At the conclusion of the Winter Meetings (in which I commuted between home and the Marriott Hotel in Anaheim), it didn't take me so long to find out -- and I found out. . .

. . .talk may not always be cheap but it is indeed plentiful.

. . .I could get used to having breakfast with Bill James every day.

. . .Fred Claire is a class act (but I already knew that).

. . .the Hot Stove League would be more aptly named the Microwave Oven Circuit -- better for thawing out old stories and reheating recently fed rumors than cooking up a real meal.

. . .my All-Baseball colleagues -- Ken Arneson, Will Carroll, Alex Ciepley, Jon Weisman, and Peter White -- are not only great writers but great guys as well.

. . .friends of A-B, including Jay Jaffe, Jonah Keri, Rob McMillin, and Joe Sheehan, are fun guys to hang with, too.

. . .why many of these guys don't have children. They never go to bed!

. . .Jaret Wright is thankful for second chances (physicals).

. . .Scott Boras has the goods, knows he has the goods, and will wait patiently until the goods are paid for -- no credit extended, thank you.

. . .there were more rumors making the rounds than actual news.

. . ."the likes of" Bill Conlin were nowhere to be seen. Must be home studying the W-L records of retired pitchers.

. . .Voros McCracken is very young, very smart, and very nice.

. . .Ken Rosenthal, Alan Schwarz, and Tom Verducci are all a bit different (as one would expect) but approachable nonetheless.

. . .Ken is a converted Blyleven for HOF voter. He is also voting for Boggs, Sandberg, Trammell, Gossage, Sutter, Smith, and "maybe" Dawson.

. . Alan is against Fred McGreat. . .err, Fred McGriff. . .for the HOF.

. . As for Tom, well, he is for Wade Boggs and "probably" Jim Rice.

. . .Steve Finley is young looking, fit, trim, and a relative bargain at $7 million for each of the next two years.

. . .among the movers and shakers, there was more shakin' than movin'.

. . .the Winter Meetings will be held in Dallas next year. See you there, Scott.

It took me so long to find out, but I did find out. Day Tripper, yeah.