ON THE FAST TRACK  —  FIRE-BALLING BURGOS AIMS FOR METS' BULLPEN  —  Miguel Negron wasn't able to hit it fair or foul it off.  Ambiorix Burgos fired the fastball past him.  —  It came in at 96 mph, the game-ending pitch yesterday in the Mets' 4-3 win over the Cardinals at Tradition Field.

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.

Phillies renew Howard's contract  —  NL MVP nevertheless gets raise from $355,000 to $900,000  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ryan Howard will earn $900,000 in 2007.  —  After exhausting talks with Howard's agent, Casey Close, the Phillies renewed the contract of the reigning National League …

Double feature on tap  —  Dice-K, Ramírez are ready to roll  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — He won't be upstaging Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is scheduled to make his first spring start tonight against Boston College, but Manny Ramírez's spring debut is scheduled to come this afternoon, in an exhibition against the Blue Jays.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 …

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.