Ichiro

THIS BEING Baltimore, and this being the birthplace of the greatest home run hitter ever - apologies to Hank Aaron, but not Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa - it was suggested to Hideki Matsui yesterday that he take the short walk from Camden Yards to the Babe Ruth Museum. It all made sense, if you figure the Orioles' run at the coveted free agent Matsui in November. There were the Syd Thrift e-mails, the overnight mailing of brochures, the ones that described Baltimore and Camden Yards and the perfect dimensions in which Matsui (who tagged 50 for the Yomiuri Giants last year)

I know many of you are thinking Super Bowl this week, and I haven't been struck by any thunderbolt ideas, so we'll do an odds and ends column. Several people asked me last week if Kobe Bryant's 81-point game was a big deal in fantasy sports. I actually think it's a greater accomplishment in real basketball. Bryant's incredible scoring makes him a top player, but points are not rare commodities in the fantasy game. In the leagues I'm in, the teams with Bryant rank third and fourth in the points category.

AMERICAN LEAGUE Who's hot Mark Mulder of the Athletics has won his past five decisions. Who's not The Tigers have lost seven of eight games. Line of the day Pedro Martinez, Red Sox starting pitcher IP R H BB SO 8 0 4 1 13 NATIONAL LEAGUE Who's hot The Cubs have 31 wins before June 1 for only the third time in their history. Who's not The Reds finished off a 6-22 May -- their most losses in a month since 1952. Line of the day Jeffrey Hammonds, Brewers center fielder AB R H RBI HR 4 2 3 3 2 AMERICAN LEAGUE "Anybody could have hit me today.

SEATTLE - Orioles catcher Geronimo Gil has had a lot of thrills as a rookie this season, and throwing out Seattle Mariners speedster Ichiro Suzuki on an attempted stolen base Friday night ranks right near the top. Suzuki had been successful on 15 of his first 19 attempts this season, but when he tried running after drawing a nine-pitch walk to start the third inning, the Orioles nabbed him. Scott Erickson, who has one of the Orioles' quickest deliveries to...

NEW YORK - Once again, the New York Yankees were thanking their lucky stars that they didn't give up on Andy Pettitte during his difficult 1999 season. Pettitte, who weathered the impatience of owner George Steinbrenner to re-emerge as one of the most dependable pitchers in the Yankees' rotation, turned in another strong postseason performance last night and was rewarded with the ALCS Most Valuable Player Award. The 29-year-old left-hander carried a shutout through six innings in last night's 12-3 series clincher against the Seattle Mariners, recording his second victory of the ALCS and his 10th career postseason victory.

The Orioles haven't had an American League batting champion since Frank Robinson's Triple Crown year of 1966, and unless Melvin Mora starts hitting like it's May again, it probably won't happen again this year. Mora had a nice run, and so did Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, but now it's starting to look like Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki will run away with the crown. Suzuki, who won the batting title as a rookie when he hit .350 in 2001, took over the lead on Tuesday after going 6-for-6 in a doubleheader against the Orioles.

Gary Sheffield plans to go for No. 500 with the New York Mets. One home run shy of the milestone, Sheffield reached a contract agreement with New York on Friday, three days after he was released by the Detroit Tigers. Just hours before opening their beaming new ballpark Friday night with an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox, the Mets made another splash by acquiring the outspoken Sheffield. He is expected to be in New York on Saturday, and the deal is contingent on him passing a physical, general manager Omar Minaya said.

The Mariners know they're going to hit Chone Figgins (above) second, behind Ichiro Suzuki, but they aren't as clear about where they will play him. Third base, replacing Adrian Beltre, seems the likely spot, but he could move to second if they deal Jose Lopez, as is rumored. Left field, where the White Sox considered him, is also a possibility. … It appears teams are starting to take a last shot at re-signing their big-name free agents. The Cardinals made an offer to Matt Holliday, and the Yankees are talking to Johnny Damon (whom they see as a part-time left fielder, part-time DH)

SEATTLE - One team gave away an unearned run and committed two errors, heaved an ill-time wild pitch and walked twice as many hitters as it struck out. The other team received a complete game from its starting pitcher, pressured its opponent throughout latter innings and committed no errors. But last night, the Orioles were unrewarded for playing the tighter game against the Seattle Mariners. Willis Roberts (5-4) finished what he started only to absorb a 3-2 loss before 30,413 at Safeco Field.

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has spent the entire season hitting in the sixth and seventh spots in the lineup, is batting third tonight against the Yankees. Hardy had his 13-game hitting streak snapped Sunday, but he's still hitting .333 (18-for-54) with two doubles, five homers, eight runs and 10 RBIs over his past 14 games. He is also 9-for-28 (.321) with one homer and five RBIs in his career against Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia. Second baseman Alexi Casilla, who is 14-for-24 (.583)