BASEBALL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Red Sox: Curt Schilling is headed for free agency, Daisuke Matsuzaka is on a rigorous regimen and Manny Ramirez plans to skip that car show. Just another busy day at Boston's camp. After the team declined to offer him a contract extension, Schilling said Thursday he will become a free agent following the season and won't let that distract him during his fourth year with Boston. General manager Theo Epstein, however, wouldn't rule out in-season discussions on a new deal. At a brief meeting between the two Wednesday, Epstein told Schilling that the club would not give him an extension during spring training, as the pitcher had wished. "Curt's going to be 41, and at that age we've got to be a little more conservative," Epstein said. "It doesn't mean we don't want him back. I have all the confidence in the world that if Curt wants to pitch in 2008 and he's still pitching effectively, as I expect he will, then we'll find a way to keep him in a Red Sox uniform." Matsuzaka, perhaps the team's next ace, is already pitching with purpose. The Japanese star threw 103 pitches in his third bullpen session of spring training -- an eye-opening total this early in camp. "It's nothing out of the ordinary for me," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "I didn't speed up the pace of how I pitched, either, and I was trying to stick to what I'm used to in Japan." Matsuzaka, who cost the Red Sox 103 million, is scheduled to throw batting practice for the first time Saturday -- the same day Ramirez had been slated to attend a car auction in New Jersey. But the slugger changed plans and will not attend the event, the club said. The Red Sox gave Ramirez permission to report late to camp on March 1, the day after their first exhibition game, for family reasons. The left fielder's mother recently had surgery.Astros: Roger Clemens spent his first day at camp throwing pitches and hitting grounders to his son, Koby. But that's about all the baseball he feels like playing right now. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner is no closer to deciding whether he'll play a 24th major league season. "Everybody knows where I stand. I don't care to play, but if that decision comes up again, then it's a big decision on me," Clemens said.Rangers: Reliever Eric Gagne threw 15-20 pitches in quick succession, then took a short break and did it again. "It was good, fluid. There were some good ones, some bad ones," the record-setting closer said after a 10-minute bullpen session, his second this week.Mets: Orlando Hernandez left camp and returned to New York to have his sore neck examined. The 41-year-old pitcher has arthritis in his neck and will be sidelined for three or four days after receiving a cortisone shot. El Duque underwent an MRI, which did not show any disk problems, general manager Omar Minaya said. Hernandez was expected to rejoin the team in Florida on Friday. He will rest for three or four days before resuming regular drills.Pirates: Outfielder Xavier Nady was released from a hospital, two days after being admitted for an inflammation of the intestine. Nady is expected to resume limited physical activity on Friday.Dodgers: Manager Grady Little said Rafael Furcal will hit leadoff this season and Juan Pierre will follow him.Nationals: Shortstop Cristian Guzman will resume throwing Friday after being shut down the past three days because of mild tendinitis in his right shoulder.
Red Sox: Curt Schilling is headed for free agency, Daisuke Matsuzaka is on a rigorous regimen and Manny Ramirez plans to skip that car show. Just another busy day at Boston's camp. After the team declined to offer him a contract extension, Schilling said Thursday he will become a free agent following the season and won't let that distract him during his fourth year with Boston. General manager Theo Epstein, however, wouldn't rule out in-season discussions on a new deal. At a brief meeting between the two Wednesday, Epstein told Schilling that the club would not give him an extension during spring training, as the pitcher had wished. "Curt's going to be 41, and at that age we've got to be a little more conservative," Epstein said. "It doesn't mean we don't want him back. I have all the confidence in the world that if Curt wants to pitch in 2008 and he's still pitching effectively, as I expect he will, then we'll find a way to keep him in a Red Sox uniform." Matsuzaka, perhaps the team's next ace, is already pitching with purpose. The Japanese star threw 103 pitches in his third bullpen session of spring training -- an eye-opening total this early in camp. "It's nothing out of the ordinary for me," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "I didn't speed up the pace of how I pitched, either, and I was trying to stick to what I'm used to in Japan." Matsuzaka, who cost the Red Sox 103 million, is scheduled to throw batting practice for the first time Saturday -- the same day Ramirez had been slated to attend a car auction in New Jersey. But the slugger changed plans and will not attend the event, the club said. The Red Sox gave Ramirez permission to report late to camp on March 1, the day after their first exhibition game, for family reasons. The left fielder's mother recently had surgery.Astros: Roger Clemens spent his first day at camp throwing pitches and hitting grounders to his son, Koby. But that's about all the baseball he feels like playing right now. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner is no closer to deciding whether he'll play a 24th major league season. "Everybody knows where I stand. I don't care to play, but if that decision comes up again, then it's a big decision on me," Clemens said.Rangers: Reliever Eric Gagne threw 15-20 pitches in quick succession, then took a short break and did it again. "It was good, fluid. There were some good ones, some bad ones," the record-setting closer said after a 10-minute bullpen session, his second this week.Mets: Orlando Hernandez left camp and returned to New York to have his sore neck examined. The 41-year-old pitcher has arthritis in his neck and will be sidelined for three or four days after receiving a cortisone shot. El Duque underwent an MRI, which did not show any disk problems, general manager Omar Minaya said. Hernandez was expected to rejoin the team in Florida on Friday. He will rest for three or four days before resuming regular drills.Pirates: Outfielder Xavier Nady was released from a hospital, two days after being admitted for an inflammation of the intestine. Nady is expected to resume limited physical activity on Friday.Dodgers: Manager Grady Little said Rafael Furcal will hit leadoff this season and Juan Pierre will follow him.Nationals: Shortstop Cristian Guzman will resume throwing Friday after being shut down the past three days because of mild tendinitis in his right shoulder.
Associated Press