Sox interested in Billy Wagner  —  According to a Major League source, the Red Sox would like to work out a trade for Mets reliever Billy Wagner, who was placed on waivers Wednesday, the day before he made his first appearance in nearly a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Sox recall Bowden; Baldelli activated  —  The Red Sox have recalled righthanded pitcher Michael Bowden from Triple A Pawtucket, a team source confirmed to the Globe's Nick Cafardo this afternoon.  —  Bowden, whom the Sox will use out of the bullpen, replaces reliever Fernando Cabrera on the roster.

At Little League World Series, Hall of Famer Jim Rice says major league players are not good role models for youngsters  —  SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Jim Rice's advice to Little Leaguers: Don't use today's major leaguers as role models.  —  Speaking to players before the start …

Ricketts primed to purchase Cubs  —  Tribune Co. agrees to approximately $900 million deal  —  The sale of the Cubs to Tom Ricketts, chief executive of Chicago investment back Incapital LLC, is drawing near, Major League Baseball confirmed on Friday.  —  “We are pleased at the progress …

Continuity breeds success for Angels  —  Buzz up!  —  The Los Angeles Angels' clubhouse is a domicile for sameness.  They've listened to the same music for years.  They perform the same handshakes.  They follow the same routines.  They celebrate wins in the same manner.

Marte expected back tonight  —  BOSTON — Reliever Damaso Marte, out since April with an injured left shoulder, is expected to rejoin the Yankees bullpen tonight for the series opener with the Red Sox.  —  It's possible the Yankees could go with 13 pitchers and send down a position player …

‘LOADED HANDGUN’ FINALLY GOES OFF  —  IT is the 2009 Mets.  So, of course, the story never gets better.  Only more humiliating.  Only more dispiriting.  Only more bizarre.  —  SHERMAN ON TWITTER  —  Gary Sheffield went from on his best behavior to, well, being Gary Sheffield.

It's all or nothing with Reynolds  —  Diamondbacks slugger's career off to a Schmidt-like start, despite the strikeouts  —  When the Arizona Diamondbacks pulled into New York for a series against the Mets in late July, manager A.J. Hinch gave his hitters a brief tutorial on the hazards of Citi Field.

Yankees win!  Thhhhheeeee ... Yankees win!  —  I live in New York, land of baseball.  —  I love it here in the summer, because the games matter and the fans are intense and all anyone wants to talk about is Yankees!  Yankees!  Yankees! (and, sometimes, mets, mets, mets).

Quiz: Who Is Nyjer Morgan?  —  I wanted to see how Nyjer Morgan compared to other base-stealing leadoff men who played centerfield, had little power, didn't walk much but slapped-hit their way on base.  —  In part, I wanted to find this out because the stat-crabs like to nag that Morgan …

Remember Joba rules?  Rangers have Neftali rules.  —  When the New York Yankees brought Joba Chamberlain up in 2007, they had Joba rules.  For every inning he pitched, he got a day off.  In Chamberlain's case, that applied on the front end too (he could pitch two innings if he had two days off before the outing).

Tulo to sit out tonight  —  The Rockies opened their most important homestand of the season tonight without one of their most important players.  —  There were no chants of “Tu-Lo!” at Coors Field because Troy Tulowitzki, fifth in the majors with 18 home runs since June 8, was home in bed with flu-like symptoms.