Tanner joins Bucs front office  —  TRIBUNE-REVIEW  —  Two decades after he was dismissed as manager, Chuck Tanner on Friday joined the Pirates' front office as a senior advisor.  —  "I'm excited about it," said Tanner, who managed the Pirates from 1977-85 and won the World Series in 1979.

Torre Won't Close Door on Williams as a Dodger  —  A Bernie Williams-Joe Torre reunion in Los Angeles could become a reality next season.  —  Neither Williams nor Torre would dismiss speculation last night that Williams could return to the major leagues in 2008, perhaps as a member of the Dodgers.

Gotta hand it to him  —  Pedroia played through broken bone in playoffs … In 2004, it was Curt Schilling [stats]'s surgically repaired ankle.  Three years later, Dustin Pedroia [stats]'s broken hand offered perhaps the most remarkable tale of the Red Sox [team stats]' run to a World Series championship.

If defense helps, Tulowitzki wins  —  Rookie Braun's offense hard to ignore  —  In a game where numbers resonate, fielding statistics are barely audible.  If putouts and assists, total chances and a player's error total don't spark lively conversation, mention of zone ratings and range factor might end it altogether.

Seven first-timers win Silver Sluggers  —  New class of talented players joins baseball's hitting elite  —  If you got the feeling while watching baseball this year that a new class of exciting hitters was emerging, well, you were right.  And confirmation came once again on Friday …

Goin' to Arizona to see some fall ball  —  Looking forward to getting on a plane bound for Phoenix tomorrow morning, and not simply because it'll be 90 degrees when I get there (but that sure sounds nice about now, doesn't it?).  No, I'm eager to see The Kid play a little fall ball …

Rays planning waterfront ballpark  —  ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays are planning a $450-million stadium on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront site of Al Lang Field.  —  The stadium, with about 35,000 seats, would be paid for primarily by the team, which would contribute about $150-million …

Royals weigh possibilities as GM meetings conclude  —  Ironically, the Royals show little interest in Brewers outfielder Kevin Mench, who could be nontendered because of financial concerns.  Mench got just 288 at-bats last season as a part-time player but is in line for a raise from $3.4 million through arbitration.

Mets GM Minaya wants to acquire frontline starter  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - The Mets departed the general managers' meetings yesterday cautiously optimistic that they'll have a chance to pursue their greatest offseason desire.  —  No, not Alex Rodriguez.  A frontline starting pitcher.

Rockies not interested in A-Rod this time around  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Agent Scott Boras doesn't even call the Rockies in his efforts to market free agent Alex Rodriguez.  —  He knows better.  —  The Rockies have been there.  Done that.  And aren't going there anymore.