Belichick's 4th Down Decision vs the Colts  —  New England coach Bill Belichick is taking a lot of heat for his decision to attempt a 4th down conversion late in the game against the Colts.  Indianapolis came back to win in dramatic fashion.  Was the decision a good one?

As A.L.-N.L. Gap Widens, General Managers Tread Cautiously  —  CHICAGO — His shoulders shrugged.  His lips pursed.  But Kenny Williams bit his tongue one syllable too late.  —  “A guy going from the American League to the National League, no disrespect, but. ... ”

The Yankees Didn't Buy the World Series  —  Since 2004, 20 of baseball's 30 teams have made the playoffs.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Judging from the media coverage, it seems that the only thing the Yankees didn't do on their way to buying the 2009 World Series is ask the federal government for a bailout.

BACKMAN TO MANAGE BROOKLYN CYCLONES  —  Former New York Mets star Wally Backman has been named the newest manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones, tabbed to lead the club in its tenth season of play.  —  Backman was a standout second baseman for the Mets in the 1980s - a gritty …

Twenty-five years after his phenomenal rookie season, Dwight Gooden takes aim at his demons  —  Nobody hangs up Ks for Dwight Gooden anymore.  A mural of him - in mid-windup - no longer occupies the whole side of a building in Times Square.  —  More than half his life has passed since …

Inbox: Riggleman right man for job?  —  Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers Nats fans' questions  —  What did you think about the Nationals making Jim Riggleman the permanent manager?  —  It was a great move, because there is going to be discipline and accountability on the team …

The free agent do-call list  —  The free-agent signing period begins four days from now, and we know that Matt Holliday, John Lackey and Jason Bay are going to be paid the most money.  But other free agents might draw more interest, in terms of the total number of teams that get involved in the discussions.

Opportunities knock for Yanks & Mets as others tighten fists  —  The GM Meetings lasted just one whole day and parts of two others in a Chicago airport hotel that had all the charm of Eric Mangini.  —  “By the time you unpacked, you were packing again,” one general manager said.

Bottom line: Boras hounds owners that he says are crying wolf  —  Agents and teams have fought like cats and dogs for years, but there may never have been a time when the opinions were more divergent on the topic of spending money.  —  The Tigers, intent on cutting payroll …

Book excerpt: Evaluating Baseball's Managers, 1876-2008  —  For the next few weeks, THT will publish excerpts from my new book Evaluating Baseball's Managers, 1876-2008, which is scheduled for release in December, but can be ordered now.  Please note, as an added bonus, and for a special limited time only …

Clone Wars: Jonathan Sanchez and Clayton Kershaw  —  This doesn't follow my normal comparison as I usually have two players with similar stat lines and try to explain why one player might be better or more surprising.  This time I found two players who couldn't have looked more different in 2009 …