BLUE JAYS RELEASE DESIGNATED HITTER FRANK THOMAS  —  The Frank Thomas era in Toronto has come to an end.  —  TSN has learned that the 39-year old designed hitter has been released by the Blue Jays, one day after being benched as the teams' starting designated hitter.

Mets news and notes  —  Catcher Brian Schneider took a foul tip from Chase Utley squarely off his right forearm in the ninth inning, leaving a pair of fingers numb and significant swelling, but no apparent broken bones.  —  “It's just a lot of pain.  It doesn't have a lot of grip right now …

Nomo designated for assignment  —  Career may be over for Japanese hurler attempting comeback  —  OAKLAND — Hideo Nomo, a pitching legend from Japan, was designated for assignment on Sunday, and his career may be over.  —  The move was prompted by the recall of pitcher Luke Hochevar …

Another Growing Pain in Yanks' Young Arms  —  BALTIMORE — Brian Cashman did not count on the injuries, the suspensions or the offensive struggles of the Yankees' powerful lineup.  But Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, said he expected all along that the team's young starters would wobble early on.

METS TAKE SHOTS AT PHIL FANS  —  A day later, the Mets were still furious with the fans at Citizens Bank Park for celebrating Jose Reyes' apparent head injury.  —  Much to the dismay of Willie Randolph and Mets closer Billy Wagner, among others, the fans loudly cheered when Reyes collided …

Bannister digs into stats to pile up pitching feats  —  It had to happen sooner or later.  —  All those new-wave statistics that are taking baseball far beyond earned-run average, runs batted in and batting average.  All the cutting-edge research into what really is meaningful — and what isn't — in judging player performances.

Lowell close to return … Mike Lowell may be a lot closer to returning to the Red Sox [team stats] than anyone anticipated a few days ago.  —  The veteran third baseman, who sprained his left thumb April 9, took 35 pain-free swings off a tee prior to last night's 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers …

Brewers send Dillon down  —  The Brewers just announced they are sending infielder/outfielder Joe Dillon to Nashville to make room on their roster for right-hander Yovani Gallardo, who is coming off the DL to start vs. Cincinnati today.  —  This is a somewhat stunning announcement …

The World Series the Cubs (maybe) gave away  —  The odometer has turned here in Chicago, where, as readers of just about any sports section know, the Cubs are in Year 100 of their World Series chase.  Or, as a local T-shirt entrepreneur puts it, the Cubs are going for their “Century Peat.”

Madden: Payback is a pitch  —  When Kyle Farnsworth fired that “I was only trying to throw inside” haymaker pitch that actually almost conked Manny Ramirez on the back side of his head Thursday night, you could almost hear the collective “it's about time!” chorus from Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez & Co.