Pirates

ALMOST NO ONE who read Gideon Defoe's cult series of absurdist novels about 19th-century pirates put the books down and thought: Claymation! No one except fellow Brit Peter Lord, head of Aardman Animations, the company behind the "Wallace and Gromit," franchise, and when you think about it, the perfect outfit to grasp the author's Anglo-eccentricities and convey them safely to screen. Just to make sure, Aardman hired Defoe to develop the screenplay. Their collaboration is called "Pirates: Band of Misfits.

THE KIDDIE audience might not recognize the voice of the Pirate Captain in "Pirates: Band of Misfits!" but it belongs to Hugh Grant. Older viewers might not recognize it either — it's been three years since Grant has made a movie. His last was "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" Grant's one-billionth romantic comedy, and a project apparently so awful it soured him on movies completely. Luring him back was a guy named Peter Lord, head of the Aardman Studios in England, the Claymation specialists known for "Wallace and Gromit," and their quirky British sense of humor.

Alberto Gonzalez squared to bunt in the 11th inning Sunday, aiming to drive in the go-ahead run for Texas on a squeeze play. The ball hit his bat then glanced off his right leg before bouncing toward the pitcher. But the Rangers caught a huge break - instead of being called a foul ball, Gonzalez's bunt went for an RBI infield single to give Texas a 3-2 victory over Detroit. Gonzalez admitted after the game the ball hit him around the knee - and a replay confirmed that.

Morgan Scott's fifth goal of the match, off a feed from Carleigh MacWilliams with seven seconds left in regulation, enabled host Cinnaminson to outscore Kingsway, 16-15, on Thursday in nonleague girls' lacrosse. MacWilliams finished with three goals and three assists, and Scott and Chelsea McDowell (3 goals) added two assists apiece. Pirates goalie Alexa Rocks made 15 saves. Paige Helm had six goals to lead the Dragons. In another nonleague matchup, Maple Shade ran out to a 16-4, first-half lead and went on to down host Gateway, 24-5.

PITTSBURGH - The Pirates had stormed the field for the second time in less than 24 hours, so the Phillies dressed in a quiet visitors clubhouse on Sunday at PNC Park. Dinner was ham, egg noodles, and some vegetables. Life was relatively normal after a 5-4 loss dropped the Phillies below .500 for the first time in 1,080 days. Michael Stutes lamented his bad luck. Jim Thome iced his back. David Herndon grabbed his ukulele for the plane ride home. Then there was Shane Victorino, seated at his locker, putting on his suit.

PITTSBURGH - Two games in a row, Charlie Manuel watched from the dugout as the Pirates celebrated a walk-off win with pennant-clinching enthusiasm. That was nearly as grueling as watching the hours of baseball that preceded it. The Phillies aren't playing particularly good baseball right now. Their roster is like a jigsaw puzzle with pieces that don't necessarily fit together. There are players who haven't found roles yet, and roles in need of filling. Those realities lead the manager to make some questionable decisions.

PITTSBURGH - The fireworks exploded over center field at PNC Park and Jimmy Rollins squatted in disbelief at shortstop. An entire stadium motioned "safe" just as first-base umpire Tony Randazzo spread his arms, and the game was over. Rollins remained exactly at the point where he threw the ball that was a fraction of a second too late. Welcome to life with offensive anemia. The Pirates scored twice Saturday: once on a wild pitch and then on an infield single. They still beat the Phillies, 2-1, and all of the concern from a less-than-stellar opening day victory permeated.

PITTSBURGH - You have to see it to bereave it. And if you do, it will make you realize just how fortunate Phillies fans have been for the last decade. The comatose state of the baseball team from the western end of Pennsylvania is one of the saddest sports stories of the 21st century. The Pittsburgh Pirates, a franchise that employed Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Danny Murtaugh, has been an unwatchable mess for nearly two decades. The team that beat the New York Yankees in an unforgettable 1960 World Series and captured two more titles by beating the Baltimore Orioles in 1971 and 1979 has now gone a major-league record 19 straight seasons without posting a winning record.

PITTSBURGH - The fireworks exploded over center field at PNC Park and Jimmy Rollins squatted in disbelief at shortstop. An entire stadium motioned "safe" just as first-base umpire Tony Randazzo spread his arms, and the game was over. Rollins remained exactly at the point where he threw the ball that was a fraction of a second too late. Welcome to life with offensive anemia. The Pirates scored twice Saturday: Once on a wild pitch and then on an infield single. They still beat the Phillies, 2-1, and all of the concern from a less-than-stellar opening day victory permeated.

PITTSBURGH - When Roy Halladay descended the dugout steps, he looked to his right and saw Rich Dubee conversing with Charlie Manuel. He sat down, stared at the giant PNC Park scoreboard in left field, and saw eight zeroes and two hits for the Pirates. Then he glanced at the Phillies bullpen and saw Jonathan Papelbon stretching. "I saw what was going on," Halladay said. This was a 1-0 game in his favor, 181 days after the last one ended so miserably. Dubee sauntered toward his pitcher in the dugout.