Henderson, Rice given Hall passes  —  Rickey Henderson, widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Monday on his first ballot with 94.8 percent of the votes cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Source: Angels express interest in Dye  —  Life “under, under the radar,” is the way White Sox general manager Ken Williams is now choosing to conduct business this off-season.  —  That means rumors are mere whispers from dark corners, while actual news that is uncovered is met with a standard …

Source: Grand jury convenes in Clemens probe  —  A federal grand jury has convened in Washington, D.C., to determine whether to indict seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens for lying under oath to Congress when he denied taking performance-enhancing drugs, ESPN.com has learned.

A Few Rumors, A Few FAs, A Few Yanks  —  Just a few drops of oil on the hot stove...  * The Nats will not be among the players for Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young.  The two teams have had some basic discussions, but it figures to end at that.  Young is due $62 million over the next five seasons.

Tampa Bay Rays sign OF Gabe Kapler  —  UPDATE, 4:24: If you are wondering why the Rays could sign Kapler for $1-million after saying they couldn't afford to re-sign Rocco Baldelli, who got a $500,000 guaranteed salary from the Red Sox, the answer is the millions of dollars Baldelli can earn in incentives if he plays regularly.

First-rounders earn non-roster invites  —  Beckham, Poreda among 18 players who will join Sox in spring  —  CHICAGO — Two potential on-field standouts of the not-too-distant future for the White Sox officially will be on display during the team's first Spring Training in Glendale, Ariz. …

Mientkiewicz thinks return is unlikely  —  Veteran has not been contacted by Pirates this offseason  —  PITTSBURGH — After months of waiting for the Pirates to make him an offer, veteran Doug Mientkiewicz said on Monday that he believes the door is just about closed on a return to Pittsburgh in 2009.

Starting Pitcher: Mets offer 3-yr Deal to Perez  —  During tonight's Hot Stove show on the MLB Network, SI.com's Jon Heyman said the Mets offered free-agent LHP Oliver Perez a three-year deal, ‘worth close to $30 million.’  —  Heyman says the Mets are discouraged by negotiations with Lowe …

Astros reach accord with Valverde  —  Houston avoids arbitration by inking 2008 NL saves leader  —  HOUSTON — Last year, Jose Valverde and the Astros were miles apart in terms of deciding on a salary figure for the 2008 season.  The case went to an arbitration hearing …

KNICK SLAPPED WITH SEX-HARASS SUIT  —  GUY DRIVER: EDDY CURRY PUT MOVES ON ME  —  Knicks center Eddy Curry was slapped with a shocking sex-harassment suit Monday by his former driver, who claims the 6-foot-11 hoopster tried to solicit gay sex from him.  —  The stunning court papers claim Curry …

Could Andruw Jones Come Back to the Braves?  —  ATLANTA (MyFOX Atlanta) — Could Andruw Jones be on the way back?  And if he does make a return to the Braves, can he help get them break the streak of three-straight seasons without a playoff appearance?  It appears his stint with the Dodgers …

Mets Increasingly View Martínez as Backup Plan  —  Pedro Martínez wants to pitch next season, and he wants to pitch for the Mets.  But the chances of his returning diminished Monday when General Manager Omar Minaya all but ruled out re-signing Martínez.