Mets' pitching coach has no comment on recent woes  —  PHOENIX - Mets manager Willie Randolph defended Rick Peterson and denied there was a gag order to prevent the pitching coach from talking with the media.  —  Beyond Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez being on the disabled list …

Guillen goes [bleeping] wild over fickle Sox fans  —  If this was the pregame interview, what could Ozzie Guillen possibly have said after the Chicago White Sox lost again Sunday?  —  Guillen unleashed his verbal wrath before the White Sox faced the Blue Jays in Toronto …

Too early to give up on Rockies  —  The Rockies beat the Dodgers 7-2 on Sunday.  All they have to do now is win 20 of the next 21, and they'll be right back in the division.  —  Stop fretting.  With a 12-19 record, the Rox are only one game off last season's 13-18 pace at this time.

Yankees' patience pays off in Melky's case  —  Do you remember Melky Cabrera's 2005 cup of coffee with the Yankees?  Is the vision of his misplaying Trot Nixon's fly ball into an inside-the-park home run burned into your temporal lobes?  —  For the rest of that season, when Nixon batted at Fenway Park …

Clemens apologizes for ‘mistakes,’ still denies drug use  —  Seven-time Cy Young winner admits flaws, says personal life has nothing to do with performance-enhancing drug allegations  —  In his first comments since a tabloid linked him to extramarital affairs last week …

Atlanta acquires infielder Greg Norton from Seattle  —  Infielder Martin Prado placed on 15-day disabled list  —  ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners made a trade today, as Atlanta has acquired switch-hitting infielder Greg Norton in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

And That Happened  —  Braves 14, Reds 7: Mrs. Shyster came into the living room yesterday afternoon and told me that I had to fix the shelves in the garage.  Her view: the screws holding the standards in the wall are hanging by a thread, and sooner or later 75 pounds of garage crap is going to fall onto her station wagon.

Francisco recalled in Tribe roster shake-up  —  Buffalo Bisons outfielder Ben Francisco is going back to the Cleveland Indians, and this time it might be for good.  —  Manager Eric Wedge promised changes Sunday after another weak showing by Tribe bats in a 2-0 loss to Kansas City in Progressive Field.

The Great Rock & Roll Swindle  —  Some would argue that the Sex Pistols don't belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that's really more a case of personal taste than it is merit.  The Malcolm McLaren-managed anarchists didn't fit the mold that most record company executives look for …

Church's throw helps Mets top Diamondbacks  —  PHOENIX - With the Mets' Johan Santana, a two-time Cy Young winner, matched against Dan Haren, another of the Diamondbacks' elite starters, there was a good chance that one of those golden arms would decide yesterday's series finale at Chase Field.