Yankees, Cowboys form partnership  —  Received this press release today:  —  NEW YORK YANKEES, DALLAS COWBOYS, GOLDMAN SACHS AND CIC PARTNERS ANNOUNCE FORMATION OF LEGENDS HOSPITALITY  —  New Company to Become Premier Provider of Hospitality and Merchandising Services and Partner with Teams …

Cubs GM Jim Hendry signs 4-year contract extension  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Jim Hendry, architect of the Cubs' back-to-back Central Division champions, isn't going anywhere, at least not soon.  Club Chairman Crane Kenney worked around the stalled sale of the franchise to give Hendry …

Vegas odds favor Rays to win Series over Phillies  —  LAS VEGAS - The Tampa Bay Rays are favored to win the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies, but sports books would owe huge paydays anyway if the American League champions prevail, oddsmakers said today.

Cardinals Not a Player for Peavy  —  There's lots of chatter out there about the Cardinals making a pitch for esteemed Padres starter Jake Peavy, one of the NL's top pitchers.  —  The Padres, wanting to downsize, want to move Peavy's contract.  He is due to receive $8 million in 2009 …

Mark Ellis  —  Why did Mark Ellis give the Oakland A's millions of dollars in free agent money, when he's already given them millions of dollars in arbitration and slave-wages money?  Will Mark Ellis go down as the one player in my generation who has earned the least amount of money for a player …

Mailbag: Will Samardzija start in '09?  —  Beat reporter Carrie Muskat answers Cubs fans' questions … Will Jeff Samardzija be given a chance to make the starting rotation in the spring, or will he just be put in the bullpen?  —  Samardzija needs to develop new pitches in addition …

Big Game Garza and Other Thoughts  —  It has been a while since we've had a rambling, pozterisk-drunk post.  Well, not anymore.  —  Philosophers have long marveled at the mysteries and quirks of the human mind.  This began many years before they listened to Buck Martinez call a baseball game.

Lowell's surgery a success; Epstein speaks  —  Third baseman Mike Lowell's surgery this morning was “a complete success” and his doctors were “pleasantly surprised” with the condition of Lowell's labrum in his right hip, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said this afternoon.

Monday Ten Pack  —  Bleich is a hard guy to get a real feel for.  He held out until the signing deadline, but then signed for an under-slot bonus.  Some saw him as a overdraft in the supplemental first round, and some scouts thought he would have been a legitimate first-round pick …

Joba's blood alcohol well above legal limit  —  Yankees star Joba Chamberlain's blood alcohol content was well above Nebraska's legal limit when he was busted for drunk driving, prosecutors charged Monday.  —  Chamberlain, who failed a Breathalyzer test when he was pulled over early Saturday …

Cards are done with Mulder  —  After two seasons lost to a persistent and perplexing shoulder injury, Mark Mulder and his representative received notification last week that the Cardinals will not exercise the $11-million option on the lefty's contract.  —  Mulder, 31, continues to rehab …

Macha has been interviewed  —  St. Petersburg, Fla. - A very reliable source familiar with the situation just told me that Ken Macha has interviewed for the Brewers' managerial opening.  If you read my earlier blog, I ranked Macha among the front-runners for the job.