Conflict management  —  Yost's rebuke prompts irate defense  —  The altercation in the Milwaukee Brewers' dugout Thursday afternoon at Miller Park wasn't a dispute between manager Ned Yost and catcher Johnny Estrada, as it appeared when captured by a television camera.

Scully rises to occasion  —  Legend gives vintage treatment to milestone chases  —  Two outfielders.  Two milestones.  One Vin Scully.  —  Yes, the famed Dodgers announcer has been conducting the orchestra for some time now.  On Thursday night, he presented a movement of Barry Bonds …

Tigers INF Perez suspended for 80 games  —  DETROIT (AP) — Tigers infielder Neifi Perez was suspended for 80 games Friday after testing positive for a third time for a banned stimulant, a penalty that finishes his season.  —  Perez was suspended for 25 games on July 6 when he tested positive for a second time.

Wild Card: Low on Rocket Fuel?  —  On May 6, when Roger Clemens announced to a sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd that he had just signed a deal to return to the Yankees, the team was 13-15 (.464), five-and-a-half games behind the Red Sox in the American League East and in eighth place in the Wild Card race.

Guerrero plugs into power grid  —  Right fielder hits his first home run since June 23, then hits another one, a three-run shot that looms large in two-run victory.  —  OAKLAND — The first one was a high-arc shot that barely cleared the left-field fence.  The second was a towering blast …

Lester, Sox take on Mariners in Seattle  —  Boston (66-42) at Seattle (59-47), Friday, 10:05 p.m. ET  —  Once again, the scheduling gods have denied Jon Lester a hero's welcome.  —  Or, rather, a hero's welcome in Boston, Lester's adopted home.  There will certainly be no shortage …

Dukes in trouble again after violating court order  —  Elijah Dukes faces the prospect of jail time after being charged Thursday with a single count of violating a domestic violence injunction.  —  Dukes, optioned to the minor leagues in June by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and placed …

Voices of Padres dread Bonds call  —  If Barry Bonds were, well, anyone but Barry Bonds, this weekend could have been special for many people, including the men who broadcast Padres games.  —  But because Bonds is who he is and has done, well, whatever he's done, the local announcers …

After year out of majors, Cubs' Wood activated  —  CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood was activated from the 60-day disabled list Friday after recovering from a sore shoulder that kept him out of the majors for more than a year.  —  Wood, the 1998 NL rookie of the year …

Contreras: Start me or trade me in 2008  —  Jose Contreras has accepted his demotion to the bullpen.  —  But if he starts next spring as a reliever, the White Sox's struggling right-hander would rather play elsewhere.  —  "If they don't want me as a starter next year, I want to be out of here," Contreras said Thursday.

Pirates Notebook: Jocketty could be candidate for CEO  —  The Pirates do not have a complete list of candidates for their soon-to-be vacant CEO position, but it's possible Walt Jocketty is or will be on it.  —  "I can't comment on that," Jocketty, the senior vice-president/general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, said yesterday.

TRAGIC MADNESS OF KING GEORGE  —  BABBLING BOSS 'SHOCKS' PAL  —  A new report paints a disturbing portrait of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner as a befuddled, bloated old man in "dreadful" shape who bears little resemblance to the once-feared Boss.  —  An apparently addled Steinbrenner …

Sports Hotties You Don't Know...Yet  —  If you ask me, I think that the world of sports ladies needs an infusion of new talent.  I am personally a little tired of hearing about Natalie Gulbis, Danica Patrick, and Maria Sharapova all of the time.  So today is the day to diversify …