Seattle Mariners fire manager John McLaren  —  Three days after firing the man who constructed the disastrous 2008 Seattle Mariners, the team fired the man who was guiding them on the field, letting manager John McLaren go on Thursday morning.  —  McLaren, who came to Seattle in 1993 …

Perception on Mets' Bernazard: He's a bad, bad guy  —  Among their many travails during this trying time, the Mets have this going for them:  —  They now employ the most famous vice president of development in baseball history.  —  Omar Minaya left here Tuesday, after trying to defend …

Jays notebook: Ricciardi trashes Adam Dunn on radio show  —  Slugger Adam Dunn lacks a passion for baseball and definitely will not become a Toronto Blue Jay, general manager J.P. Ricciardi said Wednesday night.  —  Dunn, who plays for the Cincinnati Reds, is often mentioned in trade rumours …

SI Players Poll names Derek Jeter baseball's most overrated  —  The Yankees look up to Derek Jeter as their Captain, and fans across the country idolize him - but many players in the majors apparently don't believe the hype.  —  In a Sports Illustrated survey of 495 Major League Baseball players …

Bush takes no-hit bid into 8th, Brewers hold on  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Dave Bush took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning before it was broken up by the player he was traded for, and the Milwaukee Brewers barely held for an 8-7 win over Toronto on Thursday.  —  GAME REPORT: Brewers 8, Blue Jays 7

The GM shopping list  —  • The all-stars (Brian Cashman, Theo Epstein, Kevin Towers): Cashman and Epstein are both in the last year of their respective contracts, so you never know.  Towers has done terrific work in San Diego for 13 seasons.  But even though he just signed an extension through 2010 …

Happy 80th Birthday, Dad  —  My Dad, George Lederer, turns 80 years old today.  Had he lived, Dad would have joined the octogenarian club.  However, he barely made it to 50.  He died nearly 30 years ago of malignant melanoma.  —  It was truly an unfortunate set of circumstances that caused his death.

Tavarez designed for assignment  —  The Brewers made room on their roster today to activate reliever David Riske from the DL by designating reliever Julian Tavarez for assignment.  —  The Brewers signed Tavarez a few weeks ago to a minimum-salary contract after he was released by Boston …

Rays sign top overall pick Beckham  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Tim Beckham, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's First-Year Player Draft, signed a contract with the Rays on Thursday.  —  Beckham's signing bonus is worth a $6.15 million, the club announced.  —  Baseball America ranked Beckham …

Inside Pitch: Minaya may be next to go  —  General manager could be on hot seat as Mets underachieve  —  Willie Randolph's run as New York Mets manager came to an end this week after 3 1/2 years on the job.  —  General manager Omar Minaya might follow Randolph out of town if the Mets don't turn things around.

Angels could really use a power boost  —  Mark Teixeira would top the Angels' wish list, if only he were available.  Ken Rosenthal says they need a slugger to close the gap.

Yanks team up with Hard Rock  —  Club has entered agreement to open restaurant at new stadium  —  NEW YORK — Over the very spot where home plate will be installed at the new Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez leaned over and added his looping signature to the “sweet spot” of a pinstriped guitar.

Sox to honor C's  —  The Boston Red Sox plan to honor their basketball brethren before Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park.  —  While no specifics were mentioned, a media advisory sent by the Sox indicated there would be a pregame ceremony to “recognize and honor …