Amaro Jr. takes over reins for Phillies  —  Longtime assistant GM, former player replaces mentor Gillick  —  PHILADELPHIA — Ruben Amaro Jr. has been named the Phillies' new general manager.  —  The announcement was made at a 10 a.m. ET news conference on Monday in which team president …

JAY PARIS COMMENTARY: Big Apple or no, Peavy is a goner  —  The crowd settles into the seats at the new Yankee Stadium, as legendary public address announcer Bob Sheppard clears his golden throat.  —  “Your attention, please, ladies and gentleman,” booms Sheppard's deep voice, filling the South Bronx air.

Brewers bring back Cameron for '09  —  Team picks up center fielder's $10M option for next season  —  MILWAUKEE — Mike Cameron will be back in center field at Miller Park in 2009.  —  Facing a Monday deadline for their decision, the Brewers exercised a $10 million option to bring Cameron back for a second season in Milwaukee.

Free agent rundown (cont.)  —  More Interesting Cases  —  21. Rocco Baldelli, outfielder.  Tampa Bay declined the option in spring, but he showed he can still play in spurts.  Very talented, and could be a bargain if his health improves.  —  22. Juan Cruz, reliever.  Hard thrower has closer stuff.

Holliday, Atkins, Taveras on block  —  DANA POINT, Calif. — Beyond the silky, 300-thread-count bedsheets, the marble bathrooms, potted plants and postcard views, the St. Regis Monarch Beach resort makes a promise: It will personalize to meet your needs.  —  So don't be surprised if …

YES Network, Michael Kay extend relationship  —  NEW YORK — The Emmy Award-winning Michael Kay, whose voice has been synonymous with the YES Network since its launch in 2002, has signed a multi-year extension with the network to remain its lead New York Yankees play-by-play voice.

Enough  —  I was content to roll my eyes as every second rate hack from every second rate newspaper auto-piloted his way through his “we must fix the World Series” column last week, but now that a serious, and respected guy like Buster Olney is peddling this garbage [Insider only], something must be said.

Arbitration riches for Youkilis, Papelbon?  —  DANA POINT, Calif. — A discussion on salary arbitration between major league baseball officials and general managers and their assistants is the first official topic on the docket at the GM meetings this morning.

Cubs will take different path to improve  —  Jim Hendry came away from the general managers' meetings two years ago with the framework of a $136 million deal for free-agent left fielder Alfonso Soriano.  —  But as he heads into the GM meetings Monday in Dana Point, Calif. …

St. Louis Cardinals make offseason plans  —  DANA POINT, CALif. — Major League Baseball's free-agent market doesn't open for another 11 days.  Winter meetings are more than a month away.  Less than a week removed from the World Series' goofball ending, this technically represents a slow period for movement.

Fix the World Series?  Why bother with America's Afterthought?  —  Tell Gregg your opinion!  —  The truth of the matter is ... baseball just isn't that important anymore.  —  Baseball purists and constipated gripers — same thing, if you ask me — want to blame the 2008 World Series …