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.

In Chicago, Mood Swings All Over the Toddlin' Town  —  CHICAGO — The line outside Grandstand, a White Sox souvenir shop three blocks from their south-side stadium, stretched the length of the building on Wednesday afternoon, all the way to the alley.  —  The team had won a thrilling …

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.

Quentin has his eye on ALCS  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - With his right wrist heavily taped, slugger Carlos Quentin wasn't added to the White Sox's roster for the American League Division Series.  —  But the subsiding pain has raised Quentin's confidence to the point where he thinks …

Live: Omar Minaya Conference Call  —  SNY will televise this morning's conference call with Omar Minaya, which is set to begin around 11 am EDT.  —  I will also live blog the call, since I know many of you are unable to be in front of a television or computer speakers.  —  ...Update...11:03 am...

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 …

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.

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 …

All Things Joe: Springsteen, ‘Godfather,’ Convertibles  —  The day he was hired, this was written about Joe Maddon:  —  “The fourth manager in Devil Rays history is a book you can't put down.  A concert you rock to, a story that begins in a mining town and ends in a baseball dugout …

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 …