Prince Hal to be king  —  Boss' son steps up; Cashman and Torre safe for now  —  After years of avoiding the spotlight of the Yankee empire, George Steinbrenner's youngest son has stepped up to take the leading role of a franchise in a state of flux.  —  Hal Steinbrenner, 38 …

ADD FIRST BASE TO DAMON'S GROWING LIST OF DUTIES  —  With Jason Giambi on the disabled list, the bulk of Johnny Damon's playing time is going to come as the designated hitter.  However, the Yankees are making plans to turn Damon into a jack-of-all-trades player, The Post has learned.

Davis pitches Diamondbacks past Mets  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Doug Davis allowed a run and six hits in 7 2-3 innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks won for the ninth time in 10 games, beating the New York Mets 4-1 on Sunday.  —  The Diamondbacks concluded a successful six-game road trip through Philadelphia …

Cubs rout Braves to end six-game slide  —  CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs came out swinging — and no, not at each other.  —  Mark DeRosa hit a grand slam, Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee added solo homers, and the Cubs closed out a tumultuous weekend by beating the Atlanta Braves 10-1 on Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak.

Rosenthal's Latest Video  —  Ken Rosenthal reeled off a slew of sweet trade rumors in a couple of videos today, which you can watch at FOXSports.  Let's discuss.  — Rosenthal says the Cubs won't trade Carlos Zambrano unless they fall out of contention or the big righty requests a trade.

Sheffield has theory why fewer blacks play MLB  —  The percentage of African-Americans playing Major League Baseball is at an all-time low and Gary Sheffield says he has a theory why that's the case.  —  In an interview with GQ magazine that's currently on newsstands, the typically outspoken …

Pirates Notebook: Burnett has tired arm, elbow irritation  —  As things stand for now, it is only a case of arm fatigue that has caused the Pirates to place Sean Burnett, a starter on their Class AAA affiliate in Indianapolis, on the minor-league disabled list.

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH...OLIVER PEREZ  —  June 3, 2007 — The Post's Steve Serby sat down at Shea with the effervescent Mets lefty who is 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA:  —  Q: Would you pay to watch Oliver Perez pitch?  —  A: Yeah.  I love how I pitch (smiles).  —  Q: Paul Lo Duca says you'll pitch a no-hitter.

Notes: Bailey could be in Majors soon  —  Top prospect's Reds debut might come next Saturday  —  DENVER — Top pitching prospect Homer Bailey's start on Saturday could very well be his final one for Triple-A Louisville.  —  By next week, Bailey seems likely to finally stand on a Major League mound debuting in a Reds uniform.

Speigner's early troubles doom Nats  —  Washington unable to dig itself out from six-run deficit  —  WASHINGTON — While most of the Nationals' rotation is out with injuries, Levale Speigner is going through a different kind of suffering — a persistent case of bad luck.

FIRST ROUND  —  The First Round is ready to go.  Make your pick in the comment thread and I will process.  —  1) Devil Rays: David Price, LHP, Vanderbilt  —  2) Royals: Matt Wieters, C, Georgia Tech  —  3) Cubs: Rick Porcello, RHP, NJ HS  —  4) Pirates: Josh Vitters, 3B, California HS

Minaya's bargain shopping pays off  —  You've got to admit, this is quite a nifty concept the Mets have going in the absence of Pedro Martinez, as they inexorably chug, chug, chug their way toward the postseason, the clear class of the National League.  —  Brian Cashman might …