Phillies could not compete in Sabathia stakes  —  The Phillies placed Cy Young winner CC Sabathia atop their trade-deadline wish list but fell short simply because they couldn't beat the package the Milwaukee Brewers put together for him.  —  The Brewers offered top prospect Matt LaPorta to Cleveland …

Starting Rivera in Midsummer Classic would be ultimate tribute  —  NEW YORK — In a world of crazy, outside-the-box thinking, here's one idea that has gained some traction in the Yankees' clubhouse lately: Why not give Mariano Rivera, this generation's greatest closer, a chance to be really appreciated at the All-Star Game?

Lennon: Hey Omar, What About Bonds?  —  After more than 15 minutes of grilling on Ryan Church, concussions, migraines and any number of brain-related issues, general manager Omar Minaya actually seemed relieved yesterday when someone asked him about pursuing Barry Bonds.

Beltran's Throw  —  During the ninth inning of last night's game against the Phillies, Carlos Beltran made a throw to third base in attempt to nail Eric Bruntlett going from first to third on a single by Pedro Feliz.  The ball got away from third baseman David Wright, allowing Bruntlett to score and Feliz to take second base.

Records being set with 2008 Final Vote  —  Hart, Longoria lead the way midway through furious balloting  —  At the halfway point of the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote, Milwaukee outfielder Corey Hart and Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria were holding slim leads while baseball fans …

Braves sign right-hander Tavarez  —  Los Angeles — The Braves signed free-agent right-handed pitcher Julian Tavarez Tuesday to a contract through the remainder of the 2008 season.  Tavarez is expected to be in Los Angeles in time for the Braves' game versus the Dodgers at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday.

White Sox reinstate Paul Konerko from disabled list; Designate Pablo Ozuna for assignment  —  CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have returned Paul Konerko from his injury rehabilitation assignment to Class AAA Charlotte and have reinstated the first baseman from the 15-day disabled list.

Nats Striking Out on TV  —  MASN Programming Ranks Last Among U.S. Major League Markets  —  The Washington Nationals are drawing the smallest U.S. regional television audience in baseball this season, attracting less than one-third the average number of households of any other team …

Duchscherer looking for a long-term deal  —  Justin Duchscherer is now a two-time All-Star and he has put up the best ERA among AL starters going into tonight's game against the Mariners.  —  That makes him among the top bargains in the bigs.  Duchscherer, who was arbitration-eligible …

Kuroda's one-hitter is a sunny delight  —  LOS ANGELES - The sunny view here amid the palm trees and rag tops has the Dodgers coming to understand Joe Torre and Torre getting them, the only explanation for a July that has seen six wins and 36 runs in seven games, because it couldn't possibly …

Where Did the Frenchy Quotes Go?  —  In my previous post, I was searching for Jeff Francoeur's original quotes to the AJC about his demotion .  The problem is that the quotes are no longer on the website.  In the story that I believe was originally written by Carroll Rogers now links to a milder story by Thomas Stinson.

Team sees no glaring trade need at present  —  Bill Smith says he doesn't believe the Twins will be very active come deadline time.  —  BOSTON — With 23 days remaining before baseball's non-waiver trade deadline, the Twins don't expect to be sellers.  —  But barring an injury, they're not desperate to buy, either.