Mets close to signing free agent Alou  —  NEW YORK — The New York Mets were close to an agreement Saturday on a one-year contract with Moises Alou, who would replace oft-injured left fielder Cliff Floyd.  —  The deal, worth about $8 million to $9 million, would contain an option for 2009.

Howard Aims for a Second Best  —  Time hasn't made the experience any less of a blur or any less surreal.  —  It still seems like a whirlwind.  —  "You had a bang to start your career," former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. said in a telephone interview Thursday.

When Being Medium Is No Mean Feat  —  It is baseball's award season, with headlines and hardware bestowed upon each league's best rookie, pitcher and what-not.  Tomorrow and Tuesday will bring the ever-anticipated Most Valuable Player awards, the season's ultimate prizes …

Yankees Begin Retreat From Winning at All Costs  —  Consider, for a moment, the case of Ted Lilly, a free-agent pitcher from the Toronto Blue Jays.  —  He is 30 years old, left-handed and won 15 games last season for the team that finished second to the Yankees in the American League East.

The Barry next thing  —  With Glavine iffy, Mets zoom in on Zito  —  The very real possibility of Tom Glavine going back home to Atlanta to finish his Hall of Fame career with the Braves has got the Mets in full pursuit of Barry Zito.  And while they continue to take a public stance of hoping …

Managing Jobs: Recycling Seems Color Coded  —  With the managerial hiring season completed, Major League Baseball's scorecard on minority hiring will not win it any awards.  —  Three members of minorities, two Hispanics and one black, were hired for the 2007 season after three minority managers …

Reds sit out initial flurry of deal-making  —  Wayne Krivsky returned from the general managers' meetings empty-handed, but he did plenty of browsing.  —  "I've kicked tires all over the place," Krivsky said Friday.  "I've got a sore toe."  —  Since the Reds insist upon playing everything …

Hot-stove buzz: Arizona Fall League concludes  —  Royals outfielder Mitch Maier closed a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League on a sour note Saturday by going zero for four for the Grand Canyon Rafters in a 6-2 loss to the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the championship game.

Small payroll?  It's a financial reality  —  Naples, Fla. - Baseball and business intersected violently Tuesday when the Red Sox landed negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.  —  They bid $51 million.  The Rockies' projected on-field payroll next season will be approximately $52 million.

Sox have holes: Epstein faces decisions at several positions  —  NAPLES, Fla. - It may feel like everything is turning Japanese with regards to the Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka, but there actually are other matters the team has to deal with besides this pending blockbuster.

Smizik: Pirates' fans find offseason depressing  —  There are bits and pieces of baseball in the newspaper every day, and almost all are nothing but downright discouraging and disheartening to the ever-shrinking band of black-and-gold bleeders who believe the Pirates' day will come.

Helms chooses Phils over Yanks' richer offer  —  Maybe Philadelphia isn't as gritty as New York.  Maybe Citizens Bank Park doesn't have the dank, congested charm of Yankee Stadium.  Maybe the Delaware Valley isn't as cosmopolitan as the Metro area.  —  That suits Wes Helms just fine.

Angels name Mike Butcher pitching coach  —  Butcher signs contract for 2007 season with club option for 2008  —  ANAHEIM, CA — The Angels Saturday named Mike Butcher as Major League pitching coach, replacing Bud Black who was hired as the San Diego Padres Manager on November 9th.