Top News:
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Pettitte does the right thing — Pitcher comes clean; what about Clemens? — Andy Pettitte did the honorable thing late yesterday when he admitted, in the wake of the Mitchell Report, that he took human growth hormone on two occasions while recuperating from an elbow injury in 2002.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
RELATED:
George King / New York Post:
LIE NEEDLE — TRAINER RIPS CLEMENS ACCUSER, SAYS ROCKET WAS CLEAN — According to Rohan Baichu, Brian McNamee has severe problems. Baichu believes those problems led McNamee to fabricate stories about injecting Roger Clemens with performance enhancing drugs.
NY Daily News:
Andy Pettitte can spare us the crocodile tears and contrived 'regret' — A little over a year ago, it was reported in the Los Angeles Times that a former Yankee pitcher named Jason Grimsley had accused some major-league players of using performance-enhancing drugs in a federal agent's affidavit.
Stan Grossfeld / Boston Globe:Mitchell: 'There are very, very many others'
Discussion:
Peter's Red Sox Forever, Boston Sports Media Watch, NY Daily News, Red Sox Chick and Boston Herald
Larry Stone / Seattle Times:
Dodgers beat M's to Kuroda — The Mariners lost out on one of their prime pitching targets, Japanese free agent Hiroki Kuroda, who agreed Saturday on a three-year contract to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. — The deal will be worth $35.3 million, according to mlb.com.
Discussion:
Mets Fever
RELATED:
Tim Dierkes / MLB Trade Rumors:
Mariners Targeting Blanton? — So far this winter, we haven't heard much about the Mariners getting involved for Joe Blanton. However, Buster Olney says today that "it appears they are in the thick of the trade bidding" for the 27 year-old righty. Blanton has a career ERA of 4.10 …
Discussion:
The Bronx Block
ESPN.com:Dodgers, pitcher Kuroda agree to three-year deal
Discussion:
The MLB Source, Baseball Musings, Beyond the Box Score, Lone Star Ball, Los Angeles Times and Fox Sports
Jim Reeves / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Searching for a cure to these Hall of Fame ballot blues — Every December my Hall of Fame ballot arrives in a plain brown manila envelope. This year, that seems especially fitting. — So I'm sitting here, staring at the 25 names listed on the ballot, wondering what I'm going to do.
RELATED:
Woody Paige / Denver Post:
Help Woody cast his Hall votes — I'm sitting here, looking out the window and pondering the snow, the sun, the creek, the peak and the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. — I've got the Global Colding thing figured out, but not the ballot. — I need your help.
Discussion:
Purple Row
Carlos Frías / Palm Beach Post:
'Select A Seat' turns lonely for Marlins — 'Twas 10 days before Christmas And the Marlins were relying On a handful of fans But no one was buying. — The Marlins may have chosen the wrong weekend to open Dolphin Stadium for their annual "Select A Seat" day.
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Oakland's Top 11 Redux — Just five days after publishing my Oakland Top 11 Prospects, Billy Beane, David Forst, and the gang over in O-Town decided to completely blow things up by trading Dan Haren and deceptive reliever Connor Robertson to Arizona for most of the D'backs minor league system.
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Hot Stove: We will ... come up with a new slogan — Anyone taking jabs at the Pirates in 2008 will have to find a fresher approach than poking fun at the marketing slogan. — In other words: — We will ... find new material. — Yes, the "We will" slogan, born in early 2006 and stamped …
Kobrien / On the Yankees beat:
Cano playing winter ball — Robinson Cano is playing winter ball for Las Estrellas Orientales (the team in his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic). He made his season debut Friday, going 2-for-4. He also played yesterday, going 0-for-3 with a walk.
Christian Red / NY Daily News:
For Mets' Moises Alou, race track no place to horse around — SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The black Mercedes sedan with tinted windows weaves in and out of traffic along the main highway leading out of the Dominican capital, making its way toward the Hipodromo V Centenario race track.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
George King / New York Post:
YANKEES STAND FIRM IN SANTANA TRADE TALKS — Even though the Yankees and Twins have talked about Johan Santana since Hank Steinbrenner's self-imposed Dec. 3 deadline, one thing hasn't changed: The Yankees will not give up two young pitchers to get the best pitcher in baseball.
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates add minor-league reliever Beam — The Pirates continued to add organizational pitching depth, agreeing to a minor-league contract yesterday with right-handed reliever T.J. Beam. — Beam, 27, is 6 feet 7, 215 pounds and best known as a hard thrower, capable of reaching 97 mph with his fastball …
