1.   An agent who does not represent Franco said Monday that the word circulating in baseball circles was that Franco was headed to the Phillies.

2.   But the fact that Lucchino and Steinbrenner spoke directly about the trade Wednesday night was viewed in baseball circles as a sign that a deal was inevitable.

3.   But Ryan exhibited an act of class rarely seen in baseball circles when he rejected the chance to interview to be general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

4.   By a man seriously underestimated in baseball circles.

5.   Epstein has a notable pedigree, though little known in baseball circles.

6.   Florida Marlins manager Jim Leyland is considered a wizard in baseball circles.

7.   Hart and Hargrove had long been portrayed in baseball circles as two men co-existing, but not always happily.

8.   He is well known in baseball circles but not in L.A..

9.   In Cuba, meanwhile, Cubas is a name that is widely known in baseball circles.

10.   In Japanese baseball circles, the New York Yankees have become ugly Americans.