New approach, pain not eased  —  On the subject of the 2009 Daisuke Matsuzaka, no one accurately can say, “It is what it is.”  —  The truth is that no one knows what it's going to be, or when.  —  Yesterday he was an alternate version of the Dice-K we've come to know and, shall we say …

Rangers exercise 2010 option on Washington  —  The Rangers have exercised the 2010 option on manager Ron Washington's contract.  A news conference will be held at 3:30 p.m., so in about an hour.  The Rangers have been in first place for a month, and the Rangers apparently believe Washington has a lot to do with it.

Rollins, Ibanez take over in NL voting  —  Phillies join teammate Utley among leaders; Beltran moves up  —  Welcome to the top of the All-Star leaderboards, Jimmy and Raul.  —  The third 2009 National League balloting update for Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, to be held July 14 in St. Louis …

Texas Rangers throwing doubters a curveball  —  One of the reasons we love sports is that, like last season's Tampa Bay Rays and the '93 nuptials of Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts, results occasionally defy logic.  —  For instance, consider your first-place Texas Rangers.

Tiger Stadium demolition under way  —  Detroit — Activists seeking to preserve what is left of Tiger Stadium were handed a significant defeat this morning when their request for a preliminary injunction to halt demolition of the stadium failed in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Strasburg vs. Nats could be biggest battle in draft history (cont.)  —  And let's not forget that the $10.5 million bonus was in the days before teams that failed to sign their picks were rewarded with a replacement pick the following year — and also before the economy went south.

Longoria: Mo still best, case closed … The Rays have made the biggest impact on Mariano Rivera's reputation this season, twice rallying against the righthander, and leaving many to wonder if his days as the Yankees' closer are numbered.  —  But at least one person in Tampa Bay's clubhouse insists Rivera …

Rosales … SAN DIEGO(AP) It was the kind of matchup that only an extra-inning marathon can produce - an infielder pitching to a batter working on an 0-for-6 afternoon, including four strikeouts.  —  With the Petco Park lights on as dusk fell, Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer off infielder Josh Wilson …

Phillies hit three homers, split series with Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino homered, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 Sunday to split a four-game series between teams with the top two records in baseball.

Wally Backman: The Interview  —  Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Wally Backman, Manager of the Joliet Jackhammers of the Northern League.  Most of you will remember Backman as the scrappy second baseman on the World Champion 1986 New York Mets.

By Deeds and Words, Cora Challenges Mets to Play Tough  —  WASHINGTON — The worst lineup Alex Cora said he had ever seen won three of four games late last summer.  He batted eighth or ninth for a Red Sox team playing without the injured Mike Lowell, Julio Lugo, J. D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis …

Marlins to break ground for new ballpark  —  Ceremonies scheduled to be held July 18 at Orange Bowl site … MIAMI — After more than a decade of negotiating and waiting, a date to begin construction on the Marlins' new retractable-roof ballpark has been set.

Hernandez, backed by 5 in first, gives Mets what they need  —  New York Mets pitcher Livan Hernandez delivers against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of their baseball game in Washington, Sunday, June 7, 2009.  (Charles Dharapak, Associated Press / June 7, 2009)

John And Jim's Fantasy Draft  —  Manuel and Callis make their first-round picks  —  What's more fun than playing scouting director?  Playing scouting director for 16 teams.  Our draft experts, Jim Callis and John Manuel, alternate picks and let you know who they'd choose if they were running …

The Full Mike Rizzo Draft Commentary  —  Here is the pre-draft Q&A with Nats acting GM Mike Rizzo.  (Quick side question, chicken-egg style.  What came first, Scott Boras or the term ‘Signability’?)  —  Q: How important is this draft for you?  —  It's been well chronicled …

An Interview with Vince Gennaro  —  The economic downturn has hit many industries hard, including the sports industry.  This has led to a noticeable decline in free agent salaries, particularly for Major League Baseball.  I had a chance to sit down with Vince Gennaro, a noted baseball analyst …