Mets Pitcher to Miss Postseason With Injury  —  Pedro Martínez has missed much of this season with injuries and illness.  He will need four to six weeks to recover from his latest ailment.  —  The Mets had prepared themselves for the probability that Pedro Martínez …

Nixon: The Final Days?  —  Right Fielder Reflects On Past  —  BOSTON — Trot Nixon is not planning anything special this weekend.  Do not expect a reprise of Carl Yastrzemski's farewell victory lap in 1983, or even Nixon's own scamper out to the right field bleachers at Yankee Stadium during …

Marlins won't promote rookies  —  MIAMI GARDENS — Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla might be leading candidates for the National League Rookie of the Year award, but the Marlins don't plan to campaign on their behalf like the San Francisco Giants are doing with right-hander Matt Cain.

A heavy-wait hire for Hendry?  —  Four years ago, Cubs GM held out for 'wish-list' Baker  —  How Jim Hendry went about hiring a manager for the Cubs the first time around might be the best barometer of how the general manager will do it the second time.  —  And what Hendry did in 2002 …

Playoff goal eludes Teixeira yet again  —  SEATTLE — The first-half numbers Mark Teixeira put up this season ranked as one of the biggest letdowns for Rangers fans, probably right behind the injury to Adam Eaton and the underwhelming year by Brad Wilkerson.

D.C. faithful entertained during delay  —  Fans who waited treated to music, other ballgames  —  WASHINGTON — The crowd cheered when Nationals starter Mike O'Connor threw a ball high and outside to Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins on the game's first pitch on Thursday night.

A Glove story — Gonzo eyes Gold nugget  —  In a season with enough twists and turns to dizzy Ricky Bobby, the Red Sox defense has been the steadiest working part of their disappointing season.  —  While a good debate could be held on who is the best defensive player on the Red Sox …

Does Size Matter (Part 5)  —  Over the past couple of months, we have looked in detail at how player size affects hitting performance.  Today, we move on to pitchers.  —  In a way, pitchers are more interesting to look at than hitters.  It seems intuitive that big hitters should do better than little ones.

School's In  —  For the past four years, Alan Matthews has traveled across the country covering amateur baseball, specifically draft eligible high school talent, for Baseball America.  This month, he enrolled in the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau's annual scout development program, which is being held in Phoenix.

Bring on Bad News Barry!  O's don't fear divas, controversy  —  What a relief!  The agent for Barry Bonds has reassured us that Bad News Barry will return to play at least one more season, barring - I suppose - jail time, which means that he probably will break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record.

Floyd has shot to play opener  —  ATLANTA - Cliff Floyd traveled to Manhattan yesterday to get a cortisone shot in his troublesome left ankle.  Willie Randolph indicated Floyd would be available for Game 1 of the division series.  Players generally need to wait 48 hours after receiving cortisone …