Torre's Book: Rodriguez to Pavano, and Plenty in Between  —  After a season on the West Coast, Joe Torre has put himself right back in the East Coast headlines.  —  In “The Yankee Years”, a book co-written with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, Torre sharply criticizes and recounts stories from his 12 years as manager of the Yankees.

Royals sign Zack Greinke to a four-year contract through 2012  —  The Kansas City Royals today signed right-handed pitcher Zack Greinke to a four-year contract through the 2012 season.  Consistent with club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.  —  The 25-year old Greinke …

Pettitte, Yankees near 1-year deal  —  The New York Yankees and Andy Pettitte are close on a deal that will bring the veteran left-hander back for a year, Major League Baseball sources told Buster Olney on Monday.  —  Pettitte  —  The deal, sources told Olney, could be done as soon as Monday afternoon.

Varitek, Boras mulling offer  —  While a source has confirmed that Jason Varitek would earn $5 million this year under terms of the Red Sox' latest offer — which includes a second-year option — the question now is whether the veteran catcher might be better served with a straight one-year deal instead.

It's The Hardball Times Season Preview 2009  —  Whether you're a fanatical fantasy player, or just want to see what's up with your favorite team, the THT Season Preview 2009 is just for you.  —  This annotated week in baseball history: Jan. 18-Jan. 24, 1972  —  Posted Friday by Richard Barbieri

What's the best BABIP estimator?  —  BABIP is a stat that lots of people like to throw around but many don't fully understand (even some who profess to be statistically inclined).  —  Background info  —  BABIP stands for Batting Average on Balls in Play.  It measures the rate at which balls in play fall in for hits.

Radomski says he took urine tests for Gooden  —  Convicted steroids dealer Kirk Radomski, the Long Island man who was one of the central witnesses in baseball's Mitchell Report, told ESPN's “Outside the Lines” Sunday that he twice took urine tests in place of Dwight Gooden when he was a clubhouse boy for the Mets.

NatsFest, Over And Out  —  The DC Sports Bog is always worth a read — shameless self-promotion alert! — but that's especially true when it's filled with quotes from a particular team president and general manager.  Some of these quotes are about George Steinbrenner and soiled pants.

Obama joins presidents with baseball connection  —  The tone was set right from the start, with the man who made that one famous ceremonial first pitch, George Washington, throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac.  Well, that probably never did happen, but historians do say that at Valley Forge …

Joba Chamberlain's 2009 Innings  —  Recently a reader pointed out a bold projection from Ron Shandler and company at Baseball HQ: 199 innings for Joba Chamberlain in 2009.  Most forecasters agree that Joba's ERA, WHIP, and K/9 will be very strong in '09, but with that innings total you'd have to consider him a top five fantasy starter.

Colorado Rockies  —  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.