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.

Lester solid in rehab start, may join BoSox soon  —  PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Red Sox left-hander and cancer survivor Jon Lester pitched five shutout innings for Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday night in what is expected to be his second-to-last rehab outing before he returns to the Boston rotation.

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 …

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.

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?

Nats finally score in first, beat Mets (AP)  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — First things first: The Washington Nationals actually scored in the first inning, the only time they've managed to do that all season.  —  Austin Kearns hit a three-run homer to stake Washington to an early lead …

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.

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.

That Sinking Feeling  —  This week I wanted to look more in-depth at the aerodynamic fingerprints of different pitches, particularly sinkers.  A sinker is a two-seam fastball that drops as it approaches the batter and is frequently pounded into the ground by a hitter.

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.

For Wright, One Bad Swing Can Often Lead to Another  —  All his teammates had left by the time David Wright emerged from the showers late Wednesday afternoon.  He dressed quickly, without a sound, and as he put on his wireless earpiece, he looked up to notice the reporters who had converged on his locker.