Inside Dish: Who's getting the nod on my Hall of Fame ballot  —  Bert Blyleven — His career record (287-250) was more a function of his teams than his performance.  From 1971-89, he ranked among the league top 10 in ERA 10 times, in innings pitched 11 times and in strikeouts 15 times.

CANSECO BARING MORE JUICY DETAILS IN STEROID SEQUEL  —  José Canseco has inked a deal to publish a sequel to his blockbuster steroid tell-all, “Juiced,” his lawyer said.  —  “It will be an unjaundiced view, without the rose-colored glasses that [The Mitchell Report] obviously put on,” said Robert Saunooke, Canseco's attorney.

Family of woman who died in Jim Leyritz car crash tries to cope with loss  —  The young son of a Florida woman who cops say was killed by ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz in a car crash went to bed with tears in his eyes after his father broke the horrible news to him.

Fan with a one-track mind  —  In study of homers, he goes the distance  —  Greg Rybarczyk has a day job.  But most of all, he digs the long ball, and he has devoted much of his spare time to tracking home runs, creating a tool, the Hit Tracker, that he says calculates the precise trajectory of every home run hit in the big leagues.

Bill would've called for letting Rose back into baseball  —  WASHINGTON — What would have happened if Congress had called on Major League Baseball to allow Pete Rose back into the game?  —  As far flung as that scenario sounds, it was actually something that an Ohio congressman …

Stupor agent  —  Several weeks after Alex Rodriguez broke free from Scott Boras' influence and personally talked Hank Steinbrenner into rethinking his Yankee opt-out ultimatum, a lingering media perception suggests that it was all some clever plan contrived to get A-Rod his $300 million and repair his battered image.

Whither the Game?  Just Asking  —  Questions seeking answers in the coming months and the coming season:  —  Will the Twins trade Johan Santana, and if so, to whom?  —  Will Commissioner Bud Selig discipline any players named in the Mitchell report, and if so, who?

Report: Juan Gonzalez Signs With Yankees?  —  UPDATE, 12-29-07 at 12:43pm: I'm told the article is the equivalent of an April Fool's joke.  —  FROM 12-29-07 at 10:38am:  —  El Vocero, one of the bigger newspapers in Puerto Rico, is reporting that the Yankees signed Juan Gonzalez to a two-year, $2MM deal.

Theo Epstein  —  Right before the final game of the World Series, Theo Epstein was asked for context on the burgeoning dynasty he seems to be creating.  —  “If someone wants to compare us to the Yankees based on winning and results, that's an incredible standard,” said Epstein, the general manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Pedro Martinez proud he's stayed clean  —  Unlike his contemporary Roger Clemens - who is in the midst of damage control after being identified as a steroid user in the Mitchell Report - Mets ace Pedro Martinez says he is most proud of having remained “clean” during baseball's steroid era.