Maine pushes NLCS to the limit  —  Rookie throws 5 1/3 scoreless innings to force decisive Game 7  —  NEW YORK — For Mets fans, there is nothing quite so romantic as a Game 6 in October.  —  That flame that reached so many hearts in 1986 with a double dose of Game 6 magic was ignited again …

NOTHIN' DOIN'  —  LOU, CUBS DENY RODRIGUEZ TRADE TALK  —  Cubs GM Jim Hendry and his new Manager, Lou Piniella, insist Alex Rodriguez's name never surfaced when Piniella was being interviewed for the job.  —  Hours after Piniella agreed to a three-year, $10.5 million deal Monday …

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."

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Arizona Fall League Feature: Brent Clevlen  —  PHOENIX—Like just about everyone else in Detroit this season, Brent Clevlen touched a little bit of gold during his time with the Tigers.  —  Clevlen's first few days in the major leagues gave him a perfect lead-in to his career highlight reel.

St. Louis Takes Potency From Met Lineup  —  The Mets, who like advertising slogans, had an unspoken but acted-out motto this year: score early and score often.  It's a simple thought, but the Mets have apparently forgotten it in the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Athletics coach first to interview for Rangers  —  Washington briefs Rangers on career filled with winning, defense  —  Ron Washington spent almost six hours interviewing with the Rangers hierarchy about the club's managerial opening Tuesday.  —  But it didn't take him nearly that long to get his message across.