Kevin's Countdown

The Phillies will know by midnight tonight whether Kevin Millwood has accepted their offer of salary arbitration. The Inquirer and Daily News bury the newsless reviews of Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes, respectively, deep in today's sports sections. Both reporters note that they could find no evidence to support the claim of Millwood's agent, Scott Boras, that the pitcher will have a multitude of free-agent offers from which to choose. Should Millwood accept, the Phillies will have one of the deepest rotations in the National League -- what a sweet little early Christmas present it would be.

Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian offers his December overview of the 2004 Phils and concludes that Larry Bowa "knows, finally, that he has the necessary pieces to win." The question for the Phillies, of course, is whether Bowa himself is one of those necessary pieces. I don't think so, but Ed Wade's actions certainly leave no doubt as to where he stands on the matter.

UPDATE: Merry Christmas, Phillies fans!