Standing by 'Paulie'  —  Team pledges support in wake of infidelity and gambling reports  —  On the night a beloved former Mets catcher returned to Shea, his popular replacement, Paul Lo Duca, appeared sad and somber, flanked by two teammates, his handwritten notes pressed against his chest, to publicly deny gambling problems.

Girardi on market?  Cubs may sniff  —  MILWAUKEE — The aftershocks of Joe Girardi's reported dispute with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria could be felt as far away as Chicago, where the Cubs have yet to decide whether to bring back manager Dusty Baker in 2007.

For now, Epstein remains unmoved  —  Criticism comes in many forms when you are general manager of the Boston Red Sox.  It swallowed a great man named Lou Gorman and it no doubt expedited the departure of Dan Duquette.  Being in charge of the Sox makes you a target for nasty newspaper columns …

Yankees Fall After Rivera Blows Save in 9th  —  Ten months later, the Yankees finally made it to Chicago.  They had packed their bags for a trip here last October, and even sent a pitcher ahead of the team.  The Yankees needed only to win the final game of their playoff series in Anaheim …

Reds Mulling Action On Majewski's Injury  —  One day after placing reliever Gary Majewski on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, Cincinnati Reds General Manager Wayne Krivsky continued to explore possible recourse for the fact Majewski apparently was injured at the time of the July 13 trade …

Edmonds says he's 'in limbo'  —  CINCINNATI — Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds insists he will play next season but says he has resigned himself to the probability that it will be in a different uniform.  —  His playing time diminished against lefthanded pitching …

AWOL HoJo puts Norfolk job in jeopardy  —  Howard Johnson's days with the Mets look numbered.  Sources say the Triple-A hitting coach was denied permission to attend his son Glen's competition in a Wilmington, N.C., tournament for rising high school seniors that's heavily scouted by major-league teams.

Cabrera controls Jays in O's win … TORONTO // He threw strikes, spotting his fastball and his curveball with pinpoint precision.  He was frequently dominant yet never wild.  And yes, Daniel Cabrera could have even been described as economical.  —  His first appearance after a 3 1/2 -week demotion …

No License Is Required to Run a Fantasy League  —  Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the Internet arm of Major League Baseball, had a major setback yesterday in its attempt to regulate the growing fantasy baseball industry when a federal judge ruled that companies do not need licenses to operate such leagues.

Trust me, the Nats' future is bright  —  WASHINGTON - When teams are out of the playoff chase, you usually hear the same old cliché: "We're building for the future."  —  Talk is cheap.  —  However, we have already begun to implement our plan for a successful tomorrow.

As return shows, Mike will always be N.Y.'s old friend  —  Mike Piazza came out of the tunnel and went into the visiting dugout, his dugout, a few minutes late for his welcome-back-big-guy press conference.  When he spotted the jam of people waiting for him, TV cameras, microphones …