1ST OF MANNY DOOMS YANKS  —  CAN'T OVERCOME MOOSE'S ROUGH START  —  After three games of administering the Dead Bats Society barbituites, the Yankees used sticks made of soggy scrolls last night against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.  —  Starting Saturday and Sunday against the Mets …

Report: D'Rays' Dukes Threatened Wife  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tampa Bay rookie Elijah Dukes was held out of the lineup Wednesday night against Seattle following a published report that his estranged wife sought a restraining order after being threatened by the 22-year-old outfielder.

Giambi is unsafe at any speed  —  Sorry about steroids, Jason fails test for amphetamines  —  Jason Giambi failed a Major League Baseball-administered amphetamines test within the last year, which has subjected him to additional drug testing, sources told the Daily News.

Perez, Wright power Mets past Braves  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Oliver Perez pitched seven scoreless innings, David Wright hit his fourth homer in the last four games and the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 3-0 on Wednesday night.  —  The first-place Mets increased their lead over Atlanta in the NL East to 2 1/2 games.

'Cheap' slide by A-Rod irks Pedroia  —  NEW YORK - It doesn't take Alex Rodriguez long to make enemies.  —  The New York Yankees infielder drew the ire of rookie Dustin Pedroia [stats] in the eighth inning of the Red Sox [team stats]' 7-3 win last night at Yankee Stadium by throwing an elbow at him as he slid into second base.

Baseball?  Not Tonight  —  With the Indians just rolling, winning every which way, it's time to go a little off-topic to address something that's been bothering me since Opening Day of 2007.  The bothersome development is the sad state of ESPN's Baseball Tonight.

Who's that?  Willits, Shields performing without the hype … It's tough to perform well in the majors and remain anonymous these days, given the rampant media saturation in the game.  When Twins reliever Pat Neshek can attract a die-hard following through his Weblog, it's a sign that times are truly changing.

I understand that each and every Fan of Our Washington Nationals wants to cheer for a winner.  Desires to see them drub The Mets & Phillies each and every time we play them.  Hopefully soon, be competitive.  Win Division Titles.  And Eventually, WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!

BEDARD A BLUE JAY?  —  Let's consider the future of the Blue Jays' rotation looking two years ahead.  —  In 2010, the Jays' top two men, Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett, will be entering the final year of their respective contracts.  Halladay is a company man, so as long as there is money …

Questions dog Bucs' Bullington, Van Benschoten  —  TRIBUNE-REVIEW  —  BUFFALO, N.Y.  —  Typical Pirates?  —  That might be too harsh, but it's perfectly legitimate to question how this franchise handled the eighth pick of the 2001 draft and the top pick in 2002.

Player Profile  —  John Buck  —  Despite another poor start in Kansas City—Joe Posnanski has already written his annual end of the season column for the Royals—there are a few bright spots on the team.  Gil Meche has managed to pitch much more effectively than many analysts thought he would …

Howard HRs in rehab start  —  LAKEWOOD, N.J. — Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard hit a game-winning home run and went 2-for-3 with four RBIs in a rehab start Wednesday at Class A Lakewood.  —  The game, a 7-4 win over the Hagerstown Suns, was Howard's first since May 9.

Note: SNY Vieiwing Party Tomorrow Night  —  Tomorrow, Thursday, May 23, at The Back Page sports bar in New York City, SportsNet NY is hosting a viewing party for fans to watch the Mets play the Braves.  —  For more, watch the video below, or check out SNY.tv.  —  ...i went to one of these last season, and it was a lot of fun...

The Hamilton Saga  —  Josh Hamilton, the new Cincinnati Reds center fielder, has been one of the best stories of the season.  The first overall selection of the 1999 amateur draft looked destined for stardom during his first few seasons in pro ball, but a back injury in 2001 resulted …