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 …

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.

Rogers placed on disabled list  —  Tigers left-hander will miss season's start due to fatigued arm  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — The Tigers will go into the 2007 season without one of their heroes from last postseason.  The team placed Kenny Rogers on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with what is being described as a fatigued arm.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

American (and National) Top 30  —  First off, thanks to Geoff Silver and the Sports Business section of the Columbia University MBA program for hosting Steven Goldman, Derek Jacques, Jay Jaffe, Alex Belth and I on Tuesday evening.  We had two great hours of discussion on the business of Baseball Prospectus …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Yankees: Phelps' chance has come, but Villone may go  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Josh Phelps has apparently won a spot on the Yankees roster.  —  Andy Phillips, who had been competing with Phelps to platoon at first base with Doug Mientkiewicz, yesterday was placed on outright waivers.

Quirk of fortune  —  Superstitions the norm among baseball players  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Baseball is a game of rituals, routines, secrets, and superstitions.  A timeless game played by grown men who get paid to be boys.  Superstitious boys.  —  Carl Yastrzemski is sitting in a golf cart …

Cut made, O's roster is anything but final … FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. // For Adam Stern, the walk back to the dugout after striking out yesterday must have seemed almost as long as the flight to Columbus, Ohio, that awaited the Orioles early today.  —  A flight that Stern won't be boarding.