Rays owner Stuart Sternberg tweaks Hillsborough fans who won't cross the bay  —  TAMPA — Rays owner Stuart Sternberg insinuated Thursday night that baseball fans in Hillsborough County are reluctant to drive to St. Petersburg to watch the Rays play.  —  During an owners roundtable discussion …

Nine of 30 teams reportedly in violation of MLB debt service rules  —  Dodgers' and Mets' issues are well-known but others are said to carry debt 10 times more than annual earnings.  McCourts' personal use of redirected funds makes situation different, consultant says.

Pitching will be primary target as Yankees seek to upgrade roster  —  Perception vs. reality.  —  It feels like the Yankees offense and bullpen have underachieved this year and that the rotation has been central to success.  —  Yet, at the exact one-third-of-the-season mark, 54 games …

Mets' David Wright has team-specific option in 2013, making potential trade tougher than expected  —  However one defines the concept of “superstar,” David Wright is a top-shelf third baseman, and perennial All-Star.  The widely held perception that he could fetch a heaping pile of prospects in a trade …

Giants feast on Cards young pitchers  —  With key injuries starting to test the club and two more regulars going, officially, on the disabled list Thursday, the Cardinals imported a couple of fresh arms and looked to catch a break, and win it, too.  —  They needed many things to go right.

SF Giants' Brian Sabean blasts Cousins  —  Giants general manager Brian Sabean on Thursday tore into Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins for his devastating hit on Buster Posey, saying the Giants will have a “long memory” of play and everyone in the organization will be happy if Cousins is through as a major-league player.

Hideki Okajima looking to move on from Red Sox, not get called up  —  PAWTUCKET, R.I. — With the injury to Rich Hill on Wednesday afternoon leaving the Red Sox without a lefthanded reliever in the bullpen, Hideki Okajima said he harbored little, if any, hope of getting called up to fill that open spot.

Nix sits on Thursday in favor of Ankiel, Bernadina  —  PHOENIX — Although he has been the Nationals' most consistent hitter this season, outfielder Laynce Nix found himself on the bench against D-backs left-hander Zach Duke on Thursday.  —  Instead manager Jim Riggleman decided to play Rick Ankiel …

Jeter still among MLB's top shortstops*  —  The asterisk?  The position isn't what it used to be — and neither is The Captain  —  ESPNNewYork.com  —  Not long ago, shortstop was the most glamorous offensive position in the sport.  Alex Rodriguez hit 57 homers.  Nomar Garciaparra batted .372.

Chavez Has 4 Hits, Helps Rangers Beat Indians  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Endy Chavez wasn't sure he would ever play again.  The Texas Rangers are sure glad he hung in there.  —  Chavez, who spent nearly two years recovering from knee surgery, had four hits to help Texas overcome a three-run deficit …

Mike Francesa Compares Himself to Derek Jeter  —  Mike Francesa, aka The Sports Pope, can be the only person that says in one breath he's not comparing himself to Derek Jeter, but then promptly compares himself to Derek Jeter.  Neil Best of Newsday caught up with Francesa …

Can Baseball Expertise Be a Bad Thing?  —  Believe it or not, most of our writers didn't enter the world sporting an @baseballprospectus.com address; with a few exceptions, they started out somewhere else.  In an effort to up your reading pleasure while tipping our caps to some of the most illuminating work …