Pitcher Kyle Lohse and the St Louis Cardinals agreed Monday to a $41 million, four-year contract.

Pitcher Kyle Lohse and the St Louis Cardinals agreed Monday to a $41 million, four-year contract.
Lohse was 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA this season and led the staff with 200 innings. He agreed to a $4.25 million, one-year contract on March 14.

His new deal contract calls for a $1.25 million signing bonus and salaries of $7,125,000 next year, $8,875,000 in 2009 and $11,875,000 in each of the final two seasons. He also gets a full no-trade clause.

Lohse said he was able to remain more consistent this season in part because of better preparation under pitching coach Dave Duncan and manager Tony La Russa.

“I’ve had pretty good runs in the past but I’d have a couple of games where it skewed the numbers a little bit,” he said.

“He really became the glue of what we needed to have happen,” general manager John Mozeliak said at a news conference.

St. Louis’ pitching depth is uncertain. Chris Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, missed nearly all of the past two seasons with injuries. He has been diagnosed with irritation of nerves that feed the muscles in the back of his shoulder.

Monday American League Capsule.

Monday American League Capsule.
CHI WHITE SOX 8, DETROIT 2

CHICAGO Rookie Alexei Ramirezs sixth-inning grand slam broke a 2-2 tie and helped the Chicago White Sox defeat the Detroit Tigers, 8-2, to set up a one-game playoff for the American League Central title.

Ramirez drilled a first-pitch fastball from reliever Gary Glover over the left field wall after Chicago had used a spurt of wildness by Detroit pitchers to tie the game at 2-2, and then load the bases.

The White Sox ended up scoring five runs in the sixth of this makeup contest to finish with an 88-74 record, the same mark as the Minnesota Twins. The playoff will take place Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EDT, with the winner going on to face the Tampa Bay Rays in an AL Division Series starting Thursday.

Tigers starter Freddy Garcia had overcome some early wildness to cruise into the sixth with a 2-1 lead against his former team, but walked leadoff batter Dewayne Wise. When Wise stole second on a pitch to Jermaine Dye, Garcia walked off the mound complaining of shoulder tightness.

Armando Galarraga, who went 13-6 as a rookie starter, entered the game on three days rest to pitch in relief and threw two wild pitches, the second one walking Dye and allowing Wise to knot the game at 2-2.

Lefthanded reliever Bobby Seay then struck out Jim Thome before intentionally walking Paul Konerko. However, he also issued a free pass to Ken Griffey Jr. to load the bases before being pulled in favor of Glover, who went on to surrender his fourth homer of the season in limited time.

It was Ramirezs fourth grand slam of the season, giving him sole possession of the single-season record for rookies. It also tied a team record held by Albert Belle in 1997, and gave the White Sox a team-record 12 this season.

Starting pitcher Gavin Floyd (17-8) threw 118 pitches in six innings to get the victory, but it looked for a short time like his fielding error would bring an end to Chicagos season.

With two outs and the teams tied at 1-1 in the sixth following a double by Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Raburn hit a tapper in front of the mound. Floyd slipped slightly, bobbled the ball and then threw high over the first baseman Konerko for an error that allowed Cabrera to score the go-ahead run.

Ramirez added more insurance in the eighth when he singled, stole second and came home on A.J. Pierzynskis double to right off Aquilino Lopez. The Tigers fourth wild pitch of the game put Pierzynski at third, and he scored when the second baseman Raburn booted Juan Uribes grounder.

Floyd finished with two runs - one earned - and five hits allowed, two walks and eight strikeouts in six innings while working on three days rest. A bullpen which had been shaky of late, Chicago relievers set down Detroit with just one hit over the final three innings.

Garcia, whose wife is the niece of White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, allowed two runs and two hits while striking out three and walking three in five-plus frames.

The first three White Sox batters of the game reached against Garcia, with Orlando Cabrera and Wise drawing walks before Dye delivered an RBI single to center.

Garcia then retired 11 straight batters before a two-out single by Griffey in the fourth. He retired 15 of 16 before walking Wise and leaving with the injury.

The Tigers tied the score at 1-1 in the fifth when Raburn hit a leadoff single to left, stole second and came around on Brandon Inges RBI double that just eluded Wise as he jumped against the left-field wall.

Floyd then gave up a single to Dusty Ryan, but pitched his way out of a first-and-third jam with no outs by striking out Ramon Santiago and Curtis Granderson and inducing Gary Sheffield into a grounder to third.

Galarraga (13-7) took the defeat for Detroit, which last in the AL Central with a 74-88 record.

Jourdan Brooks ran for three touchdowns and embattled quarterback Mike Teel.

Jourdan Brooks ran for three touchdowns and embattled quarterback Mike Teel. Led Rutgers anemic offense to a big first half in a 38-0 victory over Morgan State on Saturday that ended Greg Schiano’s worst start since taking over as the Scarlet Knights’ coach in 2001.

Brooks scored on runs of 1, 5 and 3 yards, Mason Robinson had a 4-yard TD run and Teel threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tim Brown as Rutgers (1-3) scored all its points in the first half.

The Scarlet Knights’ defense also came up big against the Football Championship Subdivision school. After giving up 91 points and not producing a turnover against Fresno State, North Carolina and Navy, the unit forced two fumbles and intercepted two passes that led to 17 points. Special teams also set up a touchdown when Jamaal Westermann blocked a punt and returned it 20 yards to the Morgan State 15.

Morgan State (2-2) was limited to 109 yards in seeing its two-game winning streak snapped.

Rutgers’ last shutout was a 59-0 win over Norfolk State last season. The Scarlet Knights have posted a 3-0 record against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools over the past three years, outscoring them 153-7.

It marked the first time Morgan State was shut out on the road since 1998, a 55-0 loss to Hampton.

The win ended a turbulent week for Rutgers, and particularly Teel. He threw a punch at teammate Glen Lee after throwing a late interception in a 23-21 loss to Navy last Saturday.

Schiano did not discipline his senior quarterback, but minutes before the kickoff he suspended leading receiver Kenny Britt and highly regarded starting left tackle Anthony Davis for an undisclosed violation of team policy.

It didn’t make a difference as Rutgers, which had scored 40 points in its first three games, scored on its first three possessions against a helpless opponent.

The Scarlet Knights took the opening kickoff and went 66 yards in nine plays, taking the lead on Brooks’ 1-yard touchdown run. Teel hit all three of his passes on the drive, including consecutive strikes of 21 yards to Tiquan Underwood and 12 to Brown.

Teel scrambled 20 yards for a first down on a third-down play from his own 4 and found Dennis Campbell for gains of 15 and 36 to set up Robinson’s first career touchdown on the next possession.

Linebacker Ryan D’Imperio recovered Devan James’ fumble at the Bears 29 to set up the third score. Teel found tight end Kevin Brock for 24 yards on the first play and Brooks scored on the next play.

Brooks, whose parents, Andrea and Maurice, attended Morgan State, with Maurice playing linebacker in the late 1970s, added his 3-yard touchdown run after Westerman’s blocked punt.

Safety Courtney Greene set up Teel’s touchdown pass with an interception and return to the Bears 24 late in the second quarter. Teel finished 11 of 18 for 188 and an interception.

Linebacker Damaso Munoz’s interception in the final minute of the half led to a 19-yard field goal by San San Te.

When the NFL schedule came out in April, Greg Ellis did a quick scan to find out.

When the NFL schedule came out in April, Greg Ellis did a quick scan to find out. When he would see Clinton Portis because, “He’s going to be a mess to deal with.”

Portis comes to town Sunday, and the Redskins running back is another in a line of top backs the Cowboys have seen in the season’s first month.

In the season opener, they had to contend with Cleveland’s Jamal Lewis, who had 1,304 yards in 2007. The Cowboys limited him to 62 yards on 13 carries.

In Week 2, it was Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook, who ran for 1,333 yards last season. He was held to 63 yards on 18 carries.

Last week, it was Green Bay’s Ryan Grant, who had 956 yards in 15 games (seven starts) in 2007. The Cowboys limited him to 54 yards on 13 carries.

Portis, who gained 1,262 yards last season, has 248 yards through the first three games and three touchdown runs in his last two games.

“Look at our goal board and the first one is ‘Stop the run,’ ” Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said. “If you stop the run, then you have a chance to be successful.”

Within the “Stop the run,” goal is a subcategory of not allowing a team 100 yards rushing. Cleveland came closest with 91 yards, followed by Green Bay (84) and Philadelphia (78).

Part of the success, according to Stewart, is the solid work of the front seven and the Cowboys’ explosive offense. The Cowboys have had double-digit leads in two of the first three games, forcing teams to throw the ball to play catch up.

The Cowboys are seventh against the run in the NFL, allowing 87 yards per game. Only five of their opponents’ 62 carries against them have gone for 10 or more yards and only three have been by running backs.

The Cowboys know Portis will come at them. His 65 carries are tied for third-most in the NFL, behind Chicago’s Matt Forte (73) and Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker (66) and equal to Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson.

“They’re going to give it to 30, 35 times, no doubt,” defensive end Marcus Spears said.

But Portis has not had much success at Texas Stadium. In three games (he was inactive in 2005), he has 39 carries for 120 yards. However, the last time he saw the Cowboys defense was the 2007 season finale, when he ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts.

He also was the only back to rush for more than 100 yards against the Cowboys last season.

“Teams know that it’ll be tough to run the ball against us,” linebacker Bradie James said. “We might get a 100-yard rusher probably once or twice a year, but you can’t have it more than that.

“If we don’t stop the run, it’ll be a long day. Our defense is predicated on getting sacks and making big plays and we can do that by stopping the run.”

The decision to play Sunday against the visiting Green Bay Packers.

The decision to play Sunday against the visiting Green Bay Packers. Will be left entirely up to Matt Bryant.
The Tampa Bay Bucs kicker and his wife, Melissa, lost their 3-month-old son, Tryson, who apparently died in his sleep early Wednesday morning.

Bryant has not practices since then, and Bucs coach Jon Gruden said the team has not signed a kicker.

“We’ll make a decision, ultimately, on who kicks when we get to the stadium on Sunday,” Gruden said after Friday’s practice.

Bryant, who has not missed a point after or a field goal this season, is probably in the best position of all the Bucs except punter Josh Bidwell to play despite missing practice. But it is Bryant’s mental state that is a concern to his coaches and teammates.

Bidwell told reporters Thursday that he wouldn’t be surprised if Bryant does play against the Packers.

Gruden said Bryant’s physical state is the least of his worries.

“Guys have missed practice at other positions. Unfortunately, that’s just part of the business,” Gruden said. “I don’t worry about that right now. I’m more concerned with Matt Bryant the person. I’ll just leave it at that. We’re going to do the best we can, okay? We’re going to do everything we can to help him out.”

No sacks

The Bucs offensive lineman weren’t too enthused to look back on last Sunday’s performance when they allowed Brian Griese to make 67 pass attempts without getting sacked. To a man, they said they were already looking forward to Sunday’s game with the Packers.

But Bucs defensive end Greg White had some thoughts on the subject.

When asked if they had a chance to rush a quarterback 67 times in one game, would they record at least a sack, White said, “I would like to think so.”

And if they didn’t?

“We would have to have a talk with ourselves,” White said. “We would definitely have to have a little gut-check.”

Those 67 attempts without a sack is a franchise record for pass attempts without a sack and the third highest attempts without a sack in NFL history.

Drew Bledsoe once attempted 70 pass without a sack. George Blanda once had 68 attempts without a sack.

Jackson to share returning duties

The Bucs drafted Dexter Jackson in the second round primarily to return kicks and punts while he learns how to play receiver in the NFL. But Jackson hasn’t exactly been impressive as a returner.

He’s averaged 23.1 yards on eight kickoff returns and three yards on 10 punt returns.

As a result, Ike Hilliard and Michael Clayton have joined Jackson as returners, with Hilliard fielding punts and Clayton fielding kickoffs.

“You might see somebody else,” Gruden said. “But we’re going to do it on a situational basis, and we’ll have a plan for each return.”

Injury update

The Bucs will be without receiver Joey Galloway on Sunday. Galloway said his sprained foot is better, but it hasn’t healed enough to get him back on the field.

Fullback B.J. Askew (hamstring) is listed as questionable, as is guard Davin Joseph, who returned to practice this week after breaking his foot during the Bucs second preseason game.

The Atlanta Falcons are one of the NFL pleasant surprises, starting 2-1 after a 2007 season.

The Atlanta Falcons are one of the NFL pleasant surprises, starting 2-1 after a 2007 season. That was ruined from the start by the jailing of Michael Vick and made worse by the harsh regime of Bobby Petrino and his sudden departure for Arkansas with three games left.

The New York Jets are 1-2, not a surprise considering they had a difficult opening schedule. But the way they have played has made it clear that the quick-fix approach that included the trade for Brett Favre, is just that: a quick fix that is likely to damage any long-term rebuilding plan.

Yes, there are many ways to build a good team, as New England has shown by using the draft, trades and a few smart free-agent signings to dominate most of this decade.

But the method that has built champions, before and after the advent of free agency in 1993, is the one that’s always worked: good drafts.

That’s why the Falcons are doing it the right way, even if things don’t work out perfectly. And the Jets are doing it the wrong way, even if Favre leads them to the playoffs this season. At the end of this year or next year, they will still be spinning their wheels, hoping that Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff or some older QB off the scrap heap (Marc Bulger anyone?) will lead them to the Super Bowl.

“Scouting and drafting is still the most basic way to build a football team and the good teams know it,” says Gil Brandt, the longtime personnel director of the Cowboys and now the NFL’s draft consultant. “It’s funny that every time I talk to someone from a school that thinks it has a kid who can be a real sleeper in the draft they tell me, ‘The Giants were here looking at him.’ ”

The Giants, in case anyone missed it, upset the Patriots to win the Super Bowl with eight rookies on the roster, including a tight end named Kevin Boss from Western Oregon, not exactly a spawning ground for NFL players.

Dallas, currently the consensus choice as the NFL’s top team, signed receiver and return man Miles Austin two years ago as a free agent from Monmouth in New Jersey. He had two receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown Sunday night to help beat Green Bay. Monmouth just happens to be on the Jersey shore, a place well known to Bill Parcells, the coach of the Cowboys when Austin was signed.

The Falcons can only aspire to be the Giants or Cowboys in a few years.

But after the Vick/Petrino debacle, they began the right way by hiring Thomas Dimitroff, a little-known personnel man from New England, to take over the football operation. He hired the almost totally unknown Mike Smith from Jacksonville to coach the team.

Then Dimitroff used first-round draft picks, the third overall and the 21st, to draft Matt Ryan and Sam Baker. They were made immediate starters at quarterback and left tackle, two of the most important positions on offense, and two of the most difficult for any rookie to learn. They added another rookie at another key position in middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, a second-round pick.

Football people differ on whether throwing in rookies at those position helps or hinders their development. And the verdict, of course, is still out on Ryan, Baker and Atlanta - considering that while the Falcons are 2-1, their wins are over two of the NFL’s worst teams, winless Detroit and winless Kansas City.

Individual results? About what they should be.

Ryan threw a 62-yard touchdown pass on his first play against the Lions, the second NFL quarterback ever to do that. He also had a TD pass against the Chiefs and didn’t have an interception in either game. His passer ratings in those wins were 137 and 120.6, outstanding numbers.

But against Tampa, with a veteran defense that can be one of the most difficult in the NFL to decipher, he was 13-of-33 for 158 yards and his rating was a dismal 39.4.

Beyond that, the best thing about the Falcons’ offense is that they found that occasional free agent who can have an immediate impact: Michael Turner, LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup in San Diego and by far the biggest prize this year in the running back crop. He currently leads the league in rushing with 366 yards and has a 6.2 average.

But again, the numbers are skewed by opponents: 324 yards and all five of his touchdowns came against the Lions and Chiefs; just 42 yards were against the Bucs.

Still for a team that won four games last season, getting halfway there in three weeks is an accomplishment.

The Jets, who also finished 4-12 in 2007, are another story.

Feeling squeezed by the success of the Patriots, who have won five straight AFC East titles, and the Giants, who have always owned the New York area and dominated it after their Super Bowl win, they set out to get their own attention.

They did, especially by trading for Favre, which got them on the back pages of the tabloids for a week and into City Hall.

But did they do it the right way?

The price for Favre wasn’t very much: a fourth-round draft choice. And the price for the rest of the players they signed - notably offensive linemen Alan Faneca and Damien Woody; linebacker/defensive end Calvin Pace; and nose tackle Kris Jenkins (after a trade with Carolina) - wasn’t the kind fans care about. It was simply millions of owner Woody Johnson’s dollars.

On the other hand, it doesn’t guarantee anything.

Remember that Favre is 38, Faneca 31, Woody 30 and Jenkins 29 with a history of injuries. He hurt his back early in last week’s loss in San Diego, although he is expected to be ready for Sunday’s game with Arizona.

Did they draft well?

Linebacker/DE Vernon Gholston, taken with the sixth overall pick, got his first tackle Monday night as he struggles to adjust to new defensive schemes after a late start. Give him time, but remember that a lot of teams had doubts that he should be rated as highly as he was coming out of Ohio State.

A second first-round pick, Dustin Keller, looks like a good receiving tight end, and fourth-rounder Dwight Lowery has started at cornerback and looks like a find.

But even a draft as good as the Giants had last season won’t do much good once Favre re-retires, either after this season or the next.

Yes, maybe the Jets will monopolize the tabloids again after the season as Favre once again contemplates retirement. And again next June when - if he retires - he once again contemplates unretirement.

But they have no idea whether Clemens, Ratliff or Erik Ainge, the three young QBs on their roster, has a future as a starter. Clemens was erratic at best when he got a chance last season, and Ratliff showed some promise in the preseason, but has never thrown a pass in a real game.

The Falcons’ course also remains unclear. Because Ryan’s first pass was a touchdown and two of his first three starts were wins doesn’t mean that he won’t encounter hard times. In fact, count on it, perhaps as soon as Sunday, when the Falcons go to Carolina.

But they seem to be doing things the right way.

Before this season, few people had heard of their general manager and coach - and the coach’s generic name probably guarantees he will remain relatively anonymous unless his team has some success.

But bet on them to be more consistently successful in the next decade than the team that already has a superstar. An aging one who will be gone in a year or two.

—

DIRTY DOZEN

The top six and bottom six teams in the NFL based on current level of play:

1. Dallas (3-0). Clearly the best team in the league. Nor is it time to harp on the Cowboys’ recent postseason flops. Wait until the postseason for that.

2. New York Giants (3-0). Winning a close one might help in the long run. So should the Plaxico Burress suspension because a team that punishes one of its best players for misbehavior is a team that’s showing it’s lesser lights that no one is immune.

3. Philadelphia (2-1). Sense an NFC East theme? It’s happened before. From 1990-92, the NFL champions were, in order, the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys.

4. Tennessee (3-0). Jeff Fisher has quietly gone about his business for 14 seasons and produced a quality product in most of them.

5. Green Bay (2-1). The Cowboys exposed some shortcomings in the Packers. But they can do that to anyone.

6. San Diego (1-2). Could finish 12-4 - as long as Ed Hochuli doesn’t do another of its games.

—

27. Cincinnati (0-3). The old Carson Palmer showed up in the Meadowlands. The old Ocho Zero did not.

28. Oakland (1-2). Showing some progress on the field. But Al Davis’ repeat treatment of a young coach (see Mike Shanahan, 1988, and Jon Gruden, 2001) is tarnishing whatever legacy of the old silver and black remains.

29. Cleveland (0-3). That 10-6 in 2007 sure looks like a fluke.

30 Detroit (0-3). Those fans celebrating Matt Millen’s firing might stop celebrating soon. The Fords are like the Bidwills with the Cardinals: They change bosses but rarely win.

31. Kansas City. (0-3). Croyle, Thigpen and Huard. Sounds like a down-and-out law firm.

32. St. Louis. (0-3). What can 38-year-old Trent Green do that 31-year-old Marc Bulger didn’t? Is playing behind this leaky an OL a good spot for a QB who had a serious concussion last season?

NFL Calendar.

NFL Calendar.
Oct. 13-15 - NFL fall meeting, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Oct. 14 - Trading deadline.

Dec. 28 - Regular season ends.

Jan. 3-4 - Wild-card playoffs.

Jan. 10-11 - Divisional playoffs.

Jan. 18 - Conference championships.

Feb. 1 - Super Bowl, Tampa, Fla.

Feb. 8 - Pro Bowl, Honolulu.

Feb. 18-24 - NFL combine.

Feb. 27 - Free agency begins.

March 22-25 - Annual owners meeting, Dana Point, Calif.

April 25-26 - NFL draft, New York.