Brave new world, or back to Shea for Glavine?  —  Despite their efforts to the contrary, the Mets can do nothing but wait for Tom Glavine to become a free agent Monday when the team, as promised, declines its $14-million option on the two-time Cy Young winner, a person familiar with the situation said Friday.

Hot Stove: Big market for Manny's bat  —  Boston may pull off trade for slugger if right deal comes along  —  The annual Manny Watch has started to flicker.  —  As sure as leaves fall in October, there are always rumors of left fielder Manny Ramirez's departure from the Boston Red Sox.

Mueller retires, joins front office  —  Dodgers also closing in on multiyear deal for Garciaparra  —  LOS ANGELES — Bill Mueller became the highest-paid special assistant to the general manager in Dodgers history Friday when he was forced to retire as a player and joined the front office.

The Red Sox May Have Just Made Insanity the Norm  —  Baseball is an old sport, and it doesn't change all that often.  This week's news that the Boston Red Sox have secured the rights to negotiate with Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka for the fairly outlandish sum of $51 million represents real change.

Angels may want Drew as their center fielder  —  Dodgers fans who are upset about J.D. Drew's decision to opt out of his contract last week might not have to travel far to express their displeasure with the outfielder.  The Angels, according to industry sources, are interested in signing Drew to play center field.

Notes: Focus returns to rotation  —  With Thomas signed, arms once again top priority  —  TORONTO — Now that Frank Thomas can officially be fitted for his Big Hurt-size Blue Jays jersey, it's time for Toronto to turn its attention back toward its pitching staff.

At last, there may be a market for Manny  —  For years, the reason the Red Sox couldn't trade left fielder Manny Ramirez was simple — no team wanted to absorb Ramirez's contract.  —  The bigger problem now is that the Sox likely couldn't replace Ramirez with a worthy right-handed complement to David Ortiz.

Would Glavine return without no-trade clause?  —  Just when you thought you'd heard enough _ maybe more than enough _ about Tom Glavine's pending decision to pitch next season for the Mets or the Braves (assuming Atlanta makes him an offer), let me point out a factor that's been entirely overlooked.

Comparison Fun  —  You know I think the free agent market is nuts.  You know I support acquiring talent via trade instead of paying these prices.  You may not know that there really are good deals to be found, even in this sea of insanity.  For instance, look at this comparison of left-fielders:

IronPigs fightin' words for biker club  —  Organization says baseball team owners infringing trademark.  —  By Jeff Schuler Of The Morning Call  —  What's the difference between Iron Pigs and IronPigs?  —  A lot, if you're Lehigh Valley's baseball team.  Not so much if you're an international motorcycle club based in Texas.

Owens finishing AFL season strong  —  Late start doesn't keep outfielder from showing promise  —  It might have taken a few weeks, but it looks like Jerry Owens is hitting his stride just as the Arizona Fall League season comes to a close.  The 25-year-old center fielder arrived late …