Top News:
Buster Olney / ESPN:
Discussion:
North County Times, Denver Post, The Captain's Blog and Wezen Ball
RELATED:
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
All-time saves leader Hoffman retires — Closer finishes stellar 18-year career with 601 saves — Trevor Hoffman, certainly the top National League closer of his era, has decided to retire, ending his stellar 18-year career, he told MLB.com in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Selig: No expansion of playoffs, replay this year
Selig: No expansion of playoffs, replay this year
Discussion:
Bats, Hardball Times, TYU, Bluebird Banter, HardballTalk, Beyond the Box Score and Fanhouse MLB Blog
Gary Myers / NY Daily News:
Jets' Antonio Cromartie tells Daily News he hates Tom Brady, calls Patriots QB an ‘ass— ’ — Now, it's really personal. — Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, taking the baton from Rex Ryan, who criticized Tom Brady's post-touchdown “antics” earlier this week, ripped into the Patriots quarterback …
Discussion:
thejetsblog.com, Deadspin, NESN.com, The Big Lead, FanHouse and USA Today
RELATED:
Greg Bishop / New York Times:
Ryan's Remarks on Patriots Move Jets to Shrug — FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — On Tuesday, most of the Jets claimed they had not heard the latest headlines generated by Coach Rex Ryan, despite the national attention his comments generated. — Ryan spent 20 minutes Monday afternoon setting his agenda for the week.
Discussion:
Tedquarters
SPANdemonium:
Mets agree to Minor League Deal with LHP Taylor Tankersley — According to a source, the New York Mets have agreed to a minor league deal with Taylor Tankersley. The deal includes a Spring Training invite and is not yet official but was agreed upon on Friday.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Mike Silva's … and Kranepool Society
RELATED:
Zach Links / MLB Rumors:
Mets To Sign Taylor Tankersley
Mets To Sign Taylor Tankersley
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Mets Fever and Mike Silva's …
BORBAY:
PAINTING PROCESS THE METS CITI FIELD AT NIGHT — As a lifelong Mets fan, I had a tough time with the demolition of Shea Stadium. Sure, it was ugly, had poor seating, limited vendors and was essentially an amphitheatre for airplanes — but it had winning memories.
Discussion:
Kranepool Society and The Mets Police
Rob Neyer / ESPN:
Death Match: Greenies vs. 'Roids — Over at It's About the Money, Larry has written an outstanding primer on athletes and amphetamines, and if you're interested in that sort of thing, I can't recommend it highly enough. — One section, though — yes, the section that's sort of about me — caught me short.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com, THE BOOK, Patrick Flood and It's About The Money
Bill Conlin / Philly.com:
Hall voters don't need morals clause to determine who is worthy — “Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” — Instruction to Voters
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Richard Griffin / Toronto Star:
Jays' older, wiser Wells draws on wealth of knowledge — Nobody really ever told Vernon Wells he had to attend the Jays' recent weekend mini-camp, that concluded Monday at the Rogers Centre, featuring a key combination of 19 veterans and rookies. — Nobody told the centre fielder he had to hop …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Report: Rays sign reliever Kyle Farnsworth — UPDATE: The Rays have agreed to a deal with Farnsworth, but the team has no announcement planned today so it may not be final yet. — DEVELOPING: The Rays have agreed to a one-year deal with reliever Kyle Farnsworth, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Bailey Stephens / MLB.com:
First Spring Training workout dates released — Pitchers and catchers report. — Those magical words, which signal the birth of a new baseball season, are fast approaching. That day will be here before we know it, and on Tuesday, baseball fans found out exactly when their team will be hitting …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Dan Wade / Baseball Prospectus:
Free Agent Bargain Bin — Starting Pitchers — The big-ticket items made their way out the door before Christmas, but with just over a month before spring training camps open, this is the time of year for general managers to find the market's forgotten gems.
Discussion:
ESPN and Amazin' Avenue
Sports Illustrated:
Bumgarner, Latos among pitchers at risk of Year After Effect … While baseball in 2010 became The Year of the Pitcher, with offensive numbers dialed back to 1992 levels, the story beneath the story is that clubs are doing a better job than ever developing young pitchers.
Discussion:
Mike Silva's …