Enter smiling  —  Long wait ends as Sox slugger Rice, never one to court the media, wins writers' votes for Hall of Fame in last time on ballot  —  He crushed baseballs for 16 Boston summers, rarely pausing to take a bow, shake a hand, or play the fool for the 6 o'clock standup.

Lowe's talks with Braves heating up … Free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe is in serious discussions with the Atlanta Braves, SI.com has learned.  —  The Braves are trying hard to finalize a deal that would solidify their rotation.  The deal for Lowe is believed to be for close to $60 million over four years.

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 …

Mets' pizza patch the laughingstock of baseball uniform world  —  If you're the type of person who doesn't spend much time thinking about sleeve patches on uniforms, don't worry.  —  Neither do the Mets.  —  The team recently unveiled the logo to celebrate their upcoming first season …

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. …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

Baseball to open restaurant in Tokyo  —  You're in Tokyo, and you can't do without New England clam chowder.  —  Stop in at the MLB Café Tokyo, serving up specialty dishes particular to the cuisines of major-league teams — like clam chowder where Japanese stars Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideko Okajimi pitch.

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 …

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 …