Mattingly steps down as hitting coach  —  Leaves position for family reasons; will remain advisor  —  LOS ANGELES — Don Mattingly, named by the Dodgers as hitting coach two months ago and the presumed eventual replacement for new manager Joe Torre, stepped aside on Tuesday for family reasons …

Knoblauch subpoenaed by House committee  —  WASHINGTON — Four-time All-Star Chuck Knoblauch was subpoenaed Tuesday by a congressional committee investigating steroids in baseball after he failed to respond to an invitation to give a deposition.  —  Knoblauch, who played for the Yankees …

Bill Conlin: Get the pitch up  —  It would be unwise for Phillies to take Howard to arbitration  —  FOR 2 YEARS NOW, the Rynomiter has blown them all away.  —  A-Rod . . . Big Papi . . . Pujols . . . Teixeira . . . Cabrera . . . Chipper . . . Bad Vlad . . . Mags . . .

Matsui's knee not quite there yet?  —  My Baseball Bias tips us off to this post at the Let's Go Yankees Blog about Hideki Matsui's knee.  Let's Go Yankees Blog sends us to an article on MLB.com's Japanese affiliate.  Got all that?  There will be a quiz.  —  The article, according …

Chavez signs two-year deal  —  Speedster set to serve as Mets' fourth outfielder in '08  —  NEW YORK — Outfielder Endy Chavez and the New York Mets agreed Tuesday to a $3.85 million, two-year contract.  —  Chavez, who made $1,725,000 last year, gets $1.8 million this season and $2.05 million in 2009.

Starting point: stability  —  Schilling's right: The durable rotation has the edge  —  Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling last March correctly predicted, in theory, the winner of the American League East when he said, “The rotation that makes the most starts wins the division.  It's that simple.”

dungy's return thrills utecht  —  No one was more excited about the news that Tony Dungy will return to coach the Indianapolis Colts than fellow former Gopher Ben Utecht, a tight end for the Colts.  —  “Really excited; Tony has been such a mentor to me, not only as a coach but also as a man …

White Sox agree to terms with pitcher Octavio Dotel; Designate David Aardsma for assignment  —  CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have agreed with veteran free-agent pitcher Octavio Dotel on a two-year, $11-million contract and have designated pitcher David Aardsma for assignment.

Sox trying to add a lefthanded hitter  —  The Red Sox are mulling their options and could add a lefthanded bat off the bench by the end of the week.  —  The Sox would love to sign Brad Wilkerson, the former Expo and Ranger, but he might have options for more money and security elsewhere.

Cherished mementos part of the game  —  Every baseball fan has a favorite collectible keepsake  —  Brian Michael is a Phillies fan in Washington whose prized possessions include a few personalized Mike Schmidt-signed baseballs, a rare Steve Carlton ball signed “Lefty,” and one autographed by Willie Mays.

LeBron set to unveil Yankees-inspired sneakers  —  CLEVELAND — LeBron James loves the New York Yankees — from head to toe.  —  The Cavaliers' All-Star forward, who angered some Cleveland fans by wearing a Yankees baseball cap in the Indians' home ballpark while cheering for New York during …

Tigers invite 21 players to Major League camp  —  DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers today announced the club has invited the following 21 players to Major League camp:  —  Pitchers:  —  Aquilino Lopez  —  Catchers:  —  Max.  St. Pierre  —  Infielders:  —  Outfielders:  —  Timo Perez