'We felt we could win this year'  —  Q&A WITH RANGERS GM JON DANIELS  —  On Oct. 4, 2005, Jon Daniels was named the Rangers' general manager after John Hart's resignation.  Following a season of ups and downs, Daniels talked recently about his first year at the helm.

Drug report brings denials from baseball stars  —  Miguel Tejada is getting an unpleasant sense of deja vu.  He says he already was smeared by one scandal and it looks like it's happening again.  —  The Baltimore Orioles' shortstop was named in a federal agent's affidavit …

Nats' Robinson Bids a Fond Farewell  —  Frank Robinson first donned a major league uniform on April 17, 1956, a skinny 20-year-old rookie outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds.  Among baseball men of a certain age and mien, the act of putting on that uniform is a cherished rite, never to be taken for granted.

Baker: 'I'm gone, I won't be back'  —  Dusty Baker regards Monday's long-anticipated, will-he-stay-or-will-he-go meeting with Jim Hendry as anticlimactic.  —  "I'm gone.  I won't be back," Baker said Sunday after the Cubs completed a last-place season with an 8-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Mets vulnerable against lefties … The matchup the Mets didn't want has come to pass.  The Dodgers bring the NL's other great offense to town, with a lefty who no-hit the Mets for five innings the last time they saw him in the rotation.  The Dodgers, on the other hand, probably were hoping to face St. Louis instead of New York.

One Quest Fails; a Bigger One Begins  —  Derek Jeter tapped his chest with his glove.  Why was Andy Cannizaro, a rookie wearing No. 63, jogging toward shortstop just before the top of the ninth inning yesterday?  —  "Me?"  Jeter said to Cannizaro, and then he understood.

A cone of silence may be best bet  —  If the New York Mets know their baseball history, they will stick to "The playoffs are a crapshoot" and "Anything can happen in a short series" and "Their pitching staff is impressive" when assessing their upcoming division series against the Dodgers.

Red Sox bracket 2006 season with wins  —  In second career start, Hansack hurls five hitless frames  —  BOSTON — Last year at around this time, Devern Hansack, out of professional baseball for two years and working as a lobsterman in his native Nicaragua, was pitching for his country at the World Cup in the Netherlands.

Weeks staying at second  —  Improved defensive play provides hope for future  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  St. Louis - Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said Sunday that there were no plans to move Rickie Weeks off second base for the 2007 season.

A final day for some  —  SEATTLE — Some of the Rangers' nine free agents surely will not be back next year.  —  That's not necessarily a huge deal to players who spent less than a season in Texas, such as Carlos Lee, Kip Wells and Jerry Hairston Jr. While any or all of those three could re-sign …

Don't Be Surprised if 'Rocket' Escapes the Bonds Treatment  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The news that the drug hounds have finally been unleashed on Roger Clemens sent me to the guy who knows something about being chased.  —  So, I asked Barry Bonds, do you think Clemens will have his heels nipped …

Yankees-Tigers: Position analysis  —  Jorge Posada is one of the longtime foundations of the Yankees' success.  —  But Ivan Rodriguez still sets the standard defensively, and his offensive skills, though not what they were five years ago, are still formidable and worthy of a No. 3 hitter.