Pettitte finds safe haven at his Tex. church  —  A day after Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte fessed up to using human growth hormone, he took refuge in the forgiving embrace of his family and his Texas church.  —  With his wife, Laura, and four children at his side, Pettitte was greeted warmly …

New York Yankees Top 20 Prospects for 2008  —  New York Yankees Top 20 Prospects for 2008  —  All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.  — Joba Chamberlain, RHP, Grade A  — Jose Tabata, OF, Grade B+  — Ian Kennedy, RHP, Grade B+  — Alan Horne, RHP, Grade B

ESPN still waiting to hear from Viña  —  NEW YORK — Will Fernando Viña appear on ESPN again?  The network says it's up to him.  Viña joined ESPN's Baseball Tonight as an analyst in 2007 but has yet to appear on any ESPN property since being named in the Mitchell Report.

Cards deal icon Edmonds to Padres  —  Center fielder and cash exchanged for prospect Freese  —  ST. LOUIS — Over an eight-year span as one of the finest players in Cardinals history, Jim Edmonds made St. Louis his home.  As his career comes to an end, though, the franchise icon …

Silent nights: A-Rod says he, Boras not speaking  —  NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez's desire to go it alone in contract talks with the Yankees drove a wedge between him and his longtime agent, Scott Boras.  —  But the player revealed the depth of the hard feelings in a "60 Minutes" …

Yanks & Mets look into Prior  —  The possibility of the Yankees and Mets competing for a big-name pitcher always puts sizzle into a free-agent chase, but it remains to be seen how deep the two teams get into discussions over rehabbing righty Mark Prior, the ex-Cub.

D-backs, Melvin agree on extension  —  Arizona to lock up manager through 2010, according to source  —  PHOENIX — The D-backs have reached an agreement with Bob Melvin on a contract extension through the 2010 season, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told MLB.com.

Dale Murphy has big beef with cheaters  —  Dale Murphy still regrets not saying something during his playing career, when the power numbers of ripped sluggers were exploding along with their outsized pecs.  Now retired and devoting much of his time to his anti-steroid "I Won't Cheat" …

Olsen wants to be new ace  —  Left-hander, Maybin looking to secure key roles on Marlins  —  MIAMI — In terms of leadership and experience, no one on the young Marlins staff is fully ready to replace Dontrelle Willis.  But Scott Olsen makes it clear that he wants the status the D-Train previously held with the organization.

The Dan Haren Trade: Glass Half Empty for the Angels  —  There is a detailed analysis of the Dan Haren trade over at the subscriber-driven Baseball Prospectus, and for Angel fans, it is not a pretty picture.  —  In short, don't pop the division crown corks any time too soon, especially you pre-2009-11 AL West crown revelers.

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.

His own boss … Hank Steinbrenner makes no apologies for taking a stand on some hot Yankees topics in the past few months.  "You can't hide in a corner," he says.  "You have to step up at some point."  —  Times]  —  TAMPA - He crafted his own career and life on 800 acres …

Athletics starter Gaudin to have surgery on hip  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Right-hander Chad Gaudin needs surgery to repair a tear in the cartilage of his left hip joint, the Oakland Athletics said.  —  The 24-year-old pitcher, who spent the entire 2007 season in the starting rotation …

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.