Guillen likes what he sees in right-hander Russell  —  Russell has done that and more, pushing his way into the mix as a surprise candidate to break camp with the big-leaguers.  —  ''Adam Russell, enjoy the ride,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said Monday after another solid performance from the hard-throwing right-hander.

Willis cinches opening start  —  JUPITER — Dontrelle Willis will start the Marlins' season opener April 2 in Washington - an announcement so anticlimactic that manager Fredi Gonzalez joked that he flipped a coin to decide.  —  "It came up heads," Gonzalez said Monday before speaking sincerely …

Herges making his pitch to stick  —  Veteran battling youthful duo for spot in bullpen  —  TUCSON - Ramon Ramirez and Manual Corpas are in the bullpen mix, hardly surprising because both relieved extensively last year for the Rockies.  Still competing with them is newcomer Matt Herges, something that is a bit stunning.

Rangers' mid-spring analysis  —  Lineup is taking shape, but questions remain at some positions  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  Infielders  —  1B Mark Teixeira, 2B Ian Kinsler, 3B Hank Blalock, SS Michael Young, UTIL Jerry Hairston Jr.  —  Closeup on Jerry Hairston Jr.: The difficult decision involves INF Matt Kata.

Notes: Braun, Sarfate to Minors camp  —  Third baseman focused on 'D;' Righty working on efficiency  —  PHOENIX — Ryan Braun will be the Opening Day third baseman and Dennis Sarfate the closer.  —  For Triple-A Nashville.  —  Braun and Sarfate, two of the Milwaukee Brewers' biggest question marks …

Other Voices: Here's hoping weight is all that Felix has lost  —  Editor's note: The Stranger identified Seth Kolloen the best sportswriter you've never heard of for his work at seattlest.com.  His columns appear occasionally in the P-I.  —  FELIX HERNANDEZ LOST a bunch of weight in the offseason …

Looking at 2007's top milestones and records  —  The 2007 baseball season is just around the bend.  —  The pennant races are always the lead story in any baseball campaign, but the upcoming season also figures to provide us with an extra-large helping of individual drama.

Surprise!  Groundless Hope and Bad Seasons  —  I find it both goofy and oddly touching that the Kansas City Royals train in a city called "Surprise."  It's a bit like Bill Clinton being from a place called Hope.  Every year, I come here, get stuck in the quagmire that is suburban Phoenix traffic …

It's anyone's ball game  —  Freeway World Series beckons as parity grips MLB  —  Here is a message for George Steinbrenner, Derek Jeter, Brian Cashman and everyone else who has bought in to the Yankees culture that the season is a failure if New York does not win the World Series: The '90s are so over.

Little given one-year contract extension  —  Dodgers manager rewarded for guiding club to playoffs in '06  —  VERO BEACH, Fla. — Grady Little, the Dodgers' surprising hire as manager more than a year ago, was rewarded Tuesday for last season's on-field turnaround with a one-year contract extension.

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

Uecker stalker gets warning at Brewers game  —  MILWAUKEE — A woman once charged with stalking announcer Bob Uecker was asked to leave a Milwaukee Brewers spring training game.  —  The baseball team notified the Phoenix police that Ann E. Ladd was at Monday's game, Police Sgt. Joel Tranter said Tuesday.

Trade talk as Opening Day approaches  —  Here's a look at some players who can expect to see their names come up in trade discussions between now and Opening Day:  —Armando Benitez, Giants.  They have Brian Wilson ready to take over as closer, and they have scouts from Florida …

For Mets Pitchers, Location Is the Word  —  Every spring when the Mets begin playing exhibition games, the pitching coach Rick Peterson puts together a forum for his pitchers near their warm-up area at Tradition Field.  —  The only item on the agenda is pitching, or, more precisely …

Big contracts won't sway Royals GM  —  Dayton Moore says he considers talent, not money, when he assembles roster.  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. |  Royals general manager Dayton Moore contends money won't do any talking when he gathers his on-field and front-office staffs for discussions on putting together the major-league roster.

Yes!  It all ads up for Giuliani  —  Yankee airwaves offer free time for Rudy's run  —  Rudy Giuliani, aided and abetted by George Steinbrenner, has a history of commandeering Yankees airwaves to enhance Bombers business interests or promote his own agenda.