Rice Might Get Steroid Boost  —  Stats From Era Deemed Clean  —  The night before he hears his Hall of Fame fate, Jim Rice was signing autographs and hearing from a supportive constituency in West Hartford.  —  Appearing at the World Series Club of Hartford County's meeting Monday night at the VFW …

Mulder's time in St. Louis may be marked over  —  This is the week that could help define the defending world champion St. Louis Cardinals in 2007: Free-agent pitcher Mark Mulder will decide whether he will pitch this summer for the Cardinals, Texas or Cleveland by Wednesday or Thursday, his agent, Gregg Clifton, said Monday.

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.

Igawa: The Real Deal  —  As you may remember, a couple months ago I enlisted Mike Plugh of Canyon of Heroes to write a piece on Dice-K, giving you more insight into the guy than any of the Japarazzi have done.  Well despite being sidetracked by the birth of his son, Mike was kind enough …

Littlefield: Trade for bat still possible  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  They are, without question, the burning questions of the Pirates' still-sleepy offseason:  —  Will they acquire that coveted left-handed power bat?  —  And might it be Atlanta Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche?

White Sox GM stands by Uribe  —  Williams confident shortstop will be cleared of charges  —  After sorting through the seemingly ever-changing information concerning Juan Uribe and his ongoing legal troubles in the Dominican Republic, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams reiterated his strong support for the embattled shortstop.

Rox working on deal with Lopez  —  Former All-Star catcher could compete for starting job  —  DENVER — Javy Lopez's desire to regain his All-Star form behind the plate could change the complexion of the Rockies' catching position.  —  Lopez, 36, and the Rockies were still ironing out the details of a one-year contract on Monday.

Drew Is a Red Sox in Waiting ... and Waiting  —  J. D. Drew could not be reached for comment yesterday.  He changed his telephone number or had a problem with his phone service, because the automated message said his number had been disconnected or was not in service.

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 …

The Path to Cooperstown Through the Middle Infield  —  This afternoon, the baseball writers will announce their votes for the Hall of Fame.  One middle infielder, Cal Ripken, will surely be inducted.  Three others—Alan Trammell, Dave Concepcion, and Tony Fernandez—are on the ballot.

How a DirecTV-only Deal Could Impact Extra Innings  —  I'm probably not very popular with MLB today.  It's ironic in the sense that I've recently received a couple of emails in which there were claims that Selig must be my "hero".  OK, for the most part I've been happy with MLB.

Bucs conduct informal workouts  —  Manager Jim Tracy didn't see the need for a structured minicamp this offseason, so the Pirates yesterday began holding informal workouts at PNC Park.  —  "You've got to give (the players) some rope," Tracy said Monday.  "I want them to be very, very fresh on Feb. 16."

Unit deal a steal for Yankees  —  The denizens of the NL West have been busy adding big-name starters to the fold this winter.  —  First, the Padres inked Greg Maddux.  Then the Dodgers made perhaps the best signing of the off-season by locking up Jason Schmidt to a three-year pact.

Mailbag: Does Trachsel fit with team?  —  Beat reporter Marty Noble tackles Mets fans' questions  —  With the current state of the market for starting pitchers and the Mets in need of a starter, what are your thoughts of bringing back Steve Trachsel?  If the front office truly is considering …

Giants' free agents not officially signed  —  Contract language holding up finalizing nine players' deals  —  NEW YORK — Though all the focus recently has been on Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants have not officially signed any of the nine free agents they came to agreements with this offseason.