Boo Boo McGoo

He returns tonight.

He will return.

...stay tuned :whistle

you are teh meign :notworthy :lol

MARK PRIOR CAREER VS. MARLINS Pitcher G GS CG ShO IP H R ER HR BB K W L Hd S BS ERA Mark Prior 2 2 0 0 14.0 14 4 4 1 3 13 2 0 0 0 0 2.57 MARLINS BATTERS CAREER VS. MARK PRIOR Batter PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K TB DP SLG OBP OPS AVG Mike Redmond 3 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1.000 .667 1.667 .667 Mike Lowell 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .667 .667 1.333 .667 Juan Encarnacion 8 8 3 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 7 0 .875 .375 1.250 .375 Jeff Conine 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .250 .250 .500 .250 Miguel Cabrera 4 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 .250 .250 .500 .250 Luis Castillo 6 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .200 .333 .533 .200 Juan Pierre 7 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 .143 .143 .286 .143 Paul Lo Duca 8 8 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 .125 .125 .250 .125 Matt Treanor 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Mike Mordecai 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Lenny Harris 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Alex Gonzalez 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Damion Easley 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 Wil Cordero 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Ramon Castro 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Chris Aguila 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 CARL PAVANO CAREER VS. CUBS Pitcher G GS CG ShO IP H R ER HR BB K W L Hd S BS ERA Carl Pavano 5 4 1 1 31.2 34 11 11 5 7 21 2 3 0 0 0 3.13 CUBS BATTERS CAREER VS. CARL PAVANO Batter PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K TB DP SLG OBP OPS AVG Paul Bako 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 2.000 1.000 Corey Patterson 10 10 6 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 9 0 .900 .600 1.500 .600 Ramon Martinez 9 9 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 .778 .556 1.333 .556 Nomar Garciaparra 12 12 6 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 12 0 1.000 .500 1.500 .500 Mike DiFelice 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 .500 .667 1.167 .500 Todd Walker 7 7 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 .429 .429 .857 .429 Sammy Sosa 16 14 5 1 0 2 5 0 0 2 3 12 1 .857 .438 1.295 .357 Mark Grudzielanek 25 22 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 8 2 .364 .400 .764 .318 Tom Goodwin 10 10 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 3 0 .300 .300 .600 .300 Derrek Lee 16 15 4 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 5 9 0 .600 .313 .913 .267 Neifi Perez 10 9 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 .444 .222 .667 .222 Aramis Ramirez 12 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 .100 .250 .350 .100 Moises Alou 10 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 .100 .100 .200 .100 Calvin Murray 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Jose Macias 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Todd Hollandsworth 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Ben Grieve 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Jason Dubois 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

- --------------------------------- Mark Prior(5-4, 4.87) against Carl Pavano(17-6, 2.98) TV: FSN/WGN Radio: 560 WQAM, 1140 WQBA as my good friend Bon Jovi once said... We've got to hold on to what we've got 'Cause it doesn't make a difference If we make it or not We've got each other and that's a lot For love - we'll give it a shot Ohhhhhhhhhh, We're half way there Oh Oh, Livin' on a prayer Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear Livin' on a prayer

RUSS ORTIZ CAREER VS. MARLINS Pitcher G GS CG ShO IP H R ER HR BB K W L Hd S BS ERA Russ Ortiz 15 15 1 1 99.1 84 35 31 7 34 79 9 4 0 0 0 2.81 MARLINS BATTERS CAREER VS. RUSS ORTIZ Batter PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K TB DP SLG OBP OPS AVG Matt Treanor 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1.000 .667 1.667 .500 Ramon Castro 5 4 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 5 0 1.250 .600 1.850 .500 Mike Redmond 13 11 4 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 6 0 .545 .462 1.007 .364 Juan Encarnacion 23 20 7 2 0 1 3 0 1 3 3 12 0 .600 .435 1.035 .350 Miguel Cabrera 17 16 5 2 0 2 6 0 0 1 6 13 0 .813 .353 1.165 .313 Paul Lo Duca 24 22 6 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 8 0 .364 .304 .668 .273 Luis Castillo 46 41 11 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 5 11 2 .268 .348 .616 .268 Juan Pierre 55 52 13 3 1 0 4 1 2 2 1 18 2 .346 .278 .624 .250 Mike Lowell 32 28 6 3 0 0 4 0 0 2 6 9 1 .321 .250 .571 .214 Alex Gonzalez 33 31 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 6 0 .194 .212 .406 .161 Wil Cordero 11 10 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 4 1 .400 .182 .582 .100 Lenny Harris 17 16 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 .125 .059 .184 .063 Mike Mordecai 9 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 .000 .333 .333 .000 Damion Easley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Jeff Conine 11 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 .000 .091 .091 .000 Chris Aguila 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 ISMAEL VALDEZ CAREER VS. BRAVES Pitcher G GS CG ShO IP H R ER HR BB K W L Hd S BS ERA Ismael Valdez 12 12 1 0 80.2 76 33 32 10 20 54 4 4 0 0 0 3.57 BRAVES BATTERS CAREER VS. ISMAEL VALDEZ Batter PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K TB DP SLG OBP OPS AVG Rafael Furcal 7 5 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 .400 .571 .971 .400 Chipper Jones 38 36 11 1 0 1 4 0 0 2 6 15 1 .417 .342 .759 .306 Eddie Perez 9 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 .286 .375 .661 .286 Eli Marrero 8 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 .250 .250 .500 .250 J.D. Drew 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .250 .250 .500 .250 Andruw Jones 14 12 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 .167 .286 .452 .167 Dewayne Wise 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Charles Thomas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Adam LaRoche 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Carlos Guzman 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Nick Green 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Marcus Giles 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .250 .250 .000 Julio Franco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Johnny Estrada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Mark DeRosa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Wilson Betemit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

- --------------------------------- Russ Ortiz(14-8, 4.04) against Ismael Valdez(12-8, 5.14) TV: No Clue. Radio: 1360 WKAT, 1140 WQBA as my good friend Bon Jovi once said... We've got to hold on to what we've got 'Cause it doesn't make a difference If we make it or not We've got each other and that's a lot For love - we'll give it a shot Ohhhhhhhhhh, We're half way there Oh Oh, Livin' on a prayer Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear Livin' on a prayer

the time approaches.

*gong*

High post counts= losers low posts counts=small genitalia

its a tie

how about a dark color

you know what sucked about that movie? EVERYTHING

I have guns, they are located between my elbow and shoulder on each arm BANG

argh me matey

But in baseball, you dont make or not make moves base on public opinion, this isnt a PR firm. sorry, if you are the Marlins you do. you have to Thank God your not our GM...cause u r a fool... funny guy.... right now the Marlins are ALL ABOUT PR..... you cant do anything to damage that right now thats just the way it is What r u talking about...the Yankees are the closest thing we have to a PR Firm...All the Boss does is throw money at players in order to keep the people in New York happy and destroy the hopes and dreams of the Boston Fans...that is what a PR firm is...Not the Marlins, struggling to get a stadium and letting go of players like Pudge and DLee...C'mmon give me a break... wow, could you be more wrong?

not as good as Ryan Wagner pwned

good one you had me at hello

Normally, I'm not allowed to use obscene words in my column ... something about being family friendly ... but every year I go ahead and push the envelope here and write an entire column using the dirtiest word in the NBA. Cover your childrens' ears if you just happen to be reading this out loud. Tank, v.: To suffer a sudden decline or failure. There, I said it. The Hawks deny they're doing it. The Magic, at this point, have no choice but to do it. The Clippers and Warriors are proving once again they've perfected the art form. The Bulls, despite all that talent, can't get off the merry-go-round. We all know what goes on behind closed doors, in the dark corners of locker rooms and in the wandering mind of Tracy McGrady. Avert your eyes if you must. Flee the scene if you can't take the heat. Hang a scarlet "T" around your mascot's neck if it makes you feel any better. UConn's Emeka Okafor is among the top prizes for the NBA's lottery teams. It's tanking time folks. You know it. I know it. And the American people know it. And secretly, you love it. You want Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor on that wall. You need him on that wall. You don't want the truth because, frankly, you can't handle the truth. What else should teams like the Bulls or Wizards be doing at this point in the season? While it's reprehensible for a team to begin the season with such a goal, at this point several teams would be stupid not to dump their last 20 games. The Cavs did it shamelessly last season, and look what it landed them. Sold-out arenas every night for the next decade and a fighting chance at the playoffs this season. Everyone is still playing for something. Playoffs or lottery balls? Experience or upside? Honor or hope? For the good teams out there, there's no time like the present. For the bad ones, there's always next year. The key is understanding which category you're in. Sure, it's easy to say the Suns are playing for the lottery and the Kings are playing for a ring. But what about the Celtics, Sixers, Jazz, Blazers and Sonics? Should they be going for the gold or enrolling in the Lottery Ball Acquisition Program? In our ongoing effort to educate, Insider reveals the answers today. But remember, sometimes the truth hurts. There should be one simple mantra for lottery-bound teams 60 games into the season: If it's broke, don't fix it. Here's a look at 10 teams that should tank the rest of the season ... Orlando Magic Record: 17-44 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 25% The Skinny: The Magic are playing their best basketball of the season (four wins in their last 10 games) at the worst possible time of the year. The Magic don't have the flexibility to dramatically alter their roster in free agency or via trade. They just don't have enough pieces. After severable miserable drafts, they need to hit a home run this year. The problem is, the two best players in the draft -- Dwight Howard and Emeka Okafor -- play the same position as Orlando's second- and third-best players -- Juwan Howard and Drew Gooden. The Magic do seem enamored with 7-foot-5 Siberian giant Pavel Podkolzine, but he's not ready to contribute yet. Chicago Bulls Record: 17-42 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 20% The Skinny: Deja vu? The Bulls are in serious running for the first pick in the draft. GM John Paxson has a thing for Okafor, so don't assume the Bulls are tired of collecting inexperienced players in the draft. If they slip to No. 2 and Dwight Howard is on the board, pass Paxson the Rolaids. Most believe the Bulls will try to trade this pick, along with another asset or two, to land a veteran all-star. Still, to get the most for their money, they need to stop this silly streak of winning and get back to what they do best -- dumping the ball into Eddy Curry, then limping off the court with another "L" in the Win-Loss column. Washington Wizards Record: 18-41 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 15.7% The Skinny: Like the Bulls, the Wizards probably have had their fill of young, inexperienced draft picks. The team has eight players with three years of experience or less. But there is a lot of interest in Okafor, who by NBA draft standards is a 10-year vet, and also interest in moving the pick. If they can add a tough, legitimate center to play alongside Kwame Brown, the Wizards might actually be able to make some noise next season. They're another team that's been winning a little too much lately. Atlanta Hawks Record: 19-40 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 12% The Skinny: They have nothing to play for. Next year's roster, with the possible exception of Boris Diaw and Travis Hansen, won't look anything like this season's ragtag squad. The Hawks' latest move, dumping Dion Glover, proves they have the right idea, but when are they really going to get serious and sit Jason Terry for the season? The Hawks' worst nightmare is an injury to Terry that makes him untradeable this summer. As far as the draft goes, it's likely the Hawks' chances of landing the No. 1 pick will improve, as the odds of them reaching 22 wins seems pretty slim right now. Look for Atlanta to nab local product Dwight Howard if it gets the No. 1 pick. Phoenix Suns Record: 20-41 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 8.9% The Skinny: The Suns are, by far, the most talented team in this group. Unlike everyone else here, they have a very solid core with Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson and some nice young players in Leandro Barbosa, Zarko Cabarkapa, Casey Jacobsen and Maciej Lampe. Throw in the draft rights to Milos Vujanic, and it's pretty clear the Suns don't need this pick. Unless there is a legitimate, Western Conference center waiting for them in this draft, you can be pretty sure they'll try to package this pick, along with Jahidi White's contract, to get the cap room they need to make a major run at a veteran free agent. Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant have the buzz, with Mehmet Okur as a sleeper should the Pistons decide to only re-sign Rasheed Wallace. Philadelphia 76ers Record: 24-36 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 6.4% The Skinny: The Sixers have crumbled before our eyes this season. I know they're still trying to grit things out and make a run at the playoffs -- and they have a legit shot, as almost everyone in the East does -- but is it in the Sixers' best interest? The team is getting old and needs fresh blood, especially on the front line. Philly's only young players with much promise are Samuel Dalembert, John Salmons and, to a lesser extent, Kyle Korver. The Sixers need a freakishly versatile, athletic player like Howard in the worst way. Landing the No. 1 pick could turn a dying franchise around pretty fast. Boston Celtics Record: 25-36 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 2.9% The Skinny: Danny Ainge loves this draft so much, he was willing to take on the last two years of Chucky Atkins' contract just to get a third first-round pick, even if it's low in the round. With the Celtics playing some of the worst basketball in the league right now, I believe Ainge has decided it's time to throw in the towel. He wants head coach John Carroll to play young players like Jiri Welsch, Brandon Hunter, Marcus Banks and Kendrick Perkins so he has a better feel for what he does and doesn't have going into the summer. Given Danny's preference for up-tempo basketball, you can be pretty sure he's gunning for a player like Howard to add size and versatility to his front line. Golden State Warriors Record: 25-33 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 1.5% The Skinny: No one knows this game better than the Warriors. They should miss the playoffs for a league-leading ninth consecutive year. Another late lottery pick isn't going to help things, and the playoffs appear to be out of the question now. Time to pull Erick Dampier (before he gets hurt), Cliff Robinson and Calbert Cheaney out of the rotation and let Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus shoot the team into lottery land. Los Angeles Clippers Record: 25-33 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 1.4% The Skinny: Does it really matter? Seattle SuperSonics Record: 27-32 Chance of landing No. 1 pick: 0.7% The Skinny: Nate McMillan hates this. You don't blame him. But when the Sonics decided not to make a move at the trade deadline, GM Rick Sund essentially told McMillan the playoffs weren't a priority this year. It's probably just as well. Now's the time to throw Ronald Murray and Luke Ridnour out there and see how well they'll mesh with Ray Allen.

I too have some competition.

classical

The Detroit Tigers, who should be elated if they lose fewer than 95 games this season, just invested $40 million in a catcher with more than 1,500 games on his r?sum?. In a related development, Pudge Rodriguez might have assured himself four years of misery in a blatant grab for the cash. Rodriguez's new contract smacks of short-term, public relations-driven thinking on the part of the Tigers. That's a bad mix for a team in trouble. But some other big-league clubs were generous this winter for reasons only they can explain. In December, Angels owner Arturo Moreno blew away the field by signing Bartolo Colon for four years and $51 million. Sidney Ponson's three-year, $22.5 million deal with Baltimore was considered extravagant by many. And Seattle was awfully nice to give Scott Spiezio $9 million over three years to play third base, considering he's appeared in 134 games at the position in eight big-league seasons. More often than not, bargain hunting was in vogue this winter, as teams grappled with debt-to-equity regulations and searched for the next Esteban Loaiza or David Ortiz. Welcome to the fiscally responsible section of the ESPN.com Insider, where we pay tribute to overlooked, low-cost signings that could pay off for both the player and team in question. Here are several in the under $2 million category that spring to mind: Nomar Garciaparra, who spent three years in Boston turning double plays with Jose Offerman, is in for a treat. So is Derek Lowe, who led the majors with a whopping 3.92 groundball-to-fly ball ratio last season. If Reese stays healthy, not many balls will get through the right side of Boston's infield. "People who depend on (offensive) numbers so much underestimate what an excellent defensive player in the middle of the field can do," said a National League executive. "This guy is as good as they come at second." And if Garciaparra goes down with an injury, Reese can easily shift to short. Kansas City upgrades its bench by signing Matt Stairs for $1 million and Tony Graffanino for two years and $2.2 million. Allard Baird of the Royals did an exceptional job of roster-building with limited resources. That includes the bench, where Stairs and Graffanino give the Royals versatility and the requisite "dirt dog" mentality so important to winning clubs. Graffanino played all four infield positions last year, has some pop and can steal a base. Stairs, who hit 20 homers in 305 at-bats for Pittsburgh, is with his fourth team in four years. He's the new Reggie Sanders. A lot of personnel people are intrigued by the prospect of Jimenez, with his power sinker, leaving Coors Field for Cleveland. After back-to-back 2-10 seasons in Colorado, Jimenez could use a dose of sea level and sanity. His stuff and his attitude both went south in 2003. Although Jimenez threw a no-hitter for St. Louis in 1999 and saved 41 games for the Rockies two years ago, he'll probably be a setup man in Cleveland. Bob Wickman goes to spring training as the frontrunner to close, with Jimenez and Dave Riske as insurance for manager Eric Wedge. Michael Barrett, acquired by the Cubs in a trade with Oakland, signs with Chicago for $1.55 million. Not everybody's sold on Barrett. One general manager said Barrett and Peter Bergeron never recovered from Montreal rushing them to the majors. There's also a school of thought that the Expos did Barrett no favors by shuttling him back and forth between catcher and third base. Barrett's a puzzle in many ways. "He looks good doing everything, but then he'll have a passed ball," said a scout. "He has a great arm, but he doesn't throw people out. He hasn't been the kind of player you thought he could be, but maybe a change of scenery will do him good." The Cubs are asking a lot of Barrett by putting him in charge of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood and that killer staff. Maybe he'll embrace his new role and surroundings and live up to his early hype. At age 27, he still has time. At $1.55 million, he's not much of a financial risk. "He's a guess hitter, and he won't have to guess as much in the National League, because it's more of a fastball league," says a scout. The consensus is that Batista will also feel quite comfortable in Montreal's heavily-Latin clubhouse Now for the bad news: Batista's .270 on-base percentage last year was hideous, and some scouts think he'd be better off as a DH. He's lost a lot of range, and playing on artificial turf won't help him any. But baseball's third-base crop is so thin, there's something to be said for a guy who's averaged 31 homers and 97 RBI over the past five seasons. Let's put it this way: The Yankees wouldn't mind having him right now. Rick Reed signs a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh that will pay him a base salary of $675,000 if he breaks camp with the Pirates, and $1 million if he starts 30 games. Reed is 38 years old, went 6-12 with a 5.07 ERA last season and missed time with back and abdominal injuries. But he's still crafty enough that the Mets, Reds and three other clubs were interested in signing him. This might be a nice swansong for Reed. He's four hours from his home in West Virginia, and he fits in well as a soft-tossing complement to the rest of the Pittsburgh rotation. If he can pass along a few veteran pitching tips to Kris Benson, Kip Wells and the boys, that'll be a nice fringe benefit. Oliver is another guy who plays to mixed reviews. But after a 13-11 season in Colorado, he's going to a true hitters' graveyard in Florida. "He's inconsistent with his command," said a scout. "He pitches these long games, and the scouts are up in the stands cussing him. But it's got to be like a breath of fresh air leaving Colorado." Oliver is penciled in as the No. 5 starter in Florida until A.J. Burnett returns from Tommy John surgery in May. After that, it's up to him. Brett Tomko joins the San Francisco rotation for $1.5 million. While Tomko has always tantalized with his stuff, he has failed to break through in a big way because of some missing ingredient. Scouts say he's either not tough enough or too stubborn to take instruction. He's 62-51 in the majors with three 200-inning seasons, but he's been branded a disappointment and an underachiever. So why could this year be different? Because: 1) Brian Sabean and Dick Tidrow like him, and everyone respects their talent-evaluating skills; 2) San Francisco is a great pitchers' park; and 3) Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti, one of the best around, is ready to take a crack at him. Even though Tomko didn't flourish in a big park in Seattle or win 20 games for Brian Price or Dave Duncan, he's worth a shot. "He's worn some people out," said a scout. "But Sabean and Tidrow don't make many bad decisions." If Fernando Vina gets two years and $6 million from Detroit, it makes no sense that Walker hits .283 with 85 RBI for Boston and falls through the cracks the way he did. Yes, he lacks range at second base. But he's not a butcher. You wonder if the Cubs would even have re-signed Mark Grudzielanek if they knew Walker would come so cheaply. Now they have both, and it's Dusty Baker's job to keep them productive and happy. Daryle Ward signs a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh. The Pirates will pay him $600,000 if he sticks coming out of spring training. Ward got mega-fat last year in Los Angeles, clashed with manager Jim Tracy and went homer-less in 109 at-bats. But he showed up at a mini-camp in January looking trim and determined. The Pirates have Craig Wilson in right field and expect to sign Randall Simon to play first base, but still could have some at-bats left over for Ward. In 2002, Ward drove in 72 runs in 453 at-bats for Houston. He's the only player to hit a ball over the right field fence into the Allegheny River in the three-year history of PNC Park. "He has a good swing," said a National League scout. "It's a lot easier to lose weight than it is to learn how to hit." Chris Carpenter signs with St. Louis for $500,000 plus incentives. Carpenter won 42 games with Toronto from 1998-2001 before continued arm problems threatened his career. Now St. Louis is counting on him to contribute 175 innings to a suspect rotation. Woody Williams was a sub-.500 pitcher before he arrived in St. Louis; he's gone 34-14 for the Cardinals. "Dave Duncan works miracles with guys like that," said an AL executive. "They got 3? good years out of Garrett Stephenson, and I never would have expected that to happen." Jeromy Burnitz signs with Colorado for $1.5 million, after making $12.1 million a year ago. When in doubt, bet on pitchers leaving Colorado and hitters just arriving. Burnitz hit 31 homers last season while playing half his games at Shea and Dodger Stadiums. He might be good for 40 jacks (and 150 strikeouts) in a full season with the Rockies. Not bad for the price. wonderful

B- with or without Cordero

link FLORIDA: Carl Pavano, RHP. Josh Beckett may have been the World Series star and Ugueth Urbina may have solidified the bullpen, but don't underestimate the impact made by Pavano, who won 12 games and was healthy enough -- at last -- to lead the staff in innings pitched. Who would have thought that when Pavano was dealt for Pedro Martinez that he -- and not Martinez -- would get to the World Series first. awesome.