Kenji Johjima opts out of final two years  —  One of the thorniest issues the Seattle Mariners faced - what to do with catcher Kenji Johjima - has been resolved: The 33-year-old catcher has decided to return to Japan with two years left on his contract.  —  “After lots of very deep thought …

Dodgers can only imagine where they would be with Lee  —  PHILADELPHIA — Pennants can turn on big home runs, big errors, big calls by umpires and managers (Hiroki Kuroda?  Really?), and any number of other things that so fascinate us in the cool of October.  —  But pennants also turn on what fascinates us in the heat of July.

ALCS Game 3: Yankees at Angels  —  YANKEES  —  Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (1-0, 1.42 ERA)  —  ANGELS  —  WEATHER: Take a wild guess - it's Southern California!  Temps in the 70s, clear skies.  It should be a beautiful day for baseball.  The full forecast is here.

Saturday's AFL roundup  —  Simmons, Snyder lead Dogs to fourth straight win  —  Desert Dogs 11, Rafters 2  —  Athletics prospect James Simmons tossed three scoreless innings and Phoenix used a pair of five-run outbursts to post its fourth straight win.  The former first-round pick yielded …

Veteran manager Bobby Valentine a finalist for Cleveland Indians' vacancy  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio — Bobby Valentine, whose New York Mets reached the World Series in 2000, is one of the finalists for the vacant Indians manager's job.  —  Valentine, 59, it has been learned, will come to Cleveland this week for a second interview.

Hawpe Not On Market  —  Brad Hawpe found himself watching more than playing in the post-season for the Rockies.  He, however, rmeans a key part in the Rockies long-range planning.  —  Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd has been surprised by media reports that the Rockies wll look to trade Hawpe …

Joe gives CC OK for Game 4 start  —  ANAHEIM - The worst-kept secret of the ALCS is out.  —  CC Sabathia played catch in the outfield at Angel Stadium Sunday in lieu of a bullpen session, saving his bullets for tomorrow, when he will start Game 4 against the Angels on three days' rest.

Are these Yanks as good as '98 team?  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — The date was Oct. 10, 1998, noted by Yankee historians as the sea-change moment in what we now recognize as a historic season.  At that point, a great team was gasping for air, down 2-1 against the Indians in the AL Championship Series.

Cubs close to agreement with vaunted hitting coach Jaramillo … Highly respected hitting guru Rudy Jaramillo is in serious talks with the Chicago Cubs about becoming their new hitting coach, and it appears likely that the sides will reach an agreement for Jaramillo to join the Cubs soon, SI.com has learned.

Inbox: Papelbon trade a possibility?  —  Beat reporter Ian Browne answers Red Sox fans' questions … I heard a recap of the Red Sox season, and they said that Jonathan Papelbon could be traded.  Could this be a possibility with Daniel Bard becoming closer?

The Biggest Secret of Baseball's Unwritten Rules: They Don't Exist  —  Say this about Erick Aybar's feet: they were a lot closer to second base than the Angels have been to playing crisp baseball.  —  Yes, his feet were in the so-called neighborhood of the bag in the 10th inning of Game 2 …

Agent Scott Boras compares Matt Holliday to Yankees Mark Teixeira  —  ‘These guys are blue-collar superstars,’ he says of his two clients.  The Cardinals outfielder is expected to be among the top free agents available this winter.  —  Scott Boras threw out the ceremonial first pitch in free agency today …

Wolf still has loyal fans in Philly  —  Wolf Pack will be howling in Game 4 of the NLCS, but not for the former Phillie  —  PHILADELPHIA — When Randy Wolf takes the mound Monday night against his old team, there will be six Phillies fans, somewhere in the stands, quietly watching with admiration.

In the clutch, why does Jeter rise and Guerrero fall in the postseason?  —  Yankees slugger excels time and again in October; admirers say it's because he has ability to relax in pressure-filled situations.  Guerrero leads Angels in postseason hits but has taken ugly swings.