Game 79: Mets at Yankees  —  YANKEES (42-36)  —  METS (38-39)  —  Dan Giese (1-2, 0.64) has never faced any of Mets hitters and Mike Pelfrey (4-6, 4.30) has never faced any of the Yankees.  —  Notes: Damon will play Game 2 in left. ...  Sounds like Hideki Matsui will go on the DL after Game 1 when Sidney Ponson is activated. ...

How could I forget Hernandez and Strawberry on photo day?  —  When I was writing this morning's top 10 MLB teammate fights, I was doing it with the knowledge that I was definitely going to leave some classics out on the table.  Blogging is a game of first drafts.

Brandon Inge angles for a lucrative pillow endorsement  —  We've heard about players getting hurt while sneezing, while sleepwalking through a nightmare about spiders and after kicking an iron bar stool.  —  But we had never heard of a pillow-lifting injury in baseball — that is …

Yankees Are Frustrated by a Rainout  —  PITTSBURGH — The Yankees started Thursday's game with four extra-base hits in a row, and they were leading the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1, when a storm blew through PNC Park.  The teams waited two and a half hours before the game was postponed until July 10, with all statistics erased.

Greetings from Gate D-88  —  Here we are at the Frenchy Fuqua International Airport in Pittsburgh.  —  Back when I made these flight plans, it seemed perfect.  Arrive at LaGuardia around 11:15 a.m., grab some lunch in Queens and head over to Shea Stadium with plenty of time to spare to cover the game.

“Arena Baseball” - The American League's Superiority  —  After Thursday's games, the AL is a whopping 124-84 over the National League thus far in Interleague Play, with one final weekend to play.  Forty games over .500.  —  And the run differential suggests it hasn't been a fluke.

Do It!  Why the Braves Should Sign Barry Bonds  —  When I first heard the news that Barry Bonds is willing to play for the league minimum I laughed: there's no way would the Braves do this.  Right?  But I the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the Braves need to make this move.

Benson to make Triple-A rehab start  —  Right-hander to take the hill vs. Syracuse on Sunday  —  OAKLAND — Feeling it's time for a challenge, the Phillies have sent rehabbing pitcher Kris Benson to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for his June 29 start.  —  The right-hander had gone -2 with an 8.10 ERA …

Marlins Notebook: Florida hopes to rebounds vs. Arizona  —  MIAMI GARDENS — The Marlins hope they can snap a four-game losing streak when Arizona arrives tonight for a rare second trip of the season to Florida starting tonight.  —  The Marlins swept three games from the Diamondbacks at Dolphin Stadium in May.

Grilli can handle heat at Comerica  —  Based on the venom directed at Jason Grilli by Tigers fans and manager Jim Leyland, one would think the reliever was responsible for slow U.S. car sales and Michigan's statewide recession.  —  Grilli returns to Detroit tonight as the slumping Rockies open a three-game series at Comerica Park.

Hudson Valley Hooey  —  A year or so ago, I implored many of my colleagues in the print and digital media to spend some time in the classroom, as I did as a adjunct Professor Of Journalism at Five Towns College in 2006-07.  At the time I explained that in addition to “giving back” …

The Kid Keeps Himself in the Picture  —  LONG BEACH, Calif. — There is a slight paunch and a tilt in his gait, the result of all the knee surgeries that serve as penance for all the years he spent as a major league catcher.  But Gary Carter, even at 54, has the same camera-ready smile …