Top News:
Mark Hale / New York Post:
METS MAY BE IN ARMS WAY — INNINGS MINOR PROBLEM FOR PELFREY, HUMBER — Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber haven't thrown many minor-league innings, yet they're both candidates for the Mets' starting rotation. It's worth examining how ready they are without many more frames for them in Double-A or Triple-A.
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Newsday:
Wallace Matthews — What's the deal? — Mets spend on everyone but Willie — Perhaps if Willie Randolph were still a player, and not the manager who led them to within a victory of the World Series, the Mets would show him a little more respect and a lot more money.
ESPN:
Fan fined $1,000, ordered away from Shea Stadium — A Mets fan who impersonated a reporter last season was fined $1,000 on Tuesday and ordered to stay away from Mets home games for the next three years. — Ryan Leli, 18, was also ordered to stay away from Brooklyn Cyclones games …
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Corey Kilgannon / New York Times:
Starstruck Mets Fan Fined for Impersonating Reporter — The twin passions in the life of Ryan Leli intersected last August when the San Diego Padres came to Shea Stadium to play the New York Mets. — Mr. Leli, 18, had worshiped the Mets since age 3 and was a huge fan of Mike Piazza …
Dan Wetzel / Yahoo! Sports:
MLB TV deal gets fuzzy reception — So here comes Major League Baseball in a quick, shortsighted money grab (again), selling out its core fans (again) and telling everyone (again) how the sport ought to be consumed. — Here comes MLB, as arrogant and detached as ever, ready to limit its popular …
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Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Today — Post-Hype Sleepers, 2007 — A couple of years ago, I coined the term "post-hype sleepers" to describe players who were entering the season after they'd failed miserably amidst a tremendous amount of preseason buildup. I still think this category is the best place …
Discussion:
Roto Authority Fantasy …
John Delcos / lohud.com:
Ex-Yank Leyritz: Good riddance, Randy — NEW YORK - As badly as one wanted to leave, another wanted to stay. The winters of Randy Johnson and Bernie Williams took different paths, and those paths were a hot topic last night at a dinner honoring the 1977 Yankees.
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Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
New mix in Sox's outfield — Erstad signing near; groin surgery sidelines Podsednik — With SoxFest just a few days away, the shape of the White Sox's outfield has taken a dramatic turn with the impending signing of free agent Darin Erstad and recurrence of an old groin injury …
Discussion:
Ben Maller's Sports …
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Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Rays to pad infield depth with Pena … ST. PETERSBURG - Seeking to increase depth with their infield plans unsettled, the Devil Rays are close to signing first baseman Carlos Pena to a minor-league deal. — Under some alignments, the Rays could end up with Ty Wigginton and Greg Norton splitting time at first base.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
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Dallas Morning News:
What Rangers get from Sosa is anybody's guess — You want my honest opinion on Sammy Sosa? — OK. I've got no clue. — The arguments pro and con Sosa are easy to understand, which makes it all the more difficult to choose which is the right one. — Might he have something left to offer after a year of seclusion?
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Around the Horn: Outfielders — Jenkins seeks comeback season; Brewers to try Hall in outfield … MILWAUKEE — Geoff Jenkins is heading into a contract year, but he's more concerned about making it a statement year. — The Brewers figure to have a knockdown, drag-out Spring Training …
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Baseball America:
Blue Jays Join Growing Gulf Coast League — A busy offseason for the Gulf Coast League continued when the Blue Jays added a sixth affiliate and joined the Florida-based Rookie-level league. — The Blue Jays pulled out of the Appalachian League at the conclusion of the 2006 season …
Discussion:
Batter's Box Interactive …
Associated Press:
Rollins, Phillies confident about chances in '07 — PHILADELPHIA — Pitchers and catchers don't report to spring training for another three weeks and exhibition games are still more than a month away. The Philadelphia Phillies already are talking about the postseason.
Kirby Arnold / HeraldNet.com All News:
Starter Felix Hernandez is in 'amazing shape' after an offseason of working out — That sense of relief coming from downtown Seattle is the sigh of satisfaction in the Mariners' offices at the sight of pitcher Felix Hernandez. — Hernandez, the 20-year-old whose potential as a superstar seems limited …
Discussion:
U.S.S. Mariner
Jeff Sackmann / Hardball Times:
Ben Sheets is Awesome — In many ways, 2006 was a disappointing season for Ben Sheets, who only made 17 starts, a good number of them after the Brewers were out the NL Central race. It was the fourth time in his six-year career that he finished with a losing record, and his ERA was the highest it had been since 2003.
