Cooperstown calls for Alomar, Blyleven  —  NEW YORK — Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday as part of the Class of 2011, ending a year of anxiety and trepidation for the pair of stellar players.  —  Alomar was named on 90 percent …

Cubs take lead in Garza derby  —  The Cubs appear to have moved past the Texas Rangers and into the driver's seat in efforts to acquire Tampa Bay Rays 15-game winner Matt Garza — a potential move that could put the Cubs back into the ­National League Central title conversation for 2011.

Palmeiro on Hall of Fame snub: ‘I feel like the forgotten man’ … Rafael Palmeiro is one of four players to have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in his career, but Wednesday, those elite accomplishments couldn't get him even close to the Hall of Fame.  —  In his first year on the ballot …

Rangers land Beltre with six-year deal  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers have called a news conference for Wednesday afternoon to officially announce the signing of free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.  —  Beltre, a two-time American League Gold Glove Award winner who was an All-Star …

Fraud charges for Victor Baez after he allegedly lies about ages of players from Dominican Republic  —  An influential baseball scout who was arrested in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday allegedly gave new identities to his players to make them appear younger - and therefore more appealing …

Cardinals open talks with Pujols  —  The Cardinals have wasted little time addressing their most pressing New Year's resolution: tying up Albert Pujols.  —  Negotiations between the club and Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, resumed this week and have taken on a “positive” tone, according to several sources familiar with the process.

HOF voters need to open their eyes  —  I have a message for BBWAA members who continue to withhold votes from players who used, or are suspected of using, performance enhancers: Get off your @#*& high horse.  —  Hey, I get that you think steroid use is really, really bad.  Or at least, that this is your view now.

Jays Realize Return on Arbitration Offers  —  Two months ago, the Blue Jays traded for Miguel Olivo just to decline his option and offer him arbitration.  Along with John Buck, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, and Kevin Gregg, Olivo was just one of the group of players with which Alex Anthopolous …

Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects  —  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 …

Benefit of the Doubt: The Cruel Umpire  —  In last week's episode of Benefit of the Doubt, I put my own spin on the interesting phenomena of the “compassionate umpire.”  Essentially, as the count becomes more favorable to the hitter, the strike zone grows and the zone advantage increases.

Yankees hitting coach: No set lineup at camp  —  When the Yankees start playing Grapefruit League games late next month, the search for a winning lineup combination also will begin.  —  Could Brett Gardner hit leadoff against all pitchers?  —  Could Derek Jeter wind up further down the order?