A Thousand Pardons

EXCUSE ME: Milwaukee lost a game to Oakland last week after Pitcher Jamie Easterly forgot the signs in the eighth inning and threw a slider when Catcher Ned Yost expected a fastball. The ball got past Yost , allowing the decisive run to score in an 8-7 loss.... EXCUSE ME, PLEASE: Following the Rangers' fourth loss in a row, Manager Doug Rader had a flying fit in his office. When it was over, one bystander had been hit in the head by a towel and clothes hanger, and another was wearing the manager's uniform pants on his head. "Sorry," said Rader in a feeble voice.... WELL, I SAID "EXCUSE ME": Umpire Dave Phillips gave Minnesota 's John Castino a walk on what was actually ball three in a 12-4 win over Baltimore . "I feel real bad about it," Phillips said afterward.