Pedro Martinez signed by Philadelphia Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA — Pedro Martinez is returning to the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  The right-hander signed a one-year contract with the Phillies on Wednesday and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a mild shoulder strain.

Crawford's glove runs AL's unbeaten streak to 13 All-Star Games  —  ST. LOUIS — World Series champions change.  Stadiums change.  Stars of the game change.  —  Baseball's All-Star Game winner is always the same.  —  On a night to savor defense and relief pitching …

SOURCE: ALL-STAR GAME AT CITI FIELD IN 2013  —  ST. LOUIS — The Yankees had their All-Star party last year, with an All-Star farewell to Yankee Stadium.  The Mets and Citi Field will be having their All-Star Summer hello in 2013.  —  That was the word yesterday from MLB sources.

Cordero makes most of efficient outing  —  Reds closer's chance at a win robbed by Crawford's fine grab  —  ST. LOUIS — Francisco Cordero has probably seen enough of Rays outfielder Carl Crawford in All-Star Games, on both sides of the ball.  —  The last time Cordero pitched in the Midsummer Classic was in San Francisco in 2007.

Eric Milton of Los Angeles Dodgers has back surgery, likely done for season  —  Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Eric Milton has had surgery for a herniated disk in his back and will be out at least three months, likely bringing his season to an end, according to media reports.

How to get Roy Halladay  —  Disclaimer: This blog post is based purely on my own opinion.  I have not been told in any way, shape or form that this trade will actually happen or that the Yankees are pursuing a trade at all.  Please do not link to this post like it's news.  It's not.)

Senior softball players create videos to help Mets  —  Three strikes and you are out - add a losing record, 56 errors, a bunch of balks and a number of questionable plays, and it's inevitable that the New York Mets would be offered help.  —  One compelling offer comes from some seasoned …

Report: Wilpon lost $700 million  —  (UPDATED: 7:15 P.M.) Keep this in mind, Mets fans, if the Wilpons sit tight at the trading deadline or in offseasons to come: CNN's Larry King says that close friend Fred Wilpon lost a staggering $700 million in the Bernie Madoff scheme.

Players Wish Acta Had Been More Stern  —  One day before the Washington Nationals opened their season in Florida, Manny Acta called a late-afternoon state-of-the-team meeting with his players.  Twenty-four players showed up on time.  The one who didn't, center fielder Lastings Milledge …

The Game Matters, but Not the Extra Runs  —  Tuesday's All-Star game featured an Intentional Walk.  For starters, John Perrotto made a good observation that Indians fans would probably have liked to see Victor Martinez get to swing the bat [ed - Please change the rule back, Bud!]