Girardi wants to stay with Marlins despite rift

Joe Girardi took a seat at the end of the bench three hours before Tuesday’s game, then lamented that an overhead fan cooling the dugout was pointed away from him.

Such is life on the hot seat.

Because of a rift with Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, Girardi’s tenure as manager is expected to end after only one year. He’s under contract through 2008, but a change is likely even though the young Marlins exceeded expectations by contending for a playoff berth before fading last week.

Girardi has said he won’t resign, and before the start of a six-game homestand to end the regular season, he lobbied more strongly than ever to stay.

“I came here to do a job,” he said. “I love what these kids have accomplished, and I’d like to see it through.”

Loria was out of town and unavailable for comment. He has said he’ll assess the managerial situation after the season, and he has declined to endorse the job Girardi has done.

While Girardi’s relationship with Loria and general manager Larry Beinfest is strained, he remains popular with his players.

“This has been one of the most fun years I’ve ever had at the major league level,” said reliever Matt Herges, at 36 the Marlins’ oldest player. “The coaching staff has been incredible – in a good way. I’ll look back on this year fondly for the rest of my life.”

Edmonds returns to lineup

Jim Edmonds’ first at-bat in a month showed he’s lost none of his flair for the dramatic.

A night after hitting a three-run pinch-hit homer, Edmonds was in St. Louis’ starting lineup after being sidelined since mid-August due to post-concussion syndrome.

Without much conviction, Edmonds said he felt “OK.” He told reporters they were making too big a deal of his return.

La Russa eased him in, batting him sixth against former teammate Woody Williams. Edmonds, batting .262 with 19 homers and 68 RBIs in 105 games, has batted fourth or fifth most of the season.

“This is just getting a chance to play, and we’ll see how it goes,” Edmonds said. “That’s all I can say right now. If you go out there and make a fool of yourself and cause the team to lose, then what are we talking about?”

O’Neil remains hospitalized

Buck O’Neil has been hospitalized in Kansas City, Mo., because of extreme fatigue, and friends are becoming increasingly worried about the 94-year-old former Negro Leagues player.

O’Neil spent about three days in the hospital in August, and went back in twice this month. An official of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City said he visited Buck and that he was still very weak.

O’Neil barely missed being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in February when a special committee considered several dozen Negro League and pre-Negro League figures.

Train carrying Nationals derails

The Washington Nationals canceled batting practice and players were allowed to show up at the ballpark later than usual because a chartered Amtrak train carrying the team home from New York derailed early Tuesday morning.

No one was injured when the train went off-track as it slowed approaching the station at Wilmington, Del.

“It was a very minor derailment,” Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said. “The rear wheels of the locomotive went off the track.”

The engine and three cars remained upright, and the train slowed to a stop around 1:30 a.m., Connell said. About 50 passengers on board were transferred to another train. It was not clear what caused the derailment, Connell said.

Clearing the bases

Andruw Jones hit a two-run homer in the first inning against New York to become the first Atlanta Braves player to post consecutive 40-homer seasons. Jones hit the homer off Mets starter Oliver Perez. … Oakland center fielder Mark Kotsay missed the game against Seattle after straining his left groin a night earlier. … Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez left the game against Toronto because of spasms in his lower back. … Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that right-hander Brad Radke will start Thursday’s game against the Royals. … The Tigers plan to skip Justin Verlander’s start later this week to give the rookie right-hander a break before the playoffs. … Former Detroit player Dmitri Young was sentenced to a year of probation for assaulting his former girlfriend.