Two Futures: Joe's & Mo's  —  I would have fired Joe Torre after the 2006 season.  —  The proudest franchise in sports flat-lined and Torre didn't do anything about it.  Had George Steinbrenner thanked Joe for the memories, stuffed the final $7 million in Torre's pocket and told him to take a hike …

Peters' influence provides playoffs hint of Oriole Way  —  If you've been paying attention for the past 10 years or so, you've probably noticed that Baltimore is no longer the center of the baseball universe.  —  Maybe it never was, but there was a time when the Orioles …

Classics of fall created with gut, not brains  —  With a straight face, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle now confidently states a goal that would have caused the Colorado mountains to crumble from laughter only a month ago: "We will not be happy if we don't get to the World Series."  —  And know what?

Waldman defends her on-air tears  —  Suzyn Waldman's teary report from the Yankees' clubhouse late Monday night has been a source of amusement on the radio, on the Internet and in print across the continent.  —  To her, though, there is nothing funny about that.

My 2007 MVPs  —  The regular season is over and it's been an exciting one, but now the real season begins—no, not the postseason, the awards season.  Ultimately, of course, none of these awards mean anything—they're just subjective opinion backed by a trophy—but I find it impossible to not get riled up and excited about it.

The 50 greatest moments in LCS history  —  Baseball is about the unexpected, the surprise, the drama of one pitch or one at-bat deciding a game or a series.  Let's hope we get many such moments in this year's League Championship Series.  Here are our 50 greatest moments in LCS history …

Alex Rodriguez opts to take his time  —  Alex Rodriguez doesn't have to decide whether to opt out of his contract until Nov. 10, so don't expect any quick resolutions to the two-time AL MVP's situation.  —  Rodriguez is expected to void the final three years and $81 million of his record 10-year, $252million deal.

Catching on ... and on  —  At 35, Varitek remains productive at plate - and invaluable behind it  —  News item: The Detroit Tigers picked up the $13 million option on catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who turns 36 Nov. 30, for the 2008 season.  "People just throw around other options like you can get anybody …

CARDS HAVEN'T ASKED TO INTERVIEW OPPENHEIMER  —  The Cardinals have not received permission from the Yankees to interview Damon Oppenheimer for the general manager vacancy.  —  According to talk in St. Louis, the head of the Yankees' amateur scouting, is on the list of possible replacements for Walt Jocketty.

Thrown A Curve  —  That loud crashing sound you hear is probably baseball's brain trust banging their heads against the nearest brick wall.  —  Obviously, baseball doesn't have a game-fixing problem.  The sport is so honest it hurts.  In the past two weeks, almost all of its mega-market …

Journal: McCutchen adjusting to AFL  —  Former first round-round pick runs into jet lag, dry heat … Send Andrew an email  —  Hey everyone, this is Andrew McCutchen coming from very hot Arizona.  I'm very excited to be out here and to be writing to you about my experiences here.

Rockies activate Taveras, set NLCS rotation  —  Fogg gets Game 3 assignment; Cook remains on DL  —  PHOENIX (AP) — The Colorado Rockies added center fielder Willy Taveras to their postseason roster but chose not to include right-hander Aaron Cook, who threw about 90 pitches in an instructional league game in Tucson on Wednesday.