Last month Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and his 22-year-old Yankees prospect brother Brandon Laird were arrested while attending a Phoenix Suns game, with initial reports describing their “loud behavior” and how “the Laird brothers allegedly assaulted the security guards” who tried to calm them down. Gerald Laird insisted afterward that the whole thing was just…

We interrupt this program for some shameless promotion. Partially self-promotion, actually, which you’re used to from me by now, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.  Anyway: As you all know, Aaron, Matthew, D.J., Drew and many others spend a huge amount of their time making your fantasy baseball life better over at Rotoworld.  Their…

Repoz over at Baseball Think Factory links USA Today’s Organizational Report on the San Francisco Giants today. The report was written a couple of weeks ago, actually, as is evidenced by both the url and the references to the team maybe picking up Rod Barajas or someone to help Buster Posey out behind the plate. …

The Daily News’ Adam Rubin reports that John Smoltz is considering pulling a Rogers Clemens or a Pedro Martinez or whatever you want to call it and sitting out until midseason before signing with someone. From a maximization of value perspective this makes perfect sense for a guy like Smoltz. Right now everyone things their…

Those are Cincinnati Enquirer John Fay’s words, who tweets that there’s a lot of activity coming out of the Reds’ front office.  He notes that the team called Scott Boras, but he (and others) are doubtful that there’s anything to the Johnny Damon-to-Cincinnati stuff people were talking about yesterday. Fay thinks the team could be…

In the wake of the Yankees doing the moonwalk from Johnny Damon and signing Randy Winn, Scott Boras is trying to spin, but he’s doing a bad job of it.  First Boras: “The Yankees never even made an offer to me regarding Johnny Damon during the entire process, and the reason for that is they…

Rosenthal notes that there is a big game of musical chairs afoot when it comes to infielders, and Orlando Hudson is the guy controlling the record player. Specifically, the Nats, Twins, Reds, Tigers Rockies and maybe the Mariners and Rays could all use infield help, while Hudson, Adam Kennedy, Felipe Lopez, Orlando Cabrera and Melvin…

The New York Post reports that the Mets are “deep into negotiations” with Fernando Tatis and could announce his signing as early as today.  He made $1.7 million last year and reportedly wants around the same this year. Tatis has been told by Omar Minaya that he is wanted as part of a first-base platoon…

Several readers suggested this one:  If it’s such a big deal that the Cardinals have hired a coach who took PEDs — if he’s toxic, if he’s a distraction — then why does no one care that Glenallen Hill coaches for the Colorado Rockies? And don’t tell me that it’s because Hill, unlike McGwire, truly…

Kenny Lofton would like to let everyone know that he did not ever use, or even consider using, performance-enhancing drugs. “I just went out there and did what I had to do. I was not a cheater,” he told the Associated Press. Lofton made the comments during an announcement that he had been selected for…

Craig is our resident ex-lawyer, so normally I’d let him handle something like a baseball legal roundup. But since he isn’t on duty at this very moment, I’ll have to be the one to throw out these goodies for your consumption. Don’t like it? Then tell NBC to rule out occasional sleeping, eating and pajama…

This is part of a 30-article series looking at each team’s depth chart headed into spring training. Cleveland Indians Rotation 1. Jake Westbrook 2. Justin Masterson 3. Fausto Carmona 4. David Huff 5. Aaron Laffey 6. Carlos Carrasco 7. Mitch Talbot 8. Jeremy Sowers 9. Hector Ambriz 10. Hector Rondon 11. Rafael Perez 12. Jeanmar…

UPDATE: So this morning, I wrote the bit way down below, passing on a rumor I heard that Frank McCourt would like to sell the Dodgers once all of the McCourt v. McCourt litigation blows over. I trust my source on this, but the Dodgers took issue.  A few minutes ago they sent me the…

If there was any shred of hope in the Damon-Boras camp that the Braves may pick up Johnny Damon, consider it gone. A team source tells me that the Braves discussed Damon recently, and the clear sense of the room was that (a) his arm just won’t play in the Turner Field outfield; (b) he’s…

Today’s let’s-run-Mark McGwire-out-of-town-on-a-rail tirade comes courtesy of ESPN’s Howard Bryant, who cites the overwhelming outcry from people “around the game” against Mac’s hiring as hitting coach as a reason for him to be fired or shot or tied backwards on a horse while wearing a mardi gras mask and cast out into the desert or…

Joel Sherman reports. One year deal. Sherman says it’s for that last $2 million that Johnny Damon couldn’t stoop to take. I suppose there are ways the Yankees could rub Johnny Damon and Scott Boras’ face in it more than they already have today, but I’m struggling to imagine how.  Signing Canseco, maybe?  Ruben Rivera?…

After Jane Austen and Alton Brown’s birthdays, today and tomorrow are the two biggest days in all of Keith Lawdom.  Tomorrow it’s his top 100 prospects. Today: ranking the farm systems.  The features are for ESPN Insider members only, but in all honesty, these are two of the features that make getting an Insider subscription…

Ixnay, Andre, or else we’re all going to have to take back that stuff about how classy and professional you are: “The Hall clearly stated their major concern is the history of the game, and that’s what really played into their decision,” Dawson said. “I’m disappointed. I can probably say that, because Chicago was my…

In light of this morning’s news, that moderately panicked sound you hear is Scott Boras working the phones, desperately trying to find someone that will pay Johnny Damon $2,000,001, thereby saying Boras the indignity of being totally, completely, utterly and publicly pwned by the Yankees.  Two candidates: The Reds and Tigers, according to Jerry Crasnick.…

Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports that the Giants haven’t talked to Tim Lincecum’s people about settling their arbitration case yet.  This makes no sense to me given that Lincecum’s quite reasonable $13 million demand is bound to carry the day. The math to me seems simple: the Giants can let Lincecum get his $13 million award…