Hamels shows confidence  —  LOS ANGELES - At first, I thought maybe I hadn't heard him right.  But as Cole Hamels kept jabbering and puffing out his chest, I realized that I had heard him correctly.  At which point I wondered if, before the interview, he had taken some pulls of moonshine from a secret hip flask.

Deep trouble  —  Homer-happy Rays pound Lester, Sox  —  Two minutes and four pitches into yesterday's game, Jon Lester had already plowed through the first three batters of the Tampa Bay order.  It was a prompt dispatching of the Rays in the first inning, and it seemed …

MEMO TO BOMBERS: GO GET PHILS' GILLICK!  —  LOS ANGELES - One of the most persistent rumors that circulated among baseball officials during the season was that Pat Gillick was going to move from Philadelphia GM to Mariner president and recruit Brian Cashman to be Seattle's GM.

Mailbag: Will Morales return as starter?  —  Beat reporter Thomas Harding answers Rox fans' questions  —  Do you think Franklin Morales will return for the 2009 season as a starter after basically spending all of the 2008 season away from the Majors working on his control issues?

Final Elias Rankings - American League Relief Pitchers … Kyle Farnsworth appears to be short of Type B Status.  To add insult to injury, he ends up behind the likes of Gary Glover.  Naturally, Casey Fossum was also well short of Type B. Among the free agents, who should the Tigers look at?

Offseason Outlook: New York Mets  —  Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Mets.  Their likely 2009 commitments:  —  C - Brian Schneider - $4.9MM  —  C - Ramon Castro - $2.5MM  —  1B - Carlos Delgado - $12MM  —  2B - Luis Castillo - $6MM  —  SS - Jose Reyes - $5.75MM

Mailbag: Who can file for free agency?  —  Beat reporter Carrie Muskat answers Cubs fans' questions … I noticed that Ryan Dempster is eligible to become a free agent this offseason.  Are the Cubs going to re-sign him?  Who else is eligible for free agency?  — Steve K., Wheaton, Ill.

Pujols has surgery on right elbow  —  Slugger expected to be ready for Spring Training after rehab  —  Albert Pujols underwent surgery on his troublesome right elbow on Monday, but it was not the long-feared “Tommy John” reconstructive surgery on the joint.

It's Sox stagger, not swagger  —  BOSTON - Could it be the Red Sox have lost their aura?  Their swagger?  Their fear factor?  —  All of the above?  —  PHOTO GALLERY: VIEW PICS FROM ALCS  —  We'll see how this all plays out, but the way these youth-infused, experience-challenged …

A peek at David Price  —  After carving up the Southeastern Conference, David Price was the No. 1 overall selection by the Rays in 2007.  Price didn't sign until the deadline, so he didn't pitch in the minors until this year.  Price started out at high Single-A ball in the Florida State League …

Hughes garners Fall League honor  —  Yankees right-hander named AFL Pitcher of the Week  —  On Monday, Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes was selected as the Arizona Fall League's Pitcher of the Week for the circuit's first week of action.  —  Hughes won his start in the Peoria Javelinas' AFL opener …

Fan Forum  —  Dear Brewers Fans:  —  We did it!  After an absence of 26 years, the Milwaukee Brewers joined the elite group of eight Major League Baseball teams that qualified for the postseason playoffs.  This was the ultimate team effort, involving the 44 players who were on our roster during …

Final Yankee Stadium homer ball to be sold  —  CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — The last home run hit at Yankee Stadium will be sold at an auction this weekend in New York after the man who snagged it decided he could use the money to pay off some debt and send his kids to college.