Favorable Reviews  —  Their Movie Tastes Differ, But Matsuzaka And Okajima Earn ...  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Daisuke Matsuzaka's season almost ended before it began Wednesday.  —  Curse of the Bambino?  More like the Curse of the Banged Elbow.  —  It all started innocently enough.

Ordonez on verge of making Mariners  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — A smiling Rey Ordonez insists he has done all he can to complete one of the more improbable sports comebacks in recent memory.  —  And the Mariners now appear ready to reward the 36-year-old infielder, out of baseball since 2004, with a spot on their opening day roster.

Swindal Divorce Shakes Up Yankee Hierarchy  —  George Steinbrenner ate dinner in the cafeteria at Legends Field on Wednesday with his daughter Jessica beside him and her husband, Felix Lopez, next to her.  Lopez merrily took out a cellphone and snapped a picture of his wife and his father-in-law.

Cards have tough decisions ahead  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Skip Schumaker is in, John Rodriguez is out and an overcrowded bullpen awaits a potential trade before taking final shape.  —  Manager Tony La Russa almost completed construction of the Cardinals' opening day roster Wednesday …

Twins choose Silva over Garza  —  Struggling veteran Carlos Silva will be part of the starting rotation, while impressive rookie Matt Garza starts in Class AAA.  —  FORT MYERS, FLA. - The Twins re-assigned rookie pitcher Matt Garza to Class AAA Rochester on Wednesday, handing struggling veteran Carlos Silva …

Mets' bullpen in state of flux  —  Players want to know who will be with club in '07  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Some Mets squirmed on their clubhouse stools, because "something's not right" and "something's missing."  At the same time, the general manager, the manager and the staff analyzed …

Pirates Notebook: Sanchez progresses at plate, in field  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — It was just the first step, and one gingerly taken.  —  Still, Freddy Sanchez began to show the Pirates he could be ready for opening day — even if only as a pinch-hitter …

Hawpe nurses ankle injury  —  Mesa, Ariz. - Clocks and calendars took on added importance for the Rockies on Wednesday.  Injured outfielder Brad Hawpe believes he has enough time to heal for opening day, while the Rockies are prepared for pitcher Jeff Francis to serve his suspension time sooner than expected.

Wright makes Rangers' rotation  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - The Rangers pitching staff is just about set.  They think.  —  Before their second shellacking in as many days, the Rangers named Jamey Wright their fifth starter, Kameron Loe their long reliever …

Willie may turn 2 David  —  Mulls move in batting order  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Willie Randolph doesn't intend to commit to a lineup, not like he committed to his childhood sweetheart Gretchen.  But batting David Wright second, behind Jose Reyes, seems to agree with the Mets skipper.

Crucial moves on deck for Rays … CLEARWATER - The Devil Rays narrowly picked Edwin Jackson over J.P. Howell as their fifth starter on Wednesday and reduced their bullpen options by sending Tim Corcoran and Scott Dohmann to Triple A.  —  But more interesting, more difficult and, potentially, more surprising decisions remain.

White Sox make pitching changes  —  Listless play makes Guillen growl after 7th loss in row  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Manager Ozzie Guillen left Tucson Electric Park in a bad mood.  —  After watching the White Sox perform lethargically while losing their seventh consecutive game …

Rogers goes on DL with 'tired arm'  —  DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers will miss at least one regular-season start after being placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a tired arm.  —  General manager Dave Dombrowski said Rogers was seeing a specialist …

Notes: Rule 5 pick Goleski going back  —  Left-hander Kennedy officially named team's fifth starter  —  PHOENIX — Most everyone in an A's uniform at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Wednesday was understandably giddy.  —  For most, the smiles and easy laughter stemmed from the prospect …

Mets go from hunter to hunted in NL East  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — As the Mets look to defend their NL East crown, have the trash-talking Phillies replaced the Braves and their mystique as the biggest obstacle to a repeat?  Maybe not.  —  Sure, the Mets punched a sizable hole in Atlanta's armor …

Around the horn: Westbrook unlikely to sign  —  Items from around the majors:  — While Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano is a good bet to sign a contract extension before Opening Day, the same can not be said for the Indians' Jake Westbrook and Astros' Jason Jennings, two other potential free-agent right-handers.