BASEBALL

PHILLIES FIRE GENERAL MANAGER WADE

Ed Wade was fired as general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday after failing to get them into the playoffs during his eight years on the job. The Phillies went 88-74 this season and finished one game behind NL wild-card winner Houston, and attendance dropped by more than a half-million.

The Phillies haven’t reached the playoffs since 1993, and have won just one championship (1980) in the franchise’s 123-year history. Wade, 49, has two years remaining on his contract and it’s unknown whether he’ll remain in the organization. He was very unpopular in Philadelphia, especially after he hired Charlie Manuel as manager to replace Larry Bowa. Though the Phillies were in the playoff chase the entire season, fans never really warmed up to them. Attendance at two-year-old Citizens Bank Park dropped off by almost 600,000, down from 3.25 million in 2004.

BEATTIE OUT IN BALTIMORE

Jim Beattie won’t return in 2006 as executive vice president of the Baltimore Orioles, a move that could signify the beginning of wide-ranging shakeup in the wake of the team’s eighth straight losing season. Beattie told people yesterday at a charity golf outing in the Baltimore area that he would not be back. His contract expires at the end of this month.

There was no word on the status of vice president Mike Flanagan, who worked with Beattie in the Orioles’ front office. It was also uncertain whether the Orioles would retain interim manager Sam Perlozzo, who took over for manager Lee Mazzilli on August 4.

FOOTBALL

WILLIAMS RETURNS TO DOLPHINS, WILL PLAY SUNDAY

The Miami Dolphins made a substantial offensive upgrade yesterday, adding a certified yoga instructor and student of holistic medicine notorious for his shyness and mercurial behavior. Yes, Ricky Williams is back.

Returning from a four-week suspension that followed a one-year retirement, Williams took part in the team’s walkthrough session. He’ll rejoin practice tomorrow and likely play Sunday at Tampa Bay – his first game since December 2003.

Following Williams’s abrupt retirement in July 2004, the Dolphins lost their first six games and finished 4-12, their worst season since the 1960s. He now owes the Dolphins $8.6 million for breaching his contract. The 2002 NFL rushing champion showed a few flashes of his old form during the preseason, leading the Dolphins with 126 yards rushing on 30 carries.

– Associated Press