Mets to name Johnson hitting coach  —  Howard Johnson will be named hitting coach of the New York Mets on Friday, getting the nod over Rickey Henderson, who will coach first base, baseball sources said.  —  Ninth in the National League in runs after finishing third in the NL last season …

Ichiro's extension with Mariners worth $90 million  —  SEATTLE — Great week to be Ichiro Suzuki.  —  The Seattle leadoff man signed a $90 million, five-year contract extension Friday, three days after he was the unanimous MVP of the All-Star Game.  —  The deal ensures Seattle …

Yankees opt to give A-Rod an ultimatum  —  ST. PETERSBURG - The Yankees have a message for Alex Rodriguez: sign an extension before opting out of your contract, or don't sign with us at all.  —  A source told the Daily News that the Bombers have made it clear to A-Rod and his agent …

Growing pains  —  Hurting Ortiz acknowledges knee injury  —  For those looking for a harbinger of better things to come for the Red Sox in the season's second half, last night's 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays abounded with candidates, but none more encouraging than this:

Giants Give GM Brian Sabean Two-Year Extension  —  The San Francisco Giants followed through with news that leaked earlier in the week (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=1316 Itemid=42): General Manager Brian Sabean has been given a two-year contract extension, which includes a club option …

Cuban submits application to buy Cubs  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Add Internet billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to the list of potential Chicago Cubs buyers.  —  "I submitted an app," Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.  —  Interested parties must submit an application …

Giambi Meets with Mitchell Investigation  —  Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees met with Senator George Mitchell and members of his law firm, DLA Piper, today, Baseball Commissioner Allan H.  (Bud) Selig said this afternoon.  —  Details of the conversation, which was not recorded, were not released.

Tigers trade troubled pitcher Colon to Royals  —  DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers traded pitcher Roman Colon, recently charged in a locker room scuffle with a Triple-A teammate, to the Kansas City Royals on Friday for a player to be named.  —  Colon was charged with felonious assault after a brawl June 12.

Notes: Hall hopeful for a quick recovery  —  Outfielder upbeat on returning from injury earlier than expected  —  MILWAUKEE — Bill Hall returned to Miller Park for the Brewers' team workout Thursday evening walking normally and feeling optimistic about a quick recovery to his sprained right ankle.

Sheffield: Yankees treat black players differently  —  Gary Sheffield asserts black and white players are treated differently under Yankees manager Joe Torre, says Derek Jeter "ain't all the way black," and denies he ever has used steroids because "steroids is something you shoot in your butt" …

'I trac system' a real eye-catcher  —  Some believe it enhances concentration; skeptics still remain  —  Before each home game, Travis Hafner walks over to the batting cage in the basement of Jacobs Field and goes through drills on a machine called the I trac Vision Training System.

Zambrano powers Cubs over Astros 6-0  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Zambrano looked sharp after the All-Star game.  The Houston Astros didn't.  —  Zambrano allowed three hits in 6 2-3 scoreless innings and chipped in two singles, an RBI and a run scored Friday as the Cubs blanked the Astros 6-0 for their 13th win in 17 games.

With security, Sabean can begin rebuilding  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  Brian Cashman chose to remain Yankees general manager after the 2005 season only after receiving assurances that he would be the principal decision-maker.  —  Brian Sabean almost certainly will not wield the same power …