Red Sox, O's broadcaster at odds over bloody sock  —  BALTIMORE — The story of Curt Schilling's famous bloody sock from the 2004 playoffs is turning into a bloody mess after a prominent broadcaster claimed one of Schilling's teammates acknowledged the blood wasn't real.

As the A-Rod Turns  —  I wrote a two-part piece on Alex Rodriguez last year when he was supposedly washed up, struggling, could not hit a thing.  What a difference a year makes.  Now A-Rod is rewriting the American League record book and is apparently a different person.

Bonds could set HR mark against Sox  —  You ready for this, because it could happen here.  —  This is what we know: Barry Bonds is going to pass Hank Aaron.  Here's what we don't know: Where or when.  But your favorite little ballpark is in the running for the where part, the weekend of June 15-17.

Prior still in club's plans?  Hendry won't say  —  Mark Prior's season is over, and his future in Chicago is cloudy.  —  Specialist James Andrews performed a right shoulder arthroscopy on Prior, 26, in Birmingham, Ala., which included a cleanup of his right rotator cuff and a repair of the shoulder capsules and right labrum.

Patterson Doomed By Nats' Defense  —  Lack of Support Leads to Loss: Phillies 9, Nationals 3  —  One ball sailed to left field, where Robert Fick might have caught it but didn't.  The next hitter, predictably, followed with a home run, and an inning from which John Patterson might have escaped cost him two runs.

Pelfrey's Grip on His Rotation Spot Is Becoming Tenuous  —  The Mets have seen Mike Pelfrey dominate.  They have seen him pump fastballs past major league hitters and befuddle them with his sinker.  They have seen him turn over tough lineups.  They just have not seen him do it recently.

Ace dealt another injury  —  Strain might derail Sheets' next turn  —  Chicago - It was an upper-Midwest excuse for a spring day - raw, rainy and hardly ideal for baseball - and Ben Sheets had this uneasy feeling that somebody would get hurt.  —  Sheets just never imagined it would be him.

Bobby Valentine's Super Terrific Happy Hour  —  With his progressive and creative baseball mind and his Veeckian flair for showmanship, the controversial former Mets manager is a national hero — alas, halfway around the globe  —  The Most Hated Man in Baseball is now adored.

Mets Fans Need Not Worry About Wright  —  David Wright has now played in 20 games this year, in which he's driven in four runs and hasn't hit a single home run.  Dating back to last year's All Star break, a period covering 87 games, he's hit six home runs and driven in 46 …

Baseball Looks to Create a Possible Portal to Cuba  —  Major League Baseball officials are quietly preparing to re-establish a relationship with Cuba if the United States lifts its trade embargo.  —  Fidel Castro, 80, has experienced serious health problems in recent years …

Pennants Added  —  In this year's Annual, I wrote an essay attempting to rank the most valuable pitchers of all time.  Though I devoted space to explaining his ranking, many people still complained that no rational person would rank Sandy Koufax as the 64th most valuable pitcher of all time, even if he did retire at 30.

CSI: Cooperstown  —  Schilling's sock, as it currently appears at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  (Photo Courtesy of Baseball Hall of Fame)  —  Jeff Idelson, Vice President of Communications and Education for the Baseball Hall of Fame, said the Hall has no reason to doubt …

Thoughts on Bonds  —  Barry Bonds hit his seventh home run of the season last night.  He's now getting on base at a .470 clip and slugging .808.  I'm totally amazed by this.  Watching him play last April, I thought he was through.  But as the season wore on he adjusted to his knees and elbow …

04.25.2007 From the vault: The Decline of the Sports Guy  —  We originally posted this article in June 2006, but Bill Simmons is once again showing how little he knows about baseball.  If you are a fan of "Yah, dude!" baseball analysis, stick with Simmons.  If you're not, check …