Surgery result optimistic for Curt Schilling  —  WILMINGTON, Del. - The door is still open.  —  After one hour and 45 minutes of surgery on Red Sox [team stats] pitcher Curt Schilling [stats], Dr. Craig Morgan and his associate, Dr. Augustus Mazzocca, looked at each other and smiled.

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.

Manuel not knocking fans with comment  —  Apparently managers can't attempt to be intellectual without risk of someone trying to make a big deal about it.  Trust me, Jerry Manuel wasn't saying anything disparaging about fans when he used the word “fertilizer” before Sunday's game.

Source: Demand surges for Dominican Inoa, 16 … ORLANDO, Fla. — The Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds have joined the Oakland Athletics in a bidding feud for the services of Dominican pitching prospect Michael Inoa, the crown jewel of the pool of Latin American players who will be available …

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 …

Gameday Live 75: Mariners at Mets  —  Hey everyone!  Marc Jimenez here again as the Mets (37-37) host a three-game series against the worst team in baseball, the Seattle Mariners (26-49).  Good pitching matchup tonight as Johan Santana (7-5, 3.04), who hasn't won since June 1, faces Felix Hernandez (6-5, 2.87).

Lake Mary pitcher Matt Richardson picks Yankees over UCF  —  Lake Mary right-hander Matt Richardson, Central Florida's top draft pick among high school players in this year's amateur draft earlier this month, will forgo a scholarship to UCF to play professional baseball.

Nats 1B Johnson may miss rest of season  —  WASHINGTON (AP)—Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson will undergo surgery Tuesday on his injured right wrist and may not return this season.  —  “We'll know more tomorrow when they operate, but there's a possibility he might be out for the year …

Turns out Ian Kennedy DID pitch Monday, an earlier report of a rainout in Tampa notwithstanding.  —  The Yankees just called — well, not all of them, just one of their media-relations staffers — and corrected the earlier information they provided.  Hey, it happens.

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 …

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.