With Nothing to Celebrate, the Mets Feel Martínez's Pain  —  The sheets of plastic that were hung above the Mets' lockers in anticipation of a raucous celebration were removed without being doused.  The dozens of bottles of Champagne became extra luggage.

Cubs' Lee likely out for season to tend to daughter  —  CHICAGO — Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee could be out for the rest of the season because of his 3-year-old daughter's illness.  —  Lee had missed the last two games before he said Sunday he was taking a leave of absence to be with his wife and child.

Ortiz's Red Sox HR chase has Maryland connection … In 2004, the Boston Red Sox's World Series victory ended the "Curse of the Bambino," ushering the sour memory of Baltimore-born legend Babe Ruth out the door.  —  This month, another one of Maryland's favorite baseball sons likely …

Padres-Dodgers Preview  —  The San Diego Padres look to take over first place in the NL West when they send Chris Young to the mound to face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.  —  San Diego (77-70) evened the four-game series at a game apiece by routing Los Angeles (78-70) 11-2 on Saturday.

Soriano Reaches 40-40 Mark  —  In Win, National Joins 3 Others: Nationals 8, Brewers 5  —  When the long-awaited moment arrived, when steal No. 40 and baseball history were secured, Alfonso Soriano dusted himself off, twisted the second base bag loose and raised it to the roaring crowd at RFK Stadium.

Tigers deny Polanco done for year  —  GM Dombrowski says second baseman on track for return  —  DETROIT — President/general manager Dave Dombrowski said on Sunday night that Placido Polanco remains on track for a possible return this season, despite comments from Polanco on Sunday afternoon …

Howard homers; Phillies sweep Astros  —  HOUSTON - Ryan Howard hit his Major League-leading 57th home run today - without any dispute - and Mike Lieberthal connected twice as Randy Wolf and the Phillies kept up their push for a wild-card spot by beating Houston, 6-4.

Ozzie Guillen Would Like To Be Drunk, If You Don't Mind  —  The White Sox lost to the A's on Friday night, but that wasn't what had Ozzie Guilled in a bad mood.  John Garland was shelled, the White Sox only managed 3 hits all night, and they lost ground in the AL wild card race.

Cardinals pay tribute to Sutter  —  Hall of Famer's number retired before sellout crowd  —  ST. LOUIS — In a fitting scene for a man who took the ball under any and all circumstances, the Cardinals honored Bruce Sutter on Sunday.  The ceremony took place despite persistent rain …

HOLD THE ZITO  —  YANKS, METS NOT INTERESTED IN A'S LEFTY  —  DON'T believe the hype, the speculation or the gossip.  The Yankees and Mets have almost no interest in pursuing Barry Zito as a free agent.  —  The buzz all year has been that Zito will gravitate to a coast.

Isringhausen to miss rest of season  —  Cardinals closer to undergo surgery for nagging hip injury  —  ST. LOUIS — What was feared, and then expected, is now confirmed for the Cardinals.  Jason Isringhausen will not pitch again this year, as a result of injuries to his left hip.

Coming of age: It's time for a progress report  —  On Monday and Tuesday, the Rockies owners and assorted decision-makers will gather for their organizational meetings at Coors Field.  The 2007 payroll will be established, with no windfall expected despite a slight bump in attendance.

Fan's insults crude but legal  —  Cincinnati - Cleveland Indians fans have a right to heckle ballplayers from Jacobs Field's bleachers as long as they are not drunk or too rowdy, a federal appeals court ruled.  —  The 2-1 ruling Friday was a victory for Lakewood's Jeffrey Swiecicki, 34 …

Bruschi makes season debut for Patriots  —  EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi was in the Patriots' starting lineup against the New York Jets on Sunday after missing the season opener last weekend with a broken wrist.  —  Bruschi broke his right wrist on the fourth …