WILLIE'S STILL A STAR TO HURDLE  —  One way or another, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle wants Willie Randolph coaching in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium next month.  —  Hurdle even brought up the idea yesterday of Randolph - fired as manager of the Mets earlier this week …

‘Mike and the Mad Dog’ radio show could be history  —  “Mike and the Mad Dog,” the most successful, influential show in sports talk radio history, could soon be history itself.  —  Barring a change of heart, the partnership between Mike Francesa and Christopher “Mad Dog” …

Johnson still feeling soreness in wrist  —  On DL since May 15, Nats first baseman suffers another setback  —  WASHINGTON — Nationals general manager Jim Bowden revealed Saturday that injured first baseman Nick Johnson will go to the Mayo Clinic on Monday because he's still feeling soreness in his injured right wrist.

Pirates Notebook: Marte might stay after all  —  For months, it seemed a lock that Damaso Marte was the most likely of the Pirates' veterans to be traded.  —  No more.  —  Management began entertaining offers for him in the offseason, and that never stopped.

Mets hire Krivsky as Minaya's special assistant … DENVER (AP) — Longtime baseball executive Wayne Krivsky was hired by the New York Mets on Saturday as special assistant to general manager Omar Minaya.  —  Krivsky was fired as GM of the Cincinnati Reds in late April.

The numbers don't add up  —  Marlins winning despite some ugly statistical trends  —  OAKLAND — Calculating the Marlins' success is somewhat baffling because their hard statistical data isn't indicative of a team being this close to first place this far along in the season.

Cards deck Dice-K with an early exit  —  Sox starter lasts only three outs  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  Any hope Daisuke Matsuzaka [stats] would immediately return to his old form after nearly a month on the disabled list with a right rotator cuff strain …

Time of the season: Young, Texas Rangers batter Nationals  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  WASHINGTON - Mateo Young turns 3 years old today.  It seems his father is intent on giving him the same birthday gift he's gotten every year:  —  A smoking hot bat.  —  Just in time for his kid's birthday …

Sounding the Horne?  —  Yanks may have to take a look at Minor League prospect  —  The injury to workhorse starter Chien-Ming Wang seriously threatens to submerge the Yankees' playoff hopes, which already were taking on water despite the recent spate of wins against the overmatched National League.

Pirates place Dumatrait on DL for shoulder injury  —  The Pirates today placed starter Phil Dumatrait on the 15-day disabled list, because of rotator cuff tendinitis in his left shoulder, and promoted reliever T.J. Beam from Class AAA Indianapolis.  —  Dumatrait had been the rotation's best until …

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti faces tough decisions  —  Trading some of the team's young talent this summer might bring a division title this fall, but it also might harm the team's long-term future.  —  Welcome back, Lakers fans.  We rejoin this Dodgers season, already in progress.

Indians break out in 11th  —  Peralta the hero in second straight extra-innings win  —  LOS ANGELES — A celebrity softball game was scheduled to take place on the field at Dodger Stadium after Saturday afternoon's Indians-Dodgers game.  —  That spelled trouble.

Blame It On The Rain  —  When NESN came back from a commercial at the beginning of the rain delay, the fans at Fenway Park were being treated to Boston Red Sox bullpen members Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen getting their Milli Vanilli on and lip-synching their song “Blame It On The Rain”.