A Change Of Heart For Fans, Tavarez  —  BOSTON — When the mere mention of his name drew a chorus of boos at Fenway Park earlier this season, Julian Tavarez would glance at the American League East standings posted on The Wall.  —  Tavarez saw the Red Sox sitting atop the list and wondered …

Top NL skipper is...  Dominating Mets' Randolph?  Or Girardi of overachieving Fish?  —  MIAMI — Call it sibling rivalry of the pinstriped variety.  Willie Randolph and Joe Girardi both won World Series rings playing for the Yankees, both coached under likely Hall of Famer Joe Torre …

Waiting for Rivera & Martinez to pitch in  —  For the first time in history, the Mets and Yankees have double-digit leads at the same time.  In the middle of September, the Mets are about to clinch the NL East and the Yankees have pulled so far away from the Red Sox that this weekend's Yankee-Red Sox series …

San Diego Padres  —  Petco Park  —  Average Ticket Price: $20.83  —  Average Cost of Concessions and Souvenirs: $97.00  —  How expensive is stadium parking?  —  • FREE: 5%  —  • $5-$10: 19%  —  • $10-$15: 40%  —  • $15-$20: 30%  —  • More than $20: 3%

For Nats, Similar Themes Give Different Result  —  It could develop into a full-scale battle between the pitchers and the hitters if the Washington Nationals were to let it go that far.  In a four-game series over the weekend in Colorado, they hit and ran and sent balls all over the park …

Beyond Moneyball  —  Why A's Beane succeeds where others have failed  —  It's the man, not the methodology.  —  Moneyball was a superbly written tale, and while the book got it right in that the stunning achievements of the Oakland A's should indeed be attributed to their great general manager Billy Beane …

RIZZUTO FIGHTS ON IN LATEST BATTLE  —  PHIL RIZZUTO always has been a battler, the little underdog who made it all the way to the Hall of Fame.  —  The Scooter will turn 89 later this month, and this has been a difficult year for him and Cora.  Rizzuto couldn't make it to Yankee Stadium for Old-Timer's Day.

Fan Value Index 2006  —  Readers rate which parks offer best value, experience  —  Last year SI.com writers analyzed each major league ballpark from a fan's vantage point in order to determine which venues offered the best value and experience.  But this time around we went to the best source: the fans.

Two Steps Back, NL  —  This is part four of a four-part series where we look at which players saw their stock rise and fall the most in each organization.  We finish off today with the National League, and the bad.  —  Arizona Diamondbacks  —  After winning the Double-A Southern League ERA title …

Moyer serves as a mentor for Hamels  —  PHILADELPHIA — Never mind that Jamie Moyer has the work ethic of a Tour de France contestant, or continues to get hitters out with a fastball that registers slightly faster than Jose Canseco's on the radar gun.  The thing that strikes Cole Hamels …

Notes: Halladay healing nicely  —  Jays ace says he's not experiencing stiffness in right elbow  —  SEATTLE — Breathe easy Blue Jays fans — Roy Halladay is on the mend.  Toronto's ace sat at his locker inside the visitor's clubhouse at Safeco Field, wearing an ice pack on his right elbow prior to Monday's game against Seattle.

A new home for Figgins?  —  ANAHEIM - Chone Figgins says he feels at home in center field, a residency that could be short-lived depending on offseason maneuverings that could wind up with the utility man getting traded.  —  "I'm starting to love center field a little bit because it's just fun to get out there and run," Figgins said.