Scott Boras signs Francisco Rodriguez  —  PHOENIX — Agent Scott Boras confirmed he is now representing New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez.  —  Boras and K-Rod had met face-to-face before and after last Thursday's Mets game at Dodger Stadium.  —  “He contacted us several weeks ago …

Giants beat Mets 4-2 in final game before break  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Pablo Sandoval celebrated his first All-Star game selection by hitting an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 21 games and fellow All-Star Matt Cain pitched six scoreless innings to lead the San Francisco Giants …

Jeter sticks by controversial decision  —  FOX Sports  —  PHOENIX  —  New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter will not attend the All-Star Game because of “emotional and physical exhaustion” from his pursuit of 3,000 hits, according to two people with knowledge of his mindset.

As Jeter stays away, hurt stars show up in Arizona  —  PHOENIX—Much is being made of the big names absent from this year's All-Star game, yet some who are hurt came anyway to show their support for the game and its fans.  —  Take Jose Reyes of the New York Mets, who says he has been hurt three …

A-Rod surgery goes as expected  —  New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a slight meniscus tear in his right knee on Monday afternoon, and the surgery went as expected, according to the team.  —  Rodriguez is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Home Run Derby: Is it a matter of league or national pride?  —  PHOENIX - The Home Run Derby, now featuring a National League vs. American League format, took on a new subtitle on Monday:  —  Gringos vs. Latinos.  —  That tag came courtesy of a sports reporter from the Dominican Republic during Monday's Derby press conference.

A's Release Bobby Cramer  —  The A's announced that they have released left-hander Bobby Cramer.  Oakland had designated Cramer for assignment on July 1st.  —  The 31-year-old appeared in five games this year, pitching 8 1/3 innings with six hits allowed and a 6K/1BB ratio.

Off-field moves, Pirates surprising surge marked intriguing first half … PHOENIX — It was an interesting first half.  Two managers quit.  None were fired.  Two managers were hired.  The average age of them was 74.  The heavily-favored Phillies did what they were supposed to do, and the Red Sox pretty much did, too.

Wilson predicts a Red Sox-Giants series  —  PHOENIX — San Francisco closer Brian Wilson, the pride of Londonderry, N.H., is predicting the Giants will face the Red Sox in the World Series.  —  “I called it earlier this year,” he said.  “It would be epic.”

Weaver set to start for AL in All-Star Game  —  ANAHEIM — Despite being selected for his first Major League All-Star game last season, Jered Weaver wasn't able to pitch because he started the Sunday before.  This year, he'll not only pitch — he'll be starting.

MLB whispers: Cardinals weather storm during Pujols' absence  —  The Cardinals held it together without Albert Pujols, going 7-7 and scoring 4.2 runs per game.  Tony La Russa was hoping Pujols would be added to the NL All-Star roster so he could avoid a four-day break. ...

10 things I didn't know before SABR 41  —  It happens every summer.  A special convention is held, one featuring a disproportionate number of aging white guys who could probably lose a few pounds.  Great, so far I just described every convention.  —  This one is special because the conventioneers …

Grant Green takes home MVP at Futures game  —  PHOENIX (AP) - Grant Green thought back to the last time he was an MVP.  —  It was three years ago, and he was representing Chatham in the Cape Cod League All-Star game.  —  “The only thing I really remember is I got a home run to center …