One day after the Angels doused Nick Adenhart's No. 34 jersey with beer and champagne, players and coaches found themselves defending a gesture that some bloggers, columnists and fans criticized as insensitive considering that Adenhart was killed by an alleged drunk driver. "We wanted to celebrate with him like he was here," reliever Kevin Jepsen, whose locker is a few stalls away from Adenhart's, said Tuesday. "If he was still here with us, we'd be pouring beer on him just like everybody else in here. "It had nothing to do with the drunk-driving accident. We were just celebrating and wanted to make him a part of it." Said third baseman Chone Figgins: "He's our teammate. We're allowed to do what we want."

The Cleveland Indians have fired manager Eric Wedge. The Indians are in the early stages of what general manager Mark Shapiro referred to as a "reloading" period, and the reload will extend to the managerial position and the coaching staff. A 1:30 p.m. ET press conference was scheduled Wednesday at Progressive Field to announce that Wedge and his coaches have all been relieved of their duties. Wedge and his staff will stay aboard for the season's final six games, including the four-game set in Boston this weekend. According to a team source, Wedge has known his fate for several days, while the coaches -- including pitching coach Carl Willis, hitting coach Derek Shelton, bench coach Jeff Datz, first-base coach Luis Rivera, third-base coach Joel Skinner and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez -- were informed of the moves following Tuesday's rainout against the White Sox.

When asked to name the Major League Baseball team they consider to be "America's Team," the Yankees were named by 41.6% of respondents with an opinion, in a national poll conducted by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute. This was followed by the Red Sox at 16.3% and the Braves at 6.9%. A total of twenty-five teams were named, including the Toronto Blue Jays. Approximately 800 people were surveyed.

The Twins have agreed to terms with 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano, his agent said Tuesday, and will pay the highly touted hitter a $3.15 million signing bonus. Rob Plummer said he expects the deal to be finalized this week, likely today. The issue most likely holding up the finalization is one that has been nagging Sano and Plummer all summer while teams have pursued him. Sano is reportedly 16 years old, but questions about his age have been serious enough for Major League Baseball to look into it. MLB did an identity and age investigation this summer, and though his identity checked out, according to reports, the league wasn't able to make a conclusion on Sano's age. The Twins were one of several teams interested in Sano, along with the Pirates and Orioles, and Plummer said Sano is "super, super excited" to sign with Minnesota.

Rod Barajas and the Jays may be able to reach terms on a new contract, but he might also find strong interest from Boston. Jason Varitek is unlikely to be be re-signed and while the Red Sox have Victor Martinez, Barajas might be an option behind the plate. In 91 career at-bats at Fenway Park, he has a .317 average, a .385 on-base percentage and an .872 OPS.

Chuck Knoblauch surrendered to authorities in Harris County, Tex., Tuesday after he was charged with assaulting his common-law wife. Knoblauch, who was named in the Mitchell Report as a player who used performance-enhancing drugs, took the anti-anxiety medication Xanax and had been drinking heavily Friday night when he hit and choked Stacey Stelmach, according to prosecutors. Knoblauch was charged with assault of a family member. A change in Texas law that took effect Sept.1 makes it a felony to choke a family member, and the former All-Star faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Donna Hawkins said.

USA Today reported over the weekend that Arizona will listen to offers this off-season on shortstop Stephen Drew in an attempt to upgrade their starting pitching. One team executive noted that the organization always has and will listen to offers on just about every player but said Drew would rank among those least likely to be traded. The Diamondbacks have no other major league-ready shortstops in their organization, so dealing Drew would create a hole.

Bobby Valentine, speaking via conference call Tuesday from Japan, said he is "totally committed" to his new job as a Baseball Tonight panelist, beginning with the upcoming postseason. "I've come far enough and done this thing often enough to understand the everyday grind of a major league season has got to be aided by the working relationship with the people you have around you," Valentine, 59, said. The Nationals, currently being managed on an interim basis by Jim Riggleman, are believed to have at least mild interest in Valentine, who spent the past six years managing Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines.

The Dodgers are negotiating a long-term contract extension with General Manager Ned Colletti, a high-ranking club official said. The Dodgers have reached the postseason three times in four years under Colletti, whose current deal includes a mutual option for 2010. Colletti, who said earlier this month he would "love" to return to the Dodgers next season, declined to comment on the negotiations. "He's obviously done a very good job," Frank McCourt said. "The team has the best record in the National League. We're on the verge of clinching the division back-to-back [for the first time] in 31 years. I think that speaks for itself."

With Florida expected to keep payroll around $37 million barring a surprising change in approach, the Marlins plan to dump Jeremy Hermida; believe they probably cannot afford Dan Uggla and likely will not re-sign Nick Johnson unless he settles for a deal well below market value. There's also talk from Marlins people that the team might not be able to afford Jorge Cantu, but that's in question. Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Uggla, Cantu, Cody Ross and Hermida headline the list of arbitration-eligible Marlins players.