NY Mets 4, St. Louis 2  —  NEW YORK (AP) — With the New York Mets on the brink of elimination, John Maine pitched a game to remember.  —  The rookie dominated the St. Louis Cardinals with the poise of a veteran, Jose Reyes sparked the offense with a leadoff home run and the Mets rock 'n' rolled …

Sandberg receives courtesy interview  —  Even though Cubs general manager Jim Hendry already had settled on Lou Piniella as his new manager, he agreed to meet Sunday with a final mystery candidate who has Hall of Fame credentials.  —  Former Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg threw his hat …

Birds of Pray  —  ON Oct. 3, the first day of baseball's playoffs, a columnist for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bob Rybarczyk, wrote that he was looking forward to the St. Louis Cardinals' impending postseason "much like a green-legged Civil War soldier watches the guy walking around with the saw."

Macha not a true believer  —  A's canned him because he wasn't a Moneyball guy  —  Oct. 18, 2006.  —  On Monday, Ken Macha became the sixth major-league manager fired since Oct. 1.  A's GM Billy Beane, in making the announcement, claimed there was a "disconnect on a lot of levels."

Not Easy Being Green  —  It's been a tough series for Shawn Green.  He hasn't done much at the plate, producing only one extra-base hit and one RBI in five games.  Last night, he failed to come through with a clutch hit with runners on second and third base in a 4-2 game in the eighth inning.

To die for?  MLB fans can take team devotion to grave  —  PHILADELPHIA — In the heat of passion, many crazed baseball fans have said they would die for a championship.  But are they willing to take that devotion to the grave?  —  With a new venture that will put Major League Baseball team logos …

Photo reveals double curse in '86  —  If you want to imbue a discussion with an air of gravitas, you start by identifying the main character by his full name: George Herman Ruth.  Dwight David Eisenhower.  Homer Jay Simpson.  —  So consider the case of one William Joseph Buckner …

Latest technology enhances playoffs  —  New Gameday features, pitch tracking a boon to fans  —  ST. LOUIS — When Tom Glavine threw a pitch to Albert Pujols in the fourth inning on Tuesday night in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, it was hit over the wall in left and caused pandemonium at Busch Stadium.

Hawaii Winter Baseball Feature: Eric Campbell  —  HONOLULU—He has proven power and shown he can swipe a few bases.  But infielder Eric Campbell is looking to improve on another aspect of his game: his approach at the plate.  —  Campbell is among four players from the Braves' farm system playing …

Prospectus Today  —  Decisions  —  If the Mets let the Cardinals back into this series with one bad pitch last Friday night in New York, they gave up control of it with one bad decision last night.  —  With one out in the eighth inning of a 4-2 game, David Wright finally had a big hit …

Brewers begin coaching search  —  Team looking to fill vacant first-base and hitting-coach spots  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers have begun interviewing candidates for the vacant hitting coach and first-base coach positions, but at least one prominent name from the organization's past was not on the list.

Notes: Reynolds ahead of the game  —  Rockies' first-round pick in 2006 displaying flashes of potential  —  DENVER — Right-handed pitcher Greg Reynolds is back in school at Stanford these days, pushing toward an economics degree, but for the past few months, he was acing the introductory section of his professional career.

Tests show no elbow damage for Proctor  —  Right-hander had heard a clicking sound during September  —  NEW YORK — Scott Proctor visited a doctor in Tampa this week, concerned about a possible bone chip in his right elbow.  —  His fears were quelled Wednesday, as an MRI exam, X-rays and a CT scan revealed no damage to his arm.

Transcript of Gather's October 'Ask the Author Live Chat' with Seth Mnookin, author of Feeding The Monster  —  I want to welcome Seth Mnookin to our Ask The Author series today to discuss his bestselling book Feeding The Monster, which was just released in hardcover this fall.