'Dew' tell: Ripken, Gwynn votes won't be unanimous  —  EDITOR'S NOTE: The Daily Southtown's Paul Ladewski, a longtime member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, did not vote for any candidates listed on the 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, meaning neither Cal Ripken Jr. nor Tony Gwynn …

Rockin' Gammons returns to the stage  —  Writer joins Sox GM at "Hot Stove, Cool Music" event  —  BOSTON — Standing at center stage of the Paradise Rock Club, he deftly plucked the cords of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.  A feat that seemed so easy Sunday night, seemed so impossible last summer.

Categorizing Pitchers by Batted Ball Types and Strikeout Rates  —  We all know that strikeouts are the best outcome for a pitcher.  When a batter fails to put the ball in play, there is little or no chance for him to reach base or to advance runners on base.

Another boring week goes by  —  There isn't a great deal of Cubs discussion going on about right now since Hendry was done with his offseason shopping before Christmas arrived.  Since the signing of Marquis, the Cubs have barely even grabbed a headline and the discussion about the Cubs has slowed as a result.

Wheeler inks one-year deal with Astros  —  Right-hander, Houston avoid arbitration with agreement  —  HOUSTON — The Astros signed right-hander Dan Wheeler to a one-year contract worth $2.1 million plus incentives on Monday, avoiding arbitration with the setup man.

Unit gets pact, needs physical  —  A physical examination today is all that stands in the way of the Yankees finalizing their divorce from Randy Johnson, and possibly setting up a reconciliation with Roger Clemens.  —  The Big Unit's agents reached agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks …

Mailbag: Who's going to hit cleanup?  —  Rangers beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers fans' questions  —  Sorry the mailbag has been away for the holidays.  But we're back and so is Monday Morning Manager at the Postcards from Elysian Fields.  Just click right here at MLBlogs.com and let everybody know your opinion on the Rangers.

A busy couple of weeks in baseball despite the holidays  —  Happy New Year to all Baseball Bullet-In readers, and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2007.  —  We've been away for two weeks, so we'll start off the first column of this year with a review of some of the off-beat topics …

Romo's blunder bound to live in sports-TV infamy  —  Life brutally imitated art for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on Saturday night.  In the 1979 movie North Dallas Forty (written by former Cowboys wide receiver Peter Gent), a young quarterback fumbles the snap on an extra point and his team loses.

New York Mets  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

The Monopolizing of MLB's Extra Innings Package  —  Last summer, I wrote in Blackout Blues how MLB's arcane territorial television broadcast system restricts consumer options for those that wish to see MLB games out-of-market through MLB.com or MLB Extra Innings.  Now, MLB may be creating even more restraints on consumers.

Inside Job (Part 1)  —  While checking out Greg Rybarczyk's awesome Hit Tracker website, I noticed that some of this year's homers didn't even travel 300 feet from home plate.  It took me a minute to realize that these were inside-the-park home runs.  I've heard that triples are the most exciting play …

Mailbag: Is Suppan's contract too big?  —  Beat reporter Adam McCalvy answers Brewers fans' questions … What do you think about Jeff Suppan's contract?  General manager Doug Melvin has said that it's important not to tie up large amounts of money for the future, and this contract is HUGE.

Zoooomaya and speed guns  —  Radar guns, and their efficacy have always been a hotly debated topic, largely because no one is ever sure how accurate they are.  This year the tongue wagging intensified with the emergence of perhaps the hardest thrower ever to step on to a pitching mound: the flame-arm tattooed Joel Zumaya.

Garcia close to selecting Phillies or Colorado  —  The reinvention of outfielder Karim Garcia began in Japan and extended to Mexico this winter.  —  Maligned for never reaching his potential, Garcia has dropped 20 pounds, regained his power and will decide today whether to sign a minor-league deal …