Job secure, Hendry gets to work  —  General manager prioritizes Dempster, Wood, lefty bats  —  CHICAGO — One of the first matters of business for Cubs general manager Jim Hendry to deal with is negotiating with free-agent-to-be Ryan Dempster.  —  Hendry, who received a four-year contract …

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 …

Vegas sports books favor Rays in Series  —  LAS VEGAS (AP)—Las Vegas sports books favor the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies and would owe huge payouts if the American League champions prevail.  —  Oddsmakers say enough bettors took the Rays early …

Cards Not Likely To Acquire Peavy  —  By Tim Dierkes [October 20 at 4:14pm CST]  —  According to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are not a serious player for Jake Peavy.  Miklasz's Cardinals sources downplayed the idea and noted that they've only had one conversation with the Padres.

Theo ponders big offseason decisions  —  Whether to keep 'Tek or explore other options tops list  —  BOSTON — As the Red Sox closed the door on a highly successful 2008 season that ended one win shy of a return trip to the World Series, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein got ready for his busy season — the offseason.

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 …

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.

Berroa's option declined by Dodgers  —  Infielder remains under team control, may yet re-sign  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers declined the 2009 option on infielder Angel Berroa of $5.5 million on Monday, choosing instead to buy him out for $500,000.  —  Berroa, technically …

AL champ Rays mix vets, youngsters and personalities  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — David Price might be a rookie, but he was savvy enough to know what was going on.  —  Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon stopped to chat with Price during batting practice before Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

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.