Sox, Peña walk on air  —  He's a hometown hero with winning HR in 10th  —  Such sweet relief, this atmosphere of giddiness that enveloped the Fens last night after the steady drumbeat of gloom and despair that has echoed throughout the ancient ballpark in recent days.

Notes: Church to stay on bench  —  Logan to start in center field for Nationals for rest of season  —  WASHINGTON — Since being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on July 22, Ryan Church is hitting .284 (25-for-88) with four home runs and 16 RBIs.  It looked like he would be the everyday …

Notes: Martinez rejoins Mets  —  Ace will continue rehab, could start by mid-September  —  NEW YORK — Pedro Martinez rejoined the Mets on Monday, and though there is still no immediate timetable for his return to the mound, the team is pleased with the ace's progress and expects him back later this month.

Notes: Billingsley not yet ready to start  —  Dodgers unsure of Friday night starter against Mets at Shea  —  MILWAUKEE — It's still not known who will start Friday when the Dodgers play the Mets at Shea Stadium on Friday night, but it won't be Chad Billingsley.

Phils' bright future on display in victory  —  Utley belts walk-off homer; Howard, Hamels play key roles  —  PHILADELPHIA — Many of the 44,674 came to watch a future Hall of Famer.  —  As a bonus, they saw the Phillies' future perform wonders for the team's present.

Fans missing the magic  —  Amazement is best served suddenly.  As a 100-meter dash is more exciting than a marathon, what impresses most easily in sports is what we can see happening right now — as in one frenetic night at the Orange Bowl, for a totally random example.

Two Bulls stars begin audition  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Two more potential pieces of the Devil Rays' future arrive today with the promotions of catcher Shawn Riggans and reliever Juan Salas from Triple A.  —  Riggans, 26, hit .293 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs and was named the International …

Speedy Matsui jets his way into Rockies' future plans  —  Los Angeles - Kaz Matsui continues to play a starring role in "The Fast and The Curious."  He remains in the lineup because of his speed, quick bat and, just as important, contract talks that aren't running in circles.

Bert red-faced over blue words  —  Twins analyst Blyleven was suspended after obscenity he used Sunday got on the air.  —  Twins television analyst Bert Blyleven has been suspended for two telecasts for accidentally using obscenity on the air before the start of the Twins-Yankees game Sunday afternoon in New York.

Angels Squeak by the Orioles  —  Moreno gives full support to Stoneman and offense does just enough to win, 1-0, behind standout pitching of Weaver and bullpen.  —  In this era of democracy gone wild, fans can register their opinion with a call to a talk show, a vote in an online poll or a post on a message board.

Torres' final-out antics may backfire  —  Pirates closer Salomon Torres jumped off the mound like The Who's Pete Townshend after striking out the Cubs' John Mabry to end the game Monday.  —  Was Torres' celebration a bit excessive for a game between two teams with the worst records in the National League?

Standing ovation doubles Abreu's pleasure  —  Sandwiched between such potent stars as Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez, it sometimes seems as though Bobby Abreu is the forgotten man in the Yankee lineup - even though he bats third.  —  But after Abreu stroked …

Steelers sign St. Pierre as appendectomy sidelines Big Ben  —  Minimally invasive surgery expected to cause him to miss two games  —  By Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  The Steelers have signed one of their former quarterbacks, Brian St. Pierre …

Mailbag: Will Buck be back?  —  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers fans' questions  —  Can we expect manager Buck Showalter to be back next year, or is there a good chance he will be released during the offseason for being unable to lead the Rangers to the playoffs?