Scioscia tops in AL for remarkable year  —  Led Angels beyond tragedy to record-setting season  —  ANAHEIM — The most emotionally challenging of his 10 seasons as leader of the Angels culminated in Mike Scioscia's selection on Wednesday as 2009 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Beane looking to go young in offseason  —  GM to pursue youth rather than spending on free agents  —  OAKLAND — The 15-day window in which teams hold exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents closes at 9 p.m. PT on Thursday, at which point the A's will be free to start their holiday shopping.

Selig: Baseball will tighten playoff schedule  —  Buzz up!  —  CHICAGO (AP)—Baseball plans to cut down on off days during the postseason next year.  —  Commissioner Bud Selig said Wednesday he's working on tightening up the 2010 playoff schedule so there will be fewer gaps between games.

Cain and Rivas added to 40-man roster  —  By Anthony Witrado of the Journal Sentinel  —  The Brewers added outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-hander Amaury Rivas to the 40-man roster today to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft that will take place at the winter meetings in December.

Time in LA ‘disappointing’ for Schmidt  —  Righty's career likely finished despite free-agent filing  —  LOS ANGELES — Jason Schmidt filed for free agency last week, surprising a lot of people who thought he had already retired.  —  “Just leaving my options open,” he said.

Roy Halladay sweepstakes could be just another Yankees-Red Sox bout … The Yankees recently called the Blue Jays to express interest in superstar pitcher Roy Halladay.  And while the Yankees made the very same call last summer with no hope of acquiring Halladay, this time they have a real reason …

Video: Message to Fans from Wally Backman  —  The following is a video message to Mets fans from Wally Backman, new manager of the Class-A Brooklyn Cyclones:  —  To see video of Backman's press conference yesterday, go to SNY.TV.

KTRB “XTRA Sports 860” Enters New Long-Term Contract to Broadcast Oakland A's Games Through 2019  —  Club Reaches Ten-Year Agreement with the San Francisco-Based Station  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - Continuing a relationship which was forged last year, the Oakland Athletics and XTRA Sports 860 …

Tigers lowering select 2010 tickets  —  More than 4,500 seats will be discounted for season plans  —  DETROIT — The Tigers are lowering prices on select lower and upper box seats and freezing prices on all other tickets as part of their ticket plans for the 2010 season.

Holliday vs. Bay: D is the difference  —  Analysis shows why Holliday is more valuable, but one clear fit exists for Bay  —  STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME Become an Insider Today  —  Given a relatively weak free-agent class and a stagnant economy, the baseball world is unlikely to see any Mark Teixeira …

Free agency likely to be prudent for most major league clubs  —  Major League Baseball's free agent market officially opens for business at midnight Thursday, but instead of long lines and eager shoppers, teams might be waiting for markdowns to entice them to the door.

Cy of relief: CC happier with ring  —  CC Sabathia required two words to describe being a World Series winner rather than copping a second Cy Young award.  —  “Much happier,” the Yankees' ace lefty wrote in a text message yesterday after Kansas City's Zach Greinke was named this year's AL Cy Young winner.