01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Pedro Martinez threw from the top of a mound for the first time at New York Mets training camp yesterday and acknowledged he still has a lot of work to do before opening day.

"I'm out of shape," Martinez told a group of reporters before walking off the field. "I'm just trying to get back to the mound, see how my toe is. My arm is not full-strength. I still have a lot of work to do."

Martinez threw 34 pitches to catcher Bobby Estallella with pitching coach Rick Peterson and bullpen coach Guy Conti watching. None of his pitches appeared full-speed.

Martinez said he has to concentrate on getting his foot healthy before he can strengthen his arm.

"Because I want to have my arm in good shape, I need to have my legs in good shape," he said. "Without a leg, there is no arm."

He expects to be ready for opening day, and Mets manager Willie Randolph said he wasn't concerned.

"Pedro will be ready," Randolph said. "I trust Pedro that he'll be ready to go. That's what I go by."

Martinez threw from the slope of the mound for the first time in camp last week after a sore right toe kept him in the clubhouse for the opening weeks of spring training. Martinez said he wasn't sure going into to yesterday's practice whether he would throw from the rubber.

He tried a few pitches from halfway up the mound before climbing to the top.

"I feel the toe a little bit now but I prefer to do it like that and get used to doing it the way I normally do it and see what the results are going to be," Martinez said.

He said his toe feels better in the new Nike cleat he had custom-made for him.

"So far, healthwise, it's improving," Martinez said. "I was expecting to feel the way I feel right now. It's improving a little bit.

Martinez expected to throw again today.

ROUNDUP

MATSUI, SHEFFIELD MISS GAME: Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield were held out of the Yankees' intrasquad game yesterday for precautionary reasons. Matsui has a sore left knee, while Sheffield has been slowed by back spasms. Both took batting practice and participated in fielding drills. "During the season they would have played," Yankees manager Joe Torre said, adding both would "probably" play in tomorrow's spring training opener against Philadelphia.

HUDSON TO OPEN FOR BRAVES: Tim Hudson will start Opening Day for the Braves. The change in the rotation comes with the blessing of 2005 opening day starter John Smoltz, who says it's time to pass the honor to Hudson. "Huddy is Opening Day starter for the future here," Smoltz said. "As long as Huddy's here, he's going to start Opening Day. Huddy's the guy." Added Smoltz: "I'm just tickled to death being healthy." Hudson is scheduled to start the April 3 opener at the Dodgers.

WELLS APPEARS READY FOR WBC: Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells played in the Blue Jays' intrasquad game yesterday, and appears ready for the World Baseball Classic. Wells, who won his second straight Gold Glove last season, is among 30 players on the U.S. roster for the tournament, scheduled for March 3-20. He strained his left quad lifting weights eight days ago, and it was believed he might miss the first round. However, he played three innings in center field and popped out and grounded out in his two at-bats.

FOURTEEN IS THE LIMIT: Get ready for ties in the first World Baseball Classic. Organizers said yesterday that games in the first two rounds of the tournament will be ended after 14 innings, even if teams remain tied. In addition, the tournament's technical committee may suspend semifinal games after 14 innings if "pitcher availability for both teams would be substantially jeopardized by not suspending the game and pitcher availability would be substantially enhanced by resuming the game as a suspended game on the next day." Ties would count as half a win and half a loss in determining a team's winning percentage, organizers said.

PIRATES, WILSON AGREE: Pittsburgh shortstop Jack Wilson agreed to terms of a 3-year, $20-million contract extension yesterday. The 27-year-old Wilson was heading into the last year of a 2-year, $8-million contract.

WINN GETS $23 MILLION: Randy Winn and the Giants agreed yesterday on a $23.25-million, 3-year contract extension through 2009. Winn, acquired before last season's trading deadline from Seattle, batted .359 with 14 home runs after joining the Giants last season. The 31-year-old is on the U.S. roster for the World Baseball Classic.

ROSE'S SINCERITY QUESTIONED: Mike Schmidt says Pete Rose's lack of remorse caused baseball commissioner Bud Selig not to reinstate the career hits leader. Schmidt, who attended Rose's meeting with Selig in November 2002, details the session in his book "Clearing the Bases," published by Harper Collins and due to be in stores by mid-March. "Pete's confession lacked one major thing in Bud's mind: remorse," Schmidt wrote. "I spoke to Bud later, and he told me he got the confession he had expected, but not the expression of genuine remorse he had hoped for."

ANKIEL TO MISS 10-14 DAYS: Former pitcher Rick Ankiel, trying to make the Cardinals's roster as an outfielder, will miss 10 to 14 days of spring training after injuring his left knee. Ankiel suffered the injury during an intrasquad game Monday. He had been scheduled to start in center field against Florida Atlantic University yesterday, but an MRI yesterday revealed a strained patella tendon.

BONDS LIGHTENS UP: Paula Abdul probably could hit a fastball about as well as Barry Bonds could impersonate Paula Abdul. Bonds entertained and delighted a small gathering of fans and teammates yesterday by dressing up as Abdul to judge the San Francisco Giants spin-off of the hit Fox show American Idol called Giants Idol. Bonds, who wore a strapless dress and a blonde wig, surprised everyone watching the mock contest, where young players had to sing in front of the judges. "I'll never tell my wife to hurry up any more," Bonds said. "Because it took me forever to get ready. I'll never do that again. I couldn't get my hair right. There were a lot things I went through during the 30 minutes I was getting ready."