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• Phillies 2B Utley may be out until May (AP)

  Three-time All-Star Chase Utley, who anchored the middle of the lineup for the World Series champion Phillies, will have surgery and may not be ready for the start of the 2009 regular season. Utley will have surgery next week to repair any bone or cartilage damage he may have in his right hip. He will be able to begin baseball activity in three to four months.

  
  
• Yanks say offer to Sabathia has deadline (AP)
  CC Sabathia will have a deadline to accept the New York Yankees' contract proposal. "We've made him an offer. It's not going to be there forever," Hal Steinbrenner said Thursday after he was approved as the team's new controlling owner during a meeting at Major League Baseball headquarters. New York offered a six-year contract to the pitcher last Friday, the first day teams were allowed to start...
• Dice-K says he'll play for Japan in WBC (AP)
  Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is ready to help Japan defend its title at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Matsuzaka, the MVP of the 2006 tournament, said Thursday he will start preparing for the WBC in December. "I'll accept the offer if I'm asked to play," Matsuzaka said. "I'll pick up the pace of my training in December so that I won't have to scramble at the last minute." The...