Cashman aims to win with dysfunctional Yankees  —  Hank Steinbrenner is a part of the Yankees' muddled organizational structure.  (Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan)  —  Amid the disappointment of 2008, Brian Cashman insisted yesterday, a kinder, gentler Steinbrenner family emerged.

Cubs fan arrested for throwing ball at Dodgers player  —  FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS  —  A Lincoln Park man was arrested for attempting to strike Los Angeles Dodgers' left fielder Manny Ramirez with a baseball during the Cubs Wednesday night playoff loss at Wrigley Field.

Mets' Manuel's contract negotiations hit a snag  —  PHILADELPHIA - The Mets' plan to bring back Jerry Manuel as manager is not going as smoothly as anticipated.  A person familiar with the situation told Newsday Wednesday night that the team has offered Manuel a two-year contract to return, but he has yet to accept the deal.

Chicago's Quentin is left off the roster  —  Carlos Quentin still needs more time.  —  The injured Chicago White Sox outfielder was not listed on the playoff roster posted in the team's clubhouse Wednesday, a day before Game 1 against Tampa Bay.  —  Quentin led the American League …

Bay makes Halos pay  —  Left fielder's two-run jack helps Red Sox win Game 1  —  ANAHEIM — There was no way Jason Bay could know what that first slice of October baseball was going to taste like.  That month had always been a time for the left fielder to become reacquainted with his family …

Mets pitcher Burgos allegedly involved in fatal hit-and-run  —  PHILADELPHIA - The troubled career of Ambiorix Burgos took a tragic turn on Tuesday when the Mets reliever allegedly killed two women in a hit-and-run accident in the Dominican Republic.  —  Burgos, 24, reportedly struck Josefina …

Ramírez's remarks are sad  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Those air sickness bags come in handy sometimes.  Flying coast to coast, you cram into your coach seat (like John Glenn in Mercury 1), open the paper to read Manny Ramírez's latest remarks, and you need the barf bag before you're over Kansas.

How to Suck-Proof the 2009 Mets: Massive Expenditure on Relief  —  So what are the poor, pathetic, sidelined Mets to do as they approach roster decisions this winter?  —  At first glance, their options for building a team that can play consistently good baseball for an entire season are grim …

Zim's like old times as Joe shares post-Yankee glee  —  CHICAGO - Wrigley Field makes Joe Torre think of Don Zimmer, so the manager called his old coach before last night's game “just to see what he was doing.”  —  Zimmer, a special assistant for the Rays, had the day off Wednesday.