Yanks sign Thames, make Winn official  —  Left fielders expected to be compete with Gardner for time  —  On the day the Yankees finalized a one-year deal with a potential left fielder for the 2010 season, they reportedly reached agreement with a man who could give him even more competition.

Send Mark to spring training  —  When I launched this site one week ago, I honestly had no idea what to expect.  I knew I wanted to provide another outlet for news and analysis of the Washington Nationals.  But with no method of advertising other than word-of-mouth, I didn't know how many people that content would reach.

Selig to get statue at Miller Park  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  The Brewers announced today that they will honor Major League Baseball Commissioner and former team owner Bud Selig with a statue at Miller Park's Home Plate Plaza.  —  Selig's statue will join …

Ex-ESPN analyst rues ‘damage’ of sex addiction  —  Steve Phillips had affair with 22-year-old, lost job: 'I broke my wife's heart'  —  It's a familiar story: Celebrity male is caught cheating on his wife, declares himself a sex addict, goes through a treatment program, and comes out looking for forgiveness.

Why you sign Josh Beckett, today.  —  The ‘comps’ are flying, everyone is writing about Josh and his worth to the team, his potential value this winter, his health, all the things you hear when someone enters a walk year on a contract.  —  Here's why, barring some freakish medical issue …

A look at the new sky blue jersey  —  UPDATE, 3:54: And now it appears mlb.com has taken the jerseys down.  —  DEVELOPING: The Rays were planning on waiting to unveil this new sky blue alternate jersey, but, as raysindex.com noted, since they are for sale on mlb.com (for just $219.99 generic …

3UP: Jeter, Beltran and Damon  —  The Super Bowl is out of the way, so there is nothing but clear field between here and pitchers and catchers - unless the slam dunk contest is just too much for you to resist.  —  So I figured I would open this week with three questions on my post-Super Bowl mind:

Schumaker agrees to deal with Cardinals  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) -Second baseman Skip Schumaker and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a $4.7 million, two-year contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing.  —  Schumaker will earn $2 million this season and $2.7 million in 2011.

Did Boras Fail Damon, Washburn, & Lopez?  —  Last offseason, the Scott Boras Corporation brokered approximately $341MM worth of free agent deals.  It was a strong showing, with three of the four big-money contracts already looking regrettable (Derek Lowe, Manny Ramirez, and Oliver Perez).

Caribbean Series won by Dominican Republic  —  Mets' Martinez named tournament's Most Valuable Player  —  MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela — The pulsing sounds of merengue overpowered the concourse, and fireworks lit up the sky above center field on a clear night at Estado Nueva Esparta.

Royals sign reliever Marte, infielder Bianchi  —  The Royals reached one-year contract agreements Monday with reliever Victor Marte and minor-league infielder Jeff Bianchi.  —  Terms were not disclosed, but both deals are believed to split contracts with the major-league portion at or near the $400,000 minimum.

Dodgers Top 11 Prospects  —  Four-Star Prospects  —  Three-Star Prospects  —  Two-Star Prospects  —  Four More:  —  12. Andrew Lambo, OF: He isn't an athletic corner outfielder, and is instead a bat-only prospect who might not have enough bat.  —  13. Allen Webster, RHP …

A call for neater autographs  —  Youngsters in particular treasure a signed baseball by their favorite player.  Of course, sports cards are always valued, but not like a ball signed by an Albert Pujols or a Yadier Molina.  —  It always angers me that some athletes will go to great lengths to sign legibly …