Pain stops Tankersley  —  Sore shoulder puts Opening Day in question  —  JUPITER—If left-hander Taylor Tankersley opens the season on the active roster, it probably won't be at full strength.  —  Tankersley, who hoped to make a bid for the closer's job, has been diagnosed with posterior capsulitis …

Schilling in fine form for Sox in opener  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Stopper."  —  That's the tune citizens of Red Sox Nation could have been humming after Curt Schilling's two innings in the inaugural game of the 2007 spring training season last night.

Mets have aces up sleeve  —  No Zito, but plenty of good young arms  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - You could almost hear the zinger coming.  The more Oliver Perez struggled in the Mets' spring training opener yesterday, the louder the grumbling among the paying customers grew.

Report: Athletes received illegal 'roids via online ring  —  The West Coast had BALCO.  Now the East Coast could be in the midst of its own steroid scandal.  —  An illicit steroid distribution network, which may be responsible for Internet sales of performance-enhancing drugs nationwide …

Guillen hopes Jenks not stretching truth  —  Says he trusts closer that exit was due to tightness, not pain  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — The White Sox have more than four weeks to work out the kinks before their April 2 regular-season opener.  —  That also should give closer Bobby Jenks …

New Cub Marquis opens spring games  —  Righty channels Maddux as he begins journey with Chicago  —  MESA, Ariz. — Jason Marquis doesn't look like Greg Maddux, and doesn't have the same career numbers as Greg Maddux, but he has the same mindset.  At least, that's Michael Barrett's take on the new Cubs pitcher.

MARK CUBAN IN MEGABUCKS BID FOR CUBS  —  Billionaire blogger Mark Cuban is more serious about buying a major league baseball team than he's been letting on.  The tech entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner is set to offer $625 million to buy the Chicago Cubs from Tribune Co., according to a source familiar with the matter.

60 seconds with Marlins outfielder Cody Ross  —  Staff writer Joe Capozzi spoke with Marlins outfielder Cody Ross, who batted against golfer Phil Mickelson in 2003.  —  JC: How did golfer Phil Mickelson end up pitching to you?  —  CR: I was with the Toledo Mud Hens and he spent a week there.

Miller's Clout Goes Unrewarded by Veteran Voters  —  You'll excuse Marvin Miller, please, if he is more concerned right now about his left shoulder than he is about his vote count.  —  "Terry and I were in Florida in mid-December," Miller said, referring to his wife.

HITTING IT OFF  —  MR. OCTOBER SCHOOLS A-ROD IN CAGE, SEES MONSTER YEAR  —  Smooth and powerful swings sent the sound of thunder racing through the Legends Field batting cages yesterday, where a Hall of Famer was working with a future Cooperstown resident long after the Yankees' regular workout ended.

Notes: Hall's outfit adds humor to camp  —  Outfielder lightens mood by unveiling spandex gear  —  PHOENIX — Who says Spring Training workouts aren't any fun?  —  Bill Hall injected some laughs into Brewers camp Wednesday morning, when the position players were timed in the 60-yard dash on a back field at Maryvale Baseball Park.