Winter Meetings, Day One

Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre and Bobby Cox were
selected Monday for induction into the Hall of Fame.

The Twins -- and pretty much everybody else -- had a quiet first day of the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.

The newsiest news for the Twins:

• Terry Ryan said he doesn't anticipate clearing a roster spot, and that means the Twins won't participate in the Rule 5 draft at the end of the meetings; and
• The Twins have not ruled out surgery for Miguel Sano, whose planned stint in the Dominican Winter League was cut off just as it began with a sprained elbow.

The possibility of Tommy John surgery for the megaprospect -- and right now that's all it is, a possibility -- started a mini-flurry of speculation about making the Joe Mauer position shift to third base rather than first. I don't think that's happening.

The biggest news overall was the Veterans Committee electing Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa and Joe Torre to the Hall of Fame as managers. Or maybe the biggest news was the Veterans Committee bypassing Marvin Miller (again) and George Steinbrenner.

Cox, LaRussa and Torre were obvious picks. Miller, in my opinion, should have been in long ago. Steinbrenner, as far as I'm concerned, can wait an eternity. I wrote this when he died, and my opinion has not softened with time.