Top News:
Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Hawkins likely to become a Yankee — The reliever rejects a one-year deal to remain a key figure in Colorado's bullpen — The Rockies' bullpen lost a key member Sunday when free agent LaTroy Hawkins declined a one-year contract offer. — Hawkins, who went 2-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 62 games …
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Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Yankees close to signing reliever Hawkins — LIKE THIS STORY? — The Yankees, rebuilding their setup corps, are close to signing free-agent right-hander LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year contract believed to be worth approximately $3.75 million, according to major-league sources.
Associated Press:
Report: Hawkins, Yanks agree to one-year deal — NEW YORK — Moving to shore up their weak middle relief, the New York Yankees reached a preliminary agreement on a $3.75 million, one-year contract with right-hander LaTroy Hawkins. — Hawkins' deal is subject to him passing a physical …
John Harper / NY Daily News:
Yankees closing in on LaTroy Hawkins with one-year, $3.75 million deal — Looking for short-term solutions in a relief market that is booming with expensive contracts, the Yankees are close to finalizing a one-year, $3.75 million deal with righthander LaTroy Hawkins, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Discussion:
New York Times
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Gagne signing gives Sox extra pick — Milwaukee inks righty … The Red Sox [team stats] will gain an extra pick in the June draft thanks to the Milwaukee Brewers' decision to sign reliever Eric Gagne to a one-year deal. — Gagne's deal is worth a reported $10 million …
Discussion:
SOX & Dawgs
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Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Okaji talks about his transition — Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima talked about how tough his transition was to the major leagues and looked back at last season in an interview with a Japanese radio station recently. — Daigo Fujiwara, the Globe's graphic designer who does a great job …
Chris Jaffe / Hardball Times:
Ten Best Game Fours in World Series History — Picking up where I left off, let's look at Game Fours. — While plenty of mesmerizing Games 1 through 3 occurred, few remained in the public consciousness. Looking at this list, any student of baseball history worth his or her salt should know about four or five of these battles.
Dan Le Batard / MiamiHerald.com:
Baseball is a business, don't blame Marlins — We wouldn't want our boss to be a jerk dictator. But we seem to like it when our team is coached by one, filing it under the needed discipline and leadership of a Bill Parcells or Bobby Knight. — The salesperson isn't OK if the company is doing very well financially but he/she isn't.
Mike Petraglia / MLB.com:
Sox host Christmas at Fenway — Players, coaches, fans spread annual holiday cheer — BOSTON — In the middle of Fenway Park's EMC Club on Saturday, some 20 boys and girls gathered around a stage decorated with holiday poinsettias to ask questions. — They weren't making requests to Santa Claus …
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster
Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Huge payrolls putting AL in league of its own — NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pulling a piece of black luggage almost as big as himself, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman rushed out of the Opryland Resort on Thursday, pulling the curtain on the winter meetings. — If baseball had a sense of humor …
Discussion:
ShysterBall
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Mozeliak lands in 'tough spot' — For 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon, Tony La Russa offered a blunt assessment on how the Cardinals should handle their disenchanted third baseman, Scott Rolen. — La Russa first insisted he wanted Rolen on his team regardless of what personal differences may exist between the two.
Joe Posnanski:
Talking with the Prez — I always thought Groucho Marx went a few words too far when he said, "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members." I believe he could have just said: "I don't care to belong to a club." Left it there.
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Larsen's Feat Lives in Amateur Movies — On Oct. 8, 1956, Saul Terry took his 8-millimeter camera to Yankee Stadium, where he and his wife settled into seats in the right-field bleachers, which would cast occasional clouds of darkness onto his film. — Terry was not the only amateur cinematographer at Game 5 of the World Series.
