Baseball's general manager meetings are getting underway in Chicago today and it would appear the team leaders have adjusted their accomodations in accordance with the economy.

Last year, MLB's 30 heads of state all met at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif., a resort so posh that we detailed all of its luxuries, down to the "surfing butlers."

This year, they're convening at the O'Hare Airport Hilton, a nice hotel but one more suited for a pharm rep than baseball's deal-hungry masters of the universe.

Thing is, I just checked the rates on both websites and a room at the St. Regis is only slightly more expensive ($295 a night) than one at the Hilton ($245). Why the owners can't spring a little more for the sunshine of California is beyond me, though the Chicago weather is rather nice right now and every dollar counts when you're trying to shore up a rotation.

Also, when you consider that the more consequential Winter Meetings will be held in Indianapolis at the start of December, it was nice of baseball to let the all of the writers get a head start on their bellyaching. Nappytown may have the nice steak dinners at St. Elmo's, but it definitely isn't last year's Vegas.

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