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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Chelsea edges Liverpool in Premier League  —  LONDON (AP) — Didier Drogba spun and scored on a rising 20-yard shot late in the first half Sunday, leading Chelsea past Liverpool 1-0 in an English Premier League game attended by Tiger Woods.  —  The Ivory Coast striker settled a long ball …

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.

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.

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 …

Martinez still upset a day after return  —  Mets ace eager to put Friday's difficult start behind him  —  PITTSBURGH — Whatever concern about Pedro Martinez exists within the Mets has not yet taken a defined shape.  He says he's fine and prefers to make his next start after four days off.

Young looks to put Padres in first place  —  San Diego (77-70) at Los Angeles (78-70), 1:10 p.m. PT  —  Chris Young, who has pitched capably against the Dodgers in four starts without a win to show for it, gets another crack at Los Angeles in the third game of the four-game Dodger Stadium extravaganza.

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.

Captain & The Clipper  —  Jeter may be answer to 'Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?'  —  Every day the Captain walks into the clubhouse with his grande skim cappuccino from Starbucks, answers questions at his locker, goes off to the training room, takes batting practice …

Wild, wild West  —  As Padres, Dodgers swing for playoffs, revived Barry creates Giant dilemma  —  As the regular season winds down without suspense in this town, Barry Bonds, Ryan Howard, the Francisco Liriano-less Minnesota Twins and the San Diego Padres are all ratcheting it up for ... the Big Finish.

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.