Angels clinch AL West title, beat Yanks  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Torii Hunter put on goggles, got on the clubhouse floor and began doing the butterfly and backstroke in a puddle of beer and champagne.  —  Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels had plenty to celebrate Wednesday.

A Giant headache: D-Backs fall again  —  SAN FRANCISCO - It was close to 9:30 on Tuesday night when, in San Diego, Manny Ramirez hit a deep drive to the warning track in center field, a sacrifice fly that brought home the go-ahead run for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Another loss: Piniella erupts  —  ST. LOUIS — If these guys aren't panicking by now, maybe they should be.  —  Another blown lead, another missed chance to step on an opponents throat in the middle innings and another loss on the last play of the game left the Cubs gasping again Tuesday night …

The High School Years  —  Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, a weekly guest on Mohegan Sun's Sports Tonight (Weeknights at 6:30 & 10pm) on Comcast SportsNet, shows some of his other talents in this video provided by his parents, Sheila and John.  —  Gary Tanguay has the story of how this all went …

Struggling Pettitte wants to come back  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Andy Pettitte had the most tumultuous offseason of his career, the product of his role in baseball's drug scandal.  Named in the Mitchell Report, the left-hander admitted to using Human Growth Hormone, then testified several times to congressional investigators.

Angels' Torii Hunter, Yankees' Ivan Rodriguez suspended two games  —  Baseball official in charge of discipline cites both players for “violent and inappropriate actions” during incident in Monday's game in Anaheim.  —  The Angels' Torii Hunter and the New York Yankees' Ivan Rodriguez …

Cox says he'll return to manage Braves in '09  —  ATLANTA — Despite Atlanta's worst season since 1990, longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox vowed Wednesday to return next season.  —  The 67-year-old Cox signed a one-year contract extension in May, but his team was ravaged by injuries …

Apocalypse Now, or how the Diamondbacks prevented the end of the world as we know it  —  12:15 am.  Scientists activate Large Hadron Collider on Swiss-French border.  —  12:20 am.  High-energy collision of sub-atomic particles create voracious black-hole, which threatens to swallow entire planet.

Mets 10, Nats 8: Smooth sailing from here, right?  —  Put it in the books: Mets 10, Nationals 8.  And with Philadelphia's loss to the Marlins, it's a 2½-game lead with 18 games left for the Mets.  What could go wrong?  —  Here is some major news - major- and minor-league related - about the Mets' upcoming plans, too.

Grievance hearing begins for Pirates No. 1 pick  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was the leadoff witness Wednesday on the first day of testimony in a complicated grievance filed by the players' association after first-round draft pick Pedro Alvarez refused to sign his contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sean Gallagher's odd line helps Oakland get win  —  DETROIT — Sean Gallagher wasn't sure what to expect in his first start after coming off the disabled list.  —  He ended up with one of the odder pitching lines of his short career.  —  Gallagher walked six in four hitless innings …

Sox swept, Konerko hurt MRI confirms sprain  —  After witnessing a lack of fundamentals, his hottest hitter suffer a knee injury and a doubleheader sweep that cut the White Sox's lead to one game in the American League Central, manager Ozzie Guillen sent a message to his players late Tuesday night.

Texas Rangers' Blalock isn't fearing the future  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  SEATTLE - After a little more than two weeks on the job, it appears Hank Blalock has handled the defensive responsibilities of first base well.  —  That, however, isn't likely to win him the job for next season.

Up against the 'Skins on TV, Nats an afterthought  —  WASHINGTON — Even a little bit of winning can't get people interested in watching the Washington Nationals on television, especially if the Washington Redskins are on the other channel.  —  Only 6,000 households tuned …

Cardinals without Glaus, Ankiel, Lohse for a while  —  ST. LOUIS — Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus will miss at least a handful of games after undergoing an MRI exam Wednesday and getting a second cortisone injection for a strained right shoulder.  —  The Cardinals were three players short for their matchup with the Chicago Cubs.