SHEFF AND METS AT ODDS  —  Gary Sheffield asked the Mets for a contract extension, the club rejected the oveture and now Sheffield has threatened to leave the team and head home, two sources told the Post.  —  As of 6:30 p.m., one of the sources said, Mets officials and Sheffield were in discussions on how to move forward.

Chris Duncan, player acquired for Julio Lugo, is released  —  The man the Red Sox acquired in the Julio Lugo trade, outfielder Chris Duncan, has been released after less than a month with Boston.  —  Duncan, who is playing with Triple-A Pawtucket, was told of his release after flying out to right field to end tonight's game.

Padres get cash for Gaudin ...  SAN DIEGO - General manager Kevin Towers said Wednesday that the Padres will take cash considerations, believed to be $100,000, as compensation for the August 7 deal that sent him to the New York Yankees.  —  The Padres had the option of cash considerations …

Grand slammed: Dodgers pound Cubs 7-2  —  Return to Dodger Stadium matches score that started ‘09 playoff failure  —  LOS ANGELES — Since the Cubs were last here, the tunnel behind the visitors’ dugout has dried out and Dodger Stadium has a nice new water-main valve, compliments of Cubs management.

Wagner Activated, Hernandez Released  —  The Mets have activated Billy Wagner from the 60 day disabled list.  —  To make room for Wagner, the Mets have released Livan Hernandez.  —  Hernandez was 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA for the Mets in 2009, but posted a 7.33 ERA in July and an 11.30 ERA in August.

Yankees Still Have Something to Prove in Boston  —  BOSTON - The Yankees are 76-45, too many games over .500 to be a fluke.  This is easily their best team in several years, and the rough patches in their schedule - the interleague games in June, the series in Anaheim in July - have been quickly followed by prolonged dominance.

Baseball roundup: Dodgers 7, Cubs 2  —  NL ROUNDUP  —  Dodgers 7, Cubs 2 — Russell Martin broke open a 2-2 game with a sixth-inning grand slam to lead host Los Angeles past Chicago.  —  Phillies 12, Diamondbacks 3 — Jayson Werth hit his fourth homer in three games …

Rumblings and Grumblings: Dangerous closer issues among contenders  —  Several contenders are heading down the stretch with unreliable closer situations  —  It isn't necessarily true that to win a World Series you need a dominant closer.  —  What is necessarily true, though …

Scoop on Gload?  He can field  —  South Florida Sun-Sentinel  —  HOUSTON - One scoop or two?  Try five.  —  That doesn't refer to Ross Gload at the local Baskin-Robbins, rather his play at first base Wednesday.  Gload scooped five throws from infielders, and made another great play …

Near-Sighted Marcels  —  In the sweep of human history, major-league baseball is, shall we say, a recent innovation.  It's not surprising, then, that we have a poor sense of the proper time scale for evaluating baseball talent.  Only since a bunch of men met in La Rotisserie Française …

Teixeira to visit ‘Late Show With David Letterman’  —  NEW YORK YANKEES ALL-STAR FIRST BASEMAN MARK TEIXEIRA MAKES HIS FIRST VISIT TO CBS'S “LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN,” MONDAY, AUGUST 24  —  Teixeira to Also Participate in Outdoor Batting Demonstration During the Broadcast

Team President Stan Kasten Explains GM Search  —  As I told you guys, I thought it was important when we made the change [in March] — even though I had a lot of confidence in Mike, which has been rewarded and justified — I thought it was a good opportunity for the franchise to do a thorough …

Joba fine with the Rules  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - Perhaps it's the unwritten code of the Joba Rules - the part about getting Joba Chamberlain into October, and letting him loose.  —  “I think when one training wheel is off, the other one might be off at that time,” Chamberlain said Wednes-day afternoon …