Big Numbers

This is the sort of return the Washington Nationals are expecting for their huge investment in Jayson Werth: The moxie to pull off a steal of third in the 10th inning at a time when his every mistake has been generating boos. Moments after he stunned the ballpark by swiping the bag, Werth was crossing home plate with arms raised, his teammates headed his way to celebrate. Werth had scored on a wild pitch, and the fans who had been so hard on him the last few days were cheering his daring move in a 5-4, Fourth of July matinee win over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

LANDISVILLE, Pa. - Every basketball player dreams of posting big numbers in the crunch time that comes with the latter part of a season. What he doesn't want is to head home having absorbed a punch to the gut. Say hello to Tracy Peal, who used to be a 6-6, 250-pound senior center for Archbishop Carroll High. The past tense is now necessary because his career has come to an end. Peal hustled and bumped his way to 21 points and 12 rebounds last night in a PIAA Class AAA first-round game in Hempfield High's filled-to-the-brim gym. One problem: The result was a 56-55 loss to Eastern York, of nearby Wrightsville.

Completions: Peyton Manning, Colts, 31 Pass attempts: Peyton Manning, Colts, 48 Passing yards: Kyle Orton, Broncos, 341 TD passes: Jay Cutler, Bears and Matt Cassel, Chiefs, 4 Ints. thrown: Peyton Manning, Colts, 4 Carries: Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers, 36 Rushing yards: Jamaal Charles, Chiefs, 173 Rushing TDs: Peyton Hillis, Browns, 3 Catches: Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, 13 Receiving yards: Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, 170 Receiving TDs: Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, 3 Interceptions: Glover Quin, Texans, 3

Happy Anniversary In case you missed it, Thursday was the 16th anniversary of Alex Rodriguez's first major-league game. A-Rod first came to the plate in the bigs on July 8, 1994 (19 days shy of his 19th birthday), for Seattle. He soon will be under the media microscope yet again, when he hits his 600th home run. The Yankees slugger will become the seventh player to reach the mark - but will be the first admitted steroid user to get there. A-Rod entered Thursday's night's game at Seattle with 597 career home runs.