A: You got me. They had ideas -- plans, I guess you could call them -- and if they followed through with them, it hasn't been apparent. They liked Cameron, who is now with the Red Sox. They spoke of Glaus, who is now with the Braves. John Lackey (Red Sox) and Wolf (Brewers) were mentioned, too. The season doesn't start for more than three months, so there is no urgency in that regard, but some of the players they had targeted no longer are available. So, if Bay declines their offer, it does seem they'll have few quality alternatives for a source of added power. And if Bengie Molina says no, they'll have no free-agent-catcher alternatives they actually want. - Marty Noble
With most of its offseason renovation done in a three-day period in December, the club turned away from Scott Boras, who was selling Derek Lowe at an exorbitant price, and Pedro Martinez, who was selling himself as the piece necessary for a Mets championship, and toward Perez. The Mets, it turned out, were buying what Perez was selling. While no other club showed much interest, the Mets pursued him as if unaware of his track record. Before January ended, they signed two others -- Tim Redding and Alex Cora, all but finalizing the roster they would have in Spring Training.
Meanwhile, their players were signing up, left and right, for the World Baseball Classic.- mlb
More than any other manager in baseball history, Hodges relied on his bench. Four times – in 1964, 1965, 1967, and 1969 – three of his reserves played in at least 100 games. On all other teams from 1963-71, 183 rosters in all, only seven had a trio of backups appears in 100 games. In 1966, two of Hodges’ backups played in 100 games and a third was in 94. The 1971 squad featured three reserves who played in at least 97 games. In all, he had twenty bench players appear in 100 games in his nine campaigns, twice as many as typical. In part this was because Hodges had underwhelming lineups, but he also made sure all his starters had days off, even his rare quality ones. In nine years on the job, only twice did one of his players appear in 155 games. From 1963-71, the other teams had 285 occasions a starter played in that many contests. Only eight times did one of Hodges’s players appear in 150 games. Other baseball teams averaged that 2.45 times per season. Hodges’s second baseman played 130 games once. He never had a first baseman do that. None of his right fielders ever played 140 games. - Chris Jaffe
On the campus of Montclair State University, The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center is undergoing a four-phase renovation. A new gleaming glass exterior should welcome visitors about the time the Yankees break from spring training. New exhibits, another 1,000 square feet of exhibit space, a refurbished theater and additional classroom programs are in the works. And it’s all a new source of pride for Berra, 84, who is spending Christmas today at home in Montclair with 11 grandchildren. He and his wife Carmen will celebrate their 61st anniversary next month. His museum is in its 12th year, and sits adjacent to Yogi Berra Stadium – home to the independent Northeast League’s New Jersey Jackals and Montclair State. Dave Kaplan, the amiable museum director, nudges Berra about his reaction when Montclair’s Floyd Hall, the former CEO of Kmart, asked the Hall of Famer if he could build and name a ballpark after Berra.
Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya put himself on display in the Dominican Republic last week. Jorge Arangure of ESPN spoke to a scout in attendance who said the 28-year-old threw in the range of 88-92 MPH while showcasing a fastball, two-seamer, slider, curveball, and changeup. According to a report from Globedia.com, passed along by Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog, the Mets and White Sox are the frontrunners to sign
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