Mike Cameron done for the season  —  BOSTON — Boston Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron, who has played in only 48 of the team's 120 games this season because of an abdominal tear and additional complications, said Tuesday night that he does not expect to play again the rest of the season.

Breaking: Cubs close to dealing Lee to Braves  —  The Cubs are close to trading first baseman Derrek Lee to the Atlanta Braves, I have learned exclusively per my earlier post on ChicagoNow.com.  The trade was first discussed on Sunday evening when the Braves called Cubs GM Jim Hendry …

Mets Alter Rodriguez's Contract  —  Acting aggressively, and setting up an immediate battle with the players union, the Mets said Tuesday that they would not pay Francisco Rodriguez while he recovered from his torn thumb ligament and that they would no longer guarantee the remainder of his three-year contract, which runs through 2011.

Yanks GM Brian Cashman: 'This is the team we've got'  —  NEW YORK — Andy Pettitte may be marooned on the disabled list until sometime next month, Javier Vazquez may never again consistently break 90 m.p.h. on the radar gun and Phil Hughes may miss important games down the stretch because of his innings limit.

Thome's shot wins it for Twins over White Sox, 7-6  —  MINNEAPOLIS—Jim Thome hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning against the team that decided not to bring him back this season, sending the Minnesota Twins to a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night to stretch their AL Central lead to four games.

Wally Backman As Mets Manager Is A Bad Idea  —  Jerry Manuel's dismissal after the season seems imminent, so discussion about the Mets' next manager has materialized.  One name that consistently pops up, for some reason, is Wally Backman, former Mets second baseman and current manager of the Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones.

The New York Mess needs to be cleaned up  —  Ever since then, Minaya has been searching for one more player, that one missing piece, to no avail.  The Mets have spent nearly $500 million in pursuit of a playoff spot that has eluded them.  —  Finally, with the disgrace of K-Rod's arrest soiling …

Matt Kemp has a heart....and hustles too!  —  I've been defending Matt Kemp all year that it's getting to the point where people think I will never say anything negative about him.  Not true at all.  I've said it before, he's having a good year but not one that you would expect from him.

Josh Willingham likely done for the season  —  With an injury to the meniscus in his left knee worsening rather than improving, Josh Willingham's season — the best of his career before the onset of knee pain — is likely over.  —  “It's almost a certainty he's going to have season-ending surgery next week …

New York Mets plan on bringing Jenrry Mejia up when rosters expand in September; Alex Cora a Ranger  —  Ex-Mets pitcher Nelson Figueroa gives the Astros five innings Tuesday night in a 4-3 win over his old club.  Figueroa doesn't factor in the decision for Houston.

Bobby Thomson dead at 86 … NEW YORK — Bobby Thomson, whose “Shot Heard 'Round the World” in 1951 has echoed through baseball history as perhaps the game's most famous home run, has died.  He was 86.  —  Thomson had been in failing health for several years.