Mixed Reviews As Dice-K Gets First Taste Of AL East  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — In case you were wondering, home run in Japanese is "hon rui da."  The Baltimore Orioles do not require an interpreter.  —  Daisuke Matsuzaka got his first taste of life against the American League Sunday, and discovered he is not in Seibu anymore.

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.

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 …

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.

Barton becoming key part of big trade  —  Mulder deal with St. Louis brought young hitter to Oakland  —  PHOENIX — When A's general manager Billy Beane stunned baseball by trading Mark Mulder to the Cardinals in December 2004, just days after dealing Tim Hudson to the Braves, Oakland fans were understandably bummed.

Nationals trim Spring Training roster to 52  —  The Washington Nationals today optioned right-handed pitchers Jermaine Van Buren and Brett Campbell to Columbus of the Triple-A International League.  The club also reassigned outfielder Darnell McDonald and left-handed pitcher Chris Michalak to minor-league camp.

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.

Minors report: Hietpas makes big switch  —  Longtime Mets catching prospect to try his hand as pitcher  —  Hot topic: A year ago, Henry Owens was hot.  Though he was 25, he was considered something of a young arm, even a pitching prospect.  He produced a nice spring …

Pavano pitches small fit  —  Gets peeved when pressed about sudden exit from park  —  TAMPA - Carl Pavano is ready to return to baseball, having rejoined his teammates at Legends Field.  And while he briefly discussed his early departure from the ballpark Friday night …

Waiting game  —  TEMPE, Ariz. - Gary Matthews Jr. should probably know that while he fields calls from his attorneys and plots strategies with his crisis management firm, the Los Angeles Angels are beginning to field their own calls and plot their own strategies.  —  Very soon, they'll have a season to play.

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 …

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 …

Notes: Padilla takes big step  —  Right-hander makes spring debut, pitches scoreless inning  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — For the second straight day, Duaner Sanchez showed up early.  For the first time in a long time, Juan Padilla showed up late.  In neither case could the Mets ask for more.

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.