Analysis: Minaya's rule a reign of error  —  Manager Willie Randolph (l.) has felt the heat this season, but GM Omar Minaya added injury-prone players ...  You are watching the painfully slow demise of The New Mets, the vision Omar Minaya articulated four years ago but built as a house of cards.

Rocket's game got boost from Viagra  —  Roger Clemens, whose claims he never took steroids are under federal investigation, has apparently discovered the benefits of another performance-enhancing drug sweeping the sports world - Viagra.  —  Clemens stashed the clearly marked …

You Got To Keep Them Motivated  —  Say what you want about Ozzie Guillen and how his mouth continues to get him attention on and off the field, but his latest tirade seems to have worked.  Despite being in first place a week ago, the White Sox were floundering, generally on offense …

Leyland: Pudge, Inge to split catching job  —  Manager Jim Leyland didn't say anything about Pudge Rodriguez for the long term.  He didn't say he has lost his status as the Tigers' primary catcher.  —  But addressing at least the short term, Leyland said Monday that beginning now …

BAD ‘FIRST’ IMPRESSION  —  Ed Montague is officially removed from the Yankees' Christmas card list.  —  The veteran umpire yesterday was in the middle of a second eighth-inning controversy in four days at the Stadium, calling out Melky Cabrera at first base on a sacrifice bunt, despite Cabrera beating the throw.

Interview - Tim Marchman - New York Sun  —  Whether it's music or television, novels or art, newspapers or alternative media, you have your favorites.  It's a subjective matter, of course; one man's trash is another man's treasure.  Somewhere, there's still a fan of Ugly Kid Joe and Urkel.

Luck May Explain the Angels' Success  —  The Los Angeles Angels' best player, Vladimir Guerrero, has struggled all season.  John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, both Cy Young-caliber pitchers last year, started the season on the disabled list and have already missed more than three months on the DL combined.

Focus, patience keys to comeback  —  Clint Hurdle sets the tone: Big improvements will come by winning one series at a time.  —  The Denver Post  —  Major-leaguers hate big-picture questions.  —  Ask one and you're likely to get an analogy like this, courtesy of Rockies manager Clint Hurdle: “It's that old saying.

The 10 worst No. 5 hitters since 1957  —  Our tour of the most pitiful performances in the various spots in the batting order has so far visited leadoff, the second slot, No. 3, and cleanup.  This time we'll look in on the fitful flailers of the fifth position, as defined by starting at least …

How fatigue affects a pitcher's fastball  —  How pitchers tire is one of the great unknowns left in baseball.  Ideally, you could measure fatigue by ERA inning by inning, but the problem is not only does fatigue factor in, but so do adjustments by hitters who have now seen the pitcher multiple times.

Ryan Tucker another Marlin who must cover up arm tattoos  —  MIAMI GARDENS - Including the guy it was named for, the Marlins now have two pitchers subject to the “Justin Miller rule.”  —  Ryan Tucker made his major league debut in 86-degree heat Sunday wearing a long-sleeved black undershirt.

America's Real Best Ballpark Food  —  We're talkin' ballpark food for this week's Who Cooked It Better, inspired by the New York Times' Travel Section.  Food writer Peter Meehan had the enviable assignment of traveling to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and sampling their many edible offerings.

Prospectus Matchups  —  Four In a Row  —  Over this past weekend, the San Diego Padres completed a run of four consecutive 2-1 victories.  This was ballyhooed as the first time any team has ever done that, which isn't too surprising.  In fact, I started to wonder how many times teams …