Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, wife separate  —  LOS ANGELES (AP)—Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife Jamie have separated.  —  The couple confirmed it in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday night.  —  “This is a personal matter and they request that their privacy be respected …

Mariano wins Delivery Man of Year Award  —  It's third time in his career Yanks closer has picked up honor  —  NEW YORK — In a postseason in which closer after closer has faltered, Mariano Rivera has stood tall.  Battling an illness, Rivera tossed at least one scoreless inning in each …

Rudy Jaramillo, Rangers to part ways  —  UPDATED, 12:17 p.m. CDT: The rest of the coaching staff will return, the Rangers have announced.  —  Dallas-raised Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers hitting instructor for the last 15 seasons, has turned down the club's one-year contract offer and is preparing …

Angels set rotation; Lackey will get Game 1 start … ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced his rotation for the AL championship series on Wednesday, selecting John Lackey to start Friday night's Game 1 against CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees.

International League Top 20 Prospects  —  Wieters sticks around long enough to rank No. 1 … The industry consensus at the start of the season was that the two best prospects in baseball were Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and Rays lefthander David Price.  Both began the year in the Triple …

John Farrell says he's not interested in being Cleveland Indians manager  —  CLEVELAND — The next manager of the Indians will not be Boston pitching coach John Farrell.  —  Farrell, former Indians pitcher and farm director, has withdrawn his name from consideration.  He told GM Mark Shapiro this morning.

Mets' Davis dominates in Rafters' rout  —  Former first-rounder hits grand slam, drives in six runs  —  A week ago, Mets top prospect Ike Davis was running on fumes.  —  Following a 114-game Minor League season split between two levels, he spent nearly a month playing for gold medal-winning Team USA at the IBAF World Cup.

Inbox: Should Padres trade Bell?  —  Beat reporter Corey Brock answers questions from fans  —  What are the chances of selling high on Heath Bell early in the offseason?  I feel like the Padres would be able to get a little bit more value out of him.  If not, what is your take on the chances …

Billingsley to 'pen; Garland off roster  —  Healthy Kuroda causes ripple effect on Dodgers' squad  —  LOS ANGELES — Reliever Jeff Weaver was sent home from Wednesday's practice with flu-like symptoms, the third Dodgers player this week to fall ill with a bug on the eve …

Japanese lefty sparks interest from MLB  —  The Red Sox are reportedly one of several teams interested in lefthander Yusei Kikuchi, the top amateur player in Japan.  —  Kikuchi is trying to decide whether to bypass the Japanese draft in favor of signing with a Major League team as a free agent.

McCarver sings, tunes out zings  —  THE FIRST ROUND of the playoffs is history.  Tawdry, bumbling history, marred by shoddy umpiring, Minnesota's dumber-than-dirt baserunning and the babbling of Chip Caray on TBS.  —  Cue the catcher/broadcaster/singer.  Enter Tim McCarver doing …