Ortiz says he should still be considered for MVP  —  David Ortiz, the American League leader in home runs and RBI, says Boston's fall from the American League playoff race should not disqualify him from the race for the AL's Most Valuable Player award.  —  But Ortiz told reporters …

Johnson's Poor Fielding Has Taken Shine Off His Year  —  By nearly all measures, Washington Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson is having a career year — leading the National League in on-base percentage, flirting with hitting .300, already with career highs in homers, hits, doubles and games played.

Team mired in difficulty, but Pierre on a roll  —  ATLANTA — In a mostly negative season, center fielder Juan Pierre remains the Cubs' most consistent positive.  —  ''Pierre's been playing great baseball, big time,'' manager Dusty Baker said.  ''He's done everything we've asked of him.

Buck's stop might end soon if some players' concerns aren't met  —  SEATTLE — About three weeks remain in this Rangers season, the seventh in a row that will end without postseason play.  —  Manager Buck Showalter shares the same disappointment as everyone affiliated with the Rangers …

Florida finally slows Howard  —  MIAMI GARDENS — It took three games, 12 at-bats and about 40 hours, but the Marlins finally got Ryan Howard out.  —  Howard singled in his first two at-bats in the Marlins' 3-0 win Sunday, extending his streak to 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base …

Monday Morning Ten Pack, 9/11/06  —  To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure a Ten-Pack would work anymore.  With all of the leagues either done for the year, or into the post-season, the numbers of box scores to rifle through every day goes from somewhere around 100 to less than 20.

Mo may skip week  —  BALTIMORE - Anyone hoping to see Mariano Rivera back on the mound for the Yankees this week probably will be disappointed.  —  Rivera, who is suffering from a muscle strain in his right forearm, doesn't appear likely to pitch during the Yankees' upcoming home stand since …

Branch traded  —  The Deion Branch holdout is over, but Branch isn't returning to the Patriots.  Branch, the fifth-year receiver, has been traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2007 first-round draft choice today.  —  The 5-foot-9, 193-pound Branch was entering the final year of the five-year contract he signed as a rookie in 2002.

Vazquez strong, but Sox falter late  —  Homer off McCarthy opens gates as Chicago falls to Cleveland  —  CHICAGO — Forget throwing strikes to win.  Ozzie Guillen wanted his relievers to throw strikes so he could leave.  —  The White Sox bullpen gave up three runs on three hits and three walks …

Mariners Notebook: Meche willing to listen to M's  —  Potential free agent doesn't want to discuss deal during season  —  Gil Meche wasn't ready to talk contract when the Mariners attempted to gauge his interest in a new deal a couple of months ago.  —  At the time Meche was in a hot streak …

Pirates Notebook: Sanchez's lead falls, but status climbs  —  CINCINNATI — Freddy Sanchez's lead in the National League batting race is down to a single point over Florida's Miguel Cabrera.  —  Sanchez (.340) went 1 for 3 yesterday, while Cabrera (.339) was 2 for 2 against Philadelphia.

Going Deep: Going interactive  —  You've got procedural questions, we've got answers … Q: If he is able to come over this off-season, 25-year-old Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka may be the most anticipated free agent to enter Major League Baseball from Asia since Ichiro or Hideki Matsui.

Valentine: It changed the priorities in my life  —  Bobby Valentine was the Mets' manager from 1996 to 2002.  He now manages the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, and shared his thoughts on 9/11 in a telephone interview Saturday.  —  My emotion at the beginning was fear, fear for my team.

Fan violence mars Ohio State's big win over Texas  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio State University student accused of driving his car into three people, injuring them slightly, was among several people arrested during a raucous celebration of the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes' win over No. 2 Texas.

How To Get Your Ballot Spiked  —  This is probably of faint interest to most, but I may as well give my side of the story in this minor BlogPoll brouhaha, since I'm getting comments claiming I'm a pre-emptively sore loser or something: … Oooooooh... so... irritated.