday's workout ended with power arms Andrew Sisco, Matt Thornton, Bobby Jenks and highly regarded rookie Nick Masset throwing off the mound and causing heads to shake with their velocity.

Matsui not looking in past  —  Rockies prefer to see promise, not failure with Mets  —  TUCSON - The Rockies saw enough from Kaz Matsui in the final six weeks of last season that they are willing to ignore what he did in slightly more than two years with the New York Mets.

Notes: Braun's defense an area of focus  —  Prospect in mix with Koskie out  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  Phoenix - Ned Yost was asked Monday just how much third-base prospect Ryan Braun could improve his defense over six weeks of spring training.

The Best Young Third Basemen of 2007  —  This week, I will continue my position-by-position review of the game's best players by examining young third basemen.  The following list differs from traditional prospect lists in two ways.  First, anyone under 25 is eligible.

Closing time  —  The biggest question of spring training (who will close for this team?) was discussed again today by Red Sox execs, who made some interesting comments.  —  In an interview with the Globe's Gordon Edes that will air on NESN tomorrow night, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein hinted …

Jeter's take: So what?  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Derek Jeter this morning insisted his relationship with Alex Rodriguez is just fine in the workplace — but he vehemently declined to discuss their friendship off the field.  —  "How would I characterize it?"  Jeter said, repeating a question about their current relationship.

Notes: Greene optimistic about hand  —  Recovering shortstop eager to get past injuries of '06  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Khalil Greene strolled into the clubhouse on Monday, a silver wedding ring gracing the left hand that is a lingering concern for the San Diego Padres and their fans.

2006 EWSL Wrapup By Team  —  As I did last year, before diving into my preseason Established Win Shares Levels roster analyses, I'm going to take a quick look back at last season's.  First up is the team-by-team results.  For those of you who need a primer on EWSL and my annual roster roundups, go here.

Schneider Recharges The Battery  —  Catcher Working Nonstop To Learn About Pitchers  —  Before last week, Brian Schneider had never met Matt Chico.  Yet Monday morning, as he crouched on his haunches and stared through his gaudy catcher's mask, Schneider received a pitch from the young left-hander and yelled, "Attaboy, 'Chic!' "

Long way from Shea for former Mets star Ordonez  —  PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) -The first day of Rey Ordonez comeback couldn't have been any more humbling.  Or wet.  —  The former Gold Glover with the New York Mets began his first day on a baseball diamond since 2004 by fielding ground balls hit by a Mariners coach.