Thursday Morning Links

I spend half my time wishing ballplayers would be more "colorful" and the other half saying "oh, criminy, please stop being colorful!"

Jeff Wilson reports that Nolan Ryan had a productive talk with the Astros and will decide on the job by Spring Training.

Tanner Scheppers and Emily Jones will speak at the College Baseball Hall of Fame First Pitch Luncheon in Lubbock on Friday.

The Rangers claimed LHP Pedro Figueroa off waivers from the Rays because they needed a lefty base on balls specialist.

"It doesn't make sense to play in the physical condition I'm in," said Lance Berkman regarding his retirement in an interview with Duh! Weekly.

Apparently, paying $12,000 for Russell Wilson is the best investment the Rangers have made.

ESPN has completed their schedule for the first 11 weeks of Sunday Night Baseball with no Ranger games.

Robinson Chirinos was runner-up for the MVP award in the Venezuelan Winter League Championship series.

Richard Durrett continues his Spring Training preview by looking at middle and long relief, and his Hot Stove Talk with a look at A.J. Burnett.

Finally, new genetic analysis suggests that the Neanderthal legacy is more than a short-lived sitcom, as scientists have identified Neanderthal genes in the current human genome that confer both advantages and illness.