Soriano in position to say thanks  —  MESA, Ariz. — Alfonso Soriano has a message for Jim Bowden, the Washington Nationals general manager who forced the former second baseman into playing left field last spring training — even threatening the rarely used disqualified list as leverage.

Nothing's changed about Ponson … FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. // Different uniform and different hairstyle.  Same old Sidney Ponson.  —  The Prodigal Right-hander was back at Fort Lauderdale Stadium yesterday, happily greeting old teammates, taking jabs at Orioles fans and stiffing the Baltimore media.

Manny Being Manny Is Hurting the Red Sox  —  The 86-year Curse of the Bambino ended when the Boston Red Sox won the 2004 World Series.  But as long as the American League's best right-handed hitter plays left field in Fenway Park, the team's fans will continue to moan about Manny being Manny.

Erstad helps to set the tone at the top  —  If healthy, outfielder likely to see name in lineup  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Friday's first two hitters in the White Sox lineup facing the Cubs at Tucson Electric Park might become the norm on offense rather than a rare exception during the upcoming 2007 regular season.

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 …

Losing their zip on reality  —  Drawing conclusions three weeks into the season is comparable to declaring a president based on the first two exit polls.  Are home runs and slugging down?  Yes.  Due to steroid testing?  Let's wait.  —  The more salient topic of conversation thus far has been the inconsistent fastball.

Mets take early lead, but fall to Marlins  —  Valentin hits two-run homer; Glavine hurls five shutout frames  —  MARLINS 5, METS 4  —  Marlins at the plate: On a rainy night, Matt Treanor completed the Marlins' rally from four runs down with an RBI double in the eighth inning.

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 …

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.

Inge leads Tigers' onslaught  —  Third baseman one of four Detroit hitters with at least two RBIs  —  TIGERS 12, PHILLIES 9  —  Tigers at the plate: Brandon Inge broke out of an 0-for-10 slump with a double, triple and five RBIs.  His bases-clearing two-bagger in the fifth inning pulled …

Mets can go two ways for No. 5  —  Park, Pelfrey are leading hopefuls to take final spot in rotation  —  JUPITER, Fla. — While Mike Pelfrey was in Lakeland, Fla., on Wednesday using a four-inning relief appearance as a stepping stone to a Shea Stadium mailing address …

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.

Abreu takes BP for first time since injury  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Bobby Abreu took batting practice in a cage against a pitcher for the first time since straining his right oblique last month.  —  Abreu took 55 swings Friday, including some at almost full intensity.

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.

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 …