Mets notebook  —  The stars lined up for Shawn Green on Thursday — which these days means that they didn't line up well for Carlos Delgado and Lastings Milledge.  —  Green has heard from manager Willie Randolph that he was going to lose some playing time to Milledge in right field …

Moose sags as Tigers pounce  —  Slammed from start, Bombers drop back  —  If last night was any indication, these could be two long weeks for the Yankees.  —  As the Bombers began their crucial 14-game stretch against the American League's three division leaders, Mike Mussina was lit …

Feats of Clay  —  Buchholz gets the call as Red Sox Nation greets a new phenom  —  It was a 2006 Ford Expedition, with an in-dash navigation system, that caused Bubba Bell to acquire an impish sparkle in his eyes.  He had a rooting interest in the success of his Pawtucket Red Sox teammate, Clay Buchholz, in more ways than one.

Concerns growing over Florida ballpark  —  Marlins facing time constraints with no new field in sight  —  TORONTO — The Miami situation is nearing critical mass and with no ballpark deal in sight, the Marlins have become one of Major League Baseball's top priorities.

Bonds Sold Steroids To Nuns  —  Allegations from left field in jailed litigant's craziest suit ever  —  Meet Jonathan Lee Riches.  The federal prisoner/habitual litigant recently scored headlines with his insane $63 billion lawsuit against Michael Vick (who allegedly stole Riches's dogs …

How Many Would Bonds Have Hit?  —  I thought it'd be fun to crunch some numbers to find out how many more homeruns our all-time and single-season homerun king could have hit if he hadn't played so many years in a home ballpark that was pitcher-friendly, and if he hadn't been walked so much.

Sox have full count of knuckleballers  —  PAWTUCKET, R.I. - With three knuckleball pitchers in the organization, it would appear the Red Sox [team stats] have become a breeding ground for the flutterball hurlers.  —  "We get a lot of phone calls from guys that are like, 'Well …

Pirates Notebook: Ownership stance unchanged for GM, manager  —  The Pirates continue to sink deeper in the standings, but ownership has not changed its stance that it will wait until the 2007 schedule is complete to decide on the futures of general manager Dave Littlefield and manager Jim Tracy.

Giambi escapes suspension for steroid talk  —  Yankees slugger cooperated with Mitchell probe  —  TORONTO (AP) — Jason Giambi won't be disciplined by commissioner Bud Selig after the New York Yankees slugger had a "frank and candid" meeting with baseball's steroids investigator.

Don't forget about these remarkable performances … It has already been a great year to be a historian.  Or at least it's been a better year to be a historian than to be, say, Neifi Perez.  —  Well, historic homer No. 756 may have come and gone.  But that doesn't mean there isn't lots …

DeRosa helps Cubs crush Reds  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  CHICAGO (AP) - Mark DeRosa went 5-for-5 with four RBIs and the Chicago Cubs scored seven times in the seventh Thursday to beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-4 for just their fifth win in the last 15 games.  —  Jacque Jones added four hits for the Cubs …

Phils' Hamels ties NL lead with 14th win  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — With their ace on the mound against a last-place team, the Philadelphia Phillies got the kind of victory they need to stay in a pennant race.  —  Cole Hamels pitched 6 2-3 shutout innings for his 14th win, tying for the NL lead …