Clemens's Interview Could Lead to Lawsuit  —  Roger Clemens will face a lawsuit if he says in a “60 Minutes” interview that his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, was not truthful when he said he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs, a lawyer hired by McNamee said Wednesday.

Yanks: We have shot at Johan Santana  —  After what he described as a “slow holiday season” for baseball business, Hank Steinbrenner is returning to his office Thursday to begin working on “a final decision” regarding a trade for Johan Santana.  And he believes the Yankees have made the top offer for the Minnesota ace.

Hot Stove Report (cont.)  —  Best risk for the buck  —  1) With all the money around the game, putting a paltry $1 million down on a one-time franchise savior is kind of a no-brainer.  That's what the Padres did with oft-injured former Cubs pitcher Mark Prior.

Leyritz squandered millions on booze, records show  —  Troubled ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz burned through thousands of dollars by buying high-priced booze and partying at expensive nightclubs, court papers reveal.  —  The glimpse into Leyritz's 2003 financial records shows he spent large amounts …

The Most Feared Hitter in Baseball  —  One thing I keep reading regarding the Hall of Fame candidacy of Jim Rice is that he was widely regarded as the dominant hitter in baseball, or “The Most Feared Hitter in the Game” for most of his career, 1975-1986.  One way of measuring how feared …

Youk charity effort inspired by.... ugly women?  —  Kevin Youkilis has always seemed like a relatively fun-loving guy.  He horses around with teammates, parties hard when it's appropriate and regularly gets made fun of for his, uh, stellar good looks, but seldom seems to mind.

Take the fifth: Examining bottom starters' impact  —  How do No. 5 starters contribute to a club?  By definition, the fifth rotation slot is for the team's worst starter.  Given the current cost of pitching, the ability to put five quality starters in the rotation is difficult.

Santana affects Kielty's Sox future … Bobby Kielty, like the rest of the baseball world, spent another afternoon yesterday waiting for news of a Johan Santana trade.  —  Kielty, a former teammate of Santana in Minnesota, has a particular interest in any potential deal involving the Red Sox [team stats].

Golenbock To Write Steinbrenner Biography  —  Celebrated baseball writer Peter Golenbock, author of Dynasty: The New York Yankees 1949-64, has signed a contract with John Wiley & Sons to write a biography of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, it was announced today.

Mailbag: Trading pitching wise?  —  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions  —  What were Jon Daniels and Tom Hicks thinking when they traded two young pitchers (Edinson Volquez, Danny Herrera) for another outfielder in Josh Hamilton?  We need pitching and as soon as our young guys get going, they are traded away.

Mailbag: Will Vizquel rebound in 2008?  —  Beat reporter Chris Haft answers Giants fans' questions  —  Although he likely will remain a good defensive shortstop, do you see Omar Vizquel rebounding to hit .290 or better ever again?  —  My gut feeling is no, given Vizquel's 49-point slide …

Mailbag: Can Nats make a run in '08?  —  Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers Nationals fans' questions … How can you say the Nationals can compete for a division title?  They don't have a true No. 1 starter in their rotation.  Also, trading for troubled players — Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes — never works out.

More deals ahead for Marlins  —  Tampa Bay Devil Rays' Jorge Cantu fouls off a pitch from Minnesota Twins starter Carlos Silva during the second inning of a spring training baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius / March 5, 2007)  —  Even after signing Jose Castillo on Christmas Eve …

I Hate the Hall of Fame  —  It's taken me years to realize this, but I hate the Hall of Fame.  —  I've always been a baseball history buff, even when I didn't follow the season too closely.  I used to get really worked up about the arguments for and against various candidates …