Mark McGwire comes clean, admits steroids use  —  NEW YORK — Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.  —  McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.

McLane enters into negotiations for sale of Astros  —  HOUSTON — Eyewitness Sports has learned that Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane could be on the verge of selling the team.  —  [SPORTS BLOG: Read the latest from the Eyewitness Sports team]  —  This past weekend …

Minor League Transactions  —  The transactions update you've been clamoring for is here . . . in part.  This installment takes us up through the end of 2009.  We'll get caught up next week.  —  Bear in mind that these transactions updates come directly from the horse's mouth.

Source: Cubs hire Maddux as GM asst.  —  The Chicago Cubs signed future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux as the special assistant to general manager Jim Hendry, according to a source familiar with the signing.  —  The move will be announced Monday afternoon.  —  Maddux will help with instruction …

Nats were in Chapman race until end  —  Kasten remains excited, despite missing out on Cuban  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals tried hard to acquire left-hander Aroldis Chapman until Saturday night, when Chapman decided to sign a six-year, $30 million deal with the Reds.

Blue Jays, Mets Interested In Delgado  —  AOL Fanhouse's Ed Price tweets, the Mets have seen Carlos Delgado in Puerto Rico twice, and plan to see him once more.  Price adds that Delgado “is not moving well”.  Price adds that the Blue Jays, Delgado's first team, might be a “more likely landing spot.”

Big paydays await game's MVPs … There appears to be little to see yet in what promises to be two of the most widely watched player negotiations in recent memory.  Talks involving Albert Pujols, who is signed through 2010 with a club option for 2011, and the Cardinals early this winter appear …

Pirates, Church agree to terms  —  The Pirates and free-agent outfielder Ryan Church have agreed to terms on a contract, pending a physical to be taken later this week, multiple sources confirmed tonight.  —  Those sources cautioned that the physical will be important, given that Church was troubled much of last season by back issues.

Dodgers Sign Dohmann, Green, Reyes  —  The Dodgers signed free agents Scott Dohmann, Nick Green and Argenis Reyes to Minor League contracts with an invitation to Spring Training.  —  Dohmann, a 32-year-old right-handed pitcher, pitched for Hiroshima in Japan last year until he was released.

Amazin' blame game  —  'Fan's fault' defense  —  Maybe they should post signs: Beware of Falling Fat Fans.  —  A woman who says her back was broken when a 300-pound drunk dropped on top of her at a Mets game should have been looking up, instead of watching the action on the field, the team suggests in court filings.

Selig Says Steroid Era Is Basically Over  —  Over Bud Selig's 17-year tenure as the head of Major League Baseball, he has made peace with the players union, internationalized the game, introduced interleague play and overseen a solid growth in team revenue.  —  But despite all these accomplishments …

The Project  —  Over the last few months, I've hinted at a project that was a bit time consuming for me, but would result in something pretty awesome for Mariner fans in the spring.  I officially announced this on Saturday at the USSM/LL event, but here's the scoop for everyone who was not there.