A Piniella Return Could Benefit Rodriguez Most  —  Alex Rodriguez was still a young, sensitive and impressionable shortstop when he struck out against Dennis Eckersley in a tie game on Aug. 4, 1995.  Rodriguez, 20 at the time, remembered his atrocious swings against Eckersley as "breakfast, lunch, dinner and good night."

Carpenter gets a timely visitor  —  As his ace's pitch count climbed and dire trouble threatened in the first inning Sunday, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan plotted how the game could go from there.  Chris Carpenter was capable of finding his gear, Duncan thought.  Carpenter would settle in.

Mets take time preparing for NLCS  —  NLDS sweep allows Randolph to mull options going forward  —  LOS ANGELES — It happened so quickly, the series already was a blur for some of the Mets by the time they boarded the buses outside Dodger Stadium on Saturday night.

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.

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.

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.