Some friendly suggestions for Matsuzaka  —  An open letter to Daisuke Matsuzaka:  —  Dear, Dice-K (OK if we call you Dice-K?  Or would you rather D-Mat or Dice Man?),  —  Welcome to Boston.  Thought you might like to know a little about your new workplace.

This Year, No Anna Benson (Among Others)  —  A year ago, the Mets' holiday children's party at Shea Stadium was turned upside down by Anna Benson, who wore a revealing crimson dress in her role as Mrs. Claus.  —  Mrs. Benson has since relocated to Baltimore, where her husband, Kris …

Our Interview With John Rocker  —  Two days before Thanksgiving, at Local 138, one of our favorite watering holes in New York City, we sat down with, of all people, famed immigration expert John Rocker, and talked for about an hour.  Really.  We did this.  See?  Sometimes we interview people.

Braves pass on Giles; Jones may be next  —  The Atlanta Braves, who discovered this fall what it's like to be sitting home in October, also are feeling the pain of trying to hang with the big boys in the free-agent marketplace.  —  The Braves, saying Tuesday they didn't have the finances …

Club makes contract offer to second baseman Giles  —  General Manager Kevin Towers said he made a contractual offer yesterday to second baseman Marcus Giles, the former Braves regular who became a free agent on Tuesday night.  The proposal is believed to be worth $3 million to $4 million.

M's deal for Nationals' Vidro  —  It was only by playing every day that new Mariners designated hitter Jose Vidro figured he could get his bat scorching again the way folks remembered it.  —  Trouble is, the grind of daily action at second base had landed the career .301 hitter …

Bombers mull pitch for Pineiro  —  The Yankees already have Andy Pettitte in the fold, they likely have Kei Igawa on the way and they still have Roger Clemens in their sights whenever he decides about next year.  —  But a person familiar with the Yankees' thinking said the team …

Wainwright appears more likely to be penciled into the rotation  —  Tony La Russa came to St. Louis brandishing what he argues is an impromptu legal document that binds the biggest name left on the free agent market to the Cardinals' unfinished pitching rotation.  —  It works only if "signed" is used loosely.

Yanks prospect suspended 50 games  —  NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees pitching prospect Hector Noesi was suspended Thursday for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance under baseball's minor league drug program.

Lugo hopes to hit it big  —  He finds Fenway a welcome sight  —  Secret agents have aroused more attention than Julio Lugo's arrival in Boston did.  —  But that didn't make him any less welcome to the Red Sox, who introduced the shortstop they've coveted for years to a thoroughly distracted media yesterday at Fenway Park.

Rays, Iwamura confident as deal nears completion … ST. PETERSBURG - Owner Stuart Sternberg isn't sending a private plane like the Red Sox did for Daisuke Matsuzaka, but the Devil Rays appear close to landing their own promising Japanese import, infielder Akinori Iwamura.

High time for Dawson  —  Ex Cub's Hall credentials superior to McGwire's  —  I told a pollster from The Associated Press that, yes, I will be voting for Mark McGwire for baseball's Hall of Fame.  —  Circumstantial evidence is not proof, I maintained on a radio talk show.  Show me a smoking gun.

MLB.com hands out TYIB Awards  —  More than six million fans voted to choose 11 winners  —  The fans have spoken, the votes have been tallied and no recounts will be necessary.  —  The winners for the fifth annual This Year in Baseball Awards were announced live on MLB.com Thursday, headlined by a host of new and familiar names.