Dodgers rip Zambrano, he rips Cubs fans  —  Carlos Zambrano bit the hand that feeds him Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field, ripping Cubs fans for booing him off the mound after another in a series of erratic outings.  —  As he walked to the dugout after being removed in the fifth inning …

Padres' Maddux gets 1st win in Arizona  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Greg Maddux no longer has to explain his drought in the desert.  —  The future Hall of Famer won for the first time in Phoenix and extended his streak without a walk to 49 1-3 innings over seven starts in leading the San Diego Padres …

Rocket sputters: Clemens to have MRI on elbow  —  NEW YORK — Roger Clemens got banged up by the Seattle Mariners, and then quickly left the clubhouse after the Yankees' 7-1 loss on Monday to get an MRI exam on his balky right elbow.  —  The 45-year-old Clemens, who allowed five runs …

Indians beat Santana for 5th time in '07  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — If the Cleveland Indians avoid a colossal collapse and finish with the AL Central title at the end of this month, they can count their mastery of Johan Santana and the Minnesota Twins as one of the reasons for the success.

Stretch Run  —  The dog days are behind us and we enter the stretch run.  The Yanks, as we all suspected, didn't and won't go away.  The kid twirls a no no and the rest of the kids contributed yesterday to another big win.  There are a few questions posed earlier I am planning to answer this week.

preGame: Mets at Reds (Game One)  —  The Game:  —  The first-place Mets (76-60) welcome Pedro Martinez back into the fold as they kick off a three-game series against the Reds (62-75) this afternoon at Great American Ballpark, starting at 1:05 pm EDT.  —  The Lineup:

Dodgers GM Colletti: Luck and pluck  —  From a garage home in Franklin Park to the Dodgers' front office and a house with an ocean view, Ned Colletti sometimes can't believe his good fortune  —  LOS ANGELES — Outside, a baseball Sunday at Dodger Stadium emerges in a delightful cliché.

Alex and Victor Rodriguez Are Worlds Apart  —  Very few people call him V-Rod.  Hardly anyone does, actually.  Those who use that nickname with Lt. Col. Victor M. Rodriguez do so cautiously.  —  "They do it in a very respectful way," Rodriguez said.  "They find the right occasion and the right context."

Notes: Pirates recall three from Minors  —  Team has not yet named starters for Wednesday and Thursday  —  ST. LOUIS — Following the conclusion of Triple-A Indianapolis' season on Monday, the Pirates announced that three more Indians will be joining the club on Tuesday, rounding out the Pirates' September callups this year.

AL Rookie of the Year: First impressions  —  Terry Francona, employing the diplomacy of a seasoned politician, sidestepped the question.  —  Who, it was posed to the Boston Red Sox manager, should be the American League Rookie of the Year?  —  "At some point, it'll be fun to talk about," Francona said.

How low can they go?  —  Orioles don't simply lose, but invent ways to look bad  —  When the Orioles were no-hit by Clay Buchholz on Saturday night, it was the first time since 1991 that a pitcher had thrown a no-hitter in one of his first two major league starts.

Joe Torre might want to return for 13th season as Yankee manager  —  Less than two months after telling the Daily News that this has been his toughest year as Yankees manager, Joe Torre sounded like a man in no hurry to leave town.  —  Asked yesterday if he hopes to return for a 13th season in pinstripes …