Close pitches cause benches to clear  —  Martin plunked, buzzed before Kuroda nearly hits Victorino  —  LOS ANGELES — Tempers flared and benches cleared during the third inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday, sparking more than a fair bit of animosity between the Dodgers and Phillies.

GIRARDI SHOULDN'T TRY TO BE THE NEXT JOE  —  LOS ANGELES - To be around Joe Torre again is a reminder of his impressive blend of self-confidence, serenity and stature.  —  Torre exudes a comfort in his own skin and, thus, brings a comfort to those who enter his sphere.

How much should Ben Sheets get?  —  Background  —  The free agent pitching pool this year is relatively large, with pitchers such as CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Ryan Dempster and Derek Lowe available.  Included among these pitchers is Ben Sheets, who has become slightly overshadowed with Sabathia arriving in Milwaukee.

Final Elias Rankings - American League Starting Pitchers  —  More on how these are calculated can be found with the National League rankings.  Again, caveats about the accuracy of my DL data apply, as just being a day off on the DL days can lead to significant changes in the rankings.

Scolded at school, fan lauded by Rays  —  Sharples, 12, meets favorite players after taking suspension  —  ST. PETERSBURG — On Monday, Zachary Sharples wasn't even allowed to rest his head and take a nap.  On Saturday night, the seventh-grader had a hard time believing he wasn't dreaming.

Red Sox invincible?  Not any more  —  Everyone is starting to realize that this Red Sox team is not the same as the World Series champs of 2007, but it's more than the loss of Manny Ramirez that has lessened their aura of invincibility.  —  In fact, even with a split at Tropicana Field …

Bay's statement  —  There is no comparing anyone left in the postseason to Jason Bay.  —  His 11 hits lead every batter in the playoffs.  His nine RBIs tie him for first with the Phillies' Shane Victorino.  His three home runs tie him for second behind the Rays' B.J. Upton.

Romo to miss up to one month with broken pinkie  —  IRVING, Texas — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has a broken finger on his throwing hand and could be out for up to four weeks.  —  Romo, who had started 30 straight regular-season games since replacing Drew Bledsoe in 2006 …

Credibility Package  —  I don't think I can bring anything new to the whole “The Internet Is Changing The Way Sports Media Does Business” mantra, but I can tell you one thing, I seem to be working too hard.  Or it seems, not hard enough.  I mean, working the phones all day to get some juicy …

Red Sox avoid important front-office losses so far  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As one of baseball's winningest organizations over the last half-dozen seasons, the Red Sox [team stats] are at risk of losing some of their best people to other teams intent on replicating Boston's success.

Mound Visits By Dusty Baker Are Somewhat Unnerving To Nine-Year-Olds  —  What I learned this weekend: Dusty Baker can mismanage a pitching staff even if it consists of 9- and 10-year-olds.  OK, in his defense, his team was enjoying a 25-3 lead when Baker inserted his son, Darren, in relief in the fourth inning on Saturday.

SABATHIA, BURNETT FIGURE IN BOMBERS' OFFSEASON PLANS  —  BRIAN Cashman shunned a trade last winter for Johan Santana essentially for this reason: He did not think it was the proper moment in an ongoing renovation process to invest the level of prospects and dollars necessary to obtain even someone as special as the left-handed ace.