September swoon fails to give Randolph the Willies  —  WASHINGTON - Late yesterday morning, hours after another wrenching night at the ballpark, the manager of the Mets was lying on his bed on the 17th floor of the team hotel, a home-run ball away from the Pentagon.  His cell phone rang.

Running on empty  —  Lifeless Sox swept away by Blue Jays  —  TORONTO - Maybe if the Yankees weren't involved, it would be different.  Maybe, despite another mind-numbing Red Sox defeat, this one featuring a grand slam surrendered by Jonathan Papelbon in a 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays last night …

Gulf Coast League Top 20 Prospects List  —  Subscribers can read scouting reports on all 20 players (Click here to subscribe)  —  The Rookie-level Gulf Coast League is always packed with tons of potential, but this season was difficult to gauge, especially from a numbers standpoint.

Twins' Hunter considers Rangers  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Rangers manager Ron Washington has a wish list of what he wants in the off-season.  —  There's no doubt about what's at the top of the list.  —  "I want a center fielder first," Washington said.  —  It just so happens the Rangers …

Griffey leaves Reds game in 8th inning with injury  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. had to leave Wednesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning after straining his lower abdomen as he tried to make a throw to the infield.

New patch to say 'Farewell' to Shea  —  The Mets are to wear this neat patch next season.  I love how it combines the original look of Shea with the orange and blue panels and the modern neon players.  —  Truth be told, the Mets have mixed success with special patches.

McGwire has hand in Holliday's hitting  —  As part of Matt Holliday's transformation from all-star to leading National League MVP candidate, he received a little assist from Big Mac.  —  In August 2006, former Oakland and St. Louis great Mark McGwire visited Coors Field as a guest of former teammates Mike Gallego and Jamie Quirk.

Eight managers on the hot seat … September is more than just a time for spine-tingling pennant race drama.  It's also a time for spine-tingling job preservation drama.  —  Our Rumblings and Grumblings Managerial Employment Status Division has counted eight managers whose jobs could be on the line this month.

The value of a batted ball  —  Here at The Hardball Times, we like to talk about batted ball statistics.  We think they can be useful and illuminating and there's still a lot to that can be learned about player performance by looking at batted ball numbers.

A-ROD'S CLUTCH SHOWING WEAR  —  Signs of Fall are everywhere.  The temperature has dipped, leaves are beginning to change colors and Alex Rodriguez looks tighter than Britney Spears' pants.  —  The Yankee third baseman went 0-for-4 last night, making him 3-for-29 in his last eight games.

Carpenter won't return to broadcast  —  Washington Nationals television announcer Bob Carpenter has been told by the club his contract will not be extended when it expires after the season, sources with knowledge of the situation said yesterday.  —  Carpenter, who has done play-by-play …