Cards are looking like '64 Phillies  —  The ghost of Gene Mauch may not be hovering above Busch Stadium, ready to pay an unwelcome visit to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.  But with the Cardinals wheezing in the final days of a potentially devastating finish to the regular season …

NATS EYE PEÑA AS SKIPPER  —  ST. PETERSBURG - With talk that manager Frank Robinson won't be brought back next season by the Nationals, Yankees first base coach Tony Peña has surfaced as a possible replacement.  —  According to several industry sources, Washington general manager Jim Bowden …

Tonight's start may be Jennings' last this year  —  Jason Jennings knows the end will come someday.  But will it be today?  There's a strong possibility Jennings will pull the curtain on one of the best years by a Rockies starter when he faces the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight.

EX-RAYVISION  —  CRAWFORD'S AVAILABLE IF METS ARE  —  DARE DEVILS  —  WOULD the Mets dare return to the scene of the crime?  Would they consider trading another high-end young starter such as Phil Humber or Mike Pelfrey to the Devil Rays and risk a sequel to the Scott Kazmir blunder?

Hit List Factor Trend Comment  —  The Yankees clinch their ninth straight AL East title, the earliest they've done so (relative to games remaining) since 2001.  Mariano Rivera and Gary Sheffield return to action, the latter at an unfamiliar position, first base; Sheff may see a good deal …

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 …

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 …

Foul Performance Drops Red Sox Into Third  —  TORONTO — There was no doubt the ball David Ortiz hit in his third at-bat Wednesday night was high enough and had the distance.  But it hooked foul, landing in the second row of the upper deck.  —  That was the closest he came to hitting …

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.

DeRosa's career year comes at right time  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mark DeRosa has much to be proud about his 2006 season.  —  DeRosa has put up career-best numbers in virtually every statistical category — batting average, at-bats, runs scored, RBI, doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage.

Clement goes to specialist  —  He hopes Andrews can give answers  —  At the end of the most maddening summer of his career, Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement has traveled to Alabama to see noted orthopedist James Andrews, with the hope that he may finally find answers to why he has not been able …

Wallace Matthews  —  Reyes brings most value  —  Ask Jose Reyes who he would give his MVP vote to and the Mets shortstop answers almost as swiftly as he goes from first to third on a single.  —  "Beltran," he says, with that smile that never seems to quit.  —  "Why Beltran?"

Turnbow blows control experiment  —  Adjusting his pitching mechanics backfires  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  Derrick Turnbow was so erratic with his control in 2004 that the Los Angeles Angels gave up on him after the season and placed him on waivers.

Beyond the Lunch Pail  —  As Dodgers GM, Ned Colletti is a long way from his working-class upbringing, but his blue-collar roots still run deep  —  FRANKLIN PARK, Ill. — Amid the mad swirl of a pennant race, all it takes for Ned Colletti to find his center is to tour his hardscrabble hometown in a rental car.

Teixeira disappointed in season  —  Slugger hoped this was year Texas reached the playoffs  —  ANAHEIM — Mark Teixeira was upfront and direct in Spring Training when he was asked about all the changes the Rangers made in the offseason.  —  "Management did their job," Teixeira said about eight months ago.

Farewell week begins with a dud  —  Giants are eliminated from wild-card race in what is likely the final homestand for some players  —  SAN FRANCISCO - As the Giants began their version of Finals Week — a season-ending homestand that could serve as an extended goodbye for many of them …