Shapiro agrees to extension  —  WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — General manager Mark Shapiro agreed to a five-year contract extension through the 2012 season with the Cleveland Indians, a team he has dismantled and rebuilt into a playoff contender.  —  Shapiro was signed only through this season …

Orioles' Benson is out for 2007 … FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. // Three weeks into a scheduled four-week rehabilitation program, Orioles pitcher Kris Benson has chosen to have season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn right rotator cuff.  —  Benson met with Orioles vice president Jim Duquette …

Greed between the lines  —  'Loyal' A-Rod just after cash  —  TAMPA - Just when we thought the circus might finally have left Yankee spring training and been replaced by a tranquil, business-like routine, Alex Rodriguez manages to get himself all over the back pages again - and for all the wrong reasons again.

Manager resists lure of tobacco 'heaven'  —  FORT MYERS - It's bad enough Terry Francona is trying to give up an unhealthy, addicting habit he absolutely loves.  —  Even worse, the Red Sox [team stats] manager has to constantly be around the thing he's trying to quit - smokeless tobacco - when he's near a baseball field.

Sanchez, Reed duel for CF job  —  FORT LAUDERDALE — There are more than two weeks left in spring training, but the Marlins have seen enough of Reggie Abercrombie to know that he won't be their center fielder this season.  —  Abercrombie was sent to minor-league camp Wednesday as the Marlins narrowed …

How low can Lopez go?  —  Colorado's goal for new starter is to keep ball down  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - There is no understating the importance of newcomer Rodrigo Lopez to the Rockies rotation.  —  Someone has to replace the 200-plus innings Jason Jennings provided, rack up a double-figure victory total …

Five Questions: Chicago White Sox  —  This is my fourth annual article "questioning" the White Sox.  In my first preview, I wondered what kind of manager newly hired Ozzie Guillen would be.  In the second, I spent a lot of time recapping Kenny Williams' busy offseason.

Heilman elbows way back  —  LAKELAND, Fla. - Aaron Heilman, who has not pitched since allowing four runs in an inning against the Tigers six days ago, hopes to return to action tomorrow night against the Marlins.  Heilman has tendinitis in his right elbow, from which he had bone chips surgically removed on Oct.23.

'The 3-2'  —  TEMPE, Ariz. - Born in the imagination of a minor-league pitching coach, carried from Class A to the brink of the big leagues by an over-achieving, side-arming right-hander, "The 3-2" is a pick-off move that is challenging umpires at least as much as it is eliminating baserunners.

Future Shock  —  State of the Systems, AL West  —  This year's State Of The Systems features some new categories, so before we get going, some of the sections require a little bit of explanation.  — 2007 Rookies: Simple enough—what first-year players will contribute in the big leagues this year.

Notes: Simontacchi proves himself  —  Right-hander allows two runs in five innings Wednesday  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Nationals right-hander Jason Simontacchi proved once again that his right shoulder problems are a thing of the past, and his successful spring has him as one of the leading candidates …

Rose said he bet on Reds 'every night' as manager  —  Rose seems to suggest wagering incidental since he backed Reds  —  Breaking from his frequent denials, Pete Rose not only admitted Wednesday that he bet on baseball but seemingly raised the ante by saying he "bet on my team every night."

Reitsma eager to prove his worth to M's  —  Reliever says he's nearly recovered from arm surgery  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — The scar is a blush of purple, still a vivid reminder.  Yet Chris Reitsma insists his arm is near ready, that the surgery he had last summer has not diminished his capabilities …

Baseball tipped off to catcher safety  —  Jason Kendall can't pinpoint the first time his teeth got rattled as he sat behind the plate.  That's as it should be, because he's a catcher, and you'd sooner expect someone who does that for a living to remember when he took his first steps.