Wright's surprise razing ritual may turn out to be shear genius  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Carlos Beltran hung a shingle on his barber shop inside the visitor's clubhouse, prepping for customers.  He had shears, razors and plenty of towels to blot the blood.  —  Before long there was a parade of Mets lining up to get their domes shaved.

Indians fan wants last laugh  —  Vernon Wells may get another chance to meet his heckler friend on Sept. 10.  —  Jeff Raycher, Vernon Wells heckler extraordinaire, has a surprise in store for the Blue Jays centre fielder.  —  Raycher, 28, and his buddies plan to drive to Detroit for the Jays' makeup game there on Sept. 10.

Notes: Wagner struggles, goes on DL  —  Simontacchi and Batista called up to the big-league club  —  MILWAUKEE — The Nationals purchased the contracts of right-hander Jason Simontacchi and infielder Tony Batista from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.  The team also placed reliever Ryan Wagner …

Sluggers Cited in Steroid Inquiry  —  Investigators of steroid use in baseball are seeking medical records from at least two of the game's premier sluggers over the past dozen years, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, along with records from dozens of other players suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs …

Rickey Henderson considering comeback  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Roger Clemens' big announcement this week has Rickey Henderson hoping some club might give him one more chance to make a major league comeback.  —  Otherwise, he will call it a career — for good this time.

Infield Defense — Back to Basics … In recent years, methods for evaluating defense have been springing up like mushrooms after a spring rain.  We've got UZR and PMR and the plus/minus system, all based on play-by-play data.  Then there are the zone rating-based systems, one from Chris Dial …

Pirates' pitchers need to be more like Maglie, Drysdale  —  At Don Drysdale's funeral, an emotional Bob Uecker began telling the assembled mourners about "the first time Don touched me."  Then, he interrupted himself.  —  "Well, here, I can just show ya," the former catcher said.  "See this mark right here?"

Turnbow answers fans questions  —  Pitcher takes time before Tuesday's game to chat … Derrick Turnbow: Hello everyone, sorry for the delay, let's get started.  —  jenksws05: Derrick, White Sox fan here, but I have been living with a Brewers fan for the past four months.

Guess the pitcher  —  Do you want to play a game?  —  In classic Rob Neyer style, let's do a little Player A vs Player B  —  Both performances are from relief pitchers prior to their 29th birthday.  Both players had pretty uninspiring starts to their careers, bouncing between the majors and minors.

Smoltz-Maddux rivalry: Round 4  —  Former teammates haven't faced each other since 1992  —  Could it really be 17 years?  —  John Smoltz, then in his second full major league season, led the National League in walks in 1990.  Greg Maddux gave up more runs (116) than in any season in his life.

Pieces found along the trail  —  Picked-up pieces while bracing for Barry Bonds's Fenway visit next month, which looks more and more like a showdown with Hank Aaron's home run record . . .  Something "Evita"-esque about Roger Clemens in George's private suite Sunday.

Cubs fall to Pirates in 15  —  The Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates battled through 15 innings Tuesday night at Wrigley Field in a game that featured more twists and turns than an episode of "Lost."  —  After Ryan Dempster blew his first save this season in the ninth, Alfonso Soriano saved …

Angels place pitcher Justin Speier on 15-day disabled list  —  Club recalls infielder Kendry Morales from Triple-A Salt Lake  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels Tuesday placed right-handed pitcher Justin Speier on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to April 30) due to a non-baseball related medical condition.

Big Papi skeptical steroids helped Bonds in chase  —  Count David Ortiz among those who isn't convinced Barry Bonds used illegal performance-enhancing drugs — or if they really helped the San Francisco Giants outfielder make his run at Hank Aaron's home run record.