Top News:
Kuiperfan / Joe Posnanski:
Hall of Fame: The Eight Definites — In my mind, there are eight players on this year's ballot who are clearly above my Hall of Fame standard. That does not mean that they are without their flaws. A couple of them have significant flaws ... I refused to vote for one of them for a while until …
RELATED:
Bill Conlin / Philly.com:
Jeff Bagwell, Juan Gonzalez belong in Hall of Fame — THE 2011 HALL OF FAME ballot presented the usual challenges and tough decisions common in years without a slam-dunk first-ballot presence. — Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar, both painfully close to the magic 75 percent a year ago, are back for another run at the tape.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
It's About The Money:
The problem with believing everything our eyes see — And Pearlman's counter: … I left the links in the blockquotes above because those links sent me on a multi-hour Google search exercise. My goal: To show that just because a player is larger at 35 than they were at 20 does not automatically mean that chemicals were used.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Jeff Pearlman:
Jeff Bagwell and why I disagree with Joe Posnanski — I was recently directed to this SI.com column, which was penned by Joe Posnanski. — Joe is one of the finest sports writers out there and—from my limited exposure—a genuinely good guy. His passion for baseball blows mine away.
Discussion:
Can't Stop The Bleeding, HardballTalk, Baseball Prospectus, Hardball Times, MVN, Deadspin, ESPN and Fanhouse MLB Blog
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Looks like Okie back with Sox — Hideki Okajima's departure from the Red Sox may be short lived. A Major League source indicated that Okajima is close to agreeing on a 1-year deal that would keep him in a Red Sox uniform. — Okajima would join lefties Rich Hill, Lenny DiNardo …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Over the Monster, MLB Rumors, Fanhouse MLB Blog and NESN.com
RELATED:
Zach Links / MLB Rumors:
Red Sox, Okajima Agree To One-Year Deal — The Red Sox and reliever Hideki Okajima have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe first reported that the two sides were close to an agreement.
Jeff Zrebiec / Orioles Insider:
O's agree to terms with Lee — The Orioles are close to knocking off a big item from their offseason wish list as they have agreed to terms with free agent first baseman Derrek Lee, according to sources. The deal is pending a physical and the terms of the deal aren't currently known …
Discussion:
MASNsports.com, Bottom9 Baseball, Nationals Journal and Fanhouse MLB Blog
Nick Collias / MLB Rumors:
Rangers, Yankees, Indians Interested in Bartolo Colon — Bartolo Colon's work in the Dominican winter league has continued to draw the attention of major league teams, and the 37-year-old starter sounds eager to sign. According to an AP story out of Santo Domingo, Colon told reporters …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, River Avenue Blues, Fenway West and Sliding Into Home
RELATED:
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Colon says Rangers, Yanks, Tribe interested — ARLINGTON — Former American League Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon has not pitched in the Major Leagues since July 24, 2009, but he is still planning a comeback and said there are three teams interested in him.
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Sabernomics:
So Long, From Sabernomics — Well folks, I'm afraid it's come to an end. What started as an experiment nearly seven years ago became more than I anticipated. For the past seven years I've had a place to explore my whimsical ideas on baseball in public, and I've enjoyed having the outlet.
Associated Press:
Tom Vandergriff dies at 84 — DALLAS — Tom Vandergriff, the former Dallas-area mayor who lured the Texas Rangers out of Washington nearly 40 years ago, has died. He was 84. — The former Arlington mayor's son, Victor Vandergriff, said his father died of natural causes at a Fort Worth hospital Thursday.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Miner opts for fresh start with Royals — Tigers had hoped to re-sign rehabbing right-hander — Zach Miner is taking his comeback from Tommy John surgery elsewhere in the AL Central. The former Tigers reliever, a valuable swingman in Detroit for four seasons, agreed to a Minor League contract …
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
