Pitcher the picture of calm  —  Outing doesn't faze Matsuzaka  —  "The fact that they hit a couple of home runs off me is not something I'm . . . worked up about," said Daisuke Matsuzaka.  (STAN GROSSFELD/GLOBE STAFF)  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Daisuke Matsuzaka had been so impressive …

Piniella changes Prior 'game plan'  —  Once-promising righty to get start Thursday vs. minor-leaguers  —  MESA, Ariz. — Mark Prior says he's taking baby steps this spring in his attempt to return to his old form.  —  But the next steps Prior takes will be down the street at the Cubs' minor-league camp.

SANCHEZ: 'I'M SORRY'  —  RELIEVER APOLOGIZES TO METS TEAMMATES  —  Duaner Sanchez began apologizing to his Mets teammates yesterday for his behavior, approaching Tom Glavine in the morning to say he was sorry.  —  Sanchez had been evicted from camp for two days because he had been late multiple times.

Mariners Notebook: Lincecum leaves mark  —  Ex-UW star strikes out 4 Mariners in 3 innings of relief  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It's not often you see someone get a standing ovation for a spring training middle relief appearance, but on Sunday Tim Lincecum got two.

Three Hoping To Bag a Spot At First for Nats  —  Only a few puffy clouds dotted the otherwise perfectly blue sky Sunday afternoon over Holman Stadium.  The sun beat down on the dugouts, which have no roofs to hide the players.  There, Washington Nationals first baseman Larry Broadway sat, watched and wondered.

Benitez has scoreless inning in spring debut  —  (03-12) 04:00 PDT Scottsdale , Ariz. — If the Giants' purpose is to trade Armando Benitez before Opening Day, they need him to keep taking the mound.  It's tough to deal a guy out of the trainer's room.  —  Benitez, dogged by injuries …

Edmonds a question mark for opening day  —  JUPITER, FLA. — The Cardinals outfield entered camp as a difficult lesson in long division: too many candidates for likely no more than five openings.  —  The equation may have become more vague Sunday.  —  After his first round …

For a Roster Spot, a Met Is Prepared to Get Dirty  —  In passing up a chance to play football in the Southeastern Conference, Mets outfielder Ben Johnson traded one helmet for another.  The decision was not difficult: Either way, he would wear a helmet.  —  "I'll put it like this …

It's swing forward time for two M's  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Baseball isn't a one-size-fits-all business.  —  You want proof?  Just look at the players who served as No. 2 hitters for Seattle on Sunday in the Mariners' split-squad games.  —  In Peoria there was Adrian Beltre …

Wild pitch hits Jenks in neck  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — White Sox minor-league pitcher Clayton Richard hasn't been sacked since he was a Michigan quarterback in 2005.  —  That almost changed Sunday.  —  An errant Richard throw struck Sox closer Bobby Jenks in the neck as he was warming …

John Kruk Is With Leather  —  When the famous phrase "You're with me, leather" entered the lexicon, I didn't think anyone had John Kruk in mind.  I was wrong; ESPN most certainly did.  If you haven't seen the WWL's new fantasy baseball commercial and you don't want to see Krukie doing …

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