In brief: Torre, Gaston bid farewell

BASEBALL: On his final day managing the Los Angeles Dodgers, Joe Torre went old school.

He wrote out the lineup card Sunday, just as he did 29 years earlier on his first day managing the New York Mets, instead of typing it on the computer.

Torre wasn’t the only manager retiring. Toronto’s Cito Gaston oversaw his final game at Minnesota. Atlanta’s Bobby Cox advanced to the postseason, where the N.L. wild card Braves will play San Francisco.

Gaston won two World Series titles, in 1992 and 1993, during a managerial run that ended in 1997. He returned to Toronto as a hitting coach from 2000-01 and took over as manager again in June 2008.

Torre’s career includes managing the Mets, Atlanta, St. Louis, and most memorably, the New York Yankees, whom he guided to four World Series championships before leaving in 2007.

Associated Press

Oregon leaps over Boise St.

Football: After running away from Stanford, Oregon jumped over Boise State and into No. 3 in the Associated Press college football poll.

The top two spots in the rankings remained unchanged. Alabama is No. 1 and Ohio State is No. 2, just the way it’s been since the preseason.

No. 4 Boise State spent the entire first month of the season ranked third, but the Broncos couldn’t hold off the Ducks this week.

Associated Press

Stern: Let’s make a deal

Basketball: NBA commissioner David Stern insisted Sunday he hasn’t thought about the effects of a possible lockout next year, and gave new assurances that the league and players’ union remain focused on reaching a new labor agreement.

The sides are divided over the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement that expires June 30, raising fears of a possible lockout.

“We are actually focusing our efforts so entirely on reaching a deal that we haven’t gone into a risk assessment mode for a lockout, because we are trying as hard as we can to reach an agreement with our players,” Stern said.

Stern was speaking at a news conference ahead of the exhibition game between the New York Knicks and Italian team Olimpia Milano in Milan.

Associated Press