Closer look at Game 3 of the ALCS, NLCS Game 4 … Rays at Red Sox  —  Series: ALCS, Game 3; Series tied 1-1  —  TV: TBS  —  Starters: Matt Garza (1-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (1-0, 0.00)  —  The reason the Rays so desperately needed to pull out a win in Game 2 is this matchup, Garza versus Lester at Fenway Park.

Final Yankee Stadium homer ball to be sold  —  CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — The last home run hit at Yankee Stadium will be sold at an auction this weekend in New York after the man who snagged it decided he could use the money to pay off some debt and send his kids to college.

MET CLOSER, TORRE RELIEVERS, BASEBALL DVD  —  1. In the early editions of today's paper, I wrote a column about how the Phillies began last offseason hoping to add a starter, found the market unappetizing, and decided instead to trade for Brad Lidge and move Brett Myers from closing back into the rotation.

Pujols has elbow surgery … ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has had surgery on his right elbow, and the team expects the 2005 NL MVP to be ready for spring training.  —  Pujols' operation, performed by Cardinals team physician Dr. George Paletta …

Maddon leading the cultural revolution … Dave Cassarella wants to avoid being part of that growing menace to American safety, worse on a daily basis than the threat of al-Qaida or even the increasingly Dust Bowl characteristics being adopted by the nation's financial system.

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.

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.

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.

WHAT'S WITH ALL THE DUMB BASEBALL COMMENTARY ON TELEVISION?  —  During the baseball playoffs, the best place to see comprehensive highlights of all the games is ESPN's Baseball Tonight.  Just make sure to watch with the sound off, lest lead analyst John Kruk pulverize the parts of your brain responsible for logical reasoning.

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

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.