Big spenders: Yanks, Red Sox hit with luxury tax  —  NEW YORK — The New York Yankees did accomplish something this year: They lowered their luxury tax for the second straight season.  —  The Yankees were hit with a tax bill of $23.88 million by Major League Baseball in a notice sent to teams late Friday …

Marlins sign former Pirates 2B Castillo  —  The Marlins on Monday signed former Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Jose Castillo, potentially plugging a key hole in their infield.  —  The only question is whether Castillo will replace Miguel Cabrera at third base or if he'll play second, which would shift Dan Uggla to third base.

Wallace, Fan of Clemens, Becomes His Questioner  —  Mike Wallace has been a correspondent for CBS's “60 Minutes” for the past four decades and more recently has taken on a reduced role, with the weekly news show now describing him as a correspondent emeritus.

Adjusted Penalties for Crack May Aid Ex-Ballplayer's Case  —  Willie Mays Aikens is a part of baseball lore.  As a member of the 1980 Kansas City Royals, he became the only man to hit more than one home run in two games of the same World Series.  —  But 27 years after his feat …

Future is now for Rasmus  —  Jim Edmonds had seen the future and taken him to dinner.  —  Limited by injuries during spring training last season, Edmonds did not have much time in the field with Colby Rasmus, but stole time off the field with the Cardinals' gifted prospect.

Save This Franchise: Where to start with the Pirates?  —  We get plenty of letters here at CBSSports.com, some even written in functional English.  But nothing I've received during my tenure as a sportswriter-type person touched my heart the way this note, from a brave young lad named Timmy, did.

Any way you add it up, Mariners are still mediocre  —  Editor's note: Seth Kolloen, whom the Stranger dubbed the best sportswriter you've never heard of for his work at seattlest.com, has his own site, www.enjoytheenjoyment.com.  His work appears occasionally in the Seattle P-I.

Merry Christmas, Dodger's Fans  —  John wanted me to post this list for you, with a request that when you argue, and you will, please keep it civil.  —  Los Angeles Dodgers Top 20 Prospects for 2008  —  All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.  — Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Grade A

Q&A with Joe Smith  —  Righty talks parking tickets, Christmas and Carrie Underwood  —  Christmas is for the kids, they say; at least the commercial aspects of it are.  And who among the Mets last season was regarded more as a kid than Joe Smith?  At age 23, the rookie reliever wasn't the youngest Met …

Texas Rangers' Blake Beavan revisited  —  Blake Beavan says if he sees a five-dollar bill on the ground, he'll still pick it up.  —  A lot has changed for Beavan, the Irving High School fireballer picked with the 17th overall pick by the Rangers in the June draft.