Nats Are Awfully Certain  —  By design, John Patterson rarely reads the sports page.  But last week, he was climbing into a whirlpool to loosen his muscles.  With little else to do, he grabbed a paper from New York that sat nearby.  He looked at a prediction for the team for which he pitches, the Washington Nationals.

For Starters, Sturdy Effort and Victory for Glavine  —  One start, one-tenth of the way closer to his 300th victory.  At this rate, Tom Glavine will reach his targeted milestone by the end of May and be back home in Georgia comfortably retired by the Fourth of July.  Right?

Four unexpected players make roster  —  Buck, Walker, DiNardo and Marshall in immediate plans  —  OAKLAND — Travis Buck has never played above Double-A ball.  Jay Marshall has never played above Class A. Todd Walker was released by the Padres earlier this week.  Lenny DiNardo was waived by the Red Sox in February.

Giants send Ellison to Mariners for minor leaguer  —  SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners acquired outfielder Jason Ellison on Sunday from the San Francisco Giants for minor league pitcher Travis Blackley.  —  Ellison, who turns 29 on Wednesday, was added to the Mariners' 25-man roster …

Padres sign Adrian Gonzalez to four-year deal  —  The Padres announced Sunday that they have agreed to terms with infielder Adrian Gonzalez on a four-year contract through the 2010 season with a club option for 2011.  —  "Adrian has established himself as one of the great young players …

Rangers look for right fit  —  Washington wants to protect Cruz against Lackey in opener  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - So, will he or won't he?  —  The Rangers went through their final workout of the spring still uncertain if Sammy Sosa would start the season opener tonight …

Notes: Final roster spot undecided  —  Bourn, Condrey, Dobbs, Segovia make 25-man roster  —  PHILADELPHIA — On Sunday, the Phillies' roster stood at 24 players, with one undecided spot.  —  The team expects to rectify that and announce its 25-player assortment by Monday.

Herb Carneal dies at 83  —  Longtime Twins radio broadcaster Herb Carneal died this morning of congestive heart failure at his home in Minnetonka, the team announced.  —  Carneal, 83, who received the highest honor in baseball broadcasting in 1996 when he was named the recipient of the Ford C. Frick award …

Cubs, Zambrano closing in on five-year deal  —  The Cubs' chances of signing right-hander Carlos Zambrano to a new five-year contract look better than ever.  —  Zambrano has waived his Opening Day deadline for completing negotiations with the club, according to his agent, Barry Praver.

Dodgers and Angels need speeding ticket  —  They may be out of step in a power-hitting era, but L.A. teams' emphasis on basestealing and manufacturing runs makes for more exciting baseball, and could make them World Series contenders.  —  We've spent so much time moaning about the inability …

Talks with Eckstein appear stalled  —  As long ago as the Winter Warm-up, Cardinals officials expressed a hope to approach shortstop David Eckstein during spring training to discuss an extension to his current contract.  —  There were some talks but nothing substantial while the club was in Florida …

What is Zone Rating?  —  Zone rating has been around for 20 years now as a way to measure defensive players.  It's a simple concept; you just need to know two things: How many plays a fielder makes, and how many were hit into his zone.  You divide the first number by the second, and you have zone rating.

Baseball 2007: Deep-sixed in first six?  —  Another poor start for Pirates portends another disaster  —  Peter Diana, Post-Gazette photo illustration  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  Zach Duke gets it.  —  Even though he will pitch a Major League Baseball opener …

De Aza comes out of nowhere  —  Talent gurus didn't have CF on their radar  —  WASHINGTON - Anibal Sanchez isn't going to shock anyone if he flirts with a no-hitter this season.  Josh Willingham and Dan Uggla won't leave any mouths agape with 30-homer outlays.

Baseball returns across America  —  Pregame ceremonies celebrate hopeful spirit of Opening Day  —  It's time for giant flags unfurled across the outfield, emotional first-pitch ceremonies, deafening fly-overs from local military bases, player introductions, moments of silence …

Diamond Mind: Only three with 90-plus wins  —  How will the free-agent spending splurge this past winter play out in 2007?  Will Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, Gary Matthews Jr., Gil Meche, Juan Pierre and others justify their big contracts, or will they prove to be multiyear financial millstones for their teams?