Yankees end five-game slide  —  Damon homers, gets 2,000th hit as Bombers down Toronto  —  TORONTO — The Yankees shunned batting practice Wednesday and it paid dividends as they snapped a five-game losing streak with a 10-5 victory over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.

Byrd wins again as Indians top Red Sox  —  BOSTON —Paul Byrd won his fifth straight decision and extended his streak without issuing a walk to 43 innings, and the Cleveland Indians came from behind for an 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.  —  The loss snapped a five …

What About Bob?  —  Let's get this out of the way first, because I know someone will ask.  The Mets have never won a game on a walk-off balk.  And they still haven't, though I suppose that the balk(s) were more significant than anything else that happened in the 12th inning on Tuesday.

Bryant asks for trade, says Buss masterminded trading O'Neal  —  The story lines that have engulfed the Los Angeles Lakers in the last week hit a crescendo Wednesday when Kobe Bryant said he would welcome a trade.  —  "I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York.

Notes: Setback for injured Hill  —  Nationals right-hander to get second opinion on elbow  —  WASHINGTON — Nationals right-hander Shawn Hill will go to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio on Thursday and have a second opinion on his sore elbow.  Dr. Mark Schickendantz will look at the elbow.

Notes: Inge day-to-day with injury  —  Third baseman's toe fractured after struck by pitch  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Brandon Inge found out the hard way just how much damage an offspeed pitch can do.  —  The third baseman was hit by a pitch on his left big toe during the second inning on Tuesday …

First and Long — Very Long  —  Bill Hambrecht is a rich old Wall Street guy who has made his money tilting at windmills and disrupting the establishment.  "That's what I do," he says.  "It's fun."  Almost a decade ago, at 62, he founded WR Hambrecht + Company, whose fundamental premise …

Under The Knife  —  Fast and Furious  —  There's an interesting chart waiting to be created out of my inbox.  I think I could chart the mood of baseball fans, especially fantasy players, by both the volume and tone of emails.  They come in fast and furious (literally) when there's a major injury …

Hopper admits putting baseball in Freel's glove  —  HOUSTON — Ryan Freel is on the disabled list, and the truth is out.  —  Why wasn't Freel's catch of Humberto Cota's long drive one of ESPN's Web gems?  Because Freel didn't catch it.  —  With evidence mounting, Norris Hopper confessed …

Speed on the Bases  —  Does Jason Giambi's blabbing mean he wants to be one for the Angels?  —  Trying to dope out—if you'll pardon the expression—what's going in the Jason Giambi drug opera is like trying to figure out the plot of Pirates of the Caribbean, particularly since each season seems to bring a new sequel.

MR. MET WILL STEAL YOUR DRINK AND TAKE YOUR GIRL  —  When It's Time For Mr. Met To Party, It's Time To Party Hard  —  You thought A-Rod was the only New York baseball personality out partying with attractive ladies all weekend?  You clearly forgot about Mr. Met.

Guillen leaves game with groin strain  —  Shortstop listed as day-to-day, replaced by Perez  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen left Wednesday's game after grounding out to shortstop in the sixth inning.  He was replaced by Neifi Perez on defense in the bottom of the same frame.

Mets eager to welcome back suspended Mota  —  NEW YORK — The Mets are ready to welcome back relief pitcher Guillermo Mota, who was suspended by Major League Baseball last fall for 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.  —  Mota is expected to be available …

This blog is off and running  —  Recent Comments  — javierandidaly@sbcglobal.net on This blog is off and running  — mj@cmpk.org on This blog is off and running  — jeremy.t.fernald@fmr.com on This blog is off and running  — laboulos430@yahoo.com on This blog is off and running

Clemens won't restart it here  —  The Yankees made it official last night: Roger Clemens will not make his return to the majors this weekend against the Red Sox.  And the Sox are skipping Julian Tavarez's turn to realign their rotation against the Bombers.  —  The matchups are …

Orioles pitcher names his son Jim Leyland  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Baltimore pitcher Jamie Walker is celebrating the birth of a child whose name is certain to get plenty of attention in Detroit.  —  The left-handed reliever, who spent the past five years playing for the Tigers, christened his 6-pound, 14-ounce son James Leyland.

Just Another Day at the Office.  The Office of Totally F—king Awesome!  —  And this is how it is these days, people.  Our boys have it down like flipping a switch.  Beckett steps off the DL and back into our hearts, striking out seven over seven like he never missed a beat.