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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yankees Coach Looks in the Mirror and Sees Posada  —  With the ease of one friend meeting another in a coffee shop, the Yankees coach Tony Peña pulled up a chair at Jorge Posada's locker in the clubhouse.  Peña placed his paper coffee cup on the floor, picked up a baseball and began an impromptu catch-and-throw lesson.

How the Philadelphia Phillies Can Win the World Series  —  Brad talks with Steven Goldman about the Phillies' chances on Baseball Prospectus Radio.  Click to download the mp3.  —  I am not a devoted Phillies fan, but in the years before I became publicly associated with the Yankees …

Non-roster invitee seizes chance  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Non-roster invitee Adam Russell has pitched himself into consideration for a spot on the White Sox's Opening Day roster.  —  "Russell, enjoy the ride, because he's in the picture," manager Ozzie Guillen said with a smile Monday …

Mariners Notebook: Sherrill is latest shaky performer in bullpen  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — If you ever wondered what a deflated man looks like, then the picture of Mariners reliever George Sherrill on Monday afternoon would answer your query.  —  As the 6-foot, 225-pound Sherrill trudged …