Brewers Acquire Francisco Rodriguez  —  WEDNESDAY, 12:38am: The Mets are sending $5MM to Milwaukee, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).  That will essentially cover Rodriguez's 2011 salary.  —  TUESDAY, 10:58pm: The Brewers surprised some people by trading …

Joe Buck Cites Willie Mays ‘Interview’ from Wall Street Journal that Never Happened  —  FOX MLB announcer Joe Buck was providing commentary during the All-Star Game about several players skipping the Midsummer Classic.  Buck was obviously dissatisfied that so many players elected not to partake in the game …

PHOENIX — Arizona's fans booed new villain Prince Fielder every chance they got, letting him know what they thought of his choices for the Home Run Derby.  —  Milwaukee's big first baseman sent them a message with one big swing of the bat: shhh!  —  Shaking off two days of boos …

The 100 Worst Baseball Players Of All Time: A Celebration (Part 1)  —  Eric Nusbaum — This is a celebration.  I realize that sounds strange—compiling a list of the worst of something doesn't seem like a joyous occasion.  But by worst 100 baseball players I don't just mean the objective worst …

The Yankees on the Yankees  —  We Asked the Tough Questions: Who'd Win ‘Jeopardy’?  Who Has Your Back in a Brawl?  Who Would Be Class President?  —  Photo Illustration by Patrick Conlon / The Wall Street Journal; Everett Collection, Southcreek Global/Zuma Press  —  Nobody knows a baseball player like his teammates.

Christian Lopez won't pay taxes  —  If the fan who returned Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit ball has to pay taxes on the goods he received from the New York Yankees, companies are ready strike out his debt.  —  Christian Lopez, a 23-year-old cellphone salesman from Highland Mills, N.Y., scooped up the milestone baseball on Saturday.

Cardinals Sign Jaime Garcia To Four-Year Deal  —  The Cardinals announced that they signed Jaime Garcia to a four-year deal with two club options, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN).  Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the deal is worth $27.5MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link).

Braves to shut down Medlen for six weeks  —  What the Braves thought was a minor setback for Kris Medlen in his recovery from elbow reconstruction surgery will now force them to shut him down for six weeks.  —  Braves general manager Frank Wren said Wednesday that Medlen is suffering …

Mark Prior pitches in game  —  TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees right-hander Mark Prior is back pitching after missing almost three months because of a strained groin.  —  The converted reliever said it was a step in the right direction Wednesday after allowing an unearned run and one hit …

As expected, Phillies lead the pack  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies are right where they were supposed to be, leading the majors in wins at the All-Star break.  —  It's proof what excellent pitching can do.  —  With Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels leading the way …

James Harrison: Confessions of an NFL Hitman  —  Harrison, photographed at home with his own guns — an FN Five-Seven pistol and a Smith & Wesson 460V revolver.  Photo by Nathaniel Welch  —  Steelers linebacker James Harrison has been labeled the scourge of football — a one-man concussion machine.

Ubaldo Jimenez not trade bait  —  PHOENIX — The fasting couldn't last any longer.  Twitter is a beast that must be spoon-fed hourly.  It needs trade rumors, slobbers for them.  An interesting link arrived in a retweet Tuesday morning as Fox Sports talked about the Reds' interest in Ubaldo Jimenez.