Selig mulling pardon for Rose  —  Rickey Henderson (second from left) accepts his Cooperstown plaque with (from l.)  Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson, HOF chairperson Jane Forbes Clark and Bud Selig.  —  COOPERSTOWN - Thanks to the behind-the-scenes lobbying from some of the most influential Hall …

Dodgers, Indians Deny Reports About Lee, Martinez Talks  —  4:31pm: Kevin Baxter of the LA Times quotes a Dodgers executive saying there is “less than zero truth” to the rumors regarding the trade.  —  4:26pm: Rosenthal now says that both clubs have “strongly denied” the previous reports …

July 26: Pirates (43-54) @ D-backs (42-56); Yanks scouting Snell  —  First some new news on the trade front...  There may not be any biggest discussion/dilemma in the Pirates' front office right now than about what to do with Ian Snell.  One month ago, the right-hander asked for a demotion to Triple-A …

Vultures are circling to pick up the veteran Mariners pieces of this ruined weekend  —  OK, so maybe that photo above does show a bunch of seagulls.  But they might as well be vultures.  This Mariners team just left its 2009 season dead and buried where the 2009 playoffs are concerned.

Tampa Bay Rays rookie Jeff Niemann pitches well in loss  —  TORONTO — The Rays hitters couldn't do much in Sunday's 5-1 loss against Toronto's Brett Cecil, the latest in a string of young lefties who have stymied them.  —  And there wasn't much RHP Jeff Niemann could do to help.

Game 98: Athletics at Yankees (updates with Gardner going on disabled list)  —  YANKEES (59-38)  —  Pitching: RHP Sergio Mitre (1-0, 4.76).  —  NOTES: Thanks to Ernie Palladino for calling in the lineup. ...  The 1:05 p.m. game is on YES. ...  Oakland is starting LHP Dallas Braden (7-8, 3.40). ...

White Sox 5, Tigers 1  —  DETROIT (AP) — Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer in Chicago's four-run first, Gordon Beckham added a solo home run the next inning and the White Sox coasted to a 5-1 win Sunday night over the Detroit Tigers and avoided a sweep.  —  Clayton Richard (4-3) …

Sources: Hurdles to Boston Red Sox deal for Adrian Gonzalez  —  Rival teams continue to call the San Diego Padres about the availability of All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez with a little less than 120 hours remaining before the trade deadline, and the Red Sox are among those clubs …

A little more information on Wang  —  Here's an update on Chien-Ming Wang:  —  When he got the second MRI on Tuesday, it revealed a possible rotator-cuff tear.  The question is whether it's a new injury or scar tissue from the operation he had back in 2000.

MLB trade: Blue Jays reject latest offer for Roy Halladay  —  The Blue Jays have rejected the Phillies' latest offer for Roy Halladay, a source familiar with the two teams' discussions told ESPN.com.  —  On Saturday — after the Phillies informed Toronto they would not agree to a proposal …

Redding's spot saved by injuries  —  HOUSTON - Tim Redding, who was on the verge of being released as the Mets started a 10-game trip to open the second half, is off the chopping block, a team insider told the Daily News.  —  The Mets privately had resolved to eat the remainder …

Will NY Mets' slide in standings lead to drop in attendance at Citi Field? … Two years ago, as Citi Field was steadily rising behind Shea Stadium, the notion that the Mets might have trouble selling tickets at their new ballpark was almost unfathomable.  By design, there would be 15,000 fewer seats …

Angels' eight-game streak halted by Twins rookie Swarzak  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Justin Morneau (FSY) hit two homers, rookie Anthony Swarzak (FSY) shut down the Angels' potent lineup with 6 2-3 strong innings, and the Minnesota Twins ended Los Angeles' eight-game winning streak with a 10-1 victory Sunday.