Phillies' 11-year quest to reclaim World Series trophy leads them to Joe Girardi  —  Ten years ago, John Middleton walked into the quiet visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, patted Ryan Howard on the shoulder and uttered the words that have since become as much a part of him as his square jaw and large bank account.

Gerrit Cole to Yankees might be longshot — but expect them to try  —  Cole more likely for Yanks than Anthony Rendon  —  Remember last October, when we reported that the Yankees did not plan to strongly pursue Manny Machado, and weren't interested in Bryce Harper at all?  —  Well, we bring more hopeful news today.

Astros Staffer's Outburst at Female Reporters Illustrates MLB's Forgive-and-Forget Attitude Toward Domestic Violence  —  After the Astros clinched the AL pennant, a staffer looked at female reporters and shouted “Thank God we got Osuna!  I'm so f—  glad we got Osuna!

MLB looking into longtime umpire Rob Drake's tweet  —  Major League Baseball is looking into a since-deleted tweet by longtime major league umpire Rob Drake, according to a league spokesman.  —  Drake tweeted late Tuesday that he planned to buy an assault rifle “because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way …

Travis Williams as Pirates president makes plenty of sense  —  There has been no shortage of Gerrit Cole and Tyler Glasnow jokes made at the Pirates' expense this postseason, with fans pointing out a variety of personnel decisions the club has made recently, ones that have gone horribly wrong.

Padres Expected To Hire Jayce Tingler As Manager  —  According to a tweet from ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Padres are expected to name Rangers coach Jayce Tingler as their new manager (link).  Passan characterizes the hiring as a done deal.  —  By all indications, this hiring promises to be a pivotal one.

Texas Rangers won't be opening Globe Life Field.  These country music superstars will.  —  The first event scheduled at Globe Life Field is ... not a Texas Rangers baseball game.  —  The ballclub announced Wednesday morning that the Chris Stapleton All-American Road Show …

Olney: What scenes from Astros' celebration, Yankees' exit tell us about both teams  —  The titans of the AL parted with gestures of respect, but the Bombers head into the offseason trying to level up to get past Houston.