Howard hits No.58 as Phils fry Fish  —  Slugger continues torrid pace to back rookie starter Hamels  —  PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Howard had barely rounded first base when the rally-towel waving faithful began what has now become the regular mantra.  —  Chants of MVP crescendoed until Howard came …

Under The Knife  —  A Scary Day  —  I've been covering steroids in baseball for most of my career, and there's been no scarier day than yesterday.  I was in the ESPN newsroom, getting ready to go on and talk some fantasy football when I saw that the authors of Game of Shadows were sent to jail.

Pavano Joins Yankees, and the Joking Begins  —  It has been a season of setbacks for Carl Pavano, the Yankees' $10 million missing man.  But the team made sure his latest physical problem did not keep him out of the clubhouse.  —  Pavano, who cracked three ribs in a car accident on Aug. 15 …

Who will be the next Esteban Loaiza?  —  Say hello to the "Esteban Loaizas of 2006."  —  The scout who coined that phrase wasn't talking about the top of this year's free-agent pitching market — left-hander Barry Zito and righty Jason Schmidt.  —  He wasn't talking about potential free agents …

Subway Series no gravy train  —  While the Yankees clinched the American League East sitting on their backsides in Toronto Wednesday night, no one should dare downgrade this truly auspicious occasion.  —  The ninth straight division title officially opened the gate for a Yankees-Mets run through October.

International: Mariners Sign Truinfel  —  As expected, the summer of 2006 has been a busy one on the international market.  The Mariners, who aren't shy about signing players from any corner of the globe, already had spent heavily earlier in the summer, signing Venezuelan outfielder Mario Martinez for $600,000.

Notes: Fairly calling it quits  —  Announcer set to retire; Feierabend to start Sunday  —  CHICAGO — After being on the field or in the broadcast booth for what he estimates as 7,000 games, Ron Fairly has decided to walk away from baseball following this season.

Royals' Bell has tonsils removed  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals manager Buddy Bell had his tonsils removed Friday and will now await biopsy results on a growth that was detected in the area.  —  At the recommendation of Dr. Steven Joyce, the Royals' team physician, surgery was performed just days after the growth was found.

Bullpen Mechanics  —  The Complex Case of Oliver Perez  —  Oliver Perez, in a span of a few years, has gone from a guy who routinely pitched at 95 mph+ in '04 to a guy who rarely broke 90 mph early this year (watch the WBC if you have to) to a guy who is back at around the 93-96 mph range.

First pitch, September 22  —  TOUGH LUCK  —  7 blown saves for the Rockies bullpen in relief of Aaron Cook tied with Jarrod Washburn of Seattle for the most blown saves for a starting pitcher.  The Rockies bullpen has a 7.26 ERA in relief of Cook, the highest for any starting pitcher with at least 10 starts.

Notes: Raines' status unclear  —  Bench coach in wait-and-see mode regarding future  —  CHICAGO — The end of the 2006 season not only could mark the last vestige of the White Sox 2005 championship run, but it also could signal the final days of Tim Raines as a part of the White Sox coaching staff.

BELTRAN FEELING 'STRAIN' IN QUAD  —  Carlos Beltran has not played the Mets' last three games, and the All-Star center fielder revealed after last night's 5-2 loss to the Marlins that he has a "little strain" in his left quad.  —  Beltran said he had an MRI on Wednesday.

'Moneyball' equations retooled for this A's club  —  This just in: Billy Beane has misplaced his copy of Moneyball.  —  Mention this to the celebrated general manager of the Oakland Athletics and there's a long silence over the phone.  Of course, the loaded question of how this A's team …

Tribune Board Signals Big Changes Coming  —  Tribune Board Signals Potentially Transforming Changes by Year's End After 5-Hr.  Board Meeting  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Tribune Co., under pressure from shareholders to boost its stock price, is signaling it may sell, break up or take private …