Giants cut ties with Alou after 4 seasons as manager  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Nobody in the Giants' front office is blaming Felipe Alou for San Francisco's failures the past two seasons.  Owner Peter Magowan is willing to take the heat for that.  —  The club cut ties with Alou on Monday …

With Baker out, Cubs likely will select one of five  —  Although general manager Jim Hendry says his search for a new Cubs manager will be an "extensive process," it appears he has a very short list of candidates to replace Dusty Baker, whose contract wasn't renewed Monday.

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 …

A's are sleeper pick entering the postseason  —  BASEBALL TONIGHT EXTRA  —  There is a very interesting mix of teams in the 2006 postseason.  —  On one hand, the Dodgers, Padres, Twins and A's have been as hot as anybody in recent weeks — or months, as Oakland's best-in-baseball record since …

Girardi's dismissal looms  —  Marlins may quickly snap up Gonzalez to fend off other teams  —  MIAMI — They won't exactly pass each other in the Dolphin Stadium parking lot, but it shouldn't take long for the Marlins to grab the keys from Joe Girardi and hand them to Fredi Gonzalez.

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 …

Dejan Kovacevic Chat Transcript 10/02/06  —  Pedro_Cerrano: Should I order my 2007 playoff tickets now?  —  Dejan Kovacevic: As long as they come fully refundable, and as long as you have that kind of disposable cash, yeah, go nuts. ...  Welcome, one and all, to our final chat of the season.

Notes: Johnson in line for Game 3  —  Feels no abnormal stiffness on day after bullpen session  —  NEW YORK — Yankees left-hander Randy Johnson continues to pass tests in his quest to pitch with a herniated disc in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.

Bright Weekend, Dark Day  —  Notes from the last weekend of the regular season, from one very depressed man, idly hitting buttons looking for some baseball...  - The best story, to me, was the disparity among managers in the importance placed on the difference between winning the division or the wild card.

Milledge, two others, left off Mets roster  —  Rookie outfielder one of three players not included for NLDS  —  NEW YORK — As part of the only Division Series that will not begin play until Wednesday, the Mets have a little more time to set their 25-man roster for the series against the Dodgers.

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.

Prosecutor cites "inaccuracies" in steroids story  —  The federal prosecutor overseeing an investigation of steroids in baseball said Monday a newspaper report that five players, including Roger Clemens, had used illegal performance-enhancing drugs contained "significant inaccuracies."

Baseball Analysts - Most Valuable Players  —  With the regular season behind us, it is time to focus on the playoffs.  I will have a preview of the ALDS and NLDS on Tuesday.  In the meantime, I wanted to fill out my (make believe) ballot for each league's Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year.