Should Girardi have used Mo in Game 3?  —  Lost in Cliff Lee's continuing wizardry was the Yankee bullpen's ninth-inning meltdown, which turned a 2-0 nailbiter into an 8-0 blowout.  And as It's About the Money notes, it didn't have to end that way:  —  Rather than bring Mariano Rivera …

Cubs Hire Mike Quade  —  The Cubs signed manager Mike Quade to a two-year deal with a club option for 2013, according to the team.  Quade, 53, became Chicago's interim manager on August 23rd after Lou Piniella retired.  He was the team's third base coach from 2007-10 after managing the Triple-A Iowa Cubs for four seasons.

Exclusive one-on-one with Bryce Harper  —  I had a chance to catch up again with the Nationals number one draft selection, Bryce Harper, as he embarks on his first game for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall league Wednesday.  —  Harper said he is pretty excited to get the invite to play in the AFL.

Yu Darvish will stay in Japan next season  —  From Yu Darvish's latest blog entry:  —  A lot has been mentions about the Majors.  —  I received a lot of comments, both on Twitter and on my blog.  —  I don't know if this will match everyone's guess.  —  Next season...

Braves release Melky Cabrera  —  When I arrived at AT&T Park for Monday afternoon's National League Championship Series workout, it seriously felt like it had been two months since Rick Ankiel drilled that 11th-inning pitch into the water and gave the Braves what proved to be their last win of the year.

Dodgers finalizing staff  —  Although the Los Angeles Dodgers still don't appear to be close to finalizing their coaching staff under new manager Don Mattingly, parts of it are beginning to come into focus.  —  Based on information compiled from various sources, all of whom spoke on the condition …

Nationals Sign Mike Rizzo To Five-Year Extension  —  The Nationals signed GM Mike Rizzo to a five-year extension and promoted him to executive vice president of baseball operations and GM, according to the team.  Rizzo, who turns 50 later this year, has been Washington's GM since August 2009 …

Harper: Joe's right to give ball to A.J.  —  Joe Girardi makes right call to start A.J. Burnett in Game 4, but Yankee offense must come to life  —  A.J. Burnett gets the ball from Joe Girardi for Game 4, but the Yankees need help from Mark Teixeira (below) and a struggling offense.

San Francisco Giants notebook: Edgar Renteria still expected to play shortstop despite a torn biceps tendon  —  Edgar Renteria is expected to start at shortstop again for the Giants today despite a completely torn biceps tendon in his left arm.  —  Renteria, who missed time in August …

Female fans turned on by the Phils  —  Part of the draw, no doubt, is the team itself.  These Phillies are a bunch of really nice, good-looking guys of all stripes who come from behind, pitch perfect games, talk about things like courage and friendship, run through coaches' stop signs, and seem to genuinely like one another.

Why the bat, helmet and uniform Kirk Gibson used in his 1988 World Series Game 1 feat aren't in the Hall of Fame, and how you can own them  —  Considering how much people say Kirk Gibson's 1988 Game 1 World Series homer was so much like the movie “The Natural,” it's natural to assume that his bat …

Shades of Philly in San Francisco  —  AND IF you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a glower in your stare.  Feel free to swagger again now that your team has squared the NLCS, thanks to the best all-around game the Phillies have played in the postseason.  —  San Francisco is not Los Angeles in any respect.

It's Official: TLR returns for 16th season as Cardinals manager  —  Tony La Russa will return in 2011 for a 16th season as Cardinals manager, the club announced this afternoon.  —  La Russa, 66, returns his entire coaching staff except for bullpen coach Marty Mason, whose dismissal was reported earlier today by the Post-Dispatch.