BASEBALL

MATSUZAKA STRUGGLES IN SECOND START

Welcome to the big leagues Dice-K.

Boston’s $103 million pitcher with the winning smile allowed homers to two non-roster players struggled with his control, and even threw away a potential dou ble-play grounder in his home de but against a major league team.

Daisuke Matsuzaka’s impressive spring training hit its first bump and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Red Sox 5–3 yesterday. The Japan ese star gave up four runs — three earned — and six hits in four innings

“It’s not something that I’m ter ribly worked up about,” he said through an interpreter. “I’m going to go in there and there’s going to be times where I get hit, where they will score runs against me.”

FOOTBALL

SOURCE: PATRIOTS SIGN WIDE RECEIVER STALLWORTH

Donte’ Stallworth will be catch ing passes from Tom Brady instead of Donovan McNabb next year.

Stallworth and the New England Patriots agreed yesterday on a multiyear contract. The deal was confirmed to the Associated Press by a person familiar with negotia tions who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

ESPN.com reported Stallworth’s contract could be worth $33.1 mil lion over six years, including a guaranteed $3.6 million for 2007.

Stallworth leaves the Philadel phia Eagles after one season in which he caught 38 passes for 725 yards and five touchdowns in 12 regular-season games.

GOLF

CALCAVECCHIA EDGES SLOCUM TO WIN PODS CHAMPIONSHIP

Mark Calcavecchia has gone through his share of ups and downs, from winning a British Open to finishing countless rounds without a full set of clubs because some of them wound up at the bottom of ponds.

Never has he felt such a wild swing in one week.

Calcavecchia packed his bags Thursday night because he figured he would miss the cut. Now he has to make room for an unlikely trophy from his one-shot victory yesterday in the PODS Championship that kept him guessing to the very end.

He missed a 7-foot par for the victory.

Moments later, he watched Heath Slocum’s 4-foot par putt to force a playoff dip in and out of the cup.

HOCKEY

AVALANCHE ROOKIE SETS POINT STREAK RECORD

Colorado Avalanche forward Paul Stastny assisted on a first-period goal Sunday, giving him a point in 18 consecutive games and setting the NHL record for the longest points streak by a rookie.

Stastny, the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, broke the mark of 17 straight set by Winnipeg’s Teemu Selanne in 1993 in Colorado’s 3–2 overtime loss to Minnesota.

“It’s something special that I’ll look back on probably in the summertime,” Stastny said. “But right now it’s tough to take after losing 3-2 in a big game for us in overtime.”