Wood's sidelined again with strained muscle  —  MESA, Ariz. — It hardly qualifies as surprising news anymore, but Kerry Wood will miss "the next couple of days" with another arm problem.  —  The good news—or what appears to be good news—is that his latest setback seems to be "only" …

Baseball's Deepest Starting Rotations  —  As I wrote several months ago, the average team gets about 124 starts from the five guys slated as their rotation at the beginning of the season.  That means that nearly one quarter of their games are started by a mid-season replacement …

Q & A With Rob Bradford  —  Rob Bradford arguably is among the most respected Red Sox beat writers, thanks to his well-written, often-exclusive articles and interviews for the North Andover-based Eagle-Tribune.  Bradford's new blog, Bradford on Baseball, has quickly risen to be among the best-read and most-cited Sox blogs on the Web.

M's Notebook |  Putz's arm 'tightens' after bullpen session  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — The much-anticipated bullpen session for Mariners closer J.J. Putz had gone well.  —  Putz had thrown 25 pitches, mostly fastballs.  All of them off a mound for the first time in 10 days.

Blue Jays' Chacin arrested for DUI  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Gustavo Chacin was arrested and charged early Friday morning in Tampa, Fla., on a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence.  —  Chacin, who slots into the Jays' rotation alongside Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett …

Carp lookin' sharp at Met camp  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Mike Carp introduced himself to Damion Easley during an informal workout even before Mets position players reported, eager to share the news that they both attended Lakewood High School in Southern California.  —  "He was saying how he had a couple of records," Carp recalled.

Greenberg won't let dream slip away  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Now that more than 20 months have passed, Adam Greenberg can tolerate the teasing.  —  "So this is the head that made 'SportsCenter?'" a teammate jokes.  —  Greenberg smiles.  The 26-year-old center fielder is now in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Rangers' Wilson one eccentric individual … SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers reliever C.J. Wilson is working on a novel and a gyroball this spring — not necessarily in that order.  —  His novel, "Instructions for My Next Life,'' is written from the vantage point of a deceased minor league …

Truth Is Revealed in Bets Rose Didn't Make  —  Pete Rose still can't get it right.  He said in a radio interview Wednesday that when he managed the Cincinnati Reds in the 1980's, "I bet on my team every night."  —  "I didn't bet on my team four nights a week," he added in an interview on Dan Patrick's show on ESPN radio.

Tejada ranges far to keep job … FORT MYERS, FLA. // The criticism started at this time last year with each grounder that got past the outstretched glove of Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada .  It got louder as the 2006 season progressed to the point where several scouts wondered whether Tejada …

Not letting it slide  —  Olsen: Experts err in tracking his pitches  —  KISSIMMEE - Scott Olsen is fooling everyone.  —  Hitters weren't sure what he was throwing last season and neither were the statisticians.  Much of the time their best guesses were off.

Hope and Faith  —  How the Detroit Tigers Can Win the World Series … The Tigers are the paramount example of just why we're running this series.  Out of all of the major sports, baseball provides perhaps the best balance between luck and skill.  The idea of the Cincinnati Reds …

Buehrle fends off hungry hitters  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Left-hander Mark Buehrle resembled a hockey goalie Thursday as he survived two shots in a minor-league game.  —  Buehrle took a line drive from Chris Getz off his chest in the third inning.  One inning later, Jason Bourgeois hit a liner …