Phillies' Ibanez lands on disabled list  —  Outfielder, slumping recently, sidelined by strained groin  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies placed outfielder Raul Ibanez on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday morning with a strained left groin and recalled outfielder John Mayberry Jr. from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place.

Glavine Won't Pitch In 2009  —  Breaking news out of Atlanta: Tom Glavine told Buck Lanford of Fox 5 Atlanta that he won't pitch in 2009.  —  “I'm not going to pitch or do anything in baseball until at least next year.”  Glavine stopped short, according to Fox 5, of announcing his retirement, saying he plans to be “a full-time dad.”

Lou Piniella looking at changes for struggling Chicago Cubs … CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs just fired their hitting coach, and now, more changes are waiting on deck.  —  Tired of watching his team flail away at the plate, manager Lou Piniella is ready to “make some tough decisions” …

Tigers Bench Magglio Ordonez Indefinitely  —  News comes from Tom Gage of the Detroit News that the Tigers are benching Magglio Ordonez indefinitely.  —  Ordonez hasn't been terrible with the average or plate discipline, but his power has disappeared.  His season line is .273/.347/.343 …

Rockies hang on to beat Rays  —  With 13 wins in their past 14 games, Rox move back even  —  A .500 record never felt so good.  —  By defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 this afternoon at Coors Field, the streaking Rockies improved to 33-33, squaring their record for the first time since Tax Day.

Mark Loretta gets the key hit for Dodgers  —  Joe Torre passes Sparky Anderson on the all-time win list for managers as Randy Wolf pitches well in another no-decision.  —  The names remain unknown.  The results remain the same.  —  The Dodgers' bullpen is still closing out games.

The top trade-bait nominees in major league baseball  —  Buyers should include the following players on their pre-deadline shopping lists  —  There are six weeks left until the trading deadline, and the shoppers are out there.  They're scribbling their lists.  They have their carts.

The wonder years  —  The golden age of baseball?  It's not when you think.  —  ESPN The Magazine  —  This column appears in the June 29 issue of ESPN The Magazine.  —  We're going with a one-question mailbag this week, courtesy of Phil D. from Montclair, N.J.: “What was the purest baseball era, from a statistical perspective?”

Wolf seeks answers for persistent cough  —  Los Angeles (43-23) vs. Oakland (28-36), 7:10 p.m. PT  —  LOS ANGELES — If Randy Wolf doesn't have his best stuff against the A's Thursday night, he can always just breathe on them.  —  Wolf underwent medical tests Wednesday seeking a diagnosis …

Washington Nationals beat New York Yankees, 3-0, to win series … NEW YORK — The Yankees waited over five hours for this?  —  After one of the longest rain delays in Major League Baseball history, the Washington Nationals defeated the Yankees, 3-0, for their first winning streak in over a month.

Low A team riding high with Brewers  —  Wisconsin Timber Rattlers see attendance boost with new pact  —  APPLETON, Wis. — Rob Zerjav had high expectations for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' first season as a Brewers affiliate.  —  Even so, when Zerjav, who is in his seventh season …

Gardner carted off after wall collision  —  Yankees center fielder makes great catch before injury  —  NEW YORK — Yankees center fielder Brett Gardner was injured after colliding with the outfield wall while chasing down a deep fly ball Thursday at Yankee Stadium, leaving the field on a motorized cart.

Manny Ramirez now set to begin minor league assignment Tuesday  —  The suspended outfielder will play in a four-game series in Albuquerque first and then head to Class-A Inland Empire.  He is eligible to return July 3.  —  Manny Ramirez is tentatively scheduled to return to the field …

BLS poll: Is Fisk or Rodriguez the best ‘Pudge’ in catcher history?  —  Who's your Pudge?  —  Baseball fans have enjoyed having a Pudge behind home plate in major league games for most of the past 40 years.  —  Classmates gave Carlton Fisk the nickname “Pudge” in grade school, long before Ivan Rodriguez

Huff's RBI single off K-Rod in ninth lifts Orioles over Mets  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Aubrey Huff drove in the winning run with a ninth-inning single off Francisco Rodriguez, capping a two-run rally that carried the Baltimore Orioles past the New York Mets 5-4 Thursday night.

Arizona State ousts North Carolina with late outburst  —  OMAHA — Arizona State will get a chance at payback against Texas Friday because of Kole Calhoun and Josh Spence.  —  Calhoun drove in six runs with a grand slam and a double and Spence gave ASU enough starting pitching to overcome …

Enjoy it for what it's worth  —  It's been real interesting in the last couple years as I've watched how the importance of statistics has taken over how to analyze a baseball game.  I used to play for an old time manager named DIck Williams who used to tell me, “The situation will dictate what happens.”

Yankees reward fans for patience and understanding with free ticket offer  —  The New York Yankees announced that they are rewarding all fans with tickets for today's game vs. the Washington Nationals for their patience and support with a free ticket offer.  Please note that the Yankees …

It's Family Hour With A Kinder, Gentler Buzz Bissinger  —  Your Deadcast guest this week is Pulitzer Prize winner, author, and noted horsef**ker Buzz Bissinger, and he's still got some f-bombs in his pocket.  He was Artie Lange before Artie Lange was Artie Lange, you know.