Former Mets employee busted in raid  —  Pleads guilty to distributing steroids to MLBers  —  Since last summer, Sports Illustrated reporters Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim have been investigating an alleged illegal steroid distribution network that has implicated pro athletes.

Ignorance has its privileges  —  Take Gary Thorne, John, Jack Joe or whatever his first name is, Heyman, Karen Vescey, Woody Paige, CHB, Jay Marriotti, Bill Plaschke, and a host of other people that litter the media landscape, and put them all on an island somewhere.  —  Does anyone stop reading their newspapers?

Heirs to the throne?  —  Dolan family has keen interest in buying Yankees  —  Also in this column:  —  With age creeping up on George Steinbrenner and his team's succession plans seeming unsettled, it was only a matter of time before someone surfaced with interest in buying the Yankees.

Dice-K to make first start in the Bronx  —  Boston (14-7) at New York (8-12), 7:05 p.m. ET  —  A three-game sweep of the Yankees last weekend in Fenway Park gave the Red Sox confidence they carry to New York for Friday's opener of a weekend series.  Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka …

Lies, Damned Lies: The PECOTA Top 100 by Nate Silver  —  This is my favorite column of the year to write, perhaps because there's relatively little actual writing involved.  Let's bring the PECOTA Takes on Prospects series to its long overdue conclusion.  —  Below is PECOTA's …

No longer a gone-slinger  —  Odds aren't that great, but at least Buehrle's departure doesn't seem inevitable anymore  —  There's a memorable scene at the end of ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' in which ''Blondie,'' played by Clint Eastwood, lets everyone know who's holding all the cards.

Lineups, etc.  —  There's a whole lot of standing around going on in the Red Sox clubhouse, so I decided to bow out to give you all a peak at the lineups for tonight.  I also have some news of note from Terry Francona, and the update that "Talladega Nights" was bringing down the (club)house.

Griffey diagnosed with pleurisy (AP)  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ken Griffey Jr. remained out of the Cincinnati Reds' lineup for a second day Friday with pleurisy, an inflammation in the lining of a cavity surrounding the lungs.  —  Griffey was held out of Thursday's game in St. Louis with soreness in his chest.

Israeli league team drafts Koufax as tribute  —  NEW YORK — Forty-one years after he retired from baseball, Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax was the final player chosen in the draft to stock the six teams for the inaugural season of the Israel Baseball League.

Reds have to do something  —  It's only one man's opinion — mine — but the Reds have to make a move before the open the series in Pittsburgh tomorrow.  You can blame Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Cardinals on the fact that Kyle Lohse suddenly went from lights out to lit up.

Chipper stresses Braves need consistency  —  Denver — The spike in optimism that accompanied the Braves' 7-1 start has been tempered by a subsequent 6-7 stretch marked by inconsistency and concerns with the pitching staff and lineup.  —  It's the sort of things Chipper Jones was referring …

Slinging it with best of them  —  NEW YORK — He found a place to throw.  Like he always does.  —  I went to Yankee Stadium last night.  Like Daisuke Matsuzaka, I was in New York a day early to get extra rest for tonight's big game with the Yankees.  And sure enough, there he was.  Throwing.