Plenty of pop  —  Burgos' fastball turning heads, could earn him spot in pen  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — At no time yesterday did Ambiorix Burgos reach 100 mph on the radar gun.  But at this rate, there's a very good chance he'll hit triple digits by Opening Day, and it's looking …

A-Rod talkin' like Mr. Cub  —  With options open, Alex is still batty over 'father' Piniella  —  While Alex Rodriguez has demonstrated a penchant for self-analysis, the media has provided ample evidence that this is a two-way couch.  —  We hang on A-Rod's every word.  The season is still a month away from opening.

Mismatch made in heaven  —  Northeastern gets a whiff, and is simply awestruck  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Imagine.  You play college baseball in Boston.  You spent the winter hitting in poorly lit indoor cages with poor backgrounds.  Finally, you get to play outside for the first time and you step in to face . . .

Marlins' Johnson could miss season  —  JUPITER — Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson might miss at least the first month of the season and could be lost for the year because of possible nerve damage in his right arm, sources said Wednesday.  —  Johnson is scheduled to have an MRI today …

Over and out for Oliver  —  Perez finds plate but gets pounded in spring opener  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - As Oliver Perez warmed up for his first Grapefruit League inning yesterday, a slider slipped from his hand, plunking a Sports Illustrated photographer shooting near the backstop.

Mets built for the long haul  —  Remind critics NL East race isn't a sprint  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - The slights keep coming for the Mets.  It was one thing for Jimmy Rollins to declare his Phillies, those perennial underachievers, as the team to beat in the National League East this season.

Whom Would You Choose?  (Again)  —  Since we had so much fun with Schilling vs. Smoltz, I thought I would keep the good times rolling.  Probably the two names that came into the discussion most frequently were Kevin Brown and Mike Mussina.  —  They're today's victims.

The most mediocre team money can buy  —  Cardinals 6, Marlins 3.  Tigers 5, Mets 4.  Rockies 12, White Sox 4.  Red Sox 4, Twins 4.  —  It's baseball season, baby, baseball season.  —  The big news of the offseason, other than the devastating information that A-Rod and Derek are no longer best friends …

Mariners Notebook: Hernandez likely to start Opening Day  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — So you want to know who the Mariners' Opening Day starting pitcher will be?  —  All you've got to do is look at today's starting lineup, look at the date of the opener, then start counting backward by five.

10,115 Things We Didn't Know Last Month  —  Three weeks ago, we introduced our baby: CollegeSplits.com.  Since then, it's gone through a massive growth spurt: up from the sample of three teams we initially presented, the site now contains virtually every NCAA Division I player who has appeared in a game this season.

Minor leaguer quizzes Edgar about 2001 Mariners  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Bryan LaHair knows plenty about winning.  —  As a 24-year-old minor leaguer, however, he's smart enough to know he's a long way from knowing everything about winning.  —  Although the code in spring training is for minor leaguers …

Here's one $80 million signing that's priceless  —  Consider the numbers.  —  Five years, $80 million.  —  Huge dollars, yes.  But look at it a better way.  —  Instead of one Alex Rodriguez at 10 years and $252 million, Rangers owner Tom Hicks could have had three Michael Youngs.

Lies, Damned Lies  —  PECOTA Takes on Shortstop Prospects  —  We've got some 'splaining to do.  PECOTA loves shortstop prospects.  It's just that it doesn't love quite the same shortstop prospects as everyone else.  —  Excellent Prospects  —  1. Alexi Casilla, Twins (22) 171.8

How Will Selig Sell the Extra Innings Deal to Fans?  —  Earlier this week, it looked as if Major League Baseball's ever-pending deal that would move the Extra Innings package of out-of-market games exclusively to DirecTV might be announced today.  That is no longer likely.

Cards Notes: Cardinals try to make inroads into Mexico with Salas signing  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA. — The Cardinals' enhanced awareness of Mexican talent became tangible earlier this week when the club acquired 21-year-old pitcher Fernando Salas from Saltilla of the Mexican League.