Arbitration Offer Rejected by Valenzuela

Fernando Valenzuela and Bo Jackson were among 12 free agents who rejected salary arbitration Sunday night. They now now have until Jan. 8 to re-sign with their old teams.

Seventeen free agents were offered salary arbitration by their former clubs on Dec. 7 and had 12 days to think about the offers. Five of those 17 then agreed to contracts--either with their old clubs or new teams--before Sunday’s deadline.

The 12 rejecting arbitration were: Valenzuela, a pitcher formerly with the Baltimore Orioles; outfielders Jackson and Tim Raines (Chicago White Sox); pitcher Bob Ojeda and catcher Junior Ortiz (Cleveland Indians); outfielder Hubie Brooks (Kansas City Royals); outfielder Dion James (New York Yankees); outfielder Dave Henderson Oakland Athletics); pitcher Bruce Hurst (Colorado Rockies); pitcher Charlie Hough and shortstop Walt Weiss (Florida Marlins) and first baseman Gerald Perry (St. Louis Cardinals).

Of those 12, James has agreed to sign with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japan Central League and Hough has agreed to an $800,000, one-year contract with the Marlins.

The Yankees offered James arbitration in case his Japanese deal fell through; Florida offered Hough arbitration because lawyers on both sides haven’t agreed on whether the deal is for a major or minor league contract.

If players in this group don’t re-sign by Jan. 8, they would not be able to negotiate with their former clubs until May 1.

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The Chicago Cubs traded right-handed reliever Bob Scanlan to the Milwaukee Brewers for left-handed pitcher Rafael Novoa and minor league outfielder Mike Carter.

Winter Sports

Steve Locher of Switzerland spoiled Alberto Tomba’s 27th birthday Sunday, beating the Italian star in front of thousands of his fans in a World Cup giant slalom victory at Alta Badia, Italy.

It was the first giant slalom victory for Locher, who finished second behind Tomba at the same event in 1991.

“At last I beat Alberto,” said Locher, whose previous World Cup victory in a super-G was at Val D’Isere in 1990. “It was a tough victory, in a great atmosphere.”

About 20,000 fans played trumpets and waved flags for Tomba, who improved three places from the first run to finish second, 1.01 seconds behind the winner.

Vreni Schneider of Switzerland earned her 46th victory, winning a World Cup slalom at St. Anton, Austria. . . . Pernilla Wiberg and Kristina Andersson finished second and third, respectively.

Wendel Suckow of the United States won the fourth World Cup luge competition at Winterberg, Germany, and moved ahead of teammate Duncan Kennedy in the season standings. . . . Pierre Lueders drove Canada I to the second gold medal of his brief two-man World Cup bobsled career, at Calgary.

Tennis

Monica Seles, who has not played competitively since being stabbed in the back during a match at Hamburg, Germany, in April, said she might be apprehensive if she plays next month at the Aus

“Probably I’ll be afraid to sit down during changeovers, since that’s what I was doing when he stabbed me,” Seles said.

Miscellany

Florida assistant basketball coach R.C. Buford will be suspended for one game for shoving Florida State guard Bob Sura during a 69-59 Florida State victory Saturday.

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Finland defeated Norway, 5-0, and Sweden beat France, 4-2, in the Izvestia Cup hockey tournament at Moscow.

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Meadow Rendezvous, a 2-year-old filly who won the $110,000 Barretts Debutante Stakes at Fairplex Park on Sept. 22, was found dead in her stall at Bay Meadows.