Dodgers Manager Joe Torre should dread day Manny Ramirez cuts hair  —  If Ramirez returns to Dodger Stadium a week from today to open the team's next home stand with all his hair, Torre said he would make a donation to Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA.  —  T.J. Simers

Manny: machine wash cold, tumble dry low  —  Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Thursday.  ESPN agency Ground Zero quickly sprang into action, and by lunchtime Friday, “nearly every Laundromat in Los Angeles county had at least one ‘Lost Red Sock.’ ” Even the Encino Quickie Wash?

Pirates Notebook: Two late offers for Bay spurned  —  CHICAGO — The Pirates had made up their minds not to trade Jason Bay six minutes before Major League Baseball's trading deadline Thursday, general manager Neal Huntington said, rejecting two firm offers on their table.  —  But they left open one exception.

Dan Murphy's Law  —  With everything going wrong, Mets' roster moves perplexing  —  Whoa.  What's going on here?  —  Suddenly, Nick Evans and Dan Murphy are platooning in left and Eddie Kunz is in the bullpen.  —  Suddenly, Omar Minaya is operating on the younger-and-more-athletic platform that won us over a few years ago.

Baseball mourns loss of Skip Caray  —  Beloved Braves announcer continued legacy of excellence  —  ATLANTA — The Braves family lost one of its most beloved members on Sunday, when Skip Caray passed away at his Atlanta-area home.  —  Caray, who would have celebrated his 69th birthday on Aug. 12 …

Giants notes: Lincecum is no baby  —  Giants ace wants to keep pitching  —  SAN DIEGO - Tim Lincecum doesn't want to be treated like a baby down the stretch, even though the Giants are out of contention.  —  Babies don't win Cy Young awards.  —  “I want to go out there as many times as possible,” Lincecum said.

Waiver Trade Candidates: American League  —  By Tim Dierkes [August 4 at 9:19am CST]  —  Today let's take a swing through the American League and identify players who could clear waivers this month.  If a player clears waivers he can be traded to any team for another such player or a prospect not on the 40-man roster.

Braves' Soriano on DL for third time  —  Rafael Soriano continues to be hampered by right elbow problems that have bothered him since early on in spring training.  —  The Braves announced after Sunday's game they were disabling Soriano for the third time this season with elbow inflammation.

Mets Have Problems, but Beltran Isn't One of Them  —  The Mets, it is clear, are determined to give their fans heart attacks this year.  Yesterday, not a week out of first, they lost the last game of a three-game sweep to the Houston Astros, 4-0, which left them in third place, 2.5 games behind Philadelphia.