Five and Fly: A's shopping Harden?  —  The Oakland Athletics have made at least one phone call recently to gauge interest in right-hander Rich Harden, that being to the Boston Red Sox, according to one source.  They have not, however, contacted some of the organizations with the top-end farm systems …

Alou gets MRI on bad shoulder  —  Moises Alou is headed for an MRI today on his right shoulder.  If he is deactivated, the Mets are considering promoting speedy 21-year-old outfielder Carlos Gomez from Triple-A New Orleans.  —  Alou's shoulder has barked since he dove in Washington over the weekend.

Hardy, Graffanino lead Brewers in rout  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ben Sheets allowed two runs in six innings, showing no ill-effects from a groin injury he suffered in his last start, and Tony Graffanino hit a three-run homer to help the Milwaukee Brewers beat slumping St. Louis 12-2 on Tuesday night.

Cold as Ice: April is in the books  —  It was cold.  They were cold.  That pretty much sums up the first month of baseball for the Detroit Tigers.  And yet nearly a sixth of the way through the season, the Tigers are sitting at 14-11 in a tie for second place without the batters hitting particularly …

NTSB presents results in Lidle crash investigation  —  WASHINGTON — New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle's plane crashed in New York because the pilot misjudged a narrow U-turn before veering into a Manhattan high-rise.  —  National Transportation Safety Board investigators presented …

Mets fan banned at Shea for 3 years for shining flashlight at opponents  —  NEW YORK (AP) — A New York Mets fan has been banned from Shea Stadium for three years after pleading guilty on Tuesday to shining a high-powered flashlight at a pair of Atlanta Braves players last month.

Prospectus Today: Pinstriped Firestorms by Joe Sheehan  —  Pinstriped Firestorms  —  The Yankees head into May at 9-14, 6 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East, having dropped five of six to their rivals over the past two weekends.  Despite an Opening Day payroll of $195 million …

If It Ain't Broke  —  Here's how it all started.  —  THT author John Beamer is currently working on an article on Phil Hughes.  He asked me take a look at Hughes' mechanics.  I had briefly seen Hughes pitch before, but I needed a closer look.  So I went to YouTube, found some video, broke it down and got back to him.

An Era to Forget  —  Welcome to the latest chapter in Major League Baseball's ongoing nightmare: steroids, steroids and more steroids.  —  Last Friday's revelation that a former New York Mets clubhouse kid — now apparently all grown up as a 37-year-old drug dealer had named names …

Down in a hole  —  Odds stacked against Yankees making postseason  —  The Milwaukee Brewers are a good team, one likely to stay afloat through the summer, but I don't know that the city of Milwaukee should be planning a parade route just yet.  Championships aren't won in April.  But can they be lost?

Latest Developments in a Crosstown Rivalry  —  Home plate at Citi Field in Flushing is marked by a patch of Astroturf.  In the Bronx, an outcropping of New York schist was leveled by chisel hammers attached to earth movers to clear the land for the future home plate at the new Yankee Stadium.

Pap not hurtin' for cash: Sox closer knows deal  —  Jonathan Papelbon wants to make one thing clear: Talk of a new contract isn't at the forefront of his mind these days.  What is?  Pitching and staying healthy.  —  "For me, it's going to come when it comes," Papelbon said of any potential new deal.

Baseball Injury Report  —  In the first half of the 2006 season, Teixeira struggled to generate the kind of home run power that we'd come to expect.  He managed just nine home runs in 353 at-bats for a rate of one home run every 39.2 at-bats.  When he hit 43 homers in 2005, his rate was 14.9.

There is Good in the World: Sal's Pals Lives in Canada  —  Once every couple decades there are events that bring the world together and we like to report on these events every couple of months.  Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the Beatles came to America, Bob Dylan plugged in at Newport …

Mets notebook  —  Orlando Hernandez adjusted his shirt.  He put on his sunglasses.  What he really needed was his crystal ball.  —  "I don't know the future," the 41-year old said, admitting he didn't know how long the bursitis in his shoulder will keep him out.