White Sox pitcher Buehrle bites Eagles quarterback Vick

White Sox pitcher and avid hunter Mark Buehrle, with his wife Jamie, has three dogs, supports animal-rescue efforts in Chicago and St. Louis, and helped save a dog found wandering the streets in St. Louis with an arrow sticking out of its abdomen in December by donating money to help pay the dog's veterinarian bills and finding it a home.

So you'd figure he might not have good things to say about Eagles quarterback and former dogfighting-ring kingpin Michael Vick - and you'd be right. In fact, Buehrle told MLB.com that there were times this season he wished Vick, who was convicted in 2007 of a felony related to dogfighting and served 19 months in prison, would get hurt - and questioned his sanity.

"He had a great year and a great comeback," Buehrle said, "but there were times where we watched the game, and I know it's bad to say, but there were times where we hope he gets hurt. Everything . . . done to these dogs, something bad needs to happen to these guys." According to CBS.com, Buehrle also said: "Even if you are not a dog lover, how can you sit there and make two dogs fight and one is going to die? How could you do that if you are somewhat sane?"

The quotes were later removed from MLB.com, but writer Scott Merkin had posted them on his Twitter account.

We have a feeling that Vick, who was named NFL comeback player of the year after leading the Eagles to the playoffs and making the Pro Bowl, won't be inviting Buehrle to any parties anytime soon. Though he may have some interest in Buehrle's tips on hunting.

One day after Pittsburgh's Ross Ohlendorf won a raise from $439,000 to $2,025,000 despite going 1-11 last season, the Los Angeles Angels beat Jered Weaver in arbitration.

Don't cry for Weaver. The righthander will get a raise from $4,265,000 to $7,365,000 instead of his request for $8.8 million.

But Weaver was 13-12 with a 3.01 ERA for the Angels last season and led the major leagues with 233 strikeouts. That got him a 72 percent raise, while Ohlendorf, with 79 Ks and a 4.07 ERA, got a 360 percent hike.

Imagine how much Weaver would have gotten if he played for the Pirates. (We would tell you, but we have to lie down after figuring out those percentages.)

Of course, the arbitrators could have added in pain and suffering for Ohlendorf, since he plays for the Bucs. Weaver, after all, plays for a franchise that's trying to be successful on the field and not one that's - how can we put this gently? - just shaking down its fans for every last nickel while offering nothing in return.

Oh, for those keeping score at home, it's now Players 1, Owners 1 - with seven players remaining in arbitration and hearings scheduled through Feb. 18.

American League MVP Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers agreed Thursday to a $24 million, two-year contract four days before their scheduled arbitration hearing, while outfielder Luke Scott and the Baltimore Orioles avoided arbitration with a $6.4 million, one-year deal; and the Milwaukee Brewers and righthander Shaun Marcum agreed to a $3.95 million, one-year contract late Wednesday on the eve of their hearing.

Hamilton hit a major-league-leading .359 last season with 32 homers and 100 RBIs despite missing most of the final month of the regular season with broken ribs. Scott hit .284 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs. Marcum went 13-8 with a 3.64 ERA after returning from elbow ligament-replacement surgery.

Imagine how much they would have made if they played for the Pirates.

Mario Cuomo was a minor-league outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1952 before leaving to become a lawyer and later enter the political arena, where he was elected governor of New York three times. He hit .244 at Class D Brunswick in the Georgia-Florida League. (Imagine how little he made in those days before arbitration.)

Now, Cuomo will be using all of his areas of expertise after a federal bankruptcy judge in Manhattan appointed him to serve as a mediator in a legal dispute between the New York Mets owners and Irving H. Picard, the court-appointed trustee trying to recover money for victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. Picard has accused the Mets owners of making $300 million in profits from Madoff's swindle and ignoring warnings that the financial returns were implausible. The Mets owners have denied wrongdoing, saying they are among Madoff's victims.

Do a good job, Mario, and who knows, the Pirates may come calling. They could use you.

The High&Inside crew is happy to note that a column perennial, Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, has begun throwing as he moves forward with his recovery from reconstructive elbow surgery.

The righthander, operated on Sept. 3, began a "soft toss" program in San Diego with a physical therapist. The team said the damaged phenom will start a formal throwing program once he arrives at spring training in Florida (and gets a tuxedo and a corsage for his date, presumably).

Recuperation time from the surgery is usually 12 to 18 months, so check this space in, oh, a day or so to see if he's still throwing.