Pitching a dramatic script in Los Angeles  —  Buzz up!  —  LOS ANGELES - A Thursday night in L.A., the Lakers between series, the Dodgers secure in first place, more than 50,000 meet at the old ballpark on the hill, a good number of them clogging the neighborhood streets an hour …

Van Every pitches in - as a reliever  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Quietly, so as not to raise the white flag too early, the coaching staff consulted with Jonathan Van Every in the dugout.  The game was spiraling out of control and, with a bullpen already fifth in the majors in innings, the Red Sox were getting into dangerous territory.

High school teammate, Dodger defends A-Rod  —  Buzz up!  —  LOS ANGELES - Allegations Alex Rodriguez used steroids in high school are inaccurate, according to one of Rodriguez's former teammates at Westminster Christian High in Miami.  —  “There's no way,” Dodgers utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz said.

Flag poles installed at ballpark site  —  Fans can now see infield layout  —  Miami, FL - The Florida Marlins today installed flag poles on the site of the new Miami ballpark depicting the exact location of home plate and the bases.  The announcement was made by Marlins' Sr. Vice President of Stadium Development, Claude Delorme.

Jays call up three; rookie to start Saturday vs. Orioles  —  RHP Ray will make major league debut; ex-Oriole Burres among three sent down  —  The Blue Jays promoted left-hander Brett Cecil and right-handers Robert Ray and Brian Wolfe from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Minnesota Twins activate Joe Mauer; reliever Juan Morillo to minors  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been activated from the disabled list after missing the first month of the season with a back injury.  —  Mauer  —  Right-hander Juan Morillo was sent outright …

Mets seem to lack heart  —  Three games separated the Mets from the Phillies at the end of the regular season last year.  Was there really only that much of a difference between the second-place team in the National League East and the eventual world champions?  —  The Mets thought so.

Prospect Hot Sheet: May 1  —  How about the South Carolina Gamecocks draft class of '08?  It's only the third Prospect Hot Sheet of the season, and already three members of that class have been represented.  Justin Smoak (No. 1 on this Hot Sheet), Reese Havens (No. 7 on last week's Hot Sheet) …

Hampton's return to Atlanta bittersweet  —  Healthy in Houston after four injury-filled years with Braves  —  ATLANTA — Outside the Braves clubhouse, Mike Hampton is viewed by some as a fragile multi-millionaire who perfected the art of getting rich while establishing residence on the disabled list.

Marlins vs. Cubs  —  One of the well-worn tropes of baseball is that, at any game, you'll see something that you've never seen before.  In going to the ballpark, there's so much you can look for and see in any one ballgame—a pitcher's mechanics, a hitter's swing, a manager's player usage patterns.

Michael Vick in Talks to Become PETA Spokesman  —  Jailed NFL Superstar Looks to Rehab Image After Dog-fighting Rap  —  NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Michael Vick is in talks to become the new spokesman for PETA.  —  Yes, you read that correctly.  The disgraced one-time NFL superstar serving prison …

Mets Management Trying to Create Sterile Environment  —  Kevin Kernan of the NY Post joined me on last night's edition of NYBD Radio.  The topic of fear and anxiety was a main theme when we were diagnosing what is wrong with the team to date.  The takeaway I had was that perhaps management …

Melky, Pena produce big hits in 8th as Yanks win  —  The Brett Gardner Era may officially be over.  —  Melky Cabrera continued his quest to take back the centerfield job he lost to Gardner in spring training, lacing a tie-breaking single in the eighth inning against the Angels last night.