For starters, Hank breathes relief  —  Hank Steinbrenner is on board with Joba Chamberlain's impending move to the rotation, he told Newsday yesterday afternoon, as he believes Chamberlain's talent can be better utilized as a starter.  —  Steinbrenner said by phone: “I want to make this very clear …

Dodgers call up Clayton Kershaw, at the expense of Esteban Loaiza  —  L.A. options Yhency Brazoban to Las Vegas and designates fellow right-hander Loaiza for assignment to make room for the hot-throwing lefty from Jacksonville who's due to start in the majors Sunday.

Carter Has Eye on Randolph's Job  —  Willie Randolph got a vote of confidence Friday from General Manager Omar Minaya, but that did not stop the sharks from circling.  —  On “The Mike & Murray Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio, the former Met Gary Carter campaigned to replace Randolph.

Mets at Colorado  —  Mets (22-24) at Colorado (19-29), 3:55 p.m.  —  Vargas (0-2, 4.76) vs. Francis (1-4, 5.87)  —  Important game for the Mets and Willie.  Lets see if Vargas can be the stopper Santana and Perez were not the last two games.  —  Mets Top 1  —  If anyone can get this team started it is Jose.

Promotion featuring Ortiz a shot to Yankees  —  Yankees voice concern over All-Star promotion  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - If David Ortiz got to call his shot in Yankee Stadium, he thinks he'd pick right field, with that inviting fence just 314 feet from home plate.  Asked if he'd try to go upper deck, Ortiz smiled.

Instant replay would strip baseball of its soul  —  No instant replay, please.  Not in baseball, where breath-to-breath squabbles between umpires, managers, coaches and players are as much of the game's soul as the seventh-inning stretch, the national anthem and a box of Cracker Jack.  —  Quick.

Rockies call up Seth Smith  —  Following injuries to infielder Clint Barmes, and outfielders Willy Taveras and Brad Hawpe, the Rockies have called up Triple-A prospect Seth Smith and are prepared to activate Ian Stewart for today's game against the Mets at Coors Field.

The Draft's Dirty Dozen  —  Even with just two weeks to go before the draft, and with plenty of college prospects seeing their season come to a close in the next few days, doing a mock draft is a bit of a silly exercise.  Still doing a mock draft on the day before the selections are made can be a fruitless endeavor.

Minor leaguer traded for 10 baseball bats  —  McALLEN, Texas (AP) - During three years in the low minors, John Odom never really made a name for himself.  —  That sure changed this week - he's the guy who was traded for a bunch of bats.  —  “I don't really care,” he said Friday.

Players slow to accept Major League Baseball's new speed rule  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - The Red Sox [team stats] got caught in a speed trap last night.  —  They were busted for going too slow.  —  Hitting coach Dave Magadan was ejected in the sixth inning of the Red Sox' 8-3 loss …

Despite facial injuries, Padres' Young feels lucky  —  SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Young feels lucky despite getting hit in the face with a baseball.  —  Young was back at Petco Park on Friday, just two days after a line drive off the bat of St. Louis' Albert Pujols broke his nose.

Postgame notes, Stewart out with sprained ankle  —  First the injury.  —  Chris Stewart sprained his left ankle while blocking the plate in the first inning.  He stayed in to finish the inning, but told manager Dave Miley after coming back to the dugout that he wouldn't be able to play the rest of the game.

Volquez for Hamilton?  Texas Rangers got this one right  —  Until the dawn of what's fast becoming an interesting season, maybe four position players in the 36-year history of the Rangers had Hall of Fame talent: Alex Rodriguez, Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro.