Drug violation nets Mets pitcher Mota 50-game ban  —  NEW YORK — Relief pitcher Guillermo Mota was suspended 50 games on Wednesday for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy.  —  The 33-year-old Mota, who finished the season with the Mets and filed for free agency Tuesday, was 4-3 with a 4.53 ERA this season.

Getting Matthews tops Giants' to-do list  —  The Giants are making free-agent center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. a top priority this winter, believing he can energize the top of the lineup and bring a dynamic presence to an outfield defense that was among the worst in the major leagues this year.

Japan's Matsuzaka headed to majors  —  Daisuke Matsuzaka, the most dominant pitcher in Japanese baseball for the past eight seasons, is heading to the major leagues.  —  "I feel very relieved today," Matsuzaka told a packed press conference.  "I've wanted to go to the major leagues for a long …

Glavine likes Mets' pitch  —  Near deal for 2 years, $25M  —  TOKYO - Not only does Tom Glavine appear poised to remain a Met, he apparently intends to pitch in Flushing through the 2008 season.  Glavine and the Mets are deep in discussions about a two-year, $25 million contract …

BERNIE MAY GO BYE-BYE  —  A year ago it was a lot easier to predict Bernie Williams was going to remain a Yankee.  Now, the beloved Yankee icon can't be sure he will return for a 16th year with the only organization he has ever taken a check from.  —  Ironically, the 38-year-old switch-hitting outfielder …

Internet Baseball Awards  —  The Results Are In  —  It's time to announce the winners of the 15th annual Internet Baseball Awards.  More than 1,400 cyberspace baseball fans participated in this effort to honor those players and managers whose performance in 2006 were most deserving.

Nationals Reassign Two Coaches to Minors  —  The Washington Nationals announced yesterday that two major league coaches had been reassigned to the minors, saying the incoming manager — whenever he is hired — should have the most input on his coaching staff.

Cards go to work on 2007  —  What honeymoon?  —  Barely 48 hours after enjoying a parade and rally celebrating a World Series title, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty on Tuesday concluded a second day of offseason planning with his lieutenants and manager Tony La Russa.

Giants hire Flannery as third-base coach  —  Another longtime Padre has joined the rival Giants.  —  Tim Flannery, a popular former player and coach, agreed yesterday to become Bruce Bochy's third-base coach, just five days after San Francisco hired Bochy as its manager.

Sox rank first in their class  —  Baseball America says their draft was best of '06  —  Further evidence that the Red Sox' commitment to drafting and developing their own players is not just eyewash, as Jimy Williams would say, comes this week in Baseball America, the trade publication …

Jim Hendry's solution for our pitching problem: [Barry Zito] Aaron Heilman?!  —  Paul "too easy to mock" Sullivan wrote an article yesterday about Jim Hendry's plan this off season to acquire Aaron Heilman, a 28-year-old Mets righty.  Hendry wants to give Heilman a shot to make the rotation next year.