Scully Recalls the Daffy Days of Brooklyn  —  The play, in which two Los Angeles Dodgers were tagged out in succession yesterday by Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca after a single by Russell Martin, was perfectly set up for Vin Scully, working solo in the cramped visitors' radio booth at Shea Stadium.

Willie pens the right moves  —  Willie Randolph always took offense to whispers that he had missed out on another managerial job because he had been unprepared in his interview - never more so than when he heard the Mets rejected him in favor of Art Howe four years ago for that reason.

BOSS NOT IMPRESSED BY METS  —  An ornery George Steinbrenner stormed out of Yankee Stadium shortly after the Yankees game against the Tigers was postponed last night and promptly knocked the league and his team's crosstown rivals.  —  Steinbrenner was asked if he was happy the Mets won …

Cards Notebook: DeWitt gives nod to La Russa  —  SAN DIEGO — Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt underscored the organization's satisfaction with manager Tony La Russa's performance this season, saying there was "never any thought given" to reviewing the skipper's status had the club not held on to win the National League Central title.

Judge: Bonds' trainer to be freed from prison  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge ordered Barry Bonds' personal trainer released from prison Thursday, blaming a legal "snafu."  —  U.S. District Judge William Alsup said Greg Anderson must be freed because a federal appeals court …

Showalter move shows GM is in charge  —  ARLINGTON - On one of his better days as a baseball owner Wednesday, Tom Hicks was nowhere in sight.  —  Hicks, whose success as a hockey owner has not been duplicated in his nine years with the Rangers, took a step toward respectability in baseball …

Eight Ugly Options  —  When attached to long-term contracts, club options are strange things.  In a sense, they are a way for a team to say, "Just in case you perform beyond our wildest dreams, we want to have the chance to pay you another 15 million bucks.  You know, when you're 38."

ESPN beyond 'Redemption'  —  The anxiety level was high.  Seventh inning.  Nomar Garciaparra at the plate facing Guillermo Mota.  Mets 4, Dodgers 2.  Two outs.  Bases loaded.  —  Gary Thorne, ESPN's play-by-play man, called it one of "those key" moments in a playoff game and perhaps the entire Dodgers-Mets division series.

Now comes the really hard part  —  MINNEAPOLIS - Here's an absolute certainty, one that's right there in the pecking order with death and taxes and lost fly balls in the White Bubble Dome: No team does postseason, inside-the-park home runs against a backdrop of homer hankies the way the A's do.

New TBS comedy visits Wrigley Field  —  "My Boys" will feature a sports writer who covers the Cubs  —  CHICAGO — A new TV series about a sports reporter from Chicago shot its final show of the season at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, and the cast was thrilled to be able to step on the field.

Little Decides to Use Penny, and Dodgers Pay the Price  —  NEW YORK — It was nuts.  It was chaos.  It was completely avoidable.  —  I'm not talking about J.D. Drew's decision to tailgate Jeff Kent into home plate in the second inning.  —  I'm talking about Grady Little decision to drive Brad Penny off a cliff in the seventh.

Weis, Mora, Pratt and ???  —  Perhaps because they are so unexpected, surprise October performances by unlikely heroes seem even more prevalent than examples of the game's biggest stars shining on the postseason stage.  Mets history is littered with such unlikely icons, with the predictable …

Abuse charge dropped against Phillies pitcher  —  BOSTON (AP) - An abuse charge against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers was dismissed Thursday after his wife said she did not want her husband prosecuted for hitting her in the face during an argument near Fenway Park.

Shaky save for Wagner  —  Billy Wagner already uses the matching theme song, but the only way to even begin to be measured against Mariano Rivera, the quintessential closer in postseason history, is to seal October victories.  —  Wagner's first career postseason save was hardly Sandman-esque …