Tonight live from Crogan’s Montclair in Oakland Inside Baseball the Winter Version returns on 1550 AM KYCY, the unofficial new home of the 2006 A’s baseball broadcasts.

Show starts at 6:30 PM and runs for 70 minutes leading into the pregame of Cal men’s basketball.

Guests lined up are Shooty Babitt, Ken Macha, MLB’s Dodger writer Ken Gurnick, and Tyler Blezinski from AthleticsNation.com, if he is feeling better (hit with the flu bug) plus Carl Foster live from the Pete Newell Classic in Oakland.

If time permits we will take some on air phone calls at 888 610 4627.

By the way check out the Bill King T-shirts at Athleticsnation.com, they are a work of art and great holiday gifts.

Click below for more!The Rangers are heading in the right direction. I like what 28 year old GM Jon Daniels is doing.

He got rid of overrated Alfonso Soriano receiving Brad Wilkerson and others in return.

The move will allow him to trade an outfielder probably Lance Nix, maybe Kevin Mench, for more pitching.

Then he turns around and picks up Adam Eaton and a legit eighth inning man in Otsuka from San Diego for Termel Sledge (from Wash), Chris Young, and AAA hot shot Adrian Gonzalez.

Give Daniels a free agent pitcher, Kevin Millwood or Jeff Weaver and he might have the Rangers on the road for a rebound in 2006.

Meanwhile the A’s are still looking for one more righthanded bat to take some pressure off of Dan Johnson at DH plus a veteran eighth inning situational lefthander.

Frank Thomas? Why not especially with Milton Bradley the answer in the three spot, Thomas would only have to play part time and might be physically able to be a part time DH.

Don’t the Angels move slowly? If they don’t acquire a righthanded hitter to help Vlad, their lineup will lack the power that was so obviously missing against the White Sox last fall.

At least GM Bill Stoneman finally landed a lefthanded relief specialist in JC Romero. The Angels have a talented farm system, but won’t pull the trigger on any big deals.

I say it will come back to haunt them especially with Bartolo Colon getting another year older. The Cy Young award winner is due for a physical breakdown.

Who is their fifth starter? Jared Weaver?

Seattle should trade center fielder Jeremy Reed, who looks better on the computer than the field for Boston’s Bronson Arroyo.

With Johnny Damon now a Yankee, by the way let’s see how he holds up this season with his bum shoulder in center field in the Bronx, the Red Sox are desperate for a middle outfielder. Only the Yankees would spend 2 million to see whether Octavio Dotel could pitch sometime this season. Good luck, he wasn’t so hot before the Tommy John surgery.

Right fielder Jacques Jones is now a Cub along with Juan Pierre in center, maybe the Cubs can now unload Corey Patterson to some sleepy GM.

If the Angels continue to spin their wheels this winter, the 2006 AL West might be some race.

Marty