- Mets trade Vance Wilson to Detroit for SS prospect Anderson Hernandez.
- Blue Jays sign Billy Koch. True, once the league figured him out, he fell off rapidly. Fortunately, the Jays already have a closer, so maybe this erratic fireballer can settle into a setup role.
- Blue Jays also sign Scott Schoeneweis. He's an innings eater, but only because he's a decent reliever and a mediocre starter. Unfortunately, he's under the impression that he's a good starter, and should only be a starter.
- Blue Jays (have I mentioned them yet?) trade a pitching prospect for Shea Hillenbrand. Well, Carlos Delgado is officially out the door. His numbers are good year-in-year-out, unless you're a die-hard Moneyballer.
- Marlins resign Paul Lo Duca. The man his manager still calls "De Luca" will put up decent numbers when he's healthy. For a team without a huge budget in a league without many good-hitting catchers, Lo Duca will do.
- Braves sign Raul Mondesi. So much potential, so much talent, but... he doesn't live up to expectations and he doesn't always show up (mentally and physically). It's a risk, but it has potential to pay off. Maybe.
- Devil Rays sign Roberto Alomar. Another guy with a tendency to not show up when he's not too happy. There's some good young talent on that team, but they're not there yet. And, how will an apathetic Robbie and Lou Pinella live together?
- Mets sign Roberto Hernandez and Cubs sign Scott Williamson to minor league deals. Didn't Hernandez retire about 17 years ago? A minor league deal for Williamson, meanwhile, is a decent investment if he has a huge spring, or if the Cubs pen (or rotation for that matter) runs into injury problems.
- Indians sign Alex Cora. The Tribe infield is already crowded, but if you look closely, you see this is a two-year deal. Jose Hernandez probably won't last two years, if he even last one. If Ronnie Belliard has another huge year, he may jump into the free agent pool for more money. Plus, if either Brandon Phillips or Jhonny Peralta don't work out, or are still coming along slowly, there's some insurance.
- Even more Gammons-esque signings:
Devil Rays: Danny Bautista
Pirates: Kip Wells
Dodgers: Paul Bako
Astros: Dave Burba
Indians: Warren Morris
A's: Erubiel Durazo
Phillies: Jose Offerman (minor league)
Braves: Brian Jordan
Diamondbacks: Jose Jimenez
- 49ers name Ravens DC Mike Nolan head coach. Cue Dave's dad and mine, as Mike's father Dick was San Francisco's head coach in the '60s and '70s.
- Now that the Niners have a coach, it appears that Romeo Crennel is inching ever closer to being named the Browns' head coach. Jim Bates still has an outside shot, but again hiring another former interim coach would only anger the fans who have grown to like Terry Robiskie.
- Ravens promote Jim Fassel to offensive coordinator and name Rick Neuheisel QB coach.
- Jets OC Paul Hackett resigns.
- Rockets release guard Brandin Knight. I was wondering what happened to him.
- UConn signs Gino Auriemma to a five-year contract extension. If you ever want to put yourself in a great deal of pain, try listening to the Huskie women's radio feed. They kiss up to Auriemma almost as much as ESPN.
- Seven Notre Dame coaches show up at the house of DE recruit Lawrence Wilson. Wilson attends St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School, the alma mater of LeBron James. Wilson decommitted when Ty Willingham was fired, so Charlie Weis took the maximum number of coaches he can have on the road at one time (7) and sent them all to Wilson's house.
