For Rangers, the line forms at the end  —  Competition will be fierce for last spot in rotation  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  ARLINGTON - Those Rangers.  Real jokers.  —  Just consider their next scheduled prank: In two weeks, they'll see how many fifth-starter candidates they can stuff into one tiny spring training camp.

DeWitt insists Cardinals made fair offer to Weaver  —  Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. insisted Wednesday night the club's unwillingness to match the Seattle Mariners' one-year, $8.325 million bid for righthander Jeff Weaver had everything to do with the value placed on the free agent …

Dice-K gives sneak peek: Excited to spring into Sox career  —  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Daisuke Matsuzaka apologized to the Japanese media and nation for scheduling his press briefing yesterday on the same day as the start of spring training in Japan.  —  2007 Red Sox roster:

Stealing home  —  Farm talent makes for easy pickings  —  As Rockies fans braced for Todd Helton's potential exit this week, there was a bit of good news.  ESPN.com ranked Colorado's farm system the second best in baseball.  The reality, according to owner Charlie Monfort …

Pittsburgh Pirates Roundtable #11  —  Question #1:  —  True or false: The Pirates are putting too much stock in their top four starting pitchers.  —  Wilbur T. Miller from Pirate Player Profiles:  —  True.  The bullpen figures to be deep but not outstanding, especially with Gonzalez gone.

Stadium to see Stars in finale  —  As first reported in the Daily News on Dec. 10, Major League Baseball officially awarded the 2008 All-Star Game to Yankee Stadium yesterday at City Hall.  —  Commissioner Bud Selig, Mayor Bloomberg, Yankees general partner Steve Swindal and COO Lonn Trost were on hand for the announcement.

LaRoche: Braves, fans were spoiled  —  The Braves will hold their FanFest Saturday at Turner Field, and Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and 15 other players are scheduled to attend and sign autographs.  —  Not on the list, of course, is Adam LaRoche.

Yanks to Stot: Yer out!  —  For the first time time in the Joe Torre era, Mel Stottlemyre won't have a role with the Yankees this season, not even in spring training.  —  After retiring as pitching coach following the 2005 season, Stottlemyre helped the Yankees make the transition to Ron Guidry in spring training last year.

Barmes intent on seizing opportunity  —  The groundwork is firmly in place, vitally important hitting changes that Clint Barmes had to make after last season.  —  His statistical plunge was bad enough.  Ultimately, Barmes lost his job as the Rockies shortstop and spent most of September watching Troy Tulowitzki play that position.

Arbitration Hearings for Nats' Cordero, Kearns, Patterson Are Set  —  Hearings have been set for the Washington Nationals' three remaining arbitration cases — closer Chad Cordero, outfielder Austin Kearns and right-hander John Patterson.  The club and the players' representatives have until …

His legacy is thriving  —  Jackie Robinson would have been 88 years old today.  —  Wonder what he would have thought.  No doubt he'd be honored that Major League Baseball permanently retired his No. 42 (Yankee Hall of Famer closer Mariano Rivera will be the last one to wear it).

Kerry takes up 'Extra Innings' issue  —  WASHINGTON — A proposal to make Major League Baseball's "Extra Innings" exclusive to DirecTV has drawn the ire of Sen. John Kerry.  —  The Massachusetts Democrat said he plans to raise the matter with the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission at a hearing Thursday.

ATLANTA BRAVES  —  Signed RHP Tanyon Sturtze to one-year deal.  [12/3]  —  Acquired RHP Rafael Soriano from the Mariners for LHP Horacio Ramirez.  [12/7]  —  Non-tendered 2B-R Marcus Giles and RHP Chris Reitsma.  [12/12]  —  Signed RHP Buddy Carlyle, LHP Steve Colyer, OF-L Doug Clark …

Cubs, Prior reach $3,575,000, 1-year deal  —  Right-hander Mark Prior and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a one-year deal Wednesday and avoided salary arbitration.  —  Prior will get $3,575,000 and would earn an additional $150,000 each for making 27 and 30 starts.

O's close in on one-year deal with Roberts … While continuing to discuss a long-term contract extension with Brian Roberts, the Orioles are closing in on a one-year deal with the second baseman that, in the short term, will help the two sides avoid salary arbitration.

GM: Pitching will not be a problem  —  Mets general manager Omar Minaya has always been a glass-is-half-full kind of guy.  It's of little wonder, then that as the team's demanding, boisterous fan base frets over the state of the team's pitching staff heading into the 2007 season, Minaya is offering a top-shelf sales pitch.

Agent: Bonds won't sign revised contract right now  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Barry Bonds' contract with the San Francisco Giants isn't final just yet.  —  After the commissioner's office rejected Bonds' $15.8 million, one-year deal because it contained a personal-appearance provision …