Yankees can have whatever they want  —  When a superstar like Jennifer Lopez wants to shop in a jewelry store, they'll sometimes close down the place, so J-Lo can have her choice of all the baubles in the place, unfettered, unbothered, a market of one.  —  And as baseball's free agent period begins, think of the Yankees as J-Lo.

Wood: Leaving Cubs is ‘bittersweet’  —  Kerry Wood called his departure from the Cubs “bittersweet” on Friday, but said he'd been preparing for the possibility of leaving through the 2008 season and wasn't surprised by general manager Jim Hendry's decision to go in another direction.

Mets name Luis Alicea first base coach  —  FLUSHING — Manager Jerry Manuel completed the New York Mets' coaching staff today by naming Luis Alicea the team's first base coach.  —  For the last two years, Alicea was the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox.

Braves no longer actively pursuing Peavy  —  Braves general manager Frank Wren said Friday that he is no longer having active negotiations with Padres general manager Kevin Towers about Jake Peavy.  This might not completely rule out the possibility of Peavy joining the Braves in the future.

Quentin says wrist is fine  —  CHICAGO (AP)—White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin said his surgically repaired right wrist has responded well and he's been able to do some light hitting without any problems.  —  “Just kind of going through the normal routine in the offseason where I've …

Free agent season starts now  —  Manny Ramirez is drawing the most notice as all teams are free to negotiate with free agents starting Friday.  —  We come to talk about Manny Ramirez, and the Dodgers, and free agency.  Yet we must first talk about cool scented towels.

Closer Hoffman miffed by treatment from Padres … The last time that Trevor Hoffman was a free agent, there were some doubts among executives with other teams whether he would ever seriously consider leaving the Padres — a team he'd played with for more than a decade.

Varitek's a proxy for Jeter  —  If nothing else about this blog, I try like heck to deliver a fair point of view on the Yanks.  The blind homer isn't here.  And, if you have been with me for any tiny stretch of time, you know that while I remain a Jeter fan, I am bluntly honest about him (and the Yanks).

Giants are ready to shop  —  The automatic doors whoosh open at the free-agent supermarket today, and Giants General Manager Brian Sabean has his credit card in hand.  His spending limit?  That remains to be determined.  —  Sabean has touched base with agents for most of the heavyweights on the market …

Toronto Blue Jays  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

Mazzilli out of SNY studio show  —  Lee Mazzilli, SportsNet New York's lead studio analyst, won't be returning to the network for the 2009 season.  —  MLB sources said Mazzilli, whose contract expired following the 2008 season, was informed last week that SNY suits wanted to head in another direction.