Cards complete a deal with Molina  —  The Cardinals and Yadier Molina finalized a contract today that cements the young catcher as a cornerstone of the club and rewards him for his defensive  —  presence.  —  The club is scheduled to announce a new contract for Molina at an 11:30 a.m. press conference at the Millennium Hotel.

Pinch hitting: Will Carroll of BP  —  On Friday, Travis from Yankees, Etc. wrote a guest post for this blog about how many innings Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy could give the Yankees.  —  Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus was reading and asked if he could give his views on the subject.

(Fast) food for thought, MLK edition  —  It's barely noon on a school holiday and already I've heard something intriguing.  It came from a very highly placed source, which means it is making the rounds of baseball's decision-makers, but officials with both of the teams involved have either downplayed …

Team Offenses  —  During this slow period of baseball news, I'd like to start looking at how team offense stack up for next season.  I'm planning on going in order of the 2007 ranking in runs per game.  We'll start with the Yankees.  In 2007, the Yankees scored 5.98 runs per game, the highest rate in the majors.

Mailbag: Why no wholesale changes?  —  Beat reporter Marty Noble answers Mets fans' questions  —  By not making wholesale roster changes, the Mets seem to be saying they have the talent to win, even though the roster that will start the season probably will be similar to the one that produced the collapse in September.

These teams could make noise  —  Dayn Perry is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com and author of the new book, “Winners: How Good Baseball Teams Become Great Ones” (Available now at Amazon.com).  —  With Spring Training in the offing, most of the attention has naturally …

From one closer to another  —  Wagner elated to introduce his idol Gossage at annual dinner  —  NEW YORK — Billy Wagner promises a tux — black, not denim — and shoes that glisten.  No sneakers or work boots he vows.  His attire will be just a formality.

Yankee Heads South To Endorse Giuliani  —  From CBS News' Ryan Corsaro:\  —  ORLANDO, FLA. — New York Yankees centerfielder Johnny Damon is endorsing Rudy Giuliani's candidacy for president, according to a campaign aide.  —  He is scheduled to appear with the former mayor at a rally in Orlando this morning.

The 10 greatest Game Sevens in World Series history  —  Let's finish up this series of articles.  —  Game Seven is the ultimate in drama.  There is no Game Eight.  (Well, not since the early 1920s).  Any close game has a chance to become a classic.  Only 39 of the 103 Series went this far.

Mailbag: Is Posada's future at first?  —  Beat reporter Bryan Hoch answers Yankees fans' questions  —  Since we know that Jorge Posada signed a contract for four more years, do you think he is going to move to first base in two?  —  There has been no definite time frame on a position switch for Posada …

Positive reinforcement  —  Fans offer plenty at annual Cubs Convention, but this team has question marks  —  So the optimism is back on the North Side, a suspicion confirmed by the buzz at the Cubs Convention.  —  And that can mean one thing: Uh-oh.  —  One year after venom-spewing fans …