More hot air on Halladay front  —  Trade rumours will continue to envelop Jays  —  There are two guarantees that can be made about the trade rumours swirling around Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.  —  One is that they will continue through the fall and winter — and spring and summer …

Ex-Padres GM Towers could join Yankees as adviser  —  month as the Padres' general manager, told ESPN that he will meet with the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Mariners at the winter meetings in Indianapolis and decide which team to join - in an advisory role - shortly after.

Coghlan named to Topps Rookie team  —  NL Rookie of the Year adds to burgeoning trophy case  —  MIAMI — Chris Coghlan's rookie baseball card is gaining value.  —  The National League Rookie of Year on Wednesday was named to the Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.

Stove not quite so hot for aging stars  —  Big league jobs tough to find for many 35 and older  —  For a group of big-name baseball free agents over the age of 35, last year was a winter of serious discontent.  —  Frank Thomas, Jim Edmonds, Ray Durham, Paul Lo Duca and many others were hit …

Mike Leake Interview  —  Mike Leake doesn't have a swagger.  Swagger doesn't begin to describe what he has.  It's indisputable guile.  He's so competitive that he knows he's beaten you before you even decide what game you're playing.  And if that game is baseball and you're a hitter sans discipline, good luck.

McD swears Broncos are back  —  Who said there aren't enough bombs in the playbook of Broncos coach Josh McDaniels?  —  At a tense, emotional moment during Denver's crucial 26-6 victory over the New York Giants, McDaniels went nuclear, dropping a verbal bomb on his players.

MacPhail talks starting pitching  —  When looking ahead to the 2010 season, it seems the O's have four starting pitchers pretty set in their rotation with Jeremy Guthrie, Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman.  —  That would leave the O's needing to add just one starter to the rotation.

Pirates' winter plan emphasizes existing talent  —  Additions such as Ankiel, Blalock could not come at prospects' expense  —  A Ryan Doumit trade?  —  Signing Rick Ankiel?  —  The return of Mike Gonzalez?  —  Upgrading at shortstop with a big bat like Miguel Tejada?

Report: Longtime Yankees voice Sheppard retiring  —  NEW YORK (AP)—Bob Sheppard has no intentions of returning to his longtime job as the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium, MLB.com reported Thursday.  —  Sheppard, who is 99, hasn't worked a game since late in the 2007 season due to illness.

Lincecum's 2010 salary will be costly, possibly setting a record  —  Tim Lincecum is having an unprecedented career, and now he's in line for an unprecedented contract.  —  A historic negotiation is expected after the Giants' ace won Cy Young Awards in his first two full big-league seasons …