For Rays, the rookie Price is right  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - David Price stood by his locker yesterday, somewhat bleary-eyed from a night of little sleep.  —  There were phone calls and text messages from the many well-wishers and sudden media obligations for the Tampa Bay Rays lefthander …

Mailbag: Will Samardzija start in '09?  —  Beat reporter Carrie Muskat answers Cubs fans' questions … Will Jeff Samardzija be given a chance to make the starting rotation in the spring, or will he just be put in the bullpen?  —  Samardzija needs to develop new pitches in addition …

Joba jawed with Sox fan at nudie bar - then arrested  —  Yankees star Joba Chamberlain downed vodka-and-sodas and caroused at a Nebraska strip club in the hours before he was busted for drunken driving, the Daily News has learned.  —  The 23-year-old pitcher went drinking at a bar …

Yankees, Cowboys form partnership  —  Received this press release today:  —  NEW YORK YANKEES, DALLAS COWBOYS, GOLDMAN SACHS AND CIC PARTNERS ANNOUNCE FORMATION OF LEGENDS HOSPITALITY  —  New Company to Become Premier Provider of Hospitality and Merchandising Services and Partner with Teams …

Theo ponders big offseason decisions  —  Whether to keep 'Tek or explore other options tops list  —  BOSTON — As the Red Sox closed the door on a highly successful 2008 season that ended one win shy of a return trip to the World Series, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein got ready for his busy season — the offseason.

Bowden Treated For Skin Cancer  —  Nats GM Says He Was Wrong To Delay Action  —  In June, Washington Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden went in for a routine checkup and asked his doctor about what looked like an ingrown hair on his forehead.  It sometimes bled, but Bowden didn't think much of it.

Phillies Notebook: Phillies arrive early to learn quirks of Tropicana Field  —  ST. PETERSBURG Fla. - This just in: Tropicana Field ain't your ordinary ballpark.  The Phillies realized this, which is why they wanted to arrive in town yesterday, 2 days before the start of their World Series showdown against Tampa Bay.

Cards Not Likely To Acquire Peavy  —  By Tim Dierkes [October 20 at 4:14pm CST]  —  According to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are not a serious player for Jake Peavy.  Miklasz's Cardinals sources downplayed the idea and noted that they've only had one conversation with the Padres.

Ellis, A's set for next 2 years  —  Teammates endorse deal  —  (10-19) 18:05 PDT — Second baseman Mark Ellis is set to sign a deal that will keep him in Oakland for at least two seasons, and that makes the left side of the A's infield happy.  —  “Mark is really pivotal for a young team …

Scouts, News agree: Tampa to rule world  —  One team has won it all once, the other hadn't had a winning season before this year.  The Phillies and Rays meeting in the World Series is a tale of franchises not used to victory.  After talking to two major-league scouts and crunching some numbers …

Berroa's option declined by Dodgers  —  Infielder remains under team control, may yet re-sign  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers declined the 2009 option on infielder Angel Berroa of $5.5 million on Monday, choosing instead to buy him out for $500,000.  —  Berroa, technically …

Big Game Garza and Other Thoughts  —  It has been a while since we've had a rambling, pozterisk-drunk post.  Well, not anymore.  —  Philosophers have long marveled at the mysteries and quirks of the human mind.  This began many years before they listened to Buck Martinez call a baseball game.