Officially, race is on for Cano  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Robinson Cano jumped into second place in the American League batting race when he came to the plate for the fourth time last night because he finally had enough plate appearances to qualify for the title.

First pitch, September 26  —  HOLLIDAY HONORED  —  Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday on Monday was chosen co-Player of the Week in the National League with Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves for Sept. 18-24.  —  Holliday went 10-for-25 in seven games with three doubles, one triple, four home runs, 12 RBI and 12 runs.

Mailbag: Nats pulling out broom for '07?  —  Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers Nationals fans' questions … Where can we send a get-well card to Nick Johnson?  My entire family wants to wish him well.  — The Landa family, Washington D.C.  —  There are many who have expressed …

Tales of the Two Who Got Away: Minaya and Randolph  —  In leading their team to the playoffs next week, Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph are headed there with what is most likely a record.  —  The Elias Book of Baseball Records doesn't list it.  Neither Elias nor anyone else keeps track of it.

Baseball's Oldest Old-Timer Opens a Window on the Past  —  Silas Simmons was handed a photograph and asked if he recognized anyone in it.  He fixed his eyes on the sepia stares and moved his curled fingers over the glass and frame, soaking in the faces for more than 20 silent seconds.

Padres-Cardinals Preview  —  Now that their star closer has set a new all-time saves record, the San Diego Padres can focus on wrapping up the National League West for the second straight year.  —  Trevor Hoffman will try to help the Padres to their fifth straight victory when they open …

Our Teams: A Requiem In Three Acts  —  I. So now it can be written and known: The spinning, sprinting 12-yard sideaways rugby punts are not, in fact, a device that has come to revolutionize the sport of football.  Sorry, Coach Zook.  Our Illini very well might be the worst team in Division I-A …

Willie pitches in Trach talk  —  The games have grown so mundane that each passing day at Shea now is spent trying to read between the lines rather than dissecting what's actually happening between them.  —  Will Steve Trachsel or John Maine round out the playoff rotation?

Chartered Amtrak train carrying Nationals derails near Wilmington  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A chartered Amtrak train carrying the Washington Nationals derailed early Tuesday near Wilmington, Del., but no one was injured.  —  "It was a very minor derailment," Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said.

Girardi, not wild card, story of final week  —  PHILADELPHIA — With the Marlins all but eliminated from playoff contention, the only drama remaining for the club concerns the fate of manager Joe Girardi.  —  Not whether he will be fired but when.  —  "I don't think anything would shock …

Ex-Cub raises some questions  —  MINNEAPOLIS — So, what really went wrong with the Cubs this season?  —  Former Cubs first baseman/outfielder Phil Nevin, now a member of the Minnesota Twins, says there were mitigating off-the-field issues that the media and the public don't know about.

THOSE guys  —  With 2006 having been over since some time in mid-April, people have understandably been focusing on 2007 for quite some time now.  As the Pirates have put up a good record since the All-Star break, people have understandably gotten more and more optimistic about 2007.

Junior's heroics lead Reds over Cubs  —  Pinch-hit, three-run homer in eighth gives Cincinnati the win  —  CINCINNATI — This is what Hall of Famers do.  —  Ken Griffey Jr. had been out of commission for the Reds since he dislocated his right toe on Sept. 4.

Happy anniversary memories for Scott  —  Right-hander's division-clinching no-hitter was 20 years ago  —  HOUSTON — Mike Scott can rearrange the furniture, pull up the floorboards and dig through the closet of his California home, but he's never going to stumble upon the baseball from the final …