Listach will interview with Brewers

The Brewers have asked for permission to interview third base coach Pat Listach for their open managerial position, and general manager Mike Rizzo has granted the request.

Listach, who is preparing to manage in the Puerto Rican winter league, confirmed he will fly to Milwaukee and interview with GM Doug Melvin on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old former Class AAA manager in the Cubs' system has served as the Nationals' third base coach for two seasons and will be retained if he doesn't land a managerial job elsewhere.

Listach has plenty of ties to the Brewers. He played five seasons in Milwaukee and won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 1992.

He's one of several known candidates for the job that became available when Ken Macha was fired at season's end. Others in the running include Bob Melvin, Joey Cora, Cecil Cooper, Tim Wallach and possibly Bobby Valentine. The Brewers also talked to Eric Wedge, who is expected to be named the Mariners' new skipper.

ALCS Game 2: Yankees at Rangers

Photo courtesy Texas Rangers

The Yankees look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

After a dramatic rally from five runs down last night, the Yankees now find themselves in the driver's seat in the ALCS. Win again today, and they head home up 2-0 on the Rangers. Even if they lose to Cliff Lee in Game 3, they'd still have a chance to close out the series without having to return to Texas. Then again, maybe the prospect of a return trip to Arlington isn't so bad considering the Rangers' shoddy history. They've now lost all seven postseason games they've ever hosted.

So the pressure's on Colby Lewis to reverse the trend and even up this series. The Yankees have precious little experience against the right-hander, who avoided New York altogether this season. In fact, only three members of New York's roster have ever faced Lewis: Lance Berkman (0-for-7), Jorge Posada (0-for-6) and Derek Jeter (3-for-5, two homers).

Really, though, the pressure's on the Texas bullpen to bounce back after last night's disaster. Ron Washington never could get the ball in the hands of closer Neftali Feliz, instead watching as four setup men and lefty specialists coughed up the lead. If the Rangers manage to carry another lead into the latter innings today, what kind of confidence will Washington have in that group?

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES — GAME 2

NEW YORK YANKEES at TEXAS RANGERS

Where: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Gametime: 4:07 p.m.

TV: TBS Radio: WTNT-570 AM

Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees

YANKEES
SS Derek Jeter
CF Curtis Granderson
1B Mark Teixeira
3B Alex Rodriguez

ALCS Game 1: Yankees at Rangers

Photo courtesy Texas Rangers

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington hosts its first ALCS beginning tonight.

For all the attention lavished upon CC Sabathia (and deservedly so) let's not forget the left-hander who will be taking the mound tonight for the Rangers. C.J. Wilson is quite deserving of attention himself, having transformed himself from a middle reliever to a successful closer to a 15-game winner in his first season as a big-league starter. And he wasn't too shabby in his postseason debut, shutting out the Rays over 6 1/3 innings and allowing only two hits in the process.

Wilson also has had impressive success in his career many of the members of tonight's Yankees lineup: Mark Teixeira (0-for-5), Curtis Granderson (0-for-6), Brett Gardner (0-for-5), Jorge Posada (0-for-3), Brett Gardner (0-for-5) and, of course, Alex Rodriguez (1-for-13). For a Texas squad trying to get to Cliff Lee in Game 3 with the series tied, a Wilson victory tonight over Sabathia would be huge.

I'll have some thoughts along the way, and as always, please share your thoughts as well...

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES — GAME 1

NEW YORK YANKEES at TEXAS RANGERS

Where: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Gametime: 8:07 p.m.

TV: TBS Radio: WTEM-980 AM

Weather: Clear, 82 degrees

YANKEES
SS Derek Jeter
RF Nick Swisher
1B Mark Teixeira
3B Alex Rodriguez

LCS Preview

File photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Roy Halladay starts Game 1 of the NLCS for the Phillies tomorrow night.

It's hard to imagine the next round of the postseason matching the previous one for sheer drama. In the four Division Series alone, we saw a no-hitter, a 14-strikeout game, two Cliff Lee starts in which he struck out at least 10 and walked none, a Giants-Braves series in which all four games were decided by one run and a Rangers-Rays series in which all five games were won by the visiting team.

Tough to top that, right? Then again, consider what we have on our plates in the NLCS and ALCS: The potential for two Roy Halladay-vs-Tim Lincecum showdowns, the potential for Cliff Lee starting Game 7, the potential for the Phillies to become the first NL team to win three straight pennants since the 1942-44 Cardinals and the potential for the Rangers to reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history. So this round could yet prove captivating in its own right.

It all gets started tonight in Texas with Game 1 between the Yankees and Rangers, and it could extend all the way to next Sunday with a possible Game 7 between the Giants and Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Here's a preview (and some predictions)...

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NEW YORK YANKEES (AL Wild Card)

vs

TEXAS RANGERS (AL West) 

  

SCHEDULE (all games on TBS)

Game 1: Tonight, 8:07 p.m. at Arlington, Texas

Game 2: Tomorrow, 4:07 p.m. at Arlington, Texas

What is Bryce Harper's timeline?

Photo courtesy Bill Scheuerman

Bryce Harper will continue to learn how to play right field while at the Arizona Fall League.

The news yesterday of Bryce Harper's imminent assignment to the Arizona Fall League surely had many of you wondering if this is a sign the No. 1 draft pick's path to the majors might have just been sped up a bit.

The short answer: Probably not.

The decision to send Harper to Arizona has less to do with his current ability level and more to do with his need to be playing baseball somewhere right now. Had he simply stayed home in Las Vegas, he'd be working out on his own, with some old friends from high school. And he'd show up in Viera in February -- at big-league camp, remember -- with three weeks of instructional ball as his only experience at the professional level.

That wasn't going to do anyone any good. So Mike Rizzo decided to have Harper play in the AFL. As a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions' taxi squad, he'll only be able to play on Wednesdays and Saturdays (unless a teammate gets hurt) but he'll be participating in pregame drills every day with top professional prospects who are several years older than he.

"I just felt we weren't doing him justice by sending him home and working out with a high school team and lifting weights on his own," Rizzo said yesterday. "This an opportunity for us to have this guy