Tampa Bay Rays players appear excited by acquisitions of Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon  —  The Rays clubhouse could have quite a different feel this season, with all the familiar faces that have left.  —  But now that Tampa Bay is poised to acquire two big names in former All-Stars Manny Ramirez …

My dinner date with Joey Votto  —  He cleans up good.  —  Yup, I went to the BBWAA awards dinner in NYC tonight.  I decided to go at the last minute.  I was scairt of the snow.  If there's anything worse than wading through 4' high snowdrifts, it's wading through 4' high snowdrifts while wearing an evening gown and high heels.

Astros end talks with free-agent slugger Jorge Cantú  —  CHANNELVIEW, Texas — Free-agent slugger Jorge Cantú made it known Saturday while attending the Michael Gill Benefit Ragball Tournament in Channelview, Texas, that ongoing conversations with the Houston Astros regarding …

The Fun Never Stops  —  I didn't intend to write about Bert Blyleven and me for my Monday entry until I received the following email from a Minnesota Twins Baseball Fantasy Camp player yesterday evening. … The email from Paul Bennett made my Sunday.  It was a pleasant surprise …

Trade in one word: Cash  —  I did word clouds for Angels fans' reactions to the Vernon Wells trade at Halos Heaven and Jays fans' reactions at Bluebird Banter.  I don't think I'll need to tell you which is which.  (Click on them for a larger view.)  —  My favorite word from the Jays' chart: Jedi-Like.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman might want to leave Bombers and finally have a chance to be his own Boss  —  Lot of questions swirling around regarding Brian Cashman and his “Don't look at me” declaration at the Rafael Soriano soiree last Wednesday - not the least of which was …

BEANE BALL  —  In contrast to Cashman's mostly empty winter, his buddy, Beane, has had the busiest offseason of any GM.  Despite the usual financial constraints, Beane invested $22.85 million in free agents Hideki Matsui, Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes and added another $12 million …

Terry Collins Aiming to Eliminate Questions … Terry Collins, as quoted by Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News  —  According to Harrington, Collins says he named Mike Pelfrey the opening day starter and Jose Reyes the team's leadoff man in order to eliminate questions about what their roles would be.

Will Rockies capitalize on their April schedule?  —  While making the playoffs two of the past four years, the Colorado Rockies have shown they can come from behind, make up ground and finish with a rush.  But what if they broke fast and instead of muddling through April actually played well?

Nolan Ryan predicts 90-95 wins  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan predicted 90 to 95 wins for his 2011 ballclub.  —  Ryan shared his thoughts on the team with a large group of fans at the Rangers' Fan Fest on Saturday at Arlington Convention Center.

Giants and Torres Make a Deal  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have their roster ready for the start of spring training next month.  —  Center fielder Andres Torres and the World Series champions agreed to terms Saturday on a $2.2 million, one-year contract to avoid arbitration.