Sox bring catcher Hall aboard  —  Free agent comes to terms on two-year deal with club option  —  CHICAGO — At the conclusion of Saturday afternoon's conference call to announce the acquisition of left-handed reliever Andrew Sisco from Kansas City, Ken Williams hinted at another White Sox transaction soon to come.

Some think Japanese bidding system for players should be explored here in U.S.  —  His cultural impact has been compared to that of the Beatles.  —  There's even a name for it (MatsuzakaMania), and he already has a catchy nickname (Dice-K).  —  Daisuke Matsuzaka's fastball reaches the mid-90s …

Sportsticker Baseball Notebook  —  When you examine the numerous stories of Daisuke Matsuzaka signing with the Boston Red Sox, just remember one thing - the devil always is in the details.  —  As an example, the last paragraph of the team's press release announcing the signing of Matsuzaka to a six-year contract read as follows:

Yanks, Pirates in talks concerning OF Cabrera, P Gonzalez  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees are discussing trading young outfielder Melky Cabrera in a deal that would bring Pittsburgh reliever Mike Gonzalez to New York.  —  The Yankees have talked …

High stakes for holidays  —  Baseball's big-money game starts the offseason merry-go-round spinning wildly  —  Like Santa's belt, baseball lost elasticity this winter.  Teams viewed free agents much as Mr. T does gold chains or Paris Hilton does shame.  There is no such thing as too much.

JOHNSON, YANKS DENY TRADE TALK  —  Despite the buzz leaking out of the desert, Randy Johnson hasn't asked the Yankees to deal him closer to his Arizona home.  —  "He hasn't called me officially and asked me to trade him, no," GM Brian Cashman said yesterday when asked if the Big Unit requested the Yankees move him.

Brocail coming back against all odds  —  Doug Brocail is returning to the Padres next season - once he completes a physical examination.  —  And given Brocail's 2006 season, that will be a significant milestone for the 39-year-old right-handed relief pitcher.  —  Brocail had two angioplastys last spring.

Wooing of pitcher was wowing  —  Sox had bases covered while chasing, landing Matsuzaka  —  The wooing of Daisuke Matsuzaka began with a small dinner party on a Saturday night at Tom Werner's house, a Cape Cod-style home overlooking the green at hole No. 5 at the famed Riviera Country Club …

Second opinion on Drew  —  J.D. Drew was scheduled to receive a second opinion Monday on a shoulder issue the Red Sox have concerns about, according to a major league source familiar with Drew's condition.  —  The red flag went up after the Sox right-fielder underwent a physical in Boston …

Theo's solo gig ends  —  The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and there was no hotter executive in all of sports than Theo Epstein.  He was the boy wonder of Boston, the baseball prodigy who got most of the credit for the Red Sox winning it all for the first time since 1918.

Baseball stats guru sees good in Phillies, even Burrell  —  It seems everybody who has read Michael Lewis' Moneyball, the tale of how general manager Billy Beane turned the low-paying Oakland A's into a winning team, became a baseball expert because they understood the importance of on-base percentage.

Angels acquire Seibel for Donnelly  —  Halos add another left-hander to their bullpen for 2007  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels continued adjusting their bullpen by acquiring left-hander Phil Seibel from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Brendan Donnelly on Friday.

Too much is a good thing  —  Teams should think before trading pitchers  —  Beware of a thing called excess.  —  The Red Sox thought they had it with Bronson Arroyo last spring so they took a chance, rolled the dice, and went after a slugger with upside in Wily Mo Peña.

More talent could hit Mark  —  ARLINGTON — Mark Teixeira is exactly the type of player good franchises build around, which is why it should surprise nobody the Rangers are frittering him away.  —  Not at this very moment.  Not exactly.  —  Tex has another two years as a Ranger …