UPDATE:
Longtime manager Dick Williams, former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, manager Billy Southworth and former Pirates owner and World Series founder Barney Dreyfuss were elected to the Hall of Fame today by two new veterans committees.

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The winter meetings are officially underway with team officials having arrived, traipsed through the vast lobbies of the Opryland hotel and settled into their suites.

Now they start talking ....

We'll provide updates throughout the day, and report promptly on any Rays news, but it's impossible to keep up with every rumor. That's because so many of them are made up. Unlike it seems to be portrayed, the lobby scene at the winter meetings is not necessarily filled with rumors and good information. Team officials don't stand under signs and give out tips.

Sometimes, the rumors you hear about of trades and signings are the product of good reporting, from sources (often not the GMs), willing to share info on what their team is doing. More often, it's personnel from one team - a scout, a mid-level exec, a manager - dishing dirt on what another team is offering, seeking, and/or planning to do. (Which means they might be talking for a purpose.) And sometimes it's just a matter of conjecture - of beat writers, of radio and TV folks, of posters to blogs and emailers - that is thrown out, reported as fact and sometimes suddenly considered gospel.

Enough about how it works ...

As for news - there will be an announcenent at 11 about possible new members to the Hall of Fame, as voted by two new veterans committees.

Yankees boss Hank Steinbrenner has told reporters the team wants an answer today on its offer to the Twins for Johan Santana.

And there has been one somewhat actual development - Andy Pettitte has decided he will pitch this season for the Yankees.