A-ROD AGENT A 'CUB $COUT'  —  STAR COULD BE PART OWNER: MAG  —  A new report says Alex Rodriguez's agent has spoken to a potential new owner of the Chicago Cubs about a bank-breaking deal that could give A-Rod a cut of the team.  —  The powerful Yankee third baseman is eligible to opt …

Milton Bradley Blowup  —  You know it has to happen sooner or later.  Milton Bradley is at first, and he's jawing with the umpire.  Instead of ignoring Milton, the ump answers him.  Bradley goes after the ump, but the first base coach, Meacham, stops him.  Meacham then takes up the argument, but Bradley goes after the ump again.

Bullpen blows lead, Phils lose to Nats  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — His club lost a game on the field and lost ground in the standings Sunday, yet Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel chose to look on the bright side: At least his top relievers got some rest for the stretch run.

Disastrous ninth stings Rays  —  Pena goes deep twice, but Reyes stumbles vs. Sox again  —  ST. PETERSBURG — They're still the Red Sox.  —  On Saturday night, division-leading Boston allowed Tampa Bay to feel like kings for all of an inning before reminding all why the Red Sox are at the top …

Angels dump M's to clinch AL West crown  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - John Lackey and the Los Angeles Angels gave their fans another reason to wave those rally monkeys.  —  The Angels clinched their third AL West title in four years Sunday, with Lackey leading them to a 7-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Bucs rethinking GM pick?  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates' general manager search may not be over after all as Chairman Bob Nutting and President Frank Coonelly are rethinking their decision to offer the job to Neal Huntington after word of their choice leaked to the media last Thursday night.

Cleveland 6, Oakland 2  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — From shoveling snow to spraying champagne.  —  The Cleveland Indians, who slipped and slid around April's home opener during a freakish spring storm, capped an unforgettable season at Jacobs Field on Sunday with a sun-soaked championship.

Zambrano wins 17th, Cubs increase lead  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Zambrano got his career-best 17th win by pitching six sharp innings before leaving with cramps, and the surging Chicago Cubs expanded their NL Central lead to 3 1/2 games with an 8-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Mussina helps Yanks gain game on BoSox  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  NEW YORK (AP) - A playoff berth all but clinched, Mike Mussina pitched the New York Yankees within 1 1/2 games of Boston in the AL East with a week to go.  —  Mussina won his 250th game, backup catcher Jose Molina had three hits …

Phils' Howard ties MLB strikeout record with 195th  —  WASHINGTON — Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard struck out Sunday for the 195th time this season to tie the major league record.  —  In the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals, Howard swung at and missed …

The Ninth in Cleveland  —  With a 6-2 lead in the top of the ninth, the Indians are three outs away to returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2001.  Betancourt is on to nail down the win.  —  Update: Cust strikes out looking on a pitch that looked out of the strike zone.  One out.

Relievers Are Specialists, All Right ... in Shoddy Finishes  —  As if a new curse had infected the Red Sox' relief corps, the cream of the Boston bullpen imploded three times in six days and cost the Red Sox victories they needed to stay comfortably ahead of the belated charge by the dreaded Yankees.

These players choked down the stretch  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  As hard as it might be to believe now, less than a month ago the Tigers, Dodgers, Cardinals and Mariners were in playoff contention.  —  But then came the September swoons.  And teams don't fade without individuals failing.