wild card

No more flip decisions. Rather than heads or tails, baseball general managers plan to recommend that sites for division and wild-card tiebreakers be decided by wins and losses, rather than coin flips.

"The team that performed better against the other team I think is the one that deserves to have home-field advantage, not an arbitrary coin flip," San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers said...

Less than three weeks ago, the Brewers came to Philadelphia holding a four-game lead in the wild-card race and carrying the league's second-best record despite a slump that had seen them lose seven of 10 to open September.

By the end of the four-game set, the two teams were tied for the wild card. It was the start of a finishing kick in which the Phillies went 13-3, breezing past the Mets to claim their second division title in a row.

Greg Maddux is back in Los Angeles for another stretch drive. The Dodgers announced Tuesday that they have reacquired Maddux and cash considerations from San Diego.

The Padres will receive two minor league players to be named or cash considerations. The 42-year-old Maddux first came to the Dodgers late in the 2006 season, when he went 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts to help them win a wild-card...

Venus Williams has started her title defense with a 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over British wild card Naomi Cavaday on Centre Court.

The seventh-seeded Williams dropped her opening serve Tuesday and had to force a tiebreaker against the No. 197th-ranked Cavaday.

After holding on in the tiebreaker, Williams dominated the second set to advance to the second round.