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 …

Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell retiring  —  HOUSTON —Jeff Bagwell, the face of Houston baseball for a generation with teammate Craig Biggio, will retire Friday after 15 years with the team.  —  The four-time All Star will remain with the Astros as part of a personal-services agreement reached …

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.

Yankees: Considering pitchers Reitsma and Pineiro  —  NEW YORK — In their unending search for pitching depth, the Yankees are believed to have interest in right-handers Chris Reitsma and Joel Pineiro, who became free agents this week when their previous teams declined to tender a contact.

Pirates sign nine minor league free agents  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates today signed the following nine players to minor league contracts with an invitation to major league spring training camp.  —  RHP John Wasdin - Spent the 2006 season in the Texas organization...Went 3-3 with a 2.00 ERA …

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.

Organization Of The Year: Los Angeles Dodgers  —  Heading into 2006, the Dodgers had the best farm system in baseball.  —  And while most of their prized prospects were still considered at least a year away, Los Angeles reaped the benefits of its talented system faster than it originally envisioned.

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.