Alou draws interest from Phils  —  While the team waits to hear from Nomar Garciaparra, the hunt continues for a righthanded bat.  —  Still waiting to hear whether Nomar Garciaparra wants to continue his playing career, the Phillies have shown an interest in several other righthanded hitters …

Cubs sale magic number: 1  —  Tribune Co. settles on Ricketts family to purchase team, but potential hurdles exist before a deal can be finalized  —  The Chicago Cubs and their storied legacy of losing are set to change hands, with the billionaire Ricketts family emerging as the favored bidder …

Garcia lands with Mets  —  Freddy Garcia is a Met.  The righthander agreed to a minor-league deal with the Mets tonight, the Daily News has learned.  It's believed he can earn as much as $8 million to $9 million if he makes the team and reaches all of his incentives.

2008 Leaders and Laggards: K/100 Pitches  —  Three years ago, I introduced the concept of evaluating pitchers based on strikeouts per pitch, which has a higher correlation to runs allowed than strikeouts per batter faced or strikeouts per inning.  —  In a follow-up article in November 2007 …

Mets' owner on Manny Ramirez: We're not interested  —  Manny Ramirez may not be on the Mets' list of possible free agent signings, team COO Jeff Wilpon told Bloomberg News.  (Getty Images Photo)  —  Mets fans - and a Mets third baseman - who are dreaming of seeing Manny Ramirez's big bat …

Cincinnati Reds  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

Center field candidates can't carry gloves of Yankee legends  —  Playing center field for the Yankees is one of the most hallowed jobs in sports, sort of like being the tailback at USC or linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Multiple Hall of Famers, including two of the biggest names …

The commish gives his state of the game  —  The new president of the United States got to stand atop the Capitol steps this week and address the nation.  The commissioner of baseball, on the other hand, didn't even have to leave his office.  —  Here at ESPN.com, we're cooperative that way.

“Sunday Night Baseball” loves Chachi  —  ESPN announced this week that Steve Phillips will join Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the booth of “Sunday Night Baseball,” the network's signature baseball telecast.  —  There had been rumors during the postseason, denied by ESPN …

Sources: Dodgers in talks with three pitchers  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers have intensified conversations with the agents for free-agent starters Randy Wolf, Jon Garland and Braden Looper, with the hope of signing one of them in the next few days, according to sources who have spoken with members of their front office.

Yankees set to move to new ballpark Friday  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Friday is moving day in the Bronx and, no, the crates don't have pinstripes.  —  Eighty-six years after moving in, the New York Yankees are moving out.  —  The team's front office will move across the street Friday …

Sutton and/or Andruw returning?  —  A few thoughts while we wait for possible announcements that Don Sutton could be returning to the Braves broadcast booth and Andruw Jones to the outfield.  —  Neither is a done deal, though I've got a feeling both will happen.  I'm more confident about Sutton's return than Jones'.

Bill Werber dies at 100; Yankee teammate of Babe Ruth  —  Bill Werber, who was the oldest living former major league baseball player and a teammate of Babe Ruth, has died at age 100.  —  Werber died Thursday morning of age-related causes after moving into an assisted-care facility in Charlotte …

Potential top 100 candidates for 2010  —  The coda to this year's top 100 prospects package is a look at one player from each organization who might move up into the top 100 next offseason.  The emphasis is on guys who might jump into the middle or even the top part of the rankings …

Q&A with with Yankees' Chamberlain  —  OMAHA — So what if he gets facials and manicures?  —  New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain is still a beast in the bullpen.  And he's not afraid to get personal.  —  He's participating in ALS in the Heartland's annual bachelor-bachelorette …