Mariotti takes Sox, Sun-Times to task  —  Columnist also says Guillen should be suspended for slur  —  A day after Ozzie Guillen slammed him in an obscenity-laced tirade, Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti fired back at the White Sox.  —  That response was expected.

The Mets Are In The Zone  —  FLUSHING, NY - Michael Jordan had it and Tiger Woods may have lost it, but at one time or another, great players experience what they call "The Zone."  —  It's something David Wright felt on occasion this season.  —  "Everything slows down," Wright explained.

Red Sox acquire designated Johnson from Indians  —  BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox obtained pitcher Jason Johnson on Wednesday, a day after the right-hander was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians.  —  The Red Sox, beset by injuries to starting pitchers, gave up a player …

'It's like playing with fire' … Paxton Crawford was a top pitching prospect who went 5-1 in 15 games for the Red Sox in 2000 and 2001.  Then back problems — which he blames on steroid use — derailed the right-hander's career, which ended in the minors in 2005.

Finding out what it's like to be the Melk Man  —  NEW YORK - Melky Cabrera began playing baseball at age 3, with a stick and a rock and a plea to anyone who visited the family's humble roadside home on Carretera Sanchez, in the village of Haina, not far from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Foulke still clueless in this novel mystery  —  A reporter yesterday mentioned to Keith Foulke that his case of elbow tendinitis came out of nowhere.  —  ``No [kidding]," Foulke said.  ``Tell me about it."  —  The only thing more alarming to Foulke than the pain that shot through …

Mulder's woes continue as Chicago has an 11-run inning  —  CHICAGO — The Cardinals steadfastly maintain their lefthanded starting pitcher is physically sound even if mechanically flawed.  What they can no longer deny is that Mark Mulder is in serious trouble.

Teixeira says call by umpire not fair  —  ARLINGTON — Mark Teixeira already had his arms raised to celebrate his walkoff home run.  He had hit the pitch off Padres closer Trevor Hoffman so hard and so high and so far that the ball soared over the top of the right-field foul pole.

Baseball Smarts: The Best Percentage Players in the Game  —  Who do you think is the smartest player in baseball?  That's kind of a difficult question to answer, because it depends on what you mean by "smartest."  Miguel Batista writes poetry and reads books on Mahatma Gandhi and Josh Phelps …

Zambrano takes on the Tribe  —  Chicago Cubs (27-43) at Cleveland (32-38), 6:05 p.m. CT  —  CLEVELAND — Manager Dusty Baker hopes to see the economical Carlos Zambrano against the Indians on Wednesday night.  —  Zambrano got a no-decision in his last start, on June 15 against Houston.

Prospectus Matchups  —  In a Pinch  —  Closest Matchup (opponents closest to one another in the Prospectus Hit List rankings): Minnesota Twins (20th) @ Houston Astros (23rd)  —  Back when interleague play was just a bad idea floating around the ether, the most popular argument in its favor went like this …

Call to arms  —  Call to arms  —  Somewhere, among all the rumors circulating throughout baseball and in the myriad of general managers' telephone conversations, a pitcher's name is mentioned.  —  And then, almost as soon as it begins, the talk stalls and nothing worthwhile comes of it.

Yanks' eye on Jacque  —  PHILADELPHIA - It's no secret the Yankees have several glaring needs, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to fill them on the trade market.  —  One source said GM Brian Cashman is running into the same wall on almost every call he makes …

Daily Transactions  —  Placed LHP Terry Mulholland and RHP Russ Ortiz on unconditional waivers.  Placed OF Scott Hairston on the 15-day DL.  Recalled RHP Casey Daigle from Tucson of the PCL.  —  Boston Red Sox  —  Acquired RHP Jason Johnson and cash from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named or cash.

MLB Transactions  —  Acquired pitcher Jason Johnson from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named or cash considerations; optioned pitcher Kyle Snyder to Pawtucket of the International League (AAA); announced outfielder Dustan Mohr has elected free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to Pawtucket.