Sources: Epstein may not be GM for Cubs  —  ST. LOUIS  —  Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein will be headed to the Cubs any day now, but not necessarily as general manager.  —  Epstein is actively looking to hire a GM, a move that would enable him to serve the Cubs as president of baseball operations …

Cashman expects new deal by end of October  —  NEW YORK — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believes that he will have a new contract in place by the time his current deal expires on Halloween, remaining in the position he has held since 1998.  —  “It'll get done between now and Oct. 31st, I'm sure,” Cashman said.

Westbrook, Schumaker to join Cards' WS roster  —  ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals will make two adjustments to their roster prior to Wednesday's Game 1 of the World Series at Busch Stadium.  Second baseman Skip Schumaker will be reinstated after missing the National League Championship Series due …

Chilly, wet weather forecast for St. Louis  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) Batter up ... and bundle up!  —  The weather forecast is calling for temperatures in the upper 40s with a chance of rain and wind for the World Series opener Wednesday night between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals.

If Reyes bolts, Mets set to turn to Tejada  —  Ex-infield coach Chip Hale says skipper Terry Collins is ready to give role to Ruben … After the New York Mets completed their 77-85 season, infielder Ruben Tejada reiterated his plan to travel in November from his native Panama to Long Island …

Bradley on the World Series: Texas Rangers' Michael Young shows Derek Jeter-like qualities  —  The comparison was first introduced by Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long.  In an examination of Derek Jeter's unorthodox, inside-out swing, Long was asked if any other hitters reminded him of Jeter.

Mikey likes it: Napoli, mom thrilled by Series  —  Turn of events puts Rangers catcher in position to realize dream  —  ARLINGTON — When the final out was recorded in the American League Championship Series and the Rangers had earned another shot at the World Series, a boyhood dream came true for Mike Napoli.

Another one bites the dust  —  I'll be honest with you.  —  Had I known from the beginning that the idea of designing a model to estimate the difficulty of blocking every major league pitch is not a new one—let alone a groundbreaking one—I might have spent significant portions of my free …

Still Great.  Still Albert Pujols.  —  ST. LOUIS — Ty Cobb hit .240 as a rookie.  Willie Mays started 1 for 26.  With Albert Pujols, there was no progression.  From the moment he arrived in the major leagues, on opening day 2001, he was the best player in the game.

A's close to buying land in San Jose?  —  It's been a seemingly endless saga for the A's, but they may finally be closing in on actually buying land for a new stadium in San Jose.  —  San Jose city officials are meeting today in a closed session to discuss selling a few plots by the Diridon station to A's co-owner Lew Wolff.

Rangers Turn to Wilson, Their Ace and Student of the Game  —  ST. LOUIS — While shopping years ago at the South Coast Plaza mall in Costa Mesa, Calif., the Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer strolled through the men's department at Nordstrom.  He got more than the duvet he was looking for.

Divorce settlement solves one problem for Frank McCourt  —  Without the $130-million settlement with ex-wife Jamie, he would not have been able to maintain ownership of Dodgers without beating Bud Selig in Bankruptcy Court, then winning in divorce court.  —  Two years and three days after Frank …