Alfonso Soriano

Good morning --Alfonso Soriano -- Does that salary include a fee for hunting down Steve Bartman?

Brad Lidge did not expect to find himself on the mound for many ninth innings this season, certainly not on Opening Day at Wrigley Field. He signed with the Washington Nationals in late January with the understanding, despite his 223 career saves, that he would set up and provide a mentoring voice. "Give the guy a million dollars and let him look after the kids," said Lidge, 35. But there he was Thursday, capping an idyllic afternoon with save No. 224, finishing a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs filled with both unexpected twists and predictable themes.

Who's hot Odalis Perez, Omar Daal and Kazuhisa Ishii of the Dodgers are 12-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 15 starts. Who's not The Expos have lost a sea son-high six games in a row. Line of the day Alfonso Soriano, Yankees second baseman AB R H RBI HR 5 2 2 2 2

The Phillies could get Chase Utley back by the middle of the week. Maybe that will put manager Charlie Manuel in a better mood. He barked at a reporter who suggested scoring is down everywhere. "That doesn't mean we have to have that damn problem," Manuel said. "That's like saying if somebody jumps off a bridge, we're going to jump off the bridge with them. The hell with that. " … The Mets' fire sale could start as soon as Memorial Day. There's not an untouchable on the roster, including third baseman David Wright.

I'll credit the Orioles for figuring out early that Alfonso Soriano would price himself out of Baltimore. But $136 million over eight years? Did anyone see it going there? Don't worry. Carlos Lee will settle for $119 million over seven. Just how big of a bargain is Miguel Tejada right now? The Orioles have him locked up for three more seasons. Imagine if he were hitting the free-agent market this winter. No wonder they'd have to be overwhelmed to trade him. You just know the Angels are calling the warehouse again today.

Good morning --Alfonso Soriano --Is what you're telling the Nationals is that you're second to no one? Question of the day If you were an NBA general manager, would you be interested in trading for Ron Artest? Some GM will take the risk. Ron Artest is all about "me." He is probably the most tenacious defensive player in the NBA, but there is that added liability of his inciting another arena riot, a label that he will never be able to fully shake. Patrick R. Lynch Parkville I would be about as interested in acquiring Ron Artest as I would any other disease.

The Phillies could get Chase Utley back by the middle of the week. Maybe that will put manager Charlie Manuel in a better mood. He barked at a reporter who suggested scoring is down everywhere. "That doesn't mean we have to have that damn problem," Manuel said. "That's like saying if somebody jumps off a bridge, we're going to jump off the bridge with them. The hell with that. " … The Mets' fire sale could start as soon as Memorial Day. There's not an untouchable on the roster, including third baseman David Wright.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman studied the numbers last season and realized his team's dynasty was in jeopardy. Since 1996, the Yankees had made winning look easy, but the team's offensive fortunes were getting progressively worse. Consider: Between 1996 and 2000, the Yankees never scored fewer than 871 runs. Last year, they scored 804. Between 1996 and 2000, the Yankees never drew fewer than 631 walks. Last year, they drew 519. Between 1996 and 2000, the Yankees never posted a collective on-base average lower than .354.

The All-Star Game is one month from today, and the rosters will be announced in three weeks, so here's the question: Now that Cal Ripken has retired with his 19 consecutive All-Star appearances, who will represent the Orioles this season? With Ripken around, the answer used to be so easy. Now, the Orioles have become a collection of non-stars, at least in the national baseball landscape. Or, as their decision-makers hope, a collection of stars waiting to be discovered. The American League and National League rosters each have 30 players.

I've written football for six weeks in a row, so in the seventh, I'm resting. Besides, Week 1 of the NFL season produced not a single victory for my three teams. Eddie Kennison, Wali Lundy and Chris Cooley, you let me down. But enough on that. Let's talk some baseball, a sport that has been much kinder to my fantasy fortunes this year. One of the fun things about any season is watching spectacular talent emerge. It doesn't matter if these players are on my team or not. I just like knowing there are a few more stars who will quicken my pulse and those of my league mates when they come up in future auctions.

Observations, opinions and musings from last week in Major League Baseball. There have been plenty of big-name players getting injured this year, but last week set the standard. St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols (calf strain) hit the disabled list, and so did Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano (broken hand) and Cleveland Indians catcher Victor Martinez (elbow surgery). Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder tear) will be out for at least four more weeks, and Indians pitcher Jake Westbrook is done for the year after elbow-ligament surgery.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the second consecutive winter meetings, the Orioles are involved in serious trade talks involving second baseman Brian Roberts. This time, it's the Chicago Cubs, a frequent trade partner of the Orioles and a team that needs a left-handed hitter, who are aggressively pursuing Roberts, according to several team sources. As of last night, no deal appeared imminent and one club source said he believed the winter meetings would end this morning without the Orioles having dealt any of their players, including Roberts, shortstop Miguel Tejada or ace left-hander Erik Bedard.

It's becoming hard to ignore all the chatter about Alex Rodriguez's hot start. After three years of holding him at arm's length, New York seems ready to adopt its third baseman. The cognoscenti on Baseball Tonight seem ready to hand him Barry Bonds' single-season record of 73 homers. And fantasy owners seem ready to reanoint him as our game's most valuable commodity. As you'll probably guess if you've read me for a while, I'm skeptical. By all means, be excited if you own A-Rod. He's a great player in the middle of a great streak, and that's fun. Joe Sheehan wrote a well-reasoned piece on BaseballProspectus.

Viera, Fla. -- There may be plenty of questions surrounding his new ballclub, but Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta has a pointed one of his own. Why? He asks it not once, not twice, but three times when told that some so-called baseball experts are predicting that the Nationals will lose 100 games in 2007. After all, Acta figures the 2006 Nationals continually made mistakes and lost 91. As futile as life has been for the Nationals/Montreal Expos franchise, it hasn't lost 100 games since 1976.

It's hard to believe that the 2007 baseball season is almost upon us. Seems like only a week or so ago, I was in Florida watching the Super Bowl, but that's probably just because time seems to pass faster as you get older. The Orioles open pitcher and catcher workouts Thursday at their Fort Lauderdale, Fla., training facility, which should be pretty interesting now that they actually have enough capable pitchers to occupy all the practice mounds. I know this because I have been keeping careful count and there are four new middle relievers who don't look anything like Steve Kline or Mike DeJean.

If I were living in a purely subjective world, it would be easy to rationalize a lifelong fan's desire to see Southern California play Ohio State in the Bowl Championship Series title game. The Trojans probably will end up in the No. 2 spot in the BCS standings if they defeat Notre Dame this week and UCLA a week later. Neither game is a lock, but there's a pretty good chance the Trojans and the Buckeyes - who have a pretty good historic rivalry themselves - will face each other Jan. 8 for the big crystal football.

If I were living in a purely subjective world, it would be easy to rationalize a lifelong fan's desire to see Southern California play Ohio State in the Bowl Championship Series title game. The Trojans probably will end up in the No. 2 spot in the BCS standings if they defeat Notre Dame this week and UCLA a week later. Neither game is a lock, but there's a pretty good chance the Trojans and the Buckeyes - who have a pretty good historic rivalry themselves - will face each other Jan. 8 for the big crystal football.

I'll credit the Orioles for figuring out early that Alfonso Soriano would price himself out of Baltimore. But $136 million over eight years? Did anyone see it going there? Don't worry. Carlos Lee will settle for $119 million over seven. Just how big of a bargain is Miguel Tejada right now? The Orioles have him locked up for three more seasons. Imagine if he were hitting the free-agent market this winter. No wonder they'd have to be overwhelmed to trade him. You just know the Angels are calling the warehouse again today.

Good morning --Alfonso Soriano -- Does that salary include a fee for hunting down Steve Bartman?