Initial reports: Posada's injury not season-ending  —  Jorge Posada's shoulder injury does not appear to be season-threatening.  That's the early word on the New York Yankees catcher following an exam by Dr. James Andrews on Monday.  —  Posada was placed on the 15-day disabled list …

Stat: The Schneider Effect  —  As noted earlier today on MetsBlog, C Brian Schneider, who has not played since April 23, remains in the hospital with an infection in his left thumb.  —  In the 15 games Schneider has started this season, the Mets are 9-6.  More importantly, the Mets team ERA in those games is 3.36.

Mindy McCready weeps as she confirms affair with ‘kind and caring’ Roger Clemens  —  Barricaded behind tightly drawn blinds at her Nashville home Monday, country singer Mindy McCready confirmed a long-term affair with embattled pitcher Roger Clemens.  —  “I cannot refute anything in the story …

Yanks chip away to split with Tribe  —  Four-run sixth ends hitless spell; Mussina wins second straight  —  CLEVELAND — The Yankees have been away from home so often this month, Mike Mussina seemed legitimately surprised when he realized his assumptions were incorrect: another hotel room was not …

Bondy: All wrong bringing Wright into mess  —  David Wright talks with Carlos Delgado in the dugout during Sunday's game ...  You have to understand: Wright is a golden child, one of the chosen.  He is a homegrown organization talent, which means he is treated very differently than the latest free agent on the block.

Pitchers face demotions sans improvement  —  SAN FRANCISCO — A disappointing April has created rotation impatience beyond Franklin Morales and Ubaldo Jimenez.  —  Mark Redman could be sent to the bullpen — or worse — if he doesn't show marked improvement.

Jason Botts has been DFA'd  —  The Rangers this afternoon, perhaps momentarily, will announce that Jason Botts has been designated for assignment and that Chris Shelton's contract will be purchased.  The club is desperate for another productive right-handed bat in the lineup and Botts simply …

Sports Illustrated Jinxes the Cubs in April?  Coverline: “It's Gonna Happen”  —  We think this might be exclusive, since it won't hit the SI website (and mailboxes) until later today, and newsstands Thursday, but this week's cover is pure genius.  Jinx much?

Bobby Valentine on His New Tribeca Documentary  —  To Mets fans, Bobby Valentine needs no introduction: The flamboyant player turned manager helped lead the Mets out of their nineties rut and all the way to the World Series in 2000.  But as depicted in the new Tribeca film The Zen of Bobby V …

Jonathan Papelbon improves numbers … How does he do it?  How can Jonathan Papelbon [stats] make his pitches miss so many bats, so many times?  —  “He throws the heck out of the ball,” Red Sox [team stats] pitching coach John Farrell said.  —  If it was only that simple.

Blazing the O'Malley Trail  —  50 Years Later, Part Two  —  Another problem with evaluating O'Malley's legacy is that many revisionists, consciously or unconsciously, make a big deal out of the Dodgers' Brooklyn attendance, then and now.  Disparage the Dodgers' support in the 1950s …

No curses for Dodgers' Lowe  —  The Dodgers never had a Bambino, other than the one year Babe Ruth spent as Brooklyn's first-base coach back in 1938.  They had Billy Cox, Billy Herman and Billy Grabarkewitz, but no one seems to recall them ever having a billy goat.

ON DECK: TIGERS AT YANKEES  —  The Yankees return home tonight to take on the Tigers (7:05, YES, WCBS) after playing 18 out of their previous 20 games on the road, but unfortunately some of their stars will not be on the field to greet the Stadium crowd.  —  Alex Rodriguez re-injured …

Pirates' trade pieces raise stakes  —  Nady, Bay, Grabow more valuable now than when offered  —  NEW YORK — Over a long inaugural winter as the Pirates' general manager, Neal Huntington had set out to revamp his roster with significant veteran-for-prospect trades.  —  Trouble was, no one was buying.