Yanks back from break with a bang  —  Cano, Rodriguez go deep behind solid Mussina  —  NEW YORK — Mike Mussina's time off brought a down-home dose of fun at a county fair, and he wasn't necessarily counting the minutes to return, yet the Yankees made him feel comfortable back at the office.

Brewers probably looking at Street  —  San Francisco - Brewers general manager Doug Melvin told me earlier today that he wouldn't pay $2 million for “a tweak” in his bullpen.  —  What about paying to acquire Oakland closer Huston Street?  I just learned that Melvin's top special assistant …

Hot air: Josh Hamilton adds to Texas Rangers' clout with networks  —  The most-watched segment of the most-watched show on cable television this year starred (drum roll, please) ... Josh Hamilton, who happens to play for your Texas Rangers.  —  ESPN's Home Run Derby on Monday night …

Future Shock  —  Draft Signings Unannounced  —  As we move into the final month of the signing window, once again we have a number of deals that seem to be done, but nevertheless seem to be getting held back by Major League Baseball.  While a number of over-slot bonuses have already …

Trade talk on Wolf, Maddux cools  —  General manager Towers open to offers for pitchers  —  ST. LOUIS — While trading veteran first baseman Tony Clark back to Arizona proved to be reasonably easy for the Padres, finding a suitor for pitcher Randy Wolf might not be as easy.

Rays Try to Leave Losing Skid in First Half  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays convened for the second half of the season Thursday, confident the seven-game losing streak they took into the All-Star break is not a sign they are fading.  —  Manager Joe Maddon reiterated …

Bedard out another 2-4 wks. with bad shoulder … SEATTLE (AP) — The Mariners have made talk of Erik Bedard and the trading deadline simple.  —  It's “irrelevant.”  —  Seattle manager Jim Riggleman said Friday the tightness in Bedard's left shoulder did not improve over the All-Star break …

Scott powers O's past Tigers  —  Orioles LF homers twice, drives in three runs  —  Luke Scott homered twice, and the Orioles also got home runs from Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff in a 7-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.  —  Scott hit a solo shot in the second inning off Armando Galarraga …

McCann's 3-run double helps Braves win  —  ATLANTA (AP)—Brian McCann's three-run double gave Atlanta the lead in the third inning, and the Braves survived the Washington National's ninth-inning rally to win 7-6 on Friday night.  —  The Nationals left the tying run on third base in the ninth.

Report: Beijing bars told to ban black people during Olympics  —  In a couple of weeks Beijing will turn into a party town and Sanlitun is predicted to be the epicenter of the Olympic night events.  The South China Morning Post has however reported that the bar owners in the area were asked to refuse service to black patrons.

Reds snap Mets' 10-game winning streak  —  CINCINNATI (AP)—A whole lot of little things ended the New York Mets' winning streak.  —  Bronson Arroyo extended his latest surge by pitching eight innings Friday night, and the Cincinnati Reds used a minimal rally to beat the Mets 5-2, ending their 10-game winning streak.

Aging Manny may be expendable for Red Sox  —  It'll cost Boston big time to keep Manny in Fenway.  But the Red Sox know a valuable truth, Ken Rosenthal says: he's replaceable.