Pap survives scare: Ankle twist turns out OK  —  FORT MYERS - The Red Sox [team stats] received a scare in the ninth inning of the final Grapefruit League game at City of Palms Park, when closer Jonathan Papelbon [stats] rolled his right ankle covering first base.

Just Days Away  —  I spent half the day trying to figure out MLB options rules.  I discovered Mark Prior did have to go on waivers, while learning that the rule confuses even those tasked with managing the process.  I have no idea about Gary Majewski and I'm not even going to try and figure it out.

PAVANO GAL PAL DROPS BOMBER  —  SENDS YANK HURLER TO SHOWERS  —  Just days away from the most important game of his life, much-maligned Yankee pitcher Carl Pavano has been given the hook - by his gorgeous girlfriend.  —  Stunning model Gia Allemand said yesterday she put Pavano on waivers …

It's bonus coverage  —  A-Rod follies will be ratings hit for YES Network all season long  —  Only three days left until the Yankees' season opener with Tampa Bay.  Only three days until the Alex Rodriguez sideshow kicks into high gear.  —  The newspapers will cover it.  So will Tapeheads and radio blowhards.

Wood, Gardner complete roster for Marlins opener  —  Team set until Tankersley, Hermida return  —  JUPITER - This was one of those occasions when it was OK to ignore the three-hour difference.  —  Around 5:30 a.m. Pacific time, a sleeping Sissy Wood in California received a call from her husband.

Peralta a sure thing for Royals  —  Pitcher, whose career has been more suspect than prospect, has become what Bell calls a 'valuable guy.'  —  Royals reliever Joel Peralta has it figured out, he believes.  It was a Dominican delicacy that knocked him for a loop last month and resulted …

Blalock making adjustments  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Hank Blalock finished up his extreme Arizona spring makeover Thursday with one fly ball out to left field and one to center to drop his average to .227.  He did not have a home run in his 18 Arizona exhibitions.

2B Or Not 2B?  Upton May Be Choice  —  FORT MYERS - The more the Devil Rays have seen of B.J. Upton at second base this spring, the more they have warmed to the idea of him playing there regularly.  —  "Right now I'm comfortable with him at second base," Manager Joe Maddon said Thursday.

Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball (Part 3)  —  Moneyball or Great Player Development?  —  Much has been written about the success formula for the Billy Beane-led Oakland A's.  In Michael Lewis' book, Moneyball, he cites a strategy of finding players with high OPS …

Nationals' Big Three Don't Run, Hit or Field  —  Thursday afternoon, Jim Bowden stood in a blazer on the field at Cooper Stadium, home to the Washington Nationals' Class AAA affiliate here, as his team was introduced.  Stan Kasten, Bowden's boss and the Nationals' president, stood nearby in a suit, a blue tie and a red Nationals cap.

Rising influence  —  Japanese stars have become players in US  —  Red Sox pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka (left) and Hideki Okajima (right) are caught cavorting with the enemy — Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui — as the countrymen exchange pleasantries before a spring game in Fort Myers.