IF David Newhan, most recently of Baltimore, has signed a one-year deal with the New York Mets.  I don’t know if the left-handed hitter has a preference for uniform numbers, but Bill Pecota thinks he’ll love Joe McEwing’s 11.

This turned out to be a gainful weekend for a trio of ex-Mets.  OF Roger Cedeno has miraculously been signed to a minor league deal by the Orioles (imagine the competition for that particular acquisition), and Shawn Estes — perhaps counting on Roger Clemens’ retirement or the Rockets’ return to the AL — has been picked up by the Padres, and Miguel “Burn Nightfire In” Cairo will have yet another campaign with the Yankees, this time at the bargain price of $750,000.

While I don’t usually think much of the Al Michaels/John Madden partnership on NBC, the former did have a nearly sublime comic moment during the first half of tonight’s Dallas/Seattle playoff game.

“Monday on ‘The Today Show’, Matt Lauer takes one for the team and learns what it’s like to get a hot flash.”
(pause).

“I just read this stuff, folks.”