John Smoltz and Brad Penny are on their way to the Red Sox. Rocco Baldelli was already in Boston, holding up his new jersey. After missing out on Mark Teixeira, the biggest free-agent prize of the offseason, the Red Sox were poised to make a series of smaller deals that would essentially complete their roster.
Introduced for the first time as Cleveland's coach, Eric Mangini stepped to the podium and his football life flashed before him. This is where it all began. "I feel like I should be getting some coffee or picking up some towels or something," he joked. The ballboy returned as the boss. Mangini, fired by the New York Jets after their season finished with a December nosedive, took over the rebuilding...
Crank up the AC/DC, Milwaukee: The Brewers have landed career saves leader Trevor Hoffman, solving a shaky closer situation that could have gone into spring training with no clear-cut favorite. Hoffman's agent, Rick Thurman, credited Milwaukee for being "diligent and aggressive" in its pursuit of Hoffman after Brewers players called to recruit him.
Geoff Ogilvy can't think of a better place to begin the year than Kapalua. For starters, it requires a PGA Tour victory the previous season to secure a tee time at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Once on the Plantation course, anyone with rust in their game is greeted with fairways roughly 80 yards wide on some holes.
Milton Bradley's talent is undeniable when he's healthy and that's why the Chicago Cubs gave him a $30 million, three-year contract to be their right fielder and a run producer in the middle of the lineup. It's the other issues that have often overshadowed his on-field accomplishments -- tantrums and angry outbursts throughout a decade-long career with numerous teams.