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.

Giants decide not to renew Felipe Alou's contract  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants have decided to not renew manager Felipe Alou's contract for the 2007 season, team Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Sabean announced today.  The club has extended an offer …

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 …

Looking at the Division Series matchups  —  Two weeks ago, a Subway Series appeared all but inevitable.  —  No longer.  —  The Mets are less threatening without injured right-hander Pedro Martinez.  The Yankees, unsure of left-hander Randy Johnson's ability to pitch with a herniated disk …

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 …

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.

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 …

Yanks are turbocharged this October … The last time the New York Yankees won a World Series — way back in the dark ages of October 2000 — there had never been a major league player named Melky, Johnny Damon was still a Royal and Chien-Ming Wang was a man with a dream that some day there might actually be a big leaguer from Taiwan.

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.

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 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.