Chicago White Sox close to obtaining Manny Ramirez from Los Angeles Dodgers  —  The White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers may be closing in on a deal to send Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez to the South Side in exchange for minor league prospects.  —  The deal appeared to be close Wednesday …

He must have his reasons, but what are they?  —  So it's official: He really is an idiot.  —  I say this with no malice and all due respect.  “Idiot,” you must remember, was the title of Johnny Damon's 2005 best-selling autobiography (a work often compared with Tolstoy's “Anna Karenina” and Dostoevsky's “Notes From the Underground").

Rockies rally from 9-run deficit to beat the Braves 12-10  —  Through three innings, the best pitch thrown by a person in a Rockies' uniform was delivered by Ken Burns.  —  He was in town promoting the “10th Inning,” a follow-up to his landmark baseball film, when he fired a pregame strike to Miguel Olivo.

New York Yankees not targeting Hiroki Kuroda, GM says  —  TORONTO — General manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that even though the pitching-depleted New York Yankees are engaged in a bitter division battle with the Tampa Bay Rays, he does not anticipate going outside the organization for help before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline.

Beltre: Ejection was uncalled for  —  So it turns out Adrian Beltre was ejected because he told umpire Dan Bellino that he wasn't talking to him.  —  After he struck out in the second inning, Beltre was talking to Felix Hernandez in the Seattle dugout, playfully telling him in Spanish that would hit a home run his next time up.

Twins Claim Randy Flores  —  The Twins claimed lefty reliever Randy Flores off waivers from the Rockies, according to a press release.  The 35-year-old posted a 2.96 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 27.1 innings for the Rockies this year, but the Rockies designated him for assignment last week.

Williams always on call  —  Sox GM taking bum rap for weekend personnel decisions as roster moves weren't appealing  —  We can agree Ken Williams laughing at a comedy club in Schaumburg on Saturday night while his White Sox were grinding through their longest day of the season in Kansas City looked bad.

The Circumstances Which Led To Roy Oswalt Playing Left Field  —  I'm not really sure what I just witnessed tonight, but if you stick around I'll do my best to explain.  —  The Phillies began this evening's game playing in front of the largest crowd at CBP this season (thanks to Chooch bobblehead night) …

Armando Galarraga might have a chance for another (near) perfect game this afternoon, as the Royals feature the following lineup:  —  1. Gregor Blanco  —  2. Mike Aviles  —  3. Willie Bloomquist  —  4. Billy Butler  —  5. Kila Ka'aihue  —  6. Brayan Pena  —  7. Mitch Maier  —  8. Jai Miller

Mariners win 4-2 to get a split  —  Game over: Mariners 4, Red Sox 2  —  Lowell singled but Nava grounded into a double play and Lowrie flied to left.  —  The Sox split and at best will gain only a half-game today, putting then 5.5 back as they head to Tampa.  —  Middle of the 9th: Mariners 4, Red Sox 2

Guerrero, Hamilton power Wilson, Texas past Twins  —  ARLINGTON, Texas—Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton homered in support of C.J. Wilson, who won his sixth consecutive decision for the Texas Rangers, in a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in a matchup of division leaders Wednesday night.