All doors remain closed for this team  —  Little has pregame meeting, Garciaparra a mid-game tirade (and ejection), and all it amounts to is L.A.'s 12th loss in 15 games, 4-1 to Astros.  —  The signs of desperation were everywhere.  —  Grady Little spoke to his team for 20 minutes behind closed doors in a pregame meeting.

Tigers agree to trade minor leaguer Hannahan to Oakland  —  The Tigers have agreed to trade Jack Hannahan, an infielder at Triple-A Toledo, to the Oakland Athletics, according to an individual with knowledge of the deal.  —  Hannahan is expected to fly to the West Coast with Oakland's big-league club …

Are Baseball Umpires Racist?  —  Bad calls by the ump are as much a part of baseball as home run records, rabid fans and watery beer, but a new study shows that an umpire's decision may have a disturbing ulterior motive: racism.  —  According to the new study led by Daniel Hamermesh …

No Wake  —  Tim Wakefield and James Shields are locked in a pitcher's duel in the fifth.  Shields allowed five hits and one run so far, but most of the attention goes to Wakefield.  Tim's allowed just one walk so far, not surprisingly to Iwamura.  He'll take a no-hitter into the sixth.

Sexson blasts away at funk  —  9th-inning homer wins it for M's, caps 3-RBI night  —  It was a dream matchup between the Venezuelan superstar pitcher of today and the man who many expect to be the Venezuelan superstar pitcher of tomorrow.  —  In the end, however, neither was around when the game was decided.

The Voice You Don't Hear on Fox Belongs to Joe Buck  —  Joe Buck ended his regular-season baseball schedule for Fox Sports on Aug. 4, having called eight games in 19 weeks and the All-Star Game, his lightest load since he was anointed the network's lead major league baseball voice in 1996.

Deadline Nears for Clubs to Sign Top Draft Picks  —  If the commissioner's office could, it would put a cap on bonuses paid to drafted players.  It can't, so it instead recommends bonuses for each slot of the first five rounds of the June draft.  —  If it could, the commissioner's office …

Prospect Hot Sheet: August 13  —  After missing a month—and an opportunity to play in his second straight Futures Game—with a shoulder injury, Maybin got back to being Maybin, raking for both average and power.  —  After hitting .304/.393/.486 in 296 at-bats, the Tigers called Maybin up to Double-A …

Tigers to sign Porcello to record $7.3 million deal  —  DETROIT — First-round draft pick Rick Porcello has agreed to sign with the Tigers.  —  Porcello, the team's first-round draft pick in June, will get a record $7.3 million guaranteed over a four-year major-league contract.

Under The Knife  —  Thanks and Faith Edition  —  I try to read and respond to all the email I get, but due to what's going on here, I was out of touch with what was really going on.  If you sent me an email asking for an immediate answer, you probably got a quick response at best, telling you that I was out of touch.

Deadline Approaches  —  As I returned home from a two-week stint on the high school showcase circuit, it's time to shake out the notebook and share a few tidbits I picked up along the way during conversations with the most respected scouting minds in the industry.

BAD KARMA AT SHEA  —  Though Moises Alou hit two home runs - and had a third go foul by five feet - his opposite corner outfielder, Shawn Green, went a soft 0-for-4.  Alou's 10-week stay on the DL with a strained left quad is no doubt a major factor why the Mets' corner outfielders rank 14th …

The Rick Ankiel You Don't Yet Know  —  Rick Ankiel was called up from Triple-A Memphis this past Thursday.  Since then, he has hit 3 homeruns.  The thing is that Ankiel was never known for his power.  Coming out of high school, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to persuade Ankiel away …

Traber optioned; Bacsik sent to 'pen  —  Righty Hill expected to be activated and start Tuesday  —  PHOENIX — Following Sunday's victory over the Diamondbacks, the Nationals optioned left-hander Billy Traber to Triple-A Columbus and are expected to reinstate right-hander Shawn Hill from the disabled list on Tuesday.

Marlins settle for series win over Mets  —  Four homers allowed hurts Florida's chances of sweep  —  NEW YORK — Working out of a heavily used Marlins bullpen, Lee Gardner has done a tremendous job keeping the ball in the park.  But Sunday was a rare occasion when he didn't.