Madoff Had Wide Role in Mets' Finances  —  When Fred Wilpon's son Jeff was married at Fresh Meadow Country Club on Long Island, Bernard L. Madoff and his wife were there.  When Mr. Madoff's son Mark was married at the same country club, Mr. Wilpon, the principal owner of the Mets, was a guest as well.

Tampa Bay Rays close to deal with Felipe Lopez  —  ST. PETERSBURG — As the Rays decide whom to take off their 40-man roster to make room for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, they are set to add veteran middle infielder Felipe Lopez on a minor-league deal, possibly today.

Tigers counting on Schlereth against lefties  —  DETROIT — The Tigers have been consistent in their stance that Phil Coke will be in their rotation.  They've also been consistent in their stance that they don't need to make a big signing to replace him as the primary left-hander in their bullpen.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder seeks dismissal of City Paper writer  —  There's no question Redskins owner Dan Snyder had a few problems with a cover story about him in Washington's City Paper in November.  —  At the moment, in fact, Snyder is fighting mad.  —  Snyder has objected to the article …

Inbox: Is Moreland ready for breakthrough year?  —  It would seem to me that the media doesn't think Mitch Moreland is a solid first baseman, yet as an avid Rangers fan and longtime Little League coach, everything I see and hear about the guy shows that he's a solid, good hitter and an excellent athlete.

Healthy once again, Dave Roberts ready to coach  —  For Dave Roberts, being back on the baseball field is a blessing.  It's where he knows he belongs.  —  Roberts is already hard at work in his new gig as San Diego Padres first-base coach less than a year after learning he had Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 37.

Sweet Lou joining the champs  —  John Shea on a valuable pickup by the Giants . . .  The baseball world loves Lou Piniella.  Players, coaches, fans, scribes.  As a manager of five teams, including the 1990 Reds, who swept the A's in the World Series, Piniella has had a passion for the game at every level.

Matt Cain ignores xFIP, again and again  —  Matt Cain is pretty darn good, I mean, right?  —  Bill at Crashburn Alley doesn't think so.  He recently said Cain “... may be one of the most overrated pitchers in baseball (though you can't fault him for pitching to the strengths of his home ballpark)...” Is this true?

Storm causes Wrigley Field damage  —  CHICAGO — Wrigley Field has been damaged by a severe storm that caused tiles to fall from the top of the press box at the 97-year-old ballpark.  —  Emergency Management spokesman Roderick Drew says high winds from the snowstorm battering Chicago on Tuesday night sent the tiles flying.

Cashman a steadying force amidst Yanks storm  —  There is always a sense of a reality show when one is running the Yankees, Mets or Red Sox.  Go back to November 2005.  Theo Epstein walked out of Fenway Park in a gorilla suit, and Brian Cashman received a call from a writer claiming that …

Kotsay deal close  —  The Brewers were working Tuesday to finalize a contract for veteran outfielder Mark Kotsay, who would bring another left-handed bat to a righty-heavy Milwaukee roster.  —  The pending deal was reported by FoxSports.com, which said Kotsay would get a one-year, Major League contract.