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 …

Starter-starved A's interested in Kim  —  Tampa, Fla. - With the back of their rotation a growing concern, the Oakland A's have shown interest in available Rockies starter Byung-Hyun Kim, according to multiple major-league sources.  —  Joe Kennedy, an effective reliever last season …

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: Spring treating Miller well  —  Likely to make No. 5, righty fine-tuning approach in final weeks  —  MESA, Ariz. — For the first time since 2004, Wade Miller will be on a team's Opening Day roster.  It feels pretty good.  —  Miller is penciled in as the Cubs' fifth starter …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Greinke growing as a competitor  —  "It's how you react when everything doesn't work out like you expect.  You have to be tough.  That's what it takes to be good."  —  | Zack Greinke  —  On Monday, Greinke pitched five strong innings in a spring-training game against the Chicago White Sox.

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 …

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.

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.

Baseball Injury Report  —  From Injury Watch, March 18...  There is growing concern in Seattle circles that Putz' sore pitching elbow is more of a problem than we are being led to believe.  One baseball source close to the Mariners indicates the "word on the street" is he has a flexor mass strain in his right forearm.

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 …