Thornton, Ozuna sign contract extensions  —  Pitcher Matt Thornton agreed Sunday on a $3.25 million, three-year contract with the White Sox, who also gave utilityman Pablo Ozuna a $1.25 million, one-year extension through 2009.  —  Thornton will earn $550,000 this season, $875,000 in 2008 and $1,325,000 in 2009.

Baseball Actively Promotes Him, Advertisers Eagerly Chase After Him  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — At age 24, David Wright has an easy smile and brown eyes that have already appeared on the covers of ESPN's magazine, Men's Health, Player and The Sporting News, and inside the pages of Cosmopolitan, GQ, Sports Illustrated and People.

Twins broadcast legend Carneal dies  —  Club dedicates upcoming season to Hall of Fame radio voice  —  MINNEAPOLIS — One of the signature voices in Twins baseball history is now gone.  —  Longtime Twins radio broadcaster Herb Carneal passed away on Sunday morning at his home in Minnetonka due to congestive heart failure.

Brewers pay price for success  —  Attanasio ups ante in 2007  —  Arlington, Texas - There's an old saying in baseball regarding team payrolls: Spending money doesn't guarantee you're going to win, but not spending it almost guarantees you're going to lose.

'Roid regret  —  Two-time MVP Murphy: I should have spoken up about juice when I played  —  Dale Murphy remembers sitting in front of a television screen, staring.  There were Jose Canseco and the other beefy sluggers on the 1980s Oakland Athletics, slamming home runs and then bashing their ripped forearms in celebration.

Of Rocks and Apples and the Disappearance of 20-Game Winners  —  The question was about 20-game winners, and Rich Donnelly wanted to talk about apple fights.  —  "As kids we had apple fights," said Donnelly, the Los Angeles Dodgers' third-base coach.  "I'll bet you there's no one in here who ever had an apple fight."

Stan Musial: Still The Man  —  JUPITER, Fla. — A hotshot rookie with the New York Mets last season once slapped high fives with fans on his way to the outfield and later found a sign hanging above his locker, "KNOW YOUR PLACE, ROOK."  —  Lastings Milledge had something new hanging on his locker this spring.

The 100-mph kid  —  In one of his few games as a pitcher, Colt Griffin threw faster than any high school player ever.  And that's when all the trouble started.  —  TYLER, Texas |  Colt Griffin moves across the mud-caked land he bought with baseball money, his face fresh, the past behind him.

Quiet Man, … FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. // You know his swing, so short, sweet and powerful that it prompted one baseball lifer to say that Nick Markakis could become one of the Orioles' best hitters ever.  —  But everything else about Markakis is hidden.  He gives few clues to teammates …

Walker could be a keeper  —  The versatile infielder should stick with the club following Durazo's release  —  SAN FRANCISCO — It was far from an ordinary week for Todd Walker.  —  After spending nearly all of spring with the San Diego Padres, Walker was caught by surprise on Monday when the team released him.

Colon to start opening day for minor league team  —  The Angels' right-hander will pitch for Rancho Cucamonga Quakes as part of his rehabilitation from rotator cuff injury.  —  Bartolo Colon will start on opening day after all — for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, that is.

Mouse Takes Fans Far Beyond Crumbs  —  The Red Sox addicts wake up with a craving and stumble to their computer.  —  They will surf from one website to another, from stories in newspapers to blogs composed by equally obsessed and informed fans.  Then there's also a mandatory stop on Curt Schilling's blog before they head to work.

No foolin': Rockies' pitching a problem  —  The Rockies will win 92 games and finish first in the National League West.  —  On this day, only an April fool would believe that prophecy.  —  I drank the Kool-Aid as a child in Vacation Bible School, but not now.  While at spring training I tried to buy what the Rox were selling.

Orioles Make Final Cut  —  The Baltimore Orioles' 25-man Opening Day roster, which will be announced Sunday, will include one big surprise.  Left-handed reliever Brian Burres has made the team, while reliever Todd Williams cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Norfolk, according to one baseball source.

AL CENTRAL  —  Detroit  —  RHP Jeremy Bonderman and LHP Nate Robertson combined for 27 wins last year in a 75-win rotation.  They might combine for 35; Tigers might get 85 from all their starters.  —  CLEVELAND: Will challenging for the AL wild card be enough to save manager Eric Wedge's job from lurking consultant Buck Showalter?

2007 Staff Picks, American League  —  Our annual predictions arrive this year as our Hope and Faith series comes to an end.  While the beauty of spring training is that every team can think it has a chance, somebody has to take the losses.  For today, we concentrate on the division standings …

To Tighten Drug Tests, Baseball Teams Secretly Monitor Players  —  When the Yankees' pitchers and catchers arrived for spring training in mid-February, they saw signs taped up in the clubhouse bathroom reminding them that they would be tested for drugs.  They knew the drill …