Tigers designate slumping OF Jones; Sheffield goes to left field  —  DETROIT — Jacque Jones was cut Monday by the Detroit Tigers, who had promised a lineup shakeup going into a homestand against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.  —  Detroit designated Jones for assignment and has 10 days …

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 …

Clemens apologizes to family, fans  —  NEW YORK - Roger Clemens apologized today for unspecified mistakes in his personal life but denied having an affair with a 15-year-old.  —  The Daily News reported last week Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was 15 and an aspiring singer.

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.

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 …

Woman charged in killing after Yanks-BoSox spat  —  NASHUA, N.H. — A woman accused of running down a man in her car after a Red Sox-Yankees argument in a bar never hit her brakes as she accelerated toward the small group he was in, a prosecutor said Monday.

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 …

An Interview with Buzz Bissinger  —  Award-winning author Buzz Bissinger voiced his displeasure about blogs on last week's Bob Costas HBO special.  In a contrite and fairly candid interview with us, he sums up his television performance thusly: “I am a man of passion, and my passion got the better of me.”

The Twi-Nighter: Why can't the Nats fill their best seats?  —  Over the first month of the season, I've been amazed whenever I tune into a Nationals home game.  Almost without fail, there are scads of empty seats behind the plate, giving the appearance that the new and shiny Nationals Park …

Making An Entrance  —  Yesterday's start by Johan Santana reversed his usual pattern; whereas he has thus far, except for his beating at the hands of the Brewers, basically had stretches of dominance interrupted only by too-frequent home runs, yesterday he was laboring with a lot of men on base …

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 …