Dodgers-Mets: Position analysis  —  CATCHER EDGE: METS  —  Russell Martin came on so strong that six weeks after his arrival, the Dodgers felt comfortable enough to deal their crown prince at the position, Dioner Navarro.  —  Paul Lo Duca is reputed as a winner, but he's never won …

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 …

'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.

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.

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.

California League Top 20 Prospects List  —  Subscribers can read scouting reports on all 20 players (Click here to subscribe)  —  A year after Brandon Wood, Stephen Drew and Howie Kendrick headlined a banner class in the high Class A California League, the talent level dipped quite a bit in 2006.

Bochy not yet set on Game 1 starter  —  Decision for opener will come down to Peavy or Young  —  PHOENIX — As the Padres were getting packed for a flight home in anticipation of Tuesday afternoon's playoff opener at PETCO Park against the Cardinals, manager Bruce Bochy said no decision had been made on a Game 1 starter.

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.

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.

Delgado sits out finale  —  WASHINGTON - Carlos Delgado missed his second consecutive game yesterday, hoping a layoff will allow him to recuperate before Wednesday's division series opener.  —  "I took a bad swing the other day and my chest and my back felt a little weird," said Delgado, who plans to return to the lineup for Game 1.

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 …

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.

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 …