UMPIRE RUNGE APOLOGIZES TO MANUEL  —  Umpire Brian Runge apologized to Jerry Manuel yesterday, one day after he bumped and ejected the manager.  —  Manuel said Runge apologized when he brought out the lineup card at the beginning of the game.  —  “He had spoken to his father [Paul Runge …

McLane: 'We can't have anarchy' (w /audio)  —  A little over a week ago, I wrote a blog telling you the situation was quite toxic in the Astros' clubhouse and that players weren't quite buying into management's plan.  —  Well, I never imagined it would break down into a confrontation …

In Pittsburgh, Posada Takes in All Things Clemente  —  PITTSBURGH — Jorge Posada is a five-time All-Star, but this week he is an awestruck fan.  The Yankees are playing in Pittsburgh, where Roberto Clemente starred for the Pirates, and Clemente is a hero to Posada.

Pirates Notebook: Reliever acquired; Barthmaier coming up  —  The Pirates did find outside pitching help, as expected, but it was not for the ailing rotation.  —  Instead, general manager Neal Huntington added another power arm to the bullpen by acquiring Denny Bautista from Detroit for Class A reliever Kyle Pearson.

Newman on Melancon: “He could stay there all year”  —  Mark Newman understands the desire to see Mark Melancon in big league pinstripes, but player development is a game of patience, and Newman is willing to wait.  With a 1.57 ERA through 11 Double-A games, Melancon has fans calmoring for a call-up …

O's put Albers on 15-day DL  —  RHP goes on disabled list with sore shoulder; team calls up reliever F. Cabrera from Norfolk  —  The Orioles placed pitcher Matt Albers on the 15-day disabled list today with a sore right shoulder and brought up reliever Fernando Cabrera from Triple-A Norfolk.

Matsui sits again … PITTSBURGH (AP) — New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui remained out of the lineup — and the batting cage — with a sore left knee Thursday and will be re-examined Friday by team doctors.  —  If he is cleared to play, Matsui could be the designated hitter …

Dodgers lose to White Sox; interleague record falls to 3-9  —  They manage only five hits, stranding runners in scoring position in four innings.  Angels are up next.  —  The Dodger did not score.  Again.  —  They lost.  Again.  —  A game that the Dodgers started by stealing three bases …

Cards waste 4 hits by Pujols  —  Not even a 4-for-4 day by Albert Pujols in his first game off the disabled list was enough to offset the Cardinals' shaky bullpen and managerial decisions.  —  After Pujols singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, Detroit's Gary Sheffield tied …

Wilpon misinformed about prospects  —  In defending Omar Minaya earlier this week, Mets CEO Fred Wilpon issued this questionable proclamation/criticism/evaluation:  —  “Contrary to what you all are reporting about our minor leagues, our minor leagues are in much better shape than what's being reported.”

Wieters earns promotion to Bowie  —  O's expected to announce first-round pick headed to Double-A affiliate  —  CHICAGO - The Orioles are expected to announce today that catcher Matt Wieters, the organization's first-round draft pick last season and its top prospect, will be promoted to Double-A Bowie.

From Underdogs to National Champions, Fresno State Completes Amazing Run  —  Fresno State completed the most improbable run in recent college sports history as they became the lowest seed ever to win a national championship defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 on Wednesday night at Rosenblatt Stadium.

A Love Letter To The Deadspinners  —  We say this in all seriousness, and mean it about as much as we could possibly mean anything: The main goal of this site was to give people something entertaining to distract themselves from their desk jobs.  We feel like we somewhat succeeded in this role …

Angels appear to be standing pat  —  WASHINGTON - The more things change, the more they stand pat.  —  The Angels changed general managers last fall, as Tony Reagins replaced Bill Stoneman.  Despite making annual runs at players like Mark Teixeira and Miguel Tejada, Stoneman was often criticized …