Around the AL: Yankees close historic stadium

Perhaps Baltimore Orioles manager Dave Trembley did the best job of summing up what it was like to sit in the dugout during Sunday’s final game at Yankee Stadium. In staying true to his sport, he seemed to cover all the bases.

"It was kind of like the seventh game of the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Mardi Gras,” he said. "It was a little bit of everything rolled into one."

About the only things he left out were the Stanley Cup finals and the countdown to midnight on New Years Eve.

The New York Yankees completed their sweep of the three-game series with a 7-3 victory that became official when Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts grounded out against closer Mariano Rivera.

"I didn't want to make the last out,” Roberts said. “I figured I'd either make the last out or have a chance to get the last hit. I figured I couldn't go wrong either way."

Once the game was over and the Yankees, their families and guests spilled onto the field – along with enough police officers in riot gear to patrol a small country – the Orioles’ Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff walked to third base and scooped up dirt in paper cups. A few pitchers went to the mound and did the same.

"I'm sure I'll remember this for more than a while, probably my whole life," Roberts said.

The Yankees ran a lap around the field, waving their caps at fans who stood and cheered. Shortstop Derek Jeter grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd. And 45 minutes after the last out, players still hadn’t retreated to the dugout. Pitcher Mike Mussina walked with his family toward Monument Park for one final look.

"I've been fortunate to play my entire career here," Jeter said. "Coming up, and being a Yankee fan growing up, I was well aware of the tradition here. This is a special place. I'm definitely going to miss it."

Unlike his players, Trembley didn’t care about taking home a souvenir. The memories were enough.

"I'm the last guy on a visiting club who’s managed in a game here. How the hell did that happen?” he said.

“I can tell you one thing, there isn't anybody that appreciates this more than I do. Nobody."

Put on hold

Gary Sheffield must not be in a hurry to hit his 500th career home run, since he began serving a four-game suspension on Monday for his role in Friday’s bench-clearing brawl in Cleveland.

Sheffield was stuck on 497 when the week began.

"Obviously, we aren't in the playoffs, so the better thing to do is just get it over now,” Sheffield told reporters. “That way, it won't go on into next year, and start over with a clean slate."

Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona drilled Sheffield in the left elbow in the seventh inning. Carmona threw to first base, Sheffield began jawing at him, and bedlam ensued.

Sheffield charged the mound and took a punch to the top of his head.

"There's a point I get to where it's hard to come back from," Sheffield said. "And when I get to that point, you're going to have to deal with me — today, tomorrow, until the day I get you."

Sheffield said he viewed tape of the incident and knows who landed the punches.

“And I guarantee you,” he said, “they'll have to deal with me."

Sheffield hadn’t calmed down by Monday.

"They're going to be penalized by me, too. That's just the way it goes," he said.

“When I challenge a man, I challenge him to his face. I'm not going to surprise you with anything. You're going to know I'm coming. That way, you're ready. I want you ready, just like I'm going to be ready. That's what kind of man I am."

Medical issues

With the Division Series looming, the Boston Red Sox are trying to figure out the best way to get Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew healthy and assured of being available.

Lowell has a partial tear in his right hip. He was hoping to return to the lineup by the middle of this week, but Red Sox manager Terry Francona is fearful of rushing him.

"Mikey is improved, (but) not to the point where he's going to play in a game,” Francona told reporters. “I think the problem is going side to side, which he's going to certainly have to do. But he is improving and definitely going straightforward. So again, I don't know if it's rapid improvement, but it's improvement. I'd rather him say that than it's still the same. We'll just keep monitoring him and do the best we can."

Meanwhile, Drew is dealing with back pain and received another epidural Monday. He’s been out of the lineup since Aug. 17.

"Nothing new structurally, nothing worse, nothing advanced,” Francona said.

“We're trying to get him to the point where the symptoms don't keep him out of games. That's where we're at right now.

"If you're asking if I'm writing J.D. off, no.”

Some quick hits

• Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki tied a major league record last week by reaching 200 hits for the eighth straight season. Wee Willie Keeler did it from 1894 to 1901. Here’s a list of players who have reached the milestone in five or more consecutive seasons:

No.	Player	Years
8	Ichiro	2001-08
8	Willie Keeler	1894-1901
7	Wade Boggs	1983-89
5	Michael Young	2003-37
5	Charlie Gehringer	1933-37
5	Chuck Klein	1929-33
5	Al Simmons	1929-33

• Seattle Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard was scheduled to undergo exploratory surgery on his left shoulder Sept. 26, capping a season in which he didn’t appear in a game after July 4 and was 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA. That’s not much of a return on a trade that cost the Mariners outfielder Adam Jones, relievers George Sherrill and Kam Mickolio, top pitching prospect Chris Tillman and minor league pitcher Tony Butler. Bedard could miss most of next season.

• The Los Angeles Angels began Tuesday night just three victories short of the franchise’s first 100-win season. "We definitely are aiming for it," Torii Hunter said. "We want 100 wins. You can't say any of us are satisfied just yet."

• The Detroit Tigers defeated the Texas Rangers, 17-4, last Wednesday, which seemed pretty typical. The Tigers won the season series, 6-3, and scored 86 runs. That’s the most runs allowed by an AL team in a series of fewer than 10 games.

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