Let's all go to the lobby

The small lobby area at the Marriott is packed with reporters, baseball executives and managers. The Christmas tree in the middle is taking up valuable space, and I've almost run into it twice. Members of the print and electronic media are constantly checking their BlackBerry's for the latest updates and contradictions. For instance, the New York Post reported that left-hander Andy Pettitte has turned down a one-year offer from the Yankees. The Daily News shot back that no offer has been made, but a proposal is coming later today. Glad we cleared that up. News that the Red Sox just signed reliever Scott Atchison, via FOXSports' Ken Rosenthal, was mostly met with a shrug. But at least something happened. Reporters covering the Dodgers are still trying to figure out whether reliever George Sherrill is available. He figures to earn at least $4 million in arbitration, and every penny counts during owner Frank McCourt's messy divorce. The Dodgers didn't offer arbitration to any of their free agents. They'd love to unload center fielder Juan Pierre's contract, though they'd almost certainly have to eat part of it. The Dodgers would want a starting pitcher in return for Sherrill. I'm told they also could use a second baseman.