No dirt on Ramírez-Youkilis dust-up  —  Although the most explosive portion of fight night at Fenway Park occurred during the bottom of the second inning, after James Shields hit Coco Crisp with a pitch, the undercard was no less intriguing.  —  Before the start of the fifth inning, there was an issue in the Red Sox dugout.

Waiting for the Call  —  NORWICH, Conn. — The ballpark here sits at the end of a winding industrial road, surrounded by trees, with no sense of place.  It rained all day Wednesday, and most of the 1,353 paying fans stayed home.  Kids were disappointed if they left with only one foul ball.

Iguchi heading to disabled list  —  Infielder separates right shoulder in spill on basepaths  —  SAN DIEGO — Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi suffered a separated right shoulder in the seventh inning of the Padres' 2-1 victory over the Mets at PETCO Park on Thursday night.

Corner infielders dominate atypical first round … Overview  —  This year's first round was unusual in a number of ways.  We had five college relievers taken, beating the previous record of three (set in 2003).  We also saw eight corner infielders taken and four catchers …

Red hot Damon attributes mustache to his success  —  Johnny Damon gets congratulations from first base coach Tony Pena after his 3rd inning single as the NY Yankees played the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, June 5, 2008.  (Newsday/ Paul J. Bereswill)  —  It must be the mustaches.

Bonds pleads not guilty to refiled federal charges  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds has pleaded not guilty to 15 federal charges of lying to a grand jury about his performance-enhancing drug use.  —  Bonds pleaded not guilty to similar accusations in December, but a judge ordered prosecutors …

Mets regulars like Wright have little time to rest  —  When manager Willie Randolph spoke to his team before Tuesday's game against the Giants at AT&T Park, the message wasn't about anything the Mets needed to do on the field.  After winning five of seven to that point, they appeared to be fine between the lines.

Baker sold on Reds' youthful transition … If we've learned anything new about Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker in April and May, it's that the man has a flair for child care.  —  For years, Baker has been characterized as no fan of young players — a perception that would suggest he's intolerant …

REPORTING FROM ... THE MLB DRAFT  —  Count me in the (severe) minority, but the MLB draft is my favorite of all the major sports drafts.  It wasn't always this way, but I had the privilege of working in the offices of Baseball America for the 2005 and 2006 drafts, and that experience completely changed my perspective.

Clutch Project: Checking In  —  Every week or so I like to take a look at how Tangotiger's Great Clutch Project is shaping up.  For those of you unfamiliar with the project, the gist of it is to find out if fans know which players on their team are “clutch”.

Pelfrey Is Solid, but Mets Still Lose  —  SAN DIEGO — This was a pivotal moment, a pivotal moment in the game, in Mike Pelfrey's development, and the Mets pitching coach, Rick Peterson, sensed it.  He ran out to check on his struggling pitcher, putting his hands on Pelfrey's shoulders.