Harper: Don't swing away at Jerry for call not to bunt  —  You have to believe that Jerry Manuel would have played this differently in August as opposed to April.  At this time of year good managers make decisions with the big picture in mind, so you can understand him rolling the dice Sunday …

3 UP: YANKEE PROBLEMS AT THE 13-GAME MARK  —  In my column in today's Post, I wrote about how close the Yankees were to the humiliating weekend double of having allowed 22 runs on Saturday and then losing to Carl Pavano on Sunday.  They never did do much against Pavano, who changed speeds …

DOPEY METS WANNA ERASE DWIGHT'S CITI AUTOGRAPH  —  WHEN Dwight “Doc” Gooden attended the Mets' Opening Day ceremonies at Citi Field last week, he stopped by the Ebbets Club along the first-base line and mingled with fans who cheered him during his Met career.  He shook hands, took pictures and signed autographs.

Kemp homers twice as LA's streak hits eight  —  Hudson, Ethier each add three RBIs as Dodgers rout Rockies  —  LOS ANGELES — Dodgers manager Joe Torre's words before the Dodgers played the Rockies on Sunday proved prophetic.  —  He spoke about seemingly never-ending innings …

Jersey guy Doyle joins Stadium lore  —  The Yankees have a new angel in the outfield.  —  Brian Doyle isn't about to supplant Jeffrey Maier in Yankee annals, but his role in the decisive home run of Sunday's 7-3 win over the Indians is undeniable.  —  Cleveland right fielder Trevor Crowe …

It's time for a major shake-up  —  It's one thing to suffer an avalanche of ill fortune.  It's another thing to let it bury you.  —  No other team in baseball, or any other sport, has been blindsided the way the Angels have in the first two weeks of the season.

Nationals bench Dukes after Little League-related tardy note  —  Just when you thought your 1-10 Washington Nationals couldn't grow any more absurd comes some news that goes beyond the ridiculous and into the territory of the just plain laughable.  —  On Saturday, Washington outfielder Elijah Dukes …

How I Ruined My Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball  —  Let me set the stage.  The date was June 13, 1971.  I was three weeks short of my 16th birthday.  My sophomore year at Lakewood High School was winding down.  Finals were over, summer was about to begin, and my mind was on baseball.

Brad Wilkerson retires after eight-year career  —  PAWTUCKET — After an eight-year major-league career, outfielder Brad Wilkerson has retired, said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson.  —  After Pawtucket's second game of the season, Wilkerson went into Johnson's office and told him that his time in baseball was done.

Twins Designate Humber For Assignment, Claim Morillo  —  Talk of a “mid-90s fastball” gets tossed around a lot in describing hard-throwing pitchers, but thanks to Fan Graphs and Pitch-F/X we know that there are very few guys who consistently work at that velocity.

The Bullpen Gets Blown Up  —  After today's loss, Manny Acta came into the manager's interview room.  He was seething.  He sat down and said, “I think it's embarrassing.  I think it's unacceptable.  I think our fans have every right to be mad, like we are right now.  And it's not going to be tolerated.