Marcum to learn injury fate  —  The Toronto Blue Jays are expecting their worst fears will be realized today when it is confirmed that starting pitcher Shaun Marcum needs to have Tommy John ligament replacement surgery to his right elbow.  —  Marcum has been sent to Birmingham, Ala. …

Stadium filled with memories for Monahan  —  As Yankees longtime trainer Gene Monahan observed Chien-Ming Wang's throwing session in the outfield yesterday afternoon, he happened to be standing in the only spot where you can see the new stadium creeping overhead.

Yankees winning but running out of time  —  NEW YORK - The last time they played October baseball without the Yankees, Bill Clinton was a first-term president and David Letterman had just moved to CBS.  Down south, in the Single-A town of Greenville, S.C., the South Atlantic League offered …

Yanks to allow fans on field before Sunday's finale  —  NEW YORK — Fans will be allowed to walk on Yankee Stadium's field for three hours before the ballpark's final game Sunday.  —  Gates will open at 1 p.m. — about 7 hours, 15 minutes before New York plays the Baltimore Orioles in its final game at the 85-year-old stadium.

How to Win With No Relief  —  The Mets don't look like a winning team customarily looks.  It seems impossible to imagine that a team with a bullpen so unreliable, and utterly devoid of quality performers, could manage to make the playoffs, let alone contend for a championship.

Astros notes: Team takes shot at Selig  —  Just in case Bud Selig doesn't know he's a despised figure to the Astros, a few of the players and even one coach wore black T-shirts on Thursday expressing their feelings about the commissioner's order to play the Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee's Miller Park a day after Hurricane Ike hit Houston.

Mets win coin toss over Brewers  —  One-game playoff to determine Wild Card would be at Shea  —  ATLANTA — The Mets won a coin flip against the Brewers on Friday afternoon, to determine home-field advantage for a potential one-game playoff between the two teams.

Twins win despite Rays' Longoria's 3 HRs  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—On a night Evan Longoria hit three home runs for Tampa Bay, an unlikely source of power upstaged the Rays' rookie slugger.  —  Alexi Casilla went deep during Minnesota's five-run ninth inning Thursday night …

George Brett Would Like To Tell You About That Time He Pooped His Pants  —  Not sure which spring training this video is from, but the video was just released to an unsuspecting public on Thursday, and is destined to go down as a classic; watch now as Royals Hall of Famer George Brett regales …

Notebook: Yost's firing could have ripple effect  —  The firing of Ned Yost was supposed to get the Brewers going.  It might have effects around the league, says Ken Rosenthal.

Bisons will introduce Mets Monday  —  The Buffalo Bisons have called a press conference for Monday morning in Dunn Tire Park to officially announce the New York Mets will be their new parent club next season.  —  The Bisons announced today that team officials, including owners Bob and Mindy Rich …

New York-Penn League Top 20 Prospects  —  Castro heads list in league filled with top catchers  —  Talent was up across the short-season New York-Penn League in 2008.  Rarely has the league seen the quality of catching it featured this summer.  Tri-City's Jason Castro, a first-round pick in June …

Nationals Park Revenue Falls Short of the Mark  —  Sales Taxes and Attendance Are Lower Than Expected  —  The Washington Nationals' new ballpark is on pace to generate about $13.5 million in sales taxes for the District government in its inaugural season, well below the $16.1 million city officials …