Second base became a stage -- but for singles. Shea Stadium erupted, not for a crack of the bat, but for the pluck of a guitar. The father, the son and their gloves were replaced by teenage girls who stretched their hands out toward the infield and

Something about A. J. Pierzynski, the former Twins catcher who is in his fourth season with the White Sox, brings out a certain reaction at the Metrodome.

'We had our pitcher going,' Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. Because of their 6-2 victory, the first in four games against the Cubs this season, the final five have retained full consequence for the Mets. New York was victorious for the first time in four

IT WOULD BE possible, of course, for the Phillies to wake up next Wednesday, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to play Game 1 of the division series without the bother of actually winning another game in the regular season. It would be a tough way to

ON THE WHITE dry erase board to the left of where Brett Myers sat was a simple message: Meeting. Friday. Dressed by 3:15. After a day off, the Phillies will reconvene and restart their drive to the postseason. Things have a tendency to change quickly in

Los Angeles -- Homers by Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez Wednesday helped the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch a tie for the division title with a 12-4 win over San Diego. A win by the Dodgers or a loss by Arizona during the final four days of the regular

Luis Ayala of the Mets kneels on the mound after giving up a home run in the 10th inning. Doubt is starting to creep into the hearts of these Mets. Last night, for probably the first time in a long while, there seemed to be a realization that missing the

John Maine got his wish about 20 minutes before the start of last night's game when it was announced that he had been activated from the disabled list. What happens from this point on, however, is anyone's guess. Maine is still bothered by the bone spur

Luis Ayala of the Mets kneels on the mound after giving up a home run in the 10th inning. The game was there for the taking. Not once, but over and over again. That, more than anything, was the most painful aspect of the Mets' 9-6 loss to the Cubs last

Could there be a Doc-and-Darryl reunion Sunday for the closing ceremonies at Shea Stadium? That seems to be a strong possibility, according to people familiar with the situation. While Darryl Strawberry already plans to attend, the question mark remains