No major overhaul for Sox front office  —  It is increasingly anticipated around the baseball universe that Red Sox vice president and assistant general manager Jed Hoyer will be announced as the Padres general manager by the beginning of next week.  But while Theo Epstein has extended offers …

Dodgers outline offseason needs  —  Colletti, Torre list starting pitching depth, second baseman  —  LOS ANGELES — Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre got an early start on the managing of offseason expectations Friday when they said an acquisition of an ace starting pitcher is unlikely.

Cracks Emerge in Ramps at New Yankee Stadium  —  The concrete pedestrian ramps at the brand-new $1.2 billion city-subsidized Yankee Stadium have been troubled by cracks, and the team is seeking to determine whether the problems were caused by the installation, the design, the concrete or other factors …

Legacy Award winners announced  —  Pujols, Mauer claim Charleston honors as top sluggers  —  Baseball's two most dominant hitters, the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and the Twins' Joe Mauer, were chosen winners of the Oscar Charleston Legacy Awards for their respective leagues for 2009 by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Mets meet with Cuban pitcher Chapman  —  The Mets had their expected  —  meeting Friday with lefthander Aroldis Chapman and his agent, but it was unclear if they discussed financial parameters with the 21-year-old Cuban defector.  Chapman arrived in New York Wednesday, and the Mets …

Prado likely to keep Braves' second-base job  —  It's too early to know how the Braves will go about adding a power hitter and filling expected bullpen vacancies, but second base appears set with Martin Prado.  —  Despite a recent comment by manager Bobby Cox, who mentioned possibly moving Prado …

Heyward nursing injured gluteus in AFL  —  Braves hopeful prized prospect can return to field  —  ATLANTA — The Braves sent Jason Heyward to the Arizona Fall League to gain the experience that will benefit him as he attempts to fulfill the projections of making his Major League debut next year.

Tom Verducci: ALCS Game 6 is critical for Yankees' World Series rotation … 1. The Phillies suddenly are big fans of the Angels and The Weather Channel.  It's not that Philadelphia would rather play Los Angeles than New York in the World Series.  It's that the Phillies would benefit …

If we've learned anything, it's that players decide title  —  There are lessons to be learned from all of the managerial maneuvering and counter-maneuvering and counter-counter-maneuvering in this AL Championship Series, a checkerboard of moves and counter-moves and counter-counter moves that turn every game into an opera.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE  —  Bass fishing has been good, with anglers catching quality fish from the North Shore to South Bay using soft-plastic jerkbaits, plastic worms, stick worms and topwater lures.  —  FRESHWATER/EVERGLADES  —  Drew Gregg reported excellent fishing in the State Road 84 Canal out of Markham Park this week.

Yankees could sit slumping Swisher  —  Girardi considering lineup change, batting order flip-flop  —  NEW YORK — Nick Swisher sauntered to his locker Friday, opened up a pair of Louisville Slugger boxes storing new bats and turned to the cluster of reporters slowly encroaching.

Kikuchi Sets Press Conference For 25th  —  As I uh, tweeted earlier in the day, Yusei Kikuchi has scheduled a press conference for October 25th at 11:00 am JST, just four days prior to the NPB draft.  —  The most recent reports out of Japan suggest that Kikuchi is going to start …