Mets set for Arch enemy  —  Out to deck Cards in NLCS after suffering St. Louis blues in '05  —  During one of last season's lowest moments, as the Mets neared the end of a 2-8 early September road trip that knocked them out of the wild-card race, Willie Randolph put his arm around David Wright …

ALCS Game 1: Tigers win, but will it be costly?  —  The Tigers got on Barry Zito early for five runs and knocked him out in the fourth inning.  Nate Robertson pitched five innings of shutout baseball.  They weren't the most uneventful of innings, but the runs column still read 0 when Fernando Rodney came into the game.

Torre Keeps Job, but Stays on the Hot Seat  —  The curtain has dropped on the annual fall passion play in the Bronx.  The roles were different this time, but the ending was the same as always.  Joe Torre is still the manager of the Yankees.  —  After last October's first-round playoff elimination …

Piniella likes 'challenge' of Cubs job  —  North Siders top his list; Rangers, Giants interested  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — If the Cubs want veteran manager Lou Piniella, the feeling appears to be mutual — especially with the New York Yankees no longer an option for 2007.

Surgery ahead for Unit's back  —  Randy Johnson almost certainly will have back surgery in the coming weeks to repair a herniated disk, and it's possible that he may not be ready to start spring training on time, GM Brian Cashman said yesterday.  —  Still, the Big Unit is expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Twins pick up $12 million option on Hunter for '07  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Torii Hunter will be back with the Minnesota Twins for at least one more year.  —  The Twins said Tuesday they picked up Hunter's $12 million option.  —  Hunter, 31, a five-time Gold Glove winner in center field, was a big part of the Twins' AL Central title.

Time is now for Orioles to make bid for A-Rod  —  In case you haven't noticed, New York has soured on Alex Rodriguez, and I think it's probably fair to say that A-Rod isn't humming Frank Sinatra right now, either.  —  So, start spreading the news.  A-Rod might be available, and there is a team near you that could use his services.

White Sox Have New Start Time: 7-Eleven  —  It is not easy to conjure $500,000 out of the ether, but the Chicago White Sox have discovered a way.  Their financial trick was really quite simple.  —  They changed their evening game times at U.S. Cellular Field.

Reyes vs. Molina: A Game Within Games  —  If the National League Championship Series is reduced to a 90-foot race, the Mets should win by five-hundredths of a second.  —  This is the amount of time that José Reyes is working with when he tries to steal second base against Yadier Molina.

One that got away  —  Scout recalls Red Sox passing on Pujols  —  NEW YORK — This is a story about how the Red Sox could have had Albert Pujols, the best righthanded hitter on the planet, came within minutes of drafting him, then at the last second passed.

Hicks can sit this Rangers decision out  —  Daniels should handle manager's hiring, given the owner's history  —  The following are the correct answers to the quiz, "Match the general manager and club still in play this fall:"  —  Dave Dombrowski ... and Detroit.  —  Omar Minaya ... and New York.

Howard chosen player of the year by peers voting in TSN balloting  —  The writers might disagree, but Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is the players' choice.  —  The Sporting News announced yesterday that Howard, in his first full season, won the publication's major league player of the year award as voted by players.