Top News:
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Bonds will be lonely man in San Francisco — Sing along with Barry ... Congratulations to Akon, the Senegalese hip-hop star. His reprise of the old Bobby Vinton hit, Mr. Lonely, should be the official theme song of Bonds' countdown to 755. — What, no posse? Say it ain't so! — Those mean Giants.
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Jack Curry / New York Times:
Bonds and Giants Complete a Deal Worth $15.8 Million — Almost two months after Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants agreed on the financial part of a one-year, $15.8 million contract, the two sides finally completed the remaining aspects of the deal last night.
Contra Costa Times:
Bonds is back ... whoduhthunkit? — YOU DIDN'T REALLY believe the Giants were going to back out of their deal with Barry Bonds, did you? — Giants managing general partner Peter Magowan was never going to cut ties with his living, breathing home-run-hitting ATM machine while it's still packed with cash.
Discussion:
Sports Scope
Amy K. Nelson / ESPN:
Bonds' HR pursuit a definite hot-button issue … When and if the most controversial ball in the game's history travels over the fence, and Barry Bonds rounds the bases as baseball's all-time home run leader, who will rise in the stands to applaud? Will it be commissioner Bud Selig?
Tracy Ringolsby / Rocky Mountain News:
Rockies end talks to trade Helton — Red Sox won't give up a top prospect, ending trade talks — Todd Helton dropped by Coors Field on Monday and went through his normal winter workout with several other Rockies players. — Nothing had changed for Helton. — "Just a normal day," he said.
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Arnie Stapleton / Associated Press:
Monfort: Helton-to-Boston talks are off — DENVER (AP) — Todd Helton won't be going to the Boston Red Sox. — The Colorado Rockies announced Monday night that trade talks with the Red Sox about a possible deal that would have sent Helton to Boston have ended and "there will be no further discussions."
ESPN:
Trade talks between Rockies, Red Sox end — DENVER — Rockies owner Charlie Monfort insisted the team was not going to just give Todd Helton away for nothing, and now it looks like trade talks between Colorado and the Boston Red Sox have ended. — "This is not a trade that we were anxious to complete …
Associated Press:
Weaver finalizes deal with Mariners — SEATTLE (AP) — Jeff Weaver passed his physical on Monday and finalized a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners worth $8,325,000. — The deal with the includes $1 million in performance bonuses for the 30-year-old right-hander …
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Richard Goldstein / New York Times:
Art Fowler, 84, Who Coached for Yankees Again and Again, Is Dead — Art Fowler, who became George Steinbrenner's sixth, ninth, 17th and 26th Yankees pitching coach in a turbulent baseball pairing with his often hired and fired manager and drinking buddy Billy Martin, died yesterday in Spartanburg, S.C. He was 84.
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Clark Spencer / Miami Herald:
Pitchers Sanchez, Johnson slowed by sore arms — Two of the five members of the Marlins' starting rotation, right-handers Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez, are dealing with throwing arm injuries that could put a crimp in their spring training plans. — Though the injuries aren't considered serious …
Associated Press:
Yankees to help build interest in baseball in China — BEIJING — The New York Yankees agreed Tuesday to send coaches, scouts and trainers to China to help boost interest in baseball, furthering a push by the major leagues into one of the world's fastest-growing sports markets.
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Williams stocks Sox's pen with Cell-friendly power arms — No more gimmick pitches or attempts to trick team officials or trainers. — In a span of two years, the White Sox's bullpen has undergone a dramatic transformation that borders on an in-your-face, hard-throwing style similar …
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
An Effort to Get More Fans to Meet the Mets — For more than an hour, five of the Mets' better-known players had been posing for photographs, signing autographs, shaking hands and exchanging high-fives, when Judi Millar made a slightly less common request of Tom Glavine.
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Wilkerson working toward better season — Wilkerson put Rangers above all else, even his Gators, this off-season — egrant@dallasnews.com — The celebratory confetti was still fluttering from the Georgia Dome roof when Brad Wilkerson, a proud Florida Gator, sprung into action.
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Zimmerman Remains Upbeat About Lineup — While Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was on his way to driving in 110 runs as a rookie last season, there was one constant. Leadoff man Alfonso Soriano, enjoying a season in which he became just the fourth player to hit 40 homers …
Steve Treder / Hardball Times:
The HBP Explosion (That Almost Nobody Seems to Have Noticed) — It is a violent event. It's inherently dangerous: Always it causes pain, often it causes injury and sometimes it causes serious, career-threatening injury. It remains the only play ever to have taken the life of a major league player …
Discussion:
Sabernomics
Bill Conlin / Centre Daily Times:
UNDERPAID SLUGGER TO GET JUST REWARDS SOON — MANY PHILLIES fans seem to be exuding a sense of dread that Ryan Howard will not be adequately rewarded for the most spectacular second-year slugging performance in baseball history. — On the face of it, there is room for fans with long memories to be concerned.
Associated Press:
Orioles claim pitcher Guthrie off waivers from Indians — BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles claimed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie off waivers from the Cleveland Indians on Monday and added the right-hander to their 40-man roster. — The 27-year-old Guthrie had a 6.98 ERA in nine games with Cleveland last year.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
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