Omar arm's length away from deals  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The lobby of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort was relatively empty on the final day of baseball's winter meetings.  The last event was the RuleV draft yesterday morning, and it didn't take long for team officials …

Talk of Misconduct Is Swirling Around Red Sox  —  The Boston Red Sox might think of the Yankees as the Evil Empire, but other people in baseball now seem to view the Red Sox as a team that feels it can operate outside the rules.  —  According to executives of several clubs …

Bonds, Giants agree on one-year deal  —  Slugger, 21 homers shy of Aaron, set to re-sign for $16 million  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Giants agreed in principle on Thursday to re-sign slugger Barry Bonds for the 2007 season, said a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

Sometimes, madness is appropriate  —  Yes, at first glance, it seems a little — what's the word here? — let us say "surprising" that the Royals gave pitcher Gil Meche a five-year, $55 million deal.  However, upon closer inspection, it seems clear that ...  OK, whoa, whoa, let's slow down a little bit.

Rule 5 yields Labandeira, 2 other picks  —  Infielder was suspended for amphetamines  —  · The Marlins opted to spare somebody the burden of living up to Dan Uggla's Rule 5 legacy.  —  Thursday's Winter Meetings-culminating Rule 5 Draft was over in less than 40 minutes and did not feature …

Ohka offered Major League contract  —  Right-hander will begin second stint with club if he agrees  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Nationals have offered free agent Tomo Ohka a Major League contract, MLB.com has learned.  If he agrees to the deal, Ohka will begin his second stint with the organization.

Rule 5 Draft  —  The major league portion of the Rule Five draft was expected to be a disappointment.  Instead, it featured some excitement, with a few big names getting selected and some significant buzz being generated by the picks at the top, with 19 players selected over the span of seven minutes.

Steinbrenner considers taking Gooden back  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner met with Dwight Gooden this week and said he'd consider giving the former star a role with the team provided he stays off drugs and alcohol until mid-February.

O's video picture getting fuzzier … The Maryland Stadium Authority agreed yesterday to move forward with the purchase of a new Mitsubishi video screen for Camden Yards despite objections from the Orioles.  —  Orioles officials say the DiamondVision screen is too small and technologically inadequate …

Zambrano delay could be costly  —  He's on track to be top '08 free agent  —  ORLANDO — While St. Louis handed Chris Carpenter to a three-year extension Monday on the first day of the winter meetings, expecting he would be their ace through 2011, the Cubs concentrated on solidifying their starting rotation.

Bavasi: Meetings 'miserable'  —  No big deals for Mariners as winter confab ends  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — When the Mariners packed up and left the Land of the Mouse on Thursday, they didn't need the extra bag they'd brought along to pack the souvenirs they were planning to lug back to Seattle.

Villone declines Yanks' arbitration offer  —  Reliever wants to play in New York, but keeping options open  —  NEW YORK — Ron Villone declined the Yankees' arbitration offer Thursday, leaving the left-hander available on the free-agent market.  —  Villone, who returned Thursday from a 12 …