The gloves are off: The Sports Dude strikes back  —  Earlier this week, we weighed in on Jerry Remy's tirade against ESPN columnist Bill Simmons, who applied for the presidency of Red Sox Nation.  Remy, you may remember, was not a fan of the Sports Dude's sarcasm, and called him out on the air.

SCOUTS FLOCK INTO STADIUM  —  The Yankees continue to talk to the Dodgers about utilityman Wilson Betemit, but the Dodgers are also chatting with the Royals about reliever Octavio Dotel, whom they like a little bit better than Scott Proctor.  —  The Dodgers had scout Mark Weidemaier at Yankee Stadium yesterday.

A second look at Sammy Sosa?  —  LOS ANGELES — Back in December 2004, which was the last time the Mets seriously considered trading for Sammy Sosa, they were prepared to take on nearly $35 million for the two-year commitment.  Or at least general manager Omar Minaya was willing to.

Teixeira not easy to deal  —  PLAYER OF THE DAY  —  Mark Teixeira 1B, Texas Rangers  —  A franchise-caliber player just a year ago, Mark Teixeira has astoundingly become the guy the Rangers (a) want to move and (b) can't.  His production has slipped this season, and he's due to become a free agent after 2008.

Trainer: Wood recovery a 'miracle'  —  Shoulder has made incredible progress  —  Kerry Wood's velocity improved to 95 m.p.h. in his third rehab outing in Mesa, Ariz., on Thursday, and he could be taking his show to Class A Peoria early next week.  —  Wood threw seven strikes in seven pitches …

Future Shock  —  Scouts' Chatter  —  I spent much of the week on the phone with a variety of scouts to discuss some of their second-half coverage.  Here are some highlights, focusing primarily on players that have been discussed in recent chats and Ten Packs.  Their performances made the grade, but what did the scouts say?

Beltre, Batista lead M's past Jays 4-2  —  TORONTO (AP) — J.J. Putz is making the ninth inning easy for Mariners manager John McLaren.  —  Putz earned his 29th save, Miguel Batista got his 10th win and Seattle beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Friday night.  —  "It's an eight-inning game," McLaren said.

Butler sparks Royals past Tigers 10-2  —  DETROIT (AP) — Billy Butler has heard a lot of jokes about the Kansas City Royals during his short major league career.  —  He's trying to make some of them obsolete.  —  The rookie had four hits and four RBIs on Friday night …

Pirates' Snell issues an act of contrition  —  Washington - Contrition and discipline followed the Rockies from Pittsburgh on Thursday.  —  Before Colorado faced Washington, Pirates starter Ian Snell called manager Clint Hurdle and apologized for his jarring comments after Wednesday's loss.

So that's what's wrong with Craig Hansen...  This entry was posted on 7/19/2007 10:16 PM and is filed under uncategorized.  —  Very interesting and telling comments from Peter Gammons during his weekly Thursday segment with Mike Felger on the 890 ESPN's Mike Felger Show Thursday afternoon …

Five and Fly: Teetering A's shop players  —  Going on August now, and it seems odd to not have the Oakland A's around.  —  The best second-half team in the game since 1999 - ask the Los Angeles Angels - the A's don't look to have it in them this summer.  —  Rather than making …

Ramirez powers surging Cubs by Arizona  —  CHICAGO (AP) — The way things are going for the Cubs these days, it seems manager Lou Piniella can make out any lineup he wants and it clicks.  —  With Derrek Lee, Cliff Floyd and Daryle Ward all sidelined, Piniella went a with quicker team …

HAD OUR PHIL OF MORGAN  —  IT ain't so, Joe!  The self- mutilation of ESPN, the systemic destruction of what once promised to be the best thing that ever happened to sports fans, continues, on all fronts.  —  Sunday night on ESPN the Cardinals were beating the Phillies, 10-0, in the eighth inning.

Trade Cordero?  It's an Issue of Getting Value  —  Chad Cordero spent much of the offseason reading about how the Washington Nationals, the franchise that drafted him and gave him a chance to lead the majors with 47 saves in 2005, might trade him.  Now, less than two weeks …