Tide turns in favor of Orioles  —  With each passing day, odds that the Norfolk Tides will affiliate with the Baltimore Orioles increase.  —  On Wednesday, one of the Tides' main suitors opted to go elsewhere.  —  Seeing the Orioles as frontrunners in a perceived two-horse race to land Norfolk …

Pressure on A-Rod will be intense in October  —  It was in January 2005 when George Steinbrenner opened the door to his Legends Field offices and invited Alex Rodriguez in for a chat.  This wasn't a conversation as much as it was a job review — actually it was a history lesson, and the Boss did all the talking.

Papi lights up dark night — Ties Foxx, but loss helps NY  —  David Ortiz did it again for the Red Sox last night.  —  And, wouldn't you know it, the Yankees did it again to the Red Sox as well.  —  On the same night the Yankees won their ninth consecutive AL East title, Ortiz …

Clement not too open to closing  —  Of all the tasks facing the Red Sox this winter, finding a closer will be near the top of the list.  No incumbent pitcher has been ruled out, according to club officials, so it is not a big surprise that Matt Clement is a candidate.

Why Santana isn't the AL MVP … Johan Santana is the most talented, most charismatic, most dominating pitcher in this hemisphere.  And that's something we should all be able to agree on, except perhaps for certain members of Roy Halladay's immediate family.

Philadelphia Phillies  —  If Phillies fans were as casually vicious or as unthinkingly, unblinkingly negative as their stereotype suggests, Pat Burrell would have been booed as soon as he stepped to the plate in the first inning.  —  Heck, if Phillies fans were going to live up to their spit …

Relive all the magic with Clinch Time  —  Download playoff-assuring games for free at MLB.com  —  The first celebration scene happens on the field, where giddy players release all of that pent-up emotion from a marathon Major League Baseball season and pile on top of each other after clinching a championship.

Rangers eliminated with 6-3 loss  —  ARLINGTON - There is only one hitch in the Rangers' desires to etch Robinson Tejeda into their starting rotation for 2007: He has yet to win a game in Texas.  —  That's a pretty significant issue.  —  In a 6-3 loss to Seattle on Wednesday …

Willis a Met Next Season?  A Team Can Dream, Can't It?  —  Until the playoffs begin and games around here start to matter again, all there is left to do is wait.  A one-night-only reprieve came last night, when no one could have faulted the Mets' front office for putting aside …

Aparicio ready to lead chagrined O's fans in protest  —  You say you've had it with the Orioles this time.  —  You've had it with nine straight losing seasons.  With another meaningless September.  With a jewel of a ballpark that sits empty and forlorn, except when it's invaded by thousands …

Wilpon deserves all the credit  —  A wealthy, genteel and proper gentleman who's probably used to drinking his bubbly from a crystal flute instead took it straight from the bottle, and had it all dumped right on his head.  Don't be misled; Fred Wilpon was not drunk the other night, at least not from liquor.

Pirates Notebook: Team, Duffy disagree on winter ball  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  LOS ANGELES — The Pirates have told Chris Duffy they would like for him to play winter ball, but Duffy has responded that he has no wish to do so.  —  Potential for another rift between the team and its starting center fielder?

Rapping to the Oldies  —  Peter J. Nash, a baseball author, historian and filmmaker, can eloquently describe players from 2006.  What makes him different from many other fans is that he can also smoothly discuss players from 1846.  Nash knows exhaustive details about the earliest days of baseball …

Royals manager takes medical leave of absence, return indefinite  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Royals manager Buddy Bell is taking a leave of absence to treat a growth discovered near his left tonsil.  —  The Royals announced the move during the ninth inning of their game against …