After HRs, Kyle Farnsworth brushes back Manny Ramirez  —  The Yankees finally decided enough was enough, and rightly so.  If Kyle Farnsworth had to be the enforcer, well, why not?  At least it gave the fans at the Stadium reason to cheer for him.  —  More to the point …

Coming of age: Tejada 2 years older than thought  —  Age ain't nothing but a number, unless you're Miguel Tejada.  —  The Houston Astros shortstop told the Oakland Athletics when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 1993 that he was 17.  But he was actually 19, meaning he is now 33 …

Padres fall short in epic battle  —  Troy Tulowitzki doubled home Willy Taveras with an unearned run in the top of the 22nd this morning to give the Colorado Rockies a 2-1 victory over the Padres in the longest game in Padres history.  —  The Rockies had two out and no one on in the 22nd …

Beltran's injury really is a pain in neck  —  Carlos Beltran didn't start Thursday night's series finale against Washington because of a stiff neck.  The discomfort particularly bothered Beltran when he looked over his left shoulder, which the switch-hitter would have been required …

Braves' power prevails against Marlins  —  MIAMI GARDENS — The fifth inning started with two quick ground outs followed by two strikes and a sense that the Marlins were still in the game.  Three poorly placed pitches later, the Braves were on their way to an 8-0 win Thursday night.

Detractors having a field day with Lugo  —  NEW YORK - Shortstops have come and gone in Boston.  Mostly gone.  —  From John Valentin to Nomar Garciaparra to Orlando Cabrera to Edgar Renteria to Alex Gonzalez to Julio Lugo - whether Boston devours them, who really knows?

Japanese school team hit for 66 runs in two innings  —  A Japanese high school pleaded for a regional game to be abandoned after surrendering 66 runs in less than two innings, local media reported on Thursday.  —  The coach of Kawamoto technical high school threw in the towel to spare …

Fans Will Come, but Won't Be Rooting for the Home Team  —  BALTIMORE — When the Yankees open a three-game series against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday, the grandstands of Oriole Park could be close to full and the mood might feel almost like the good old days at one of baseball's most charming venues.

Felix's delivery won't be tinkered with  —  Righty has bad habit of reaching for grounders with bare hand  —  OAKLAND — Felix Hernandez could be transformed into a pitcher that throws a pitch and squares his body to home plate, putting himself in an ideal position to field any ball hit back up the middle.

Hughes hopes to mow down O's  —  Phil Hughes is only 21 years old, but he's old enough to know better than to panic over a couple of rocky starts.  —  Hughes feels he is close to emerging from his funk, one that seems to be affecting those asking the questions far more than the person answering them.

M's 8, Athletics 1  —  THE SCENE: It was another nice night in the Bay Area.  It was 65 degrees at game time with virtually no wind.  —  STAR OF THE GAME: RHP Carlos Silva won for the first time in Oakland, and he made it look easy with a four-hitter through seven innings.

Why the Tampa Bay Rays should sign Barry Bonds  —  With Barry Bonds currently out of work and teams always looking to improve their lot in MLB, the Shunned One's name will undoubtedly be brought up countless times this season.  So each week until Mr. Bonds catches a fulltime ride …