MLB | Indians' Cliff Lee, Phillies' Brad Lidge capture comeback awards

Pitchers Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians and Brad Lidge of the Philadelphia Phillies were honored Tuesday as baseball's Comeback Players of the Year.

Lee went 22-3 with an American League-leading 2.54 earned-run average. The previous season, he was 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA and was demoted to the minor leagues.

"I've never seen a season like that," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "From start to finish he was incredible. There were real reasons for it. He worked hard physically to get back."

Lidge was a perfect 41 for 41 in save opportunities as the Phillies' closer. In 2007, he converted just 19 of 27 for the Houston Astros.

"I never lost confidence in myself, no matter what the years were like or the results," Lidge said. "I always felt I was going to come back and pitch to the best of my ability."

Piniella gets two-year contract extension

CHICAGO — Lou Piniella will lead the Chicago Cubs for at least two more seasons after the club opted to extend the manager's contract.

Piniella in October 2006 signed a three-year deal with an option to extend it into the 2010 season. He guided the Cubs to the best record in the National League this year and delivered the NL Central title the past two seasons.

"It's a grind and he's 65 years old and he still has the passion to want to win and get after it every day," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "I don't think anything makes him feel better, besides his family, than winning ballgames."

Piniella said, "I'm thankful and I look forward to a couple more years. I should be tired, but as long as I have the passion, why not?"

Cashman gets new deal

NEW YORK — Brian Cashman figures he has more work to do with the New York Yankees. After a run of success, he wasn't about to leave on the heels of a failed season.

Cashman is staying on as general manager of the Yankees, agreeing to a three-year contract that runs through 2011.

"I've got a job to finish here," Cashman said in a statement. "That's the bottom line."

New York missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 1993. Cashman took over as GM in 1997 and his current deal was set to expire at the end of October.

"I consider coming off a season where we didn't reach the playoffs for the first time since 1993 as a personal challenge. I've never been one to run from a challenge, and I look forward to having the chance to go after this thing again," Cashman said.

Notes

• A U.S. appeals court ordered a rehearing in a dispute between the baseball players' union and federal prosecutors over seized steroid tests. The union and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California have fought for the past four years about whether the government legally obtained 104 positive test results in 2004, which were supposed to remain anonymous.

• Philadelphia outfielder Pat Burrell left a workout because of discomfort in his lower back, a day before Philadelphia opens the NL playoffs.

• San Diego general manager Kevin Towers figured the first step toward digging out from a 99-loss season was to bring back Bud Black as manager. "This is still the right guy to lead this organization," Towers said. "I don't think based on the record we could hold him fully responsible for the outcome of the season."

• Longtime Cleveland bullpen coach Luis Isaac has been fired by manager Eric Wedge. Wedge said that "it was tough" to dismiss the 62-year-old Isaac, who had been with the club for 44 years.

• Mets pitcher John Maine had surgery to remove a lesion from the back of his right shoulder socket.