BASEBALL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Pirates: Right-hander Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 pick in the 2002 June draft, underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder and probably won't be ready for game action until mid-June. Bullington was expected to pitch in the Arizona fall league, but an MRI exam revealed damage in his right labrum. While performing the operation, Texas Rangers team physician Kevin Meister found the injury to be more severe than initially thought. Bullington, 25, probably can't resume throwing again until late January, which means he will likely miss all or most of spring training. The former Ball State pitcher went 9-5 with a 3.38 ERA at Triple-A Indianapolis last season. He began the season on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis and had a reoccurrence of the problem after being recalled by Pittsburgh in September. Bullington pitched in one game after his recall.
Mets: Reliever Felix Heredia was suspended for the first 10 days of next season for violating baseball's steroids policy. Heredia became the 11th major league player suspended for steroids. The announcement came Tuesday. Traded from the Yankees to the Mets during the offseason, Heredia appeared in only three games before going on the disabled list in April with a strained left thumb. Doctors then found an aneurysm in his left shoulder after he began having circulation problems and he missed the rest of the season following surgery. Heredia is 28-19 with six saves in 511 career games -- all but two in relief.
Dodgers: Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton canceled his interview for the managerial job, citing family reasons. Pendleton had been scheduled to meet with Dodgers officials today. "He has family there in Georgia, and after really thinking about it, he realized he couldn't be this far away from home," Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said Tuesday. The Dodgers have been without a manager since Oct. 3, when the team and Jim Tracy cut ties. The Dodgers had hoped to have a manager in place before the World Series, which begins Saturday in Chicago, but that appears unlikely now. Teams are discouraged from making major announcements during the World Series, meaning a new hire probably won't be introduced before the end of the month. The Dodgers have interviewed five candidates to succeed Tracy: Terry Collins, the team's director of player development who previously managed the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels; Alan Trammell, fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers on Oct. 3; Jerry Royster, manager of the Dodgers' Triple-A team in Las Vegas; Torey Lovullo, a manager in the Cleveland Indians' system; and Ron Wotus, bench coach for the San Francisco Giants. No future interviews had been scheduled as of Tuesday, but the team is expected to speak with former Dodgers Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine about the managerial job or other positions in the organization. Others could be interviewed as well.
Pedro Martinez: Mets ace Pedro Martinez hopes to represent his native Dominican Republic in the inaugural World Baseball Classic after rehabbing an injured toe. The three-time Cy Young Award winner also said Tuesday he'd like to pitch for the Licey Tigers in the Dominican winter league tournament. He hasn't played professionally in his homeland since 1996. "I'm going to start a rehabilitation program to see if I can pitch in the Dominican tournament with the Licey Tigers," Martinez said during a news conference. Martinez dealt with a number of injuries this season, the most bothersome being an injured toe. He went 15-8 with a 2.82 ERA and pitched 217 innings. If all goes well with the rehab, Martinez said he'd play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The 16-nation, 18-day event starts March 3 in Asia.
Phillies: Pitcher Ugueth Urbina was briefly questioned by police and then released as authorities investigated accusations that he assaulted several men after a party at his family's home in Venezuela. Police said the incident occurred early Sunday after a welcome-home party for the major league player, when a dispute broke out between him and two of his workers over the whereabouts of a firearm. "Under confusing circumstances, five workers were injured ... one of them suffering back burns and on the right arm," said a statement from local investigators. The incident occurred in the house of Urbina's mother, Maura Villareal, in the town of Ocumare del Tuy, about 42 kilometers south of Caracas. "He hit us, threatened us with machetes, poured gasoline on us and, it was only by chance that he didn't burn us all," said Argenis Farias, one of the five laborers who were hurt in the incident, Tuesday. Urbina was released after questioning though the investigation continues. The player was unavailable for immediate comment. It was the second violent incident in just over a year for the Urbina family. Urbina's mother, Villareal, was kidnapped by drugtraffickers from her home in September 2004 and held for US$6 million ransom. She was rescued five months later in a mountainous zone in southern Venezuela. Urbina has a record of 44-49 with 237 saves and an ERA of 3.45 during 11 season of major league baseball. In his first season with the Phillies, who acquired him in June, Urbina had a 4-3 record and an ERA of 4.13 in 52 innings and one save.
Phillies: Pitcher Ugueth Urbina was briefly questioned by police and then released as authorities investigated accusations that he assaulted several men after a party at his family's home in Venezuela. Police said the incident occurred early Sunday after a welcome-home party for the major league player, when a dispute broke out between him and two of his workers over the whereabouts of a firearm. "Under confusing circumstances, five workers were injured ... one of them suffering back burns and on the right arm," said a statement from local investigators. The incident occurred in the house of Urbina's mother, Maura Villareal, in the town of Ocumare del Tuy, about 42 kilometers south of Caracas. "He hit us, threatened us with machetes, poured gasoline on us and, it was only by chance that he didn't burn us all," said Argenis Farias, one of the five laborers who were hurt in the incident, Tuesday. Urbina was released after questioning though the investigation continues. The player was unavailable for immediate comment. It was the second violent incident in just over a year for the Urbina family. Urbina's mother, Villareal, was kidnapped by drugtraffickers from her home in September 2004 and held for US$6 million ransom. She was rescued five months later in a mountainous zone in southern Venezuela. Urbina has a record of 44-49 with 237 saves and an ERA of 3.45 during 11 season of major league baseball. In his first season with the Phillies, who acquired him in June, Urbina had a 4-3 record and an ERA of 4.13 in 52 innings and one save.
Athletics: Longtime radio voice Bill King, whose signature call of "Holy Toledo!" was a household phrase for decades in the Bay Area, died early Tuesday from complications following hip surgery. He was 78. The A's said King died at a hospital in nearby San Leandro, three days after undergoing surgery for an injury sustained earlier this year. At spring training in March, King tripped over some luggage in his Phoenix hotel room and had been struggling to get around all season -- missing a number of road games and relying on crutches and later a cane. But he reported about the A's with the same fervor he demonstrated for years covering not only the A's, but other pro sports teams in Northern California. He joined the A's broadcast staff in 1981.