S#!t hits the Post  —  The Mets should not be as desperate as the local rag  —  C'mon. Seriously?  Jerry Manuel takes over as manager and does everything he can to provide smart, funny, candid and well-constructed quotes to the newspapermen desperate for them, and the New York Post has to go screw it up for everyone.

Jeter, A-Rod safe, sound on ballot  —  Other Yankees position players gaining in All-Star Game vote  —  NEW YORK — The left side of the Yankees' infield should have no trouble adjusting to its surroundings on July 15, as long as the current All-Star Game tallies hold up.

O's, Cubs content with Roberts deal that wasn't  —  Chicago owns best record in majors, O's have exceeded expectations after offseason trade talks for second baseman  —  CHICAGO - It consumed Dave Trembley's offseason.  When he walked the beach near his Florida home, ate lunch with his wife …

Mulder may start vs. Royals  —  BOSTON — The Cardinals are projecting lefthander Mark Mulder for a start in next weekend's series against the Kansas City Royals, pending a successful “light” outing tonight with Class AAA Memphis.  —  Manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan insisted Sunday …

The Screaming Man Shouldn't Make You Change The Way You Think About Yourself  —  We like The Big Lead.  Jason McIntyre's a perfectly nice fellow, and their infamous interview with Jason Whitlock remains one of our favorite sports blogging moments.  But we have to make this clear …

Inside Randolph's Firing (cont.)  —  Bernazard, VP of player development.  Never has a VP of player development been more vilified.  But it's difficult to say whether it's deserved.  In his role as Minaya's chief lieutenant, he is supposed to provide counsel, after all.  —  Bernazard's Mets bosses love him.

An Interview with Matt Sosnick  —  An interview with Matt Sosnick  —  I was recently privileged to spend some time with professional baseball agent Matt Sosnick of Sosnick-Cobbe Sports.  Matt Sosnick was the subject of ESPN analyst/writer Jerry Crasnick's book “License to Deal …

Stairs happy to see end of old hitting coach  —  PITTSBURGH — Matt Stairs likes what he hears from Gene Tenace, the Toronto Blue Jays new hitting coach.  And he is not bashful about declaring that the former coach, Gary Denbo, did not suit his style.  —  Stairs believes he is not the only Jays hitter who regressed under Denbo.

Rays upset with Lee's slide into Iwamura  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Akinori Iwamura isn't sure if Carlos Lee is the largest man he has ever had bearing down on him at second base, but the Astros DH is the first to attempt to tackle him.  —  Lee's apparent tug at Iwamura's legs after being forced …

Ponson lined up for Friday  —  Prepare yourself for the return of Sir Sidney Ponson.  —  Per Chad Jennings, the Scranton rotation lists TBA on Thursday, which would have been Ponson's spot.  It seems pretty evident that Ponson will pitch one of those games against the Mets on Friday.

MONDESI FIELD TRIP: THE PIRATES' ALL YOU CAN EAT SECTION  —  MONDESI FIELD TRIP: THE PIRATES ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SECTION  —  I don't get to many Pirate games anymore, for a variety of reasons.  In fact, I hadn't been to PNC Park since last July (which was beautifully recapped here).

Admit it: Helton's status slipping  —  The singles hitter formerly known as slugger Todd Helton wore a black T-shirt and walked slowly through the Rockies clubhouse, past teammates he has repeatedly left on base and too often let down.  —  The slumping Helton bats cleanup in the Colorado batting order on reputation, not merit.

Home crowd fans Farnsy's flames  —  NEW YORK — Kyle Farnsworth was bloodied and needed stitches, but after the game he seemed to have more problems with fans cheering for Ken Griffey Jr. than with his injured right hand.  —  The Yankees reliever was forced out of the game after reaching …

Dodgers' Matt Kemp puts his power on hold — for an at-bat  —  Leading by a run, Manager Joe Torre asks his slugging outfielder to bunt with two runners on and no out.  —  The Dodgers were clinging to a one-run lead over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.  They had runners on first and second …