Source: Jays won't let teams negotiate with Halladay  —  In the midst of all the Roy Halladay speculation, there is something you should know: Any team acquiring Halladay probably would not be able to negotiate with him until after a trade were complete.  —  According to a baseball source …

Prince reigns supreme in Derby  —  Brewers star tops Cruz in Finals; Pujols thrills home crowd  —  ST. LOUIS — Prince Albert, meet Prince Fielder.  —  With a sellout red-clad Busch Stadium crowd chanting for the hometown royalty, Albert Pujols, to claim the State Farm Home Run Derby hardware …

Mets hope Johan stays out … ST. LOUIS - Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen offered this bit of parting advice to Johan Santana before the ace joined Francisco Rodriguez and David Wright on a private plane bound for the All-Star Game: Be careful.  —  In fact, the Mets prefer that Santana goes unused in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic.

A tale of two new ballparks  —  Citi Field in Queens / Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (Newsday Photo by John Keating, April 13, 2009 / Newsday Photo by Audrey Tiernan, April 16, 2009)  —  This just proves that all rookies need a while to settle in, even a pair that came in together …

A letter to Nationals fans  —  No one is more dissatisfied in the first half of the 2009 Washington Nationals season than we are.  Like you, we had hoped that some of our younger players would have matured faster, and that the addition of some of our new veterans would have significantly improved our record from a season ago.

Experts say A-Rod no longer No. 1  —  Shortly after the Yankees tweaked his playing schedule in June to give him regular rest, Alex Rodriguez felt full of vigor.  No longer, he says, did he feel like he “needed a bed to crash in by the fourth inning” and his confidence was soaring as he emerged from a slump.

Glove story for Tim Wakefield  —  ST. LOUIS - Having labored through 17 major league seasons to finally reach his first All-Star Game, Tim Wakefield [stats] is leaving nothing to chance.  —  He has brought along a catcher's mitt, one that is suited to handle his tricky knuckleball.

Sources say Phillies to sign Martinez if he passes physical  —  THE SUREST sign that Pedro Martinez will soon wear Phillies red came yesterday when the pitcher himself was scheduled to touch down in Philadelphia in advance of a physical that team sources suggest will take place today.

New York Yankees form new fan club called Yankees Universe  —  Members of Yankees Universe to receive exclusive benefits, excellent access and special merchandise discounts with a portion of proceeds supporting the Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Tribe's flaws run deep  —  Hitters can't score in the clutch.  Pitchers are clearly bad  —  My friend — I'll call him “Jeff” — tells me that a sports writer is the only person in the world who can look at a man with one foot in ice and one in fire and say his condition is average.

THIRTY TEAMS IN THREE DAYS, SEATTLE MARINERS  —  The All-Star break affords the opportunity to look back at the first half to see what went right and wrong for the thirty MLB teams.  The Seattle Mariners are up next, and here is the pre-season post on the AL West.  —  Seattle Mariners through the All-Star break, 2009