Madden: Yanks still can't overcome their fear of unknown  —  They waited 5-1/2 hours in the rain to play a baseball game at Yankee Stadium Thursday night, and if you didn't know better, it could have been because the Yankees wanted no part of Craig Stammen.  —  It mattered not that the …

Yankees are in area, so they'll watch Pedro  —  The Yankees will watch Pedro Martinez throw a bullpen session Friday in the Dominican Republic, a person familiar with the situation confirmed.  But the club would be interested in signing the three-time Cy Young Award winner only to a minor-league contract …

Sources: Evans promoted to the Mets  —  Sources tell the Daily News that Nick Evans will be promoted to the Mets.  It wasn't immediately clear whose place Evans would take, but perhaps the Mets have decided to demote Fernando Martinez with Gary Sheffield returning to the outfield.

Bugging Harold Reynolds  —  I like Harold Reynolds.  I mean, I don't really know the guy, but he seems to be a likable guy on television.  And friends who do know him tell me he's a very likable guy.  And one of my favorite baseball images is that of Harold Reynolds in the moments …

Papelbon: Of course I want to stay in Boston  —  In a wide-ranging interview with SiriusXM Radio on Thursday afternoon, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said he wants to stay in Boston long term but needs to look out for his own best interests.  —  Papelbon was asked if he would ever consider playing …

Mets' K-Rod can't close door as Orioles rally  —  BALTIMORE - It was only a matter of time, right?  For nearly three months, Francisco Rodriguez had been the one untouchable member of a Mets team that has been all too vulnerable this season.  —  That all changed Thursday night at Camden Yards.

Bradley's Buzz: Glavine tells WAGA he won't pitch in 2009  —  Tom Glavine informed Buck Lanford of Fox 5 Atlanta on Thursday he won't pitch in 2009.  Via text message, Glavine wrote: “I'm not going to pitch or do anything in baseball until at least next year.”

Let the Pedro bidding begin; is change coming to Washington?  —  No Nationals disgrace ... not this week, anyway  —  Just when folks were starting to draw comparisons between the 1962 Mets and the current Washington Nationals, the Nationals jumped up and put on an excellent three-day display in the Bronx …

Shawn Estes retires  —  Shawn Estes, a former 19-game winner with the Giants, has apparently retired after 13 major league seasons.  Estes, 36, went 3-4 with a 3.07 ERA pitching for Triple-A Albuquerque in his attempt to continue his career with the Dodgers.

Dusty Ryan Called Up  —  Sources close to Dusty Ryan are reporting that The Tigers have called up the young backstop from Toledo to presumably replace Dane Sardinha as the backup catcher.  This is a welcome move as the Tigers have been starting Gerald Laird too much and I believe it has been affecting his offense.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry wouldn't hesitate to deal  —  Will the breakdown of negotiations over the Cubs sale result in a short-term return to the payroll flexibility the Cubs had the last two seasons?  —  It's probably too soon to tell, especially if the Ricketts family stays firmly in the picture …

Prospect Hot Sheet: June 19  —  Coming into the season, we ranked the Athletics as the No. 3 organization in our yearly talent rankings, largely because of their pitching depth.  But I don't know if we or anyone would have imagined that they would make the impact we've seen this year …

Tigers extend Leyland's deal through '11 season … DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers have extended manager Jim Leyland's contract through the 2011 season.  —  The club announced the two-year contract extension Friday.  —  The 64-year-old Leyland is in his fourth season managing the Tigers.

Quote of the Day: 'I suck.  For real.  I'm getting old.'  —  sports, athletics, quote-of-the-day, orlando-cabrera  —  Orlando Cabrera, after making two defensive mistakes yesterday: … Normally I'd say that Cabrera is being overly hard on himself, but that's a tough argument …

Game 67: Yankees at Marlins (Updates with A-Rod put on bench)  —  YANKEES (37-28)  —  New lineup  —  Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (6-3, 4.52).  —  MARLINS (37-28)  —  Coghlan LF  —  Helms 3B  —  Ramirez SS  —  Cantu 1B  —  Uggla 2B  —  Paulino C  —  Hermida RF  —  Ross CF