It's Ripken and Gwynn.  Any questions?  We See a Hand ...  The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results for its most talked-about class ever on Tuesday.  Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn are mortal locks.  Redhead Mark McGwire?  Not so much.  —  Wait, we see a hand in the back.  Yes?

Mailbag: Evaluating the signing of Fick  —  Nationals beat reporter Bill Ladson answers fans' questions … Do you think the signing of Robert Fick was a good move?  He said he feels he can get at least 300 at-bats this year.  — Jason D., Tustin, Calif.

Notes: Griffey healing as expected  —  Junior's broken left hand to be reexamined in roughly 10 days  —  CINCINNATI — The latest tests on Reds center fielder Ken Griffey Jr.'s broken left hand appeared to be positive.  —  The club revealed on Monday that Griffey underwent X-rays …

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.

Why Rice deserves a Cooperstown plaque  —  In baseball, collective attention is gradually shifting from hot stove goings-on to annual Hall of Fame debates.  —  In recent years, one recurring and particularly feverish argument is the one over the status of Jim Rice.

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.

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.

Tempered Expectations for Igawa's Bronx Arrival  —  The Yankees celebrated the arrival of a new left-handed strikeout king yesterday.  His first name is pronounced K, as in the letter for strikeout on a scorecard, and he led the Japan Central League in strikeouts in three of the last five seasons.

Uribe's accuser demands thorough investigation … SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe hopes his legal troubles in the Dominican Republic don't affect his reporting to spring training next month, but his accuser has other plans.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.