3 DOWN: Street, Hudson and Cruz  —  Barring major news, I am taking a few days off for Thanksgiving, so I figured I would weigh in with a 3 Down, rather than wait for the morning.  Happy holiday to all and thanks for helping to make this site such a well-visited success.

All Is Unusually Quiet on the Free-Agent Front  —  On Monday, Major League Baseball's daily transaction wire consisted of a small trade, one team's coaching selections and the release of a minor leaguer.  If those moves constituted the full docket on a day in February, June or August, they would have hardly stood out.

Cubs Rumors: Teahen, Edmonds, Marquis  —  By Tim Dierkes [November 25 at 2:48pm CST]  —  Earlier today I spoke with a source familiar with the Cubs' thinking, and dug up enough info for a fresh post.  — While Mark Teahen is a player of interest for the Cubs, they certainly won't be trading Mike Fontenot and Sean Marshall for him.

Frank and Jamie McCourt have a question for Dodgers fans  —  Would you rather have a top free agent or 50 youth fields in L.A., Frank and Jamie McCourt wonder.  —  Would Dodgers fans react negatively if the team were to pay big money to free agents when the nation's economy is in sharp decline and many Americans are losing their jobs?

Guillen won't miss Swisher  —  Ozzie Guillen didn't seem very sad to see Nick Swisher traded to the Yankees this month.  The White Sox manager told the Chicago Tribune in a recent Q&A that the first baseman/outfielder wasn't always the best influence in the Chicago clubhouse.

11 Months Later, Some Praise for Baseball  —  Nearly a year after he released his strongly worded report about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, George J. Mitchell was full of praise for baseball owners and the players union on Tuesday, saying the sport …

Space age Yankee Stadium a trek to next generation  —  The Yankees organization is proficient at a great many activities, including but not limited to baseball, commerce, press conferences, self-aggrandizing and seventh-inning patriotism.  They are not, it appears, especially proficient …

Manny Acta Sits Down For Interview With Squawking Baseball  —  Manny Acta just finished his second season as Washington Nationals manager.  The team struggled this year, finishing 59-102, after a surprising 73 wins in 2007.  Acta previously managed in the Astros system, and coached for the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets.

As a manager, Oquendo is a not-so-secret weapon  —  31 March, 2008 — Cardinals' Ryan Ludwick is waved around third base by Jose Oquendo during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. (Chris Lee/P-D)

Marlins Bump Opening Date of New Stadium to 2012  —  With the Florida Marlins locked in a legal battle that appears to have been resolved as of this week, the planned date for opening their new $515 million stadium at the current site of the Orange Bowl in Little Havana will have to wait a bit longer.

Boras: I've got offers for Teixeira  —  While the Angels have not made an offer to Mark Teixeira, his agent says other teams have.  —  “We've received a number of offers,” agent Scott Boras said.  —  Boras would not say which teams had extended offers, or even how many.

Brewers promote scouts, sign reliever  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  The Brewers promoted two of their top scouts today to fill roles previously vacated by promotions.  —  Doug Renolds was named East Coast crosschecker and Corey Rodriguez West Coast crosschecker.

ShysterBall Moving on Monday  —  I've been thinking about the future of this blog a lot recently, and I've run into more questions than answers.  —  What do I want out of it?  What do I want it to look like?  What do I not want it to look like?  Do I want to try and make some money off …

Report: Charity parts ways with troubled Clemens  —  Roger Clemens has been asked to end his involvement with a charity golf tournament he has hosted for four years as the fallout from the Mitchell Report continues to haunt the seven-time Cy Young award winner, the Daily News reported in Wednesday's edition.

LENNY GETS A WALK  —  EX-MET DYKSTRA SETTLES 139G LAWSUIT  —  Former Met center fielder Lenny Dykstra worked himself out of a jam yesterday, settling a lawsuit over an unpaid $139,000 bill from a Midtown accounting firm.  —  The scrappy former leadoff hitter known as “Nails” …