Baker out as Cubs manager  —  CHICAGO (AP) - Dusty Baker is out as the Chicago Cubs' manager following a last-place finish and a failure to take the team to the World Series in his four years.  —  The Cubs made the announcement Monday, a day after team president Andy MacPhail resigned and the club finished with a 66-96 record.

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 …

Robinson honored with ceremony  —  Hall of Famer gives emotional speech prior to final game  —  WASHINGTON — Manager Frank Robinson showed his emotions when the Nationals paid tribute to the Hall of Famer before Sunday's season finale against the Mets.  The special event came a day after Robinson …

'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.

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.

Coaching shuffle will start with Collins, Espy leaving  —  Chicago - A Rockies organization defined by stability is expected to have two coaching vacancies today.  —  Manager Clint Hurdle said he would issue a statement on his staff, but multiple sources said first-base coach Dave Collins …

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 …

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.

Tigers versus Yankees  —  On the morning of August 8th, the Detroit Tigers were the toast of baseball, a full 40 games over .500 at 76-36, leading the AL Central by ten games, leading the Twins by 10.5 games, leading every other team in the majors by at least eight games.

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 …

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 Deeply Regrettable Wrong  —  Before we get started in on an extremely busy sports day, we have some business to attend to.  —  As many of you will remember, back in June, a source we thought was reliable leaked to us that one of the names in the infamous Jason Grimsley HGH affidavit was Chris Mihlfeld …