dungy's return thrills utecht  —  No one was more excited about the news that Tony Dungy will return to coach the Indianapolis Colts than fellow former Gopher Ben Utecht, a tight end for the Colts.  —  “Really excited; Tony has been such a mentor to me, not only as a coach but also as a man …

Mets agree to 2-year deal with super sub Chavez  —  NEW YORK — Outfielder Endy Chavez and the New York Mets agreed Tuesday to a $3.85 million, two-year contract.  —  Chavez, who made $1,725,000 last year, gets $1.8 million this season and $2.05 million in 2009.

Mailbag: Howard's contract situation  —  Beat reporter Ken Mandel answers Phillies fans' questions  —  Will Ryan Howard return in 2008?  He's headed for arbitration and I'm worried he might not return.  —  Breathe, Nick.  Barring a trade, Howard will man first base in Philadelphia for at least the next four seasons.

Pujols takes a swing at false report  —  Albert Pujols said the nagging injuries to his body have abated.  He is less certain how he will recover from what he sees as damage to his reputation.  —  The Cardinals first baseman and a Most Valuable Player award winner was calm …

The great ongoing Joba debate  —  Rating Joba Chamberlain's value as a starter and a reliever  —  Chamberlain's future, for now, is as a starter.  —  JOBA, AGAIN  —  When we left off last week, a reader had asked the Joba Question and I had my head in a sling to keep it from divorcing my neck.

Clemente's No. 21 May Be Retired From Play  —  Hispanic baseball pioneer Roberto Clemente's uniform number 21 will be retired from use by all 30 teams in Major League Baseball if the New York City Council has its way.  —  The council will debate a resolution today calling on the commissioner of baseball …

Hinske moved to tears by Pack  —  Ever seen a grown man cry because his favourite team lost a playoff game and his favourite player was the goat?  And ever see a grown man's tears turn into icicles?  —  Well, sources swear all of the above happened Sunday evening to Eric Hinske …

Holliday speaks out on contract  —  The lack of vanity is striking.  —  Walk into Matt Holliday's home and the National League Championship Series MVP trophy does not greet visitors.  There are no self-important murals.  Not even an autographed jersey or encased bat.

Search for the Truth  —  In Rob Neyer's Friday Filberts, he made a keen observation that perhaps has been lost in the debate over Jim Rice's Hall of Fame worthiness. … I totally agree with Rob's take on this matter.  I'm not nearly as interested in whether Rice gets elected to the HOF as I am in shaping the thought process.

Tomko eager to ‘grind’ for Royals  —  Right-hander will battle for spot in Kansas City's rotation  —  KANSAS CITY — Brett Tomko's biography tells us that he's an “accomplished artist."  Does that mean that he paints the corners of home plate like a Rembrandt?  Or, more appropriately, like a Maddux?

Team Offenses, Detroit Tigers  —  We continue to look at team offenses for 2008 with the Detroit Tigers.  —  In 2007, the Tigers scored 5.48 runs per game.  —  I plugged in a likely lineup to the Lineup Analysis Tool, using the Marcel the Monkey predictions from Tom Tango.  The lineups rate as follows:

(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 …