Red Sox: No time to bury Bombers  —  Boston won't revel in rival's struggles  —  BOSTON - The Yankees are staggering enough to have everyone in the franchise concerned.  The Red Sox are confident, loose and boast baseball's best record.  And after defeating a solid Atlanta team, 6-3 …

Mailbag: What will happen with Teixeira?  —  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions … What is it with everybody wanting to get rid of Mark Teixeira?  Yes, he has had a slow start to the season, but then again, who hasn't?  Last year, we watched him have a slow start …

Notes: Losing Crawford would be bad move  —  If the Devil Rays are thinking about trading left fielder Carl Crawford, they should think again, one rival general manager says.  —  "I don't think they will do it and I don't think they should," the GM says.  "He's getting better and better.

Remembering Doug Pappas: 1962-2004  —  1962-2004  —  There are days in all of our lives that we'd like to forget, days we wished had not happened.  Days that place matters in perspective.  Today is the anniversary of one of those days.  And while we might have been talking the sale of the Braves …

Dempster: Closer to starter and back  —  Ryan Dempster moved from closer to starter back to closer in a 20-minute span Sunday, capping off one of the most bizarre days in his nine-year career.  —  Dempster told reporters after Sunday's game that manager Lou Piniella asked him on Thursday …

Around the Horn: Abreu washed up?  —  The way right fielder Bobby Abreu is going, the Yankees could pass on his $16 million option for 2008.  Without Abreu, the Yankees could play Melky Cabrera every day or pursue a free-agent center fielder such as the Braves' Andruw Jones, Twins' Torii Hunter or Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki.

Ortiz activated, goes to Giants' bullpen  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Russ Ortiz came off the disabled list Monday and assumed a new role for the San Francisco Giants: as a reliever.  —  Ortiz, the right-hander who began the season as the team's fifth starter, returned after being sidelined since …

Breaking News: MTA, City come to terms on Yankee Stadium Metro-North hub  —  The Yankee Stadium Metro-North hub should alleviate some traffic concerns in the Bronx.  (Courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.  Click the image for a bigger view.)

Indians improve to 17-4 at home, top M's  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — One hefty snowstorm and 45 days later, the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners finally played nine innings.  —  Casey Blake homered and Josh Barfield had two RBIs as the Indians remained baseball's best home team …

O's beat Jays 13-7 in Hall exhibition  —  COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Minor leaguer Brian Bock hit a double and two home runs, including the first grand slam he could remember, to lead the Baltimore Orioles over the Toronto Blue Jays 13-7 Monday in the annual Hall of Fame Game.

Monday Morning Ten Pack  —  Aaron Bates, 1B, High-A Lancaster (Red Sox)  —  While Lancaster's weekend was mostly bad (if not downright embarrassing), Bates provided at least one highlight for the club by smacking four home runs on Saturday.  Surprisingly enough, in a circuit known …

Pitch by Pitch, the Yankees' Mood Brightens  —  The tower atop the Empire State Building will glow blue and orange for a few hours this evening.  The Mets earned that honor by winning the first two games of their series against the Yankees, but their supremacy in the city is not quite complete.

NL West: The Plague of Pierre  —  Ever since their team hired Billy Beane disciple Paul DePodesta as GM, traded Paul Lo Duca and acquired Hee Seop Choi and J.D. Drew in 2004, Dodger fans have been split in two camps: Those who believe that statistics predominantly tell the story of a player's value …

Washington's message getting through to Rangers  —  That is reason to be optimistic for Texas  —  On the way out of the Rangers' clubhouse a couple of weeks ago, still lacking a decent explanation for yet another loss, I finally heard evidence of progress.

BOMBERS WILL FOLLOW MLB'S LEAD ON GIAMBI'S COMMENTS  —  According to Brian Cashman, the Yankees will take their cue from Major League Baseball on what they can do about possibly voiding Jason Giambi's contract.  —  "It's all up to MLB," the GM said last night.