Mat Thornton irritated by Oney's tweets  —  Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Matt Thornton said recent tweets by manager Ozzie Guillen's son, Oney, about Bobby Jenks were “irritating” and take the focus off baseball.  —  “I'm not a big fan of the social media, personally,” Thornton said on ESPN 1000's “Talking Baseball.”

BAGWELL RISES ABOVE ‘WAR’  —  The deadline for voting for the Hall of Fame came and went Friday, and since I like to work on deadline - I have worked on deadline my entire life - I submitted my ballot by fax Friday evening.  A year ago I waited until the deadline day, Dec. 31 …

Police: Orioles' Simon is main suspect in killing  —  SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Baltimore Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon is the main suspect in a fatal shooting New Year's Eve in the Dominican Republic, police said Sunday.  —  The pitcher is suspected of killing 25-year-old Michel Castillo Almonte …

Bargain hunters cooking up plans at the Hot Stove  —  The holiday break is over, and now the “second season” of the Hot Stove is about to begin.  Here's a look at who might benefit from bargain basement players or January trades:  —  1. Tampa Bay — The Rays didn't sign Joaquin Benoit until Feb. 15 …

O's look to pick up where they left off in '10  —  BALTIMORE — While the Hot Stove is still burning, the new year means a new baseball season is just around the corner.  —  Gone is much of the goodwill the Orioles built up over two strong months under new manager Buck Showalter …

Report of $96M Beltre deal premature  —  The Texas Rangers still are talking with Adrian Beltre but haven't reached an agreement with him, a major-league source said Sunday.  —  PioDeportes.com, a website based in Beltre's native Dominican Republic, reported Sunday morning …

Crawford says Thanks Tampa Bay in ad  —  Carl Crawford raised more than a few eyebrows when he said his heart was in Boston during his introductory press conference with the Red Sox last month (and didn't say much of anything about his former Rays team), but Sunday he said thanks to the Tampa Bay area in a half-page ad in the Times.

Colorado hopes consistency leads to progress  —  DENVER — With the calendar turning to 2011, the Rockies no longer have to face the unanswerable question that hung in the air after the '10 season.  —  How could a team that had two players finish in the top five in the National League …

Detroit has pieces in place to rock tough Central  —  Tigers hope returning stars plus additions help beat Twins, Sox  —  DETROIT — The Tigers led the American League Central for more than four months in 2009 before finally falling in a tiebreaker game.  They topped the division for a stretch …

Nats said to offer LaRoche two-year deal  —  Search for first baseman continues as Lee signs with Orioles  —  WASHINGTON — After missing out on Derrek Lee, who agreed to terms with the Orioles on Friday, the Nationals continue to search for a first baseman.