Park, Mets near deal on contract  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Chan Ho Park reached a preliminary agreement with the New York Mets on a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation heading into spring training.  —  His agreement was disclosed by two people familiar …

Hank Bauer dead at 84  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Hank Bauer, the tough ex-Marine who set a World Series record with a 17-game hitting streak for the New York Yankees and later managed the Baltimore Orioles to the 1966 title, died Friday.  He was 84.  —  Bauer died in the Kansas City area …

Stoic Link to Baseball History Stands Guard  —  Once upon a time in Brooklyn, they used to play baseball here.  —  Tucked away among ancient factories and garages is a massive relic of the Dodgers' old ballpark.  Not Ebbets Field, but Washington Park, where Brooklyn played before moving to Flatbush.

Making Noise: Batter Up!  Is Major League Baseball Prepping for an Interactive IPO?  —  Addition By Subtraction: There's a lot of talk these days about Major League Baseball striking a seven-year, $100 million per year deal to sell exclusive rights to its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games to DirecTV (NYSE: DTV - News).

Williams Spurns Longshot Chance at Making Yanks' Roster  —  Bernie Williams came to this Connecticut town Friday night to play his guitar in a benefit concert at a church.  He will be back home in Westchester County in the days to come.  But where he will not be any time soon is in Tampa …

Beimel, Paul first two players in arbitration hearings  —  Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel and Tampa Bay backup catcher Josh Paul became the first two players to go to salary arbitration hearings this year.  —  Paul asked arbitrators Richard Bloch, Robert Bailey and Christine Knowlton for a raise from $475,000 to $940,000.

Rookies have big shoes to fill  —  When historians look back at the 2006 season, they might not fixate on what actually happened during it.  What last year begat - the greatest rookie class in perhaps 25 years - should be a greater gift than the pleasure of watching Ryan Howard blast 58 home runs …

Baseballs to keep their cool  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Baseballs will keep their cool this summer.  —  The commissioner's office is telling teams for the first time that balls must be stored at a uniform temperature after they are delivered from the manufacturer.

...and the Best (Young) Outfields  —  As a follow-up to PECOTA's take on the best infields that we ran yesterday, we can perform the analysis for the best long-term outfields in the majors.  —  As outfields tend to be a bit more interchangeable, we're going to change the rules slightly …

Braves pitcher, wife mutually agree to split  —  ATLANTA — Braves pitcher John Smoltz is getting a divorce.  —  The agency that represents Smoltz, Career Sports & Entertainment, said Friday that the pitcher and his wife, Dyan, had mutually agreed to split after some 16 years of marriage.

Thinking About Tyler Clippard  —  Here is what I wrote about Tyler Clippard in the book this year:  —  Others have similar views.  My friend Deric McKamey in his 2007 Minor League Baseball Analyst rates Clippard as a potential number five starter, and points out that he gets his strikeouts …

Angels' outfield has the potential to be superior  —  Are the luxury tax and increased revenue sharing spreading talent around?  Or is this merely a down cycle for big league outfielders?  —  Either seems possible in assessing outfield collections entering 2007.

Relief pitcher retires after 16 major league seasons  —  Jeff Fassero is retiring from baseball after winning 121 games over 16 major league seasons.  —  The 44-year-old lefty, cut by the San Francisco Giants in May, worked out for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Feb. 2.  —  "I thought I threw really well.

Eight men out?  —  Managers on the hot seat — and likely replacements  —  Also in this column:  —  Most everyone in baseball will be feeling quite a bit warmer when they get to Florida or Arizona for spring training in the next couple of weeks.  But some will actually be feeling not warmth …