Lance Berkman

Who's hot Kenny Lofton of the Pirates is batting .396 (19-for-48) during a 12-game hitting streak. Who's not Jacque Jones of the Twins, just named AL Player of the Week, struck out three times. Line of the day Lance Berkman, Astros LF AB R H RBI HR 4 3 3 3 1

Manager Joe Girardi must have influenced the Yankees' addition of Kerry Wood (above). He caught Wood with the Cubs in 2000-02 but it seems like a reach to expect Wood to succeed where Joba Chamberlain has failed in consistently getting leads to Mariano Rivera. Wood has been a mess with the Indians. … Player most surprisingly not traded: Brett Myers. Astros owner Drayton McLane never will throw in the towel. He sees Myers becoming a replacement for Roy Oswalt , but he's a risky guy to give an extension, and the Astros aren't going anywhere for at least a couple of years.

Manager Joe Girardi must have influenced the Yankees' addition of Kerry Wood (above). He caught Wood with the Cubs in 2000-02 but it seems like a reach to expect Wood to succeed where Joba Chamberlain has failed in consistently getting leads to Mariano Rivera. Wood has been a mess with the Indians. … Player most surprisingly not traded: Brett Myers. Astros owner Drayton McLane never will throw in the towel. He sees Myers becoming a replacement for Roy Oswalt , but he's a risky guy to give an extension, and the Astros aren't going anywhere for at least a couple of years.

For whatever reason, some issues resonate louder with fans than people in the game. Expanded use of instant replay is one of those. While Jim Joyce's missed call costing Armando Galarraga a perfect game stirred cries for instant replay, there was little response from within the game. The internal apathy — or willingness to accept bad calls, if that's what it is — was similar to last fall, when general managers barely discussed replay after a postseason in which missed calls were a hot-button topic.

HOUSTON - Orioles manager Mike Hargrove labored over last night's starting lineup for hours, soliciting opinions from several coaches, writing names, erasing them and scribbling them over again. The start of interleague play against the Houston Astros robbed Hargrove's red-hot lineup of a designated hitter, and with everyone hitting so well, he had a hard time sitting anyone. Ultimately, Hargrove decided to stick with Luis Matos in center field, leaving his regular DH, David Segui, on the bench.

NEW YORK - A's manager Art Howe yesterday learned the first lesson of New York's media reality: Drop a pebble in a pond and the next morning brace for the tsunami. Howe found himself the star attraction in the media circus before last night's 5-3 win over the Yankees in Game 1 of the Division Series. Howe stated honestly and accurately that the three-time world champions would have to play well to beat his team, which finished the season with seven more wins and a 6-3 advantage head-to-head.

Here we are in these new Tuesday digs. So I figure it's time to talk about a new season. Baseball season, that is. Pitchers and catchers report in three weeks, and my most competitive fantasy league is bickering in search of a draft date. So it must be about that time. Let me explain how my fantasy baseball coverage will work. I'll be covering the Orioles this season, and it would prove to be an ethical conflict for me to comment on players' fantasy values while also reporting news about them.

Here we are in these new Tuesday digs. So I figure it's time to talk about a new season. Baseball season, that is. Pitchers and catchers report in three weeks, and my most competitive fantasy league is bickering in search of a draft date. So it must be about that time. Let me explain how my fantasy baseball coverage will work. I'll be covering the Orioles this season, and it would prove to be an ethical conflict for me to comment on players' fantasy values while also reporting news about them.

BATTING LINE OF THE DAY Aramis Ramirez, Cubs 3B AB R H RBI HR 4 2 3 5 2 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Bobby Jenks, White Sox IP H R BB SO 2 1/3 4 0 0 5 WHO'S HOT Lance Berkman of the Astros is 18-for-44 (.409) in his past 12 games and 6-for-13 in the past three. WHO'S NOT The Indians have been shut out seven times this season, including three times in the past six games.

HOUSTON - Orioles manager Mike Hargrove labored over last night's starting lineup for hours, soliciting opinions from several coaches, writing names, erasing them and scribbling them over again. The start of interleague play against the Houston Astros robbed Hargrove's red-hot lineup of a designated hitter, and with everyone hitting so well, he had a hard time sitting anyone. Ultimately, Hargrove decided to stick with Luis Matos in center field, leaving his regular DH, David Segui, on the bench.