Top News:
Rich / Baseball Analysts:
The Internet Zealot Responds — One Blyleven Internet supporter is such a zealot that he has guessed as to the motives for the non-support, and even on occasion taken to outing non-supporters or ridiculing them, perhaps in an attempt at persuasion. Let me just say that I have nothing against Blyleven …
RELATED:
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Lifting a bit of weight — The Hall of Fame ballot goes in the mail today with check marks next to the names of Bert Blyleven, Roberto Alomar, and Jack Morris. — We won't know who's in until January, but this year's ballot has some new challenges because the Steroid Boys are stepping forward in large numbers.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and It's About The Money
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Five votes for the Hall of Fame
Discussion:
ESPN, The House That Dewey Built, Bleed Cubbie Blue, HardballTalk and YFSF
Christian Red / NY Daily News:
Brian Cashman needs a new plan to help the Yankees rotation now that Cliff Lee is on the Phillies — Brian Cashman is finding out the hard way what it's like to devote your entire offseason strategy to landing the big fish - in this case, a certain free-agent southpaw - only to see that fish end up in a Phillies uniform.
Discussion:
New York Times and BronxBanterBlog.com
RELATED:
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Rothschild will work with A.J. on fixes
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog and The Sommer Frieze
Spencer Fordin / MLB.com:
Yankees, Red Sox hit with luxury tax — Only two teams — the Red Sox and Yankees — will be forced to pay Major League Baseball's luxury tax. — The Associated Press reported Tuesday that New York and Boston have exceeded the league's payroll threshold and will be charged an additional tax …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Yankees hit with $18M luxury tax
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues, It's About The Money and ESPN
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Jenks finalizes two-year deal with Red Sox
Discussion:
Boston Dirt Dogs, Boston Globe, Over the Monster, joy of sox and Yahoo! Sports
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Crawford thanks Rays with lunch — Carl Crawford left the Rays, but he didn't want to leave a bad taste in their mouths. — So Crawford, who signed a 7-year, $142-million deal with Boston, arranged for lunch to be catered and delivered Wednesday to team employees at Tropicana Field.
Discussion:
Boston Globe and NESN.com
Aaron Fitt / Baseball America:
Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects (How to subscribe) — For the first time since the franchise arrived in Washington five years earlier, Nationals fans had legitimate reason to be excited in 2010. The team still finished in last place for the fifth time in six seasons since moving from Montreal …
Discussion:
Nationals Journal, NATS INSIDER and The Goessling Game
Sabernomics:
What's Wrong with Replacement-Level Valuing of Players — In my previous post on 15 tenets of sabermetrics, my response to one tenet received the bulk of the comments. I showed that the talent of the league is distributed normally, and the assumption that there is an abundance …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
JonPaulMorosi / mlbbuzz:
Blue Jays, Pirates, Rays interested in Dotel — The Toronto Blue Jays are still in pursuit of free-agent right-hander Octavio Dotel, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays are also involved, a major league source told FOXSports.com. — Dotel pitched for the Pirates …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and HardballTalk
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
O'Dowd, Rox patient in pursuit of relief help — DENVER — It looks as if Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd will wait until after the holidays to continue his shopping for a relief pitcher — the last big-ticket item on the club's list. — The Rockies have been exploring free agency …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, HardballTalk and U.S.S. Mariner
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Revenue-Sharing in Major League Baseball Totals $404 Million for 2010 — The amount of money that moved from haves such as the Yankees and Red Sox to have-nots such as the Athletics and Padres in Major League Baseball totaled $404 million for 2010, according to league sources.
Discussion:
Fanhouse MLB Blog
ESPN:
Auto Update: Off — Welcome to ESPNNewYork.com! On Tuesday, New York Mets writer Adam Rubin will stop by to take your baseball questions. — Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Mets Merized Online, Kranepool Society and Mets Fever
Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:
This May Or May Not Be Rex Ryan's Wife Making Foot-Fetish Videos (UPDATE) — There's a celebrity in the foot-fetish world who posts videos with titles like “Hot Mature Sexy Feet.” The videos feature a woman who looks like Jets coach Rex Ryan's wife, Michelle — and, in one, a man offscreen who sounds like Rex.
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
New York Mets Top 11 Prospects — System In 20 Words Or Less: The new administration has much work to do. — Five-Star Prospects — 1. Jenrry Mejia, RHP — Four-Star Prospects — 2. Matt Harvey, RHP — Three-Star Prospects — 3. Wilmer Flores, SS — 4. Cesar Puello, OF
Discussion:
Mack's Mets and MetsBlog.com
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Source: Rangers eye Brandon Webb — The Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals continued to show strong interest in Brandon Webb on Tuesday, while a third reported suitor, the Chicago Cubs, fell off the pace in their pursuit of the free-agent starter. — A source confirmed that Webb …
Discussion:
MLB, Bucs Dugout, Projo Sox Blog, Federal Baseball, MLB Rumors, OMGreds, Postcards from Elysian Fields and mlbbuzz
RELATED:
Star-Telegram / Foul Territory:
Rangers' interest in Brandon Webb intensifies
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and Postcards from Elysian Fields
