Cardinals-Mets: Quick hits  —  Reasons the Mets will win:  —  1. Power.  The Mets hit a lot of big homers, having ripped 200 during the regular season.  Shut down Albert Pujols, and the Cards may have a hard time generating runs.  —  2. Home-field advantage.

Yanks' captain abandons ship  —  Refusal to help Alex hurt club  —  If George Steinbrenner thinks that bringing in Lou Piniella is going to solve his Alex Rodriguez problem, and all of the bad karma it has wrought, he clearly isn't in touch with his ballclub.

Yankees stunned and done  —  Bonderman brilliant as Tigers head to ALCS  —  DETROIT — They were embarrassed, not to mention angry with themselves, in a quiet clubhouse where the positive air that always filters in — in good times or in bad — was stifling in its absence.  —  There was a little denial, too.

Cards earn third straight trip to NLCS  —  Carpenter shakes off tough first inning to pitch Game 4 gem  —  ST. LOUIS — Chris Carpenter executed a brilliant turnaround from a rocky first inning to smooth sailing over the next six on Sunday night.  But to his teammates, how he handled that shaky start was just as impressive.

Report: Injured Floyd to miss rest of playoffs  —  Veteran New York Mets' outfielder Cliff Floyd will miss the rest of his team's playoff run due to an Achilles tendon injury, according to a report in the New York Daily News.  —  Floyd, who has been on and off the disabled list …

Zito to start Game 1, Loaiza over Harden for Game 2  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Ten of Oakland's top decision makers held a closed-door meeting in the manager's office Sunday and cast their votes on who should start for the Athletics in Game 2 of the AL championship series — Rich Harden or Esteban Loaiza.

Pena shows interest in Nats job  —  Piniella and Pendleton also candidates to be next skipper  —  WASHINGTON — A day after watching his team get eliminated by the Tigers in the American League Division Series, Yankees first-base coach Tony Pena said by telephone on Sunday that he is interested in managing the Nationals.

Talking airhead sez sorry to fan  —  Stephen Teitelbaum felt on top of the world Thursday night when he left Shea Stadium after his team won the second game of its division series.  —  But the virtually blind 64-year-old sank when he heard that during the fifth inning Fox commentators mocked the special device he uses to watch games.

Colletti Goes to Work in a Big Hurry  —  Dodgers general manager wants a power hitter, a starter for the front of the rotation and bullpen help.  He will keep Little and the staff.  —  Moments after the Dodgers ducked into their clubhouse for the last time, the New York Mets celebrating …

One man's path, a family's dream for Marlins' Gonzalez  —  MIAMI -  —  Fredi Gonzalez leaned against the doorway to the bathroom as his father shaved.  —  "Fredito, I'm not going to die without seeing you manage in the big leagues," his father, Fredi Reynaldo Gonzalez, was telling him, scraping the razor over his face.

Marlins pick Tosca as bench coach  —  So far, there are no known plans for the Marlins to go totally retro next season, returning to the days of teal caps, uniform vests and batting practice shorts.  But there is a decidedly vintage look to their reshaped coaching staff.