In Debut, Schilling Leaves Wanting More  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Curt Schilling was too good for his own good.  —  Schilling was so efficient in his two scoreless innings in the Red Sox's exhibition opener Wednesday night, he was left wanting more.  —  Schilling threw 19 pitches, 15 strikes …

Injuries mount for Marlins' staff  —  Tankersley shut down 5-7 days; Johnson worries grow  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Some of the Marlins' most promising young pitchers have injury concerns.  —  On Wednesday night, the Marlins confirmed that reliever Taylor Tankersley has left shoulder inflammation …

Marching orders a success  —  Tucson - Seeking more power, Todd Helton switched to a slightly heavier bat this spring.  It should come in handy in his new role as the Rockies' cleanup hitter.  Manager Clint Hurdle has flip-flopped Helton with Matt Holliday, leaving the all-star outfielder in the fifth spot.

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.

2007 Top 100 Prospects  —  We proudly present our annual list of the best young players in the game, the culmination of our offseason prospect rankings.  —  But this year we bring you the list with a twist.  While we'd like to think that every player here will go on to big league success …

Rangers give Young 5-year deal  —  All-Star shortstop's extension worth $80 million  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Michael Young will remain a Ranger until he's not so young anymore.  —  The club and its All-Star shortstop agreed early Thursday morning …

Getting his groove back?  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — All the progress Rangers pitcher John Koronka made as a rookie last season was just good enough to get him right back where he was a year ago.  —  Koronka became the Rangers' fifth starter after Adam Eaton was injured at the end of camp in 2006.

Myers is open to being a closer  —  That could solve a pitching conundrum.  —  If Brett Myers is ever asked to close, he said yesterday, he would do it.  —  The Phillies begin their Grapefruit League schedule this afternoon against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland with six starting pitchers on their roster.

Selig Memo: MLB to Test Non-Players for Steroids, Drugs  —  A newly released and obtained 5-page memo from Commissioner Selig, outlining the breadth and width of attempts to eradicate steroid use in MLB, all personnel—players (Major and Minor League), non-players (Major and Minor League) …

Gaijin no longer means 'outsider'  —  Sometime this spring (maybe it's already happened), Daisuke Matsuzaka, the apple of every Beantown eye, the superstar in waiting, the man of a thousand pitches, is going to feel like a fish out of water.  Sometime this spring, when the cameras aren't rolling …

Mets' Sanchez takes step in recovery  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Good news doesn't necessarily mean definitive news.  —  It doesn't for Mets reliever Duaner Sanchez, who took a significant step in his recovery from shoulder surgery when he threw from flat ground yesterday, but hedged about being ready for Opening Day.

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.

Q&A with Terry Tiffee  —  Terry Tiffee was drafted in the 26th round of the 1999 first-year player draft by Minnesota and played parts of three seasons with the Twins before the Orioles signed him as a minor league free agent in November.  Tiffee, who hit .244 last season with two home runs and six RBIs …

Burgos is greeted as a Royal relief  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - For a team whose glaring need is starting pitching, the Mets' most notable trade of the winter seemed a curious one.  In Brian Bannister, they gave up a young starter of some promise for a wild-thing reliever who couldn't hold the closer's job for the sad-sack Royals.