The all important arbitration deadline arrives tomorrow…

One change begins on Friday, which is the deadline for teams to offer salary arbitration to their players who became free agents. The players have until Dec. 7 to accept or decline. Previously, the deadline to offer was Dec. 7, and players had until Dec. 19 to accept or reject arbitration.

The process will have an impact on the Hot Stove landscape as some of the top names on the market like Tom Glavine, Barry Bonds, Barry Zito, Dave Roberts, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Jason Schmidt, Gil Meche and Jeff Suppan will get a clearer picture of the 2007 landscape after the arbitration choices are known.

Unlike previous years, when free agents not offered arbitration couldn’t sign with their previous teams before May 1, under the new rules the two sides can continue negotiations and, if a player is re-signed, he would be eligible to play for the team on Opening Day.

Too funny…

DeKALB, Ill. (AP) — Wisconsin cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu and his twin brother, who plays for Northern Illinois, are accused of breaking into an off-campus apartment and trying to steal an Xbox game console, authorities said Thursday.

Ikegwuonu and Northern Illinois safety William Ikegwuonu face residential burglary and criminal trespass charges, authorities said. The 20-year-olds were arrested Saturday, according to DeKalb police Lt. Jim Kayes.�

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com

The Rangers are hoping that the inclement weather won’t keep Zito from wanting to pitch at Ameriquest Field in Arlington. A source said Zito and Boras came in to meet with Rangers owner Tom Hicks and general manager Jon Daniels. Rangers officials declined comment but are definitely serious about Zito being their No. 1 free-agent target this winter.

As many as eight teams are pursuing Zito, and it’s long been assumed that he wanted to pitch in either New York or Los Angeles. The Mets are considered one of the favorites because Zito is close to their pitching coach, Rick Peterson, who worked with him in Oakland.

Three more years till the plug is pulled on The Grinch…

Reuters

NEW YORK - Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig believes he will be stepping down in three years when his contract ends content that the sport is in good health.

�I plan to retire,� Selig, the former Milwaukee Brewers owner, told Reuters on Thursday.

�Other than Kenesaw Mountain Landis I think I would be the longest serving commissioner,� added Selig, who became �Interim Commissioner� in 1992 and took the job permanently six years later.

From CBS4Boston –

“I think Manny is less than comfortable playing in Boston for whatever reason, that’s his right. I think it’s gotten to the point now where there’s some thought that even though Manny might stay, he might not be here if he does. And I think the belief is that trading Manny and bringing somebody in would be more valuable than having a Manny here that didn’t play. I don’t know that to be a fact. That is pure speculation on my part” Schilling said.

“I live with the guys, I have some insight. I don’t know for sure. I do know that I’ve spoken with Manny. Manny does want to be traded. Manny wants to play somewhere else.”

We can all rest easy…

“Tony flew into Los Angeles last night after his game and surprised Eva at her home as she got off work,” Longoria’s spokeswoman, Liza Anderson, told The Associated Press on Thursday via e-mail.

“The proposal was romantic and perfect. The couple plans to wed in France in the summer of 2007 in what they describe as a big, happy ceremony with lots of family and friends.”

Longoria, 31, who plays crafty Gabrielle Solis on the hit ABC show, met Parker, a 24-year-old Frenchman, in the San Antonio Spurs‘ locker room after a game two years ago.

Before and after she puts on make-up:

Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Albert Pujols thinks he was snubbed.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger is upset he lost out to Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard for the National League MVP award, saying Wednesday the honor should go to someone on a playoff team.

“I see it this way: Someone who doesn’t take his team to the playoffs doesn’t deserve to win the MVP,” Pujols said in Spanish at a news conference organized by the Dominican Republic’s sports ministry.

Pujols led the Cardinals to the NL Central title this year and their first World Series championship since 1982. Howard and the Phillies missed the playoffs — though they won two more regular-season games than St. Louis.

**UPDATED**
Some context to this…

From Finkel at the Riverfront Times

FOXSports.com

Allen Iverson, the NBA’s leading scorer, will be fined by the Philadelphia 76ers for missing a “mandatory” team function Wednesday night, according to several Philadelphia media outlets.

According to reports, Iverson, the 76ers’ captain, was the only player on the team to fail to appear at a meet-and-greet event attended by 300 corporate sponsors and premium-seat ticket holders at an area bowling and entertainment center.

I can’t wait for the media to blow the doors off this one. Jim Rome already did earlier this afternoon.

And his name isn’t Matsuzaka….

Associated Press

BOSTON — The Red Sox agreed to a contract with a Japanese pitcher — no, not that one.

In the midst of negotiations with potential ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox agreed Thursday to a two-year contract with left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima.

As always, notes from the Buster Olney blog from INsider (subscription required)…

� The Brewers completed their signing of Craig Counsell. Heard last night that despite the Counsell signing, the Brewers will likely still offer Type A free agent Tony Graffanino arbitration, which would probably affect the Padres’ pursuit of the infielder.

� Barry Rozner sees a strategy within Kenny Williams’s words.

� Heard that the Red Sox are kicking around specific names in their trade talks for Manny Ramirez, and that they feel they are going to get a good deal for Ramirez — if a deal is completed. To reiterate: If the Dodgers decide they want Ramirez, they will almost certainly get him because they have the most to offer.

� The Yankees remain privately hopeful that Andy Pettitte will rejoin Joe Torre’s team next season, writes Tyler Kepner.

� The Phillies may still sign Joe Borowski to a one-year, incentive-laden deal, after he failed his physical. Gavin Floyd is still trying to find himself, writes Mark Brown.

� Within this piece, Marcus Hayes reports again that the Phillies are not interested in Mike Piazza, which only increases the likelihood that Piazza will wind up signing with Oakland.

His agents have said Mulder is scheduled to begin throwing in January and be back on a mound in early March.

Other teams will likely offer him contracts with a low base salary and loads of incentives, but because the Diamondbacks don’t do incentive-based deals, they’ll have to be creative in the structure and likely need to guarantee more money.

Mulder has drawn interest from several other teams, reportedly including Texas, San Diego and San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks front office, including General Partner Jeff Moorad, along with manager Bob Melvin and pitching coach Bryan Price were there to greet Mulder and his agents, Terry Bross and Gregg Clifton.

“(The meeting) was really just, ‘Hey, this is what we’re about. This is what we’re doing moving forward. We want you to be a part of it,’ ” Bross said. “I would definitely say that Mark would like to see a (contract) proposal.”

Mulder has some ties to the club. He and new bench coach Kirk Gibson, both Michigan State products, know each other well, and A.J. Hinch, the team’s director of player development, played with Mulder in Oakland.

And then there’s the fact that Mulder lives in Scottsdale.

“There always is some intrigue to the hometown team,” Bross said.

Read more of Nick Piecoro’s piece at the Arizona Republic.

A few weeks back, The Buried Lead took an in-depth snap shot at what the 2007 Cardinals line-up and salaries might look like.

As everything is in life, situation’s change and things become fluid.

Up until the beginning of this week, there was very little to report on the Cardinals player front. Sure, they re-signed CF Jim Edmonds, who agreed to a two-year extension totaling $19 million, and utility player Scott Spiezio to a two-year deal totaling $4.5 million with a club option for the third. As part of his deal, Edmonds agreed to defer $3 million of his 2007 salary at no interest to boost the club’s efforts in signing players.

More after the jump »