"Could a leadoff controversy be brewing?

Three days after manager Lou Piniella said he preferred Ryan Theriot in the top spot, Kosuke Fukudome arrived in camp Saturday and said, ''If I can pick, I would like to bat first.''

Not that Fukudome's going to make a big deal out of it. But it's a reminder that in a camp without a perfect leadoff candidate, the guy who performed best in that spot last year also feels comfortable there and has his eye on the job.

Theriot arrived within a few hours of Fukudome, saying he also is ready for the leadoff job. He showed he meant business by getting to work in Arizona barely 24 hours after he lost his arbitration hearing in Florida."