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.

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 …

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.

Offseason Outlook: New York Yankees  —  By Tim Dierkes [October 13 at 11:16am CST]  —  Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Yankees.  Their likely 2009 commitments:  —  C - Jorge Posada - $13.1MM  —  C - Jose Molina - $2MM  —  1B -  —  2B - Robinson Cano - $6MM  —  SS - Derek Jeter - $20MM

Bursting at the seams  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Picked-up pieces from the floor of the Trop Dome while singing Warren Zevon's “I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.”  — Day game today.  What are we going to do with ourselves?  It just won't be the same without a 3 a.m. postgame autopsy.

Clutch, heady play helped Rays to badly needed win  —  BOSTON — There were plenty of reasons why the Rays won Saturday/Sunday's marathon 11-inning thriller 9-8, which officially evened the American League Championship Series and theoretically may have tipped the momentum in their favor.

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.

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.

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 …