Derek Jeter, Yankees brass meet in Tampa to start talking about new deal for star shortstop  —  Brian Cashman might have traveled alone to Arkansas for his meeting with Cliff Lee Wednesday, but the general manager had plenty of company last weekend when he sat down with Derek Jeter.

Jays thinking of trading for Greinke  —  The Blue Jays have inquired about the availability of Kansas City right-hander Zack Greinke.  —  With Cliff Lee the top free agent on the market, Greinke would appeal to also-rans in the Lee sweepstakes such as the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels.

A's strike first in MLB offseason  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  Follow him on Twitter.  —  People forget, the A's were pretty good last season.  —  They finished 81-81 despite playing …

Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus dies  —  In the crowning moment of his legendary broadcasting career, Dave Niehaus stood on the podium in Cooperstown, N.Y., and saluted the power of his medium.  —  “Radio plays with the mind,” he said upon accepting the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Could Carl Crawford be Angels' first $100-million man?  —  The Angels consider Crawford their primary target in free agency, but they may be competing with some big spenders for him.  —  Left fielder Carl Crawford would be a good fit in Anaheim, according to Angels outfielder Torii Hunter.

From the field to the silver screen  —  Royce Clayton to play the role of Miguel Tejada in “Moneyball” movie  —  Baseball has a funny way of throwing perceptions for a curve.  Just consider recent events involving the two teams in the Bay Area.  —  San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean …

Mets Put Out Word That Jose Reyes is Available  —  According to sources, the Mets have put word out to teams that SS Jose Reyes is available and will look to trade Reyes during the Winter Meetings.  —  The Red Sox, Orioles, and Rays have called to get a feel for the situation and trade talks …

HALL OF FAME PUTS ITS SHAME ON THE LINE  —  In his concession speech after losing the 1962 California gubernatorial race, Richard Nixon told the assembled reporters they would miss him.  “You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore,” he said.  The baseball Hall of Fame this week made sure …

Sources: Red Sox to pursue John Buck  —  BOSTON — The Red Sox are expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of free-agent catcher John Buck in the likely event that Victor Martinez signs elsewhere, according to two baseball sources.  —  The Red Sox, according to one of the sources …

Marines, not baseball, Coleman's proudest days  —  NEW YORK — Jerry Coleman wore the Yankees' pinstripes for nine seasons, patrolling the infield dirt in front of the frenzied World Series crowds that filled a triple-decked stadium.  —  But on Veterans Day, Coleman remains the proudest …

Carlos Beltran's Conference Call  —  Carlos Beltran will be holding a conference call with reporters today at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the opening of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy and his preparations for the 2011 season.  I will be on the call and live-blogging it here.

Pitcher Release Points  —  Mechanics are one of the most important parts of the pitching craft, but they have historically been among the most difficult subjects to study with large samples of objective data.  Most published work has involved the comparison of a handful of photos or videos …