-The baseball trade deadline has expired. There were several deals made including one involving the Mets and a late trade between the Yanks and Pirates. So let’s get to it:

-The Mets traded outfielder Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh in exchange for starter Olivier Perez and reacquired reliever Roberto Hernandez. Initially, we like this move. The 24 year-old Perez has the potential to be an ace. A couple of years ago after being acquired from San Diego as part of the Brian Giles deal, he won 12 games with a 2.98 ERA allowing just 145 hits in 196 innings and fanned 239. The southpaw looked like he was headed for stardom but an injury plagued 2005 saw him win only seven games and give up 23 home runs in 20 starts along with a 5.85 ERA. This year has been even worse. In 15 outings, he’s 2-10 with 88 hits and 13 long balls allowed in 76 innings. Complicating things, Perez has walked 51 and has an ERA of almost 7.00 (6.63). Opposing batters are hitting .296. Things were so bad that he was demoted. Now he’ll get a fresh chance to rediscover the stuff with Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson. If he turns it around, this could go down as a great trade.

-A car accident to setup man Duaner Sanchez forced GM Omar Minaya to act quickly. Sanchez separated his shoulder and will most likely miss the rest of the season. He was 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA. Replacing him will be the 41 year-old Hernandez. Last year, he was decent in the same role but wore down. This is definitely a downgrade. If batters can get around on his fastball, the Mets pen could have problems. Hernandez is 8-6 this year with a 2.58 ERA and four saves. Solid numbers. But he’s more hittable and also walks guys (46 hits and 24 BB in 43 IP). The Amazin’s will need Aaron Heilman to pitch well down the stretch.

-The Mets gave up rightfielder Nady. It’s amazing what can happen in a few weeks. I distinctively remember Minaya boasting to WFAN’s Mike Francesa that “they thought he could hit 35 home runs.” He had 14 HR and 40 RBI in 75 games after being acquired for Mike Cameron before the season. He became expendable because Mets brass thinks prospect Lastings Milledge can come up and replace him. He has a lot of raw ability but is a headcase and must be watched closely. If he struggles, look for supersub Endy Chavez to play more regularly.

-The Yankees also made one more move by getting utility man Craig Wilson from the Pirates for pitcher Shawn Chacon. This was a no-brainer because they needed to upgrade their bench and the 29 year-old can play the infield or outfield. He was hitting .267 with 13 HR and 41 RBI’s. That kind of pop off the bench is something the Yanks didn’t have. Factor in that when Hideki Matsui returns, rookie Melky Cabrera will come off the bench as well which should drastically improve their depth. Suddenly, a glaring weakness could be a strength. Especially when Robinson Cano returns to second and Miguel Cairo also returns to a backup role. A year after helping the Yanks reach October, the 27 year-old Chacon struggled badly with a 7.00 ERA. He needed a change and now will get it. It’s addition by subtraction for the Bronx Bombers.

-Here’s a quick breakdown of the other deals that have gone down:

1.The Cards acquired second baseman Ronnie Belliard from Cleveland for Hector Luna. St. Louis gets a little more offense while the rebuilding Indians get a player five years younger with potential.

2.Tigers acquire first baseman Sean Casey for pitching prospect Brian Rogers. A day after losing a game partially due to Chris Shelton’s error, Detroit significantly upgrades their D at first while the Pirates hope that Rogers develops into a solid pitcher. Also of note: The Tigers demoted Shelton to make room for Casey. He had 16 HR and 45 RBI’s but slumped badly after a hot start. Still, it might be an overreaction to send him down.

3.Reds deal minor league pitcher Zach Ward to Twins for starter Kyle Lohse. The Reds are banking on the 27 year-old Lohse turning it around and helping their rotation while Minnesota rids themselves of salary and frees up a spot possibly for their top pitching prospect. Yes, they have another waiting in the wings. Other good part for the Twins: Ward was dominating in Class A. Down the road, this could be a great move.

4.Padres acquire infielder Todd Walker and cash from the Cubs for pitching prospect Jose Ceda. Walker mostly has played second but will be asked to shift to third in San Diego. That might be an interesting experiment. The Cubs get rid of Walker’s salary and acquire a pitcher for the future.

5.Texas deals minor league pitcher Jesse Chavez to Pittsburgh for SP Kip Wells. Wells should upgrade the Rangers’ rotation in their playoff push while the Pirates free up some salary and get younger. That seemed to be the theme in most of GM David Littlefield’s moves except for the Nady trade in which he unloaded Perez. That’s one deal which could comeback to haunt him.

6.Texas acquires DH Matt Stairs from Kansas City in exchange for minor league reliever Joselo Diaz. The Rangers add some power in Stairs, who can DH or come off the bench while the Royals get an almost major league ready reliever.

7.Reds trade pitcher Justin Germano to Phillies for reliever Rheal Cormier. There’s a 16-year difference in age. So you know what the Reds are trying to do here in acquiring the reliable lefthander who’s having a great year. The Phils unload another vet and get much younger.

8.Dodgers trade shortstop Cesar Izturis to Cubs in exchange for SP Greg Maddux and $2 million. Why fading LA is taking this route is kind of hard to fathom but also makes sense in the wacky NL where anything can happen. After starting 5-0, the 40 year-old Maddux has slumped badly dropping to 9-11 with a 4.69 ERA. The Dodgers are hoping the seasoned vet can bolster their staff. The Cubs get a bonafide shortstop in Izturis who improves their defense and adds speed. If he stays on the field, it’s a great trade.

9.Dodgers acquire infielder Julio Lugo from Tampa Bay for minor league prospect Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza. Los Angeles replaces Izturis at second with the versatile Lugo who is having a career season with double digits in homers (12) and steals (18). Definitely should bolster their top of the order until Jeff Kent returns from an oblique injury. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays get good value for Lugo in 21 year-old prospect Guzman. The third baseman was hitting .294 with 10 HR in Triple-A and should be ready soon. This is a good deal for both clubs but it could benefit Tampa long term.

-While the activity was busy, one player who didn’t relocate was Alfonso Soriano. The former Yankee is having a great first season with the Nationals, hitting .286 with 32 homers, 64 RBI’s and 26 stolen bases. He was the biggest name on the market but apparently, Washington GM Jim Bowden didn’t like what he saw and opted to retain him. And if you were nine games out of the wild card in a weak NL and couldn’t get a maximum return for your best player, you would hold onto him too. The Nats will now try to re-sign the 30 year-old five-time All Star who has successfully shifted from second to left field after uncertainty surrounding whether he’d even play due to sitting out a preseason game. He’s played alright. Here’s Bowden on why Soriano is still in the nation’s capital:

“We felt the best deal we could make is no deal. He wants to stay in D.C. and did not want to be traded…There wasn’t a deal out there that would have helped our farm system in our opinion as much as not making a deal...At the end of the day, it was a very simple decision for us: Keeping Alfonso was the best thing for the Nationals.”

If they are able to re-sign him, they’ll have to be willing to give Soriano a no-trade clause. If he does bolt in November, the Nationals would receive two draft picks as compensation including a Sandwich pick. We note this cause if you’re a diehard Mets fan, David Wright was a Sandwich selection back in 2001. Sometimes, you really can luck out.

-In an afternoon tilt in which his team got trounced 15-2 to the Marlins, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley singled in his third plate appearance to extend his hit streak to 32 games- the second longest in team history behind teammate Jimmy Rollins’ 38 which spanned the end of last season and first two games of this year. Utley’s streak is about the only good thing happening lately with the club which shedded a ton of payroll at the deadline. The 27 year-old former 2000 first round pick is certainly a building block for the rebuilding Phils. He’s followed a breakout 2005 season in which he hit .291 with 28 dingers, 105 RBI’s and 16 steals with a splendid 2006- hitting .327 with 21 homers, 69 RBI’s, 11 steals and 90 runs scored. Hopefully, he’ll be part of a renaissance in the City of Brotherly Love.

-In NFL news, Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints will make it official today. The former USC Heisman winner selected second overall by the Saints in the NFL Draft agreed to a six-year deal worth reportedly in excess of $60 million due to incentives. Top overall pick Mario Williams inked a six-year $54 million deal with the Texans last week. We’re glad to see Bush signed. Now we’ll get to see how much of an impact the talented running back can make with the Saints. It should be fun to watch.

-Meanwhile, Bush’s former teammate and 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart was a no-show at camp and still holding out. Guess he’s not as anxious to familiarize himself with his new surroundings in Arizona. Either that or maybe he didn’t take too kindly to coach Dennis Green wanting him to compete for the backup QB job with John Navarre.

-In NHL news, Dominik Hasek signed a one-year contract with Detroit. The 41 year-old six-time Vezina winner will try to recreate the same magic he had in ‘01-02 after being traded from Buffalo to the Red Wings when he helped them win a Stanley Cup. My question to GM Ken Holland: Why? While the Dominator proved he could still play well in net for Ottawa, he also was very injury prone. After going 28-10-4 with a 2.09 GAA in his first 43 games with the Senators, he never played another game due to suffering a groin injury at the Olympics in Torino. This makes him a very risky gamble by Holland. Hasek will share the number one goaltender duties with vet Chris Osgood. One guarantee: If and when either breaks down, look for goalie prospect Jimmy Howard to get into some meaningful action.

-In an NBA trade, the Bucks shipped center Jamal Magloire to Portland for guard Steve Blake, forward Brian Skinner and center Ha Seung-Jin. The 28 year-old Magloire should help the Trail Blazers in the middle while Blake should help Bucks at the guard position. He could team up with Maurice Williams to form a solid backcourt or maybe come off the bench to spell him. One question for Portland GM John Nash: With Joel Przybilla still there along with Zach Randolph and Raef LaFrentz, isn’t that a bit of a logjam up front? Expect another deal soon.

-The biggest news Sunday took place during the Yankee game when it was announced that they had acquired rightfielder Bobby Abreu from the Phillies in a six-player deal. Let’s give proper credit to Baseball Tonight’s Buster Olney who a night earlier mentioned that the two teams were in “serious talks” for the two-time NL All-Star. Unlike mascot Steve Phillips who wouldn’t know a good trade if it hit him, Olney actually delivered. The trade was completed Sunday with the Phillies sending Abreu and starter Cory Lidle to the Yanks in exchange for minor league prospects Matt Smith, former 2005 first round pick C.J. Henry, Jesus Sanchez and Carlos Monasterios. By trading for Abreu, Yankee GM Brian Cashman has solidified his outfield- upgrading in right with the 32 year-old Abreu. Though his home runs were drastically down to eight, he still had 65 RBI’s and a major league-leading 91 walks for a lofty .427 on-base percentage with Philadelphia this season. The rightfielder should continue to reach base frequently in a middle of the order which includes Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez. The question becomes where he’ll bat. Is he in the Bronx to give A-Rod much needed protection in the five-hole or will manager Joe Torre try Abreu third and move Giambi down to fifth? The 10-year Yankee skipper usually loves to go lefty-righty-lefty. A top six of Damon-Jeter-Abreu-Rodriguez-Giambi-Posada would allow for that.

Of course, the Abreu move means that the Yankees will take on more salary by paying him $4.3 million of the 13.5 million owed this year. They’ll also pay him $15.5 million next season. Translation: Gary Sheffield’s days as a Bronx Bomber are coming to a close this Fall. Abreu is a few years younger, healthier and plays better defense. Huge pluses. Despite all that, Cashman was intent on getting Lidle included or the deal wouldn’t have been completed. The 34 year-old righty won eight games with the Phillies, including his last four starts. The last two he went eight innings in. He should be an upgrade over Sidney Ponson, who hasn’t shown much since being claimed off waivers a couple of weeks ago. The one concern the Yanks should have with Lidle is his tendency to give up the long ball. So far, he’s allowed 19 this year. Btw…that’s one more than all of last season. Not what you want to see. Especially when he’ll be pitching a lot at Yankee Stadium with that short porch.

Cashman on the trade:

“The commitment left with Bobby is a pretty good commitment. This club has worked so hard and with so much fight. If I could, I wanted to give it a chance to win.“

No question this Yankee team has worked hard this season to stay in playoff contention. Even with Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano all still out, they’re only half a game behind Boston for the AL East and lead the White Sox by half a game and the Twins by one and a half for the wild card. Matsui and Cano are expected back some time next month while Sheffield has continued to point towards September for his return. Cashman had the approval of The Boss to go out and make this move. It had better work or heads will roll.

-On the field, the Yankees bounced back from that 19-6 blowout loss to Tampa by getting a two-homer game from Johnny Damon and seven strong innings from Mike Mussina in a 4-2 win to take the rubber game of the series. Moose struck out eight to improve to 13-3 on the season. He’s certainly done his part. Ah. What a contract year does for inspiration. Damon’s two blasts went into the upper deck, probably reminding Bomber fans of how he tormented their team the past few seasons with Boston. The leadoff centerfielder certainly has delivered in his first season in the Bronx. He’s hitting .299 with 13 homers, 50 RBI’s, 73 runs and 19 stolen bases. All while playing through pain. Also, Derek Jeter continued his torrid July with a two-run double going 2-for-4 to raise his average to .354. He finished the month hitting .412 with two dingers and 19 RBI’s. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be good enough to win AL Player of the Month. That will most likely go to David Ortiz, who has slugged 12 homers and knocked in 31.

-Ortiz’ two-run double wasn’t good enough to rally the Red Sox in a 10-4 loss to the Angels at Fenway. Los Angeles smacked around Curt Schilling for six runs, three homers and 10 hits in five innings to hand the ace his fourth defeat of the season. It was his second shortest outing. In the third, some home run derby was played when Orlando Cabrera, Vlad Guerrero and Juan Rivera all went deep. John Lackey went six to pickup his 10th win, keeping the Angels within a half game of the AL West-leading A’s, who also were victorious over Toronto 6-5 thanks to a walkoff three-run homer by Milton Bradley. With the A’s once again competing for October, look for ace Barry Zito to stay put as the trade deadline hits at 4 PM.

-The Twins kept pace in the wild card race with a late rally to avoid a sweep at home against major league leader Detroit. Trailing by three runs, Minnesota put up a six spot in the eighth to spoil a strong performance by Jeremy Bonderman. Chris Shelton’s error opened the door to cut it to 3-1. Then Mike Redmond doubled in a second run and then later scored on a Bonderman balk to tie it. After a Luis Castillo RBI ground out put them ahead, Michael Cuddyer’s two-run triple suddenly gave Minnesota a 6-3 lead. After permitting a run, Joe Nathan closed it out for his 22nd save.

-White Sox closer Bobby Jenks blew his first save in his last 20 chances to drop a tough one 8-7 at Baltimore. After taking the first two games to get back on track, the defending World champs were two outs away from a sweep but Jenks allowed five straight baserunners to reach, including Jeff Conine’s tying single and Javy Lopez’ game winning hit. Before that, Jenks had converted an AL Best 28 of 29 this season. Tough way for it to end.

-Meanwhile, the Mets completed a three-game sweep at Atlanta thanks in large part to NL MVP candidate Carlos Beltran. The red hot slugger continued his sizzling tear by hitting two more home runs and driving in five in a 10-6 win. The sweep basically ended the NL East race- putting the Braves 15 out. For the Amazin’s it capped a great weekend which gave them their first sweep in Atlanta of more than two since taking four back in 1985. But make no mistake about it, Beltran was a one man wrecking crew in this series. He was 6-for-14 with four homers and 12 RBI’s in the three wins. Remarkable. Even more unbelievable was that his second inning grand slam which made it 7-0 was his third slam of the month. The centerfielder became the ninth player to accomplish that feat and first since Devon White. For the season, he now has 32 dingers and 94 RBI’s. The scary part is that there are still two months left. What will he wind up with?

-It’s great to see Beltran silencing critics who questioned whether he was “tough enough” to succeed in New York after a subpar 2005 which saw him finish with a disappointing 16 home runs and 78 RBI’s. Clearly with a better supporting cast which includes Paul Lo Duca and Carlos Delgado, he has relaxed. If not for those two trades GM Omar Minaya struck with Florida, there’s no telling where Beltran and the Mets would be. Anytime you can add two All Star calibre players, you do it. The former Marlin duo has given the Amazin’s a much more potent middle of the order. How many teams have a better 3-4-5 than the Mets? Beltran-Delgado-Wright are as lethal as it gets. Toss in leadoff man Jose Reyes’ ability to get on and terrorize pitchers, plus LoDuca and the surprising contributions of Jose Valentin and the Mets offense is awfully tough to keep in check.

-That type of support has helped offset recent poor outings from Tom Glavine, who couldn’t even work five and protect a big lead to get the victory. Right now, the former Cy Young winner can’t be trusted. Maybe he needs some rest. If you’re a Mets fan, you feel a lot more confident in El Duque and John Maine. Who thinks they can win it all if Glavine and Pedro aren’t their best two starters? That’s the dilemma facing Minaya as the deadline approaches. If they do make a move, it will probably be for a Livan Hernandez and possibly another reliever.

-There’s been plenty of discussion on the airwaves about whether or not the Mets should part with a Lastings Milledge to acquire another starter such as Zito. Some fans seemed to be content witb just going to bat with what they have due to the team being young. Yes, Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Mike Pelfrey are but the same can’t be said for Delgado, Pedro, Glavine, Duque and Billy Wagner. Those established stars were brought in to win now. Who knows how many good years a Pedro has left in the tank? He already is having health problems. The Mets’ success is contingent on the three-time Cy Young winner. He’ll turn 35 October 25. Hopefully with a third World Championship.

-In other Senior Circuit action, the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 6-3 to sweep them four straight. No. This isn’t a misprint. This actually happened. For whatever reason, the Cubs play their NL Central rivals very tough. They have now taken all seven games at Wrigley Field. They have won six of seven to get to 18 under .500. Still a long way from respectability. But on a team with little hope, Carlos Zambrano outpitched 2005 Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter to finish the month 6-0- becoming the first Cub pitcher to do that since Rick Reuschel in 1979. This is on the Dusty Baker Cubs! Zambrano improved to 12-3 and hasn’t lost since May 31. Here’s what the underrated 25 year-old ace had to say despite where his ballclub stands:

“I am one of the guys that thinks you never have to give up. When you have that ‘X’ that says you’re eliminated, then you give up. Not anybody in the league, not Kansas City, not Pittsburgh, has that ‘X’ that says they are eliminated…We’re still fighting for something. We still have a chance to do a lot of things.“

Impressive stuff. That’s a great attitude to have when your team is still 15 games behind St. Louis and sits second to last in the wild card race 11.5 back of the Reds. In a weak league where anything can happen, more Cubs should think like Zambrano. Does anyone really believe the Reds will make October? The competition ahead of them is not that great. They can still make up a lot of ground. It sure would help if Kerry Wood and Derrek Lee were healthy.

-With the deadline less than 12 hours away, Alfonso Soriano still hasn’t been traded. Washington just may keep him if they can’t get the kind of package they’re looking for. Would you trade your best player for less value when he’s got 32 homers, 26 steals and 77 runs mostly out of the leadoff spot? The Nationals are nine out of the wild card. Maybe they should keep their star and take a run at it and then try to re-sign him after the season. This isn’t the Expos. Stop running them like it.

-Congrats to Bruce Sutter on becoming the first everyday closer to make Cooperstown. In 12 seasons with the Cubs, Cards and Braves, he saved 300 games- topping 100 innings five times and exceeding 100 K’s three. One of the biggest highlights included an NL Cy Young in 1979 when he dominated for the Cubs by saving 37 games- allowing only 67 hits in 101-plus while fanning 110. But the best achievment of his career was helping the Cards win the World Series in 1982, clinching it by K-ing Milwaukee’s Gorman Thomas in the seventh game. There’s some great words from the newly inducted Hall of Famer on what that meant:

“Every pitcher dreams of pitching in the major leagues and imagines himself striking out the final batter to end the seventh game of the World Series. Well, I’m one of the lucky ones who got to realize that dream.“

He certainly lived it and deserves his place in Cooperstown. Just wish 94 year-old Negro legend Buck O’Neil could’ve been elected in the special Negro Leagues class. What a pity.

-From a few nights ago overheard in the press box at the Staten Island Yankee game:

“Steve Phillips was so dumb that he offered to trade David Wright when he was in Double A for Jose Cruz but was turned down.”

I’m not sure what’s worse? Offering such a ridiculous proposal or rejecting it.

-Is anyone else tired of ESPN’s ridiculous overhype of Danica Patrick? She’s a female race driver. We get it. Let the “Chosen One” win an IRL race first before going ga ga. Same can also be said for ‘media darling’ Michelle Wie. Until she wins on the LPGA, I don’t want to hear that much about her. Hey. Anna Kournikova almost won a tournament once. Almost doesn’t count.

-So did anyone else get a kick out of the Daily News Sunday special report that linked former Indians slugger and current Long Island Duck (how the mighty have fallen) Juan Gonzalez and ex-trainer Angel Presinal to a bag which included steroids back in 2001 at a Toronto airport? Naturally, the trainer took the fall, ultimately losing his job with Gonzalez. Nothing ever came of this case. It was basically a well kept secret. Even well enough for MLB to have no idea. Gee. What else is new?

For those interested, we suggest you read the details put together by Daily News reporters T.J. Quinn, Michael O’Keeffe and Christian Red. Here’s an excerpt with the link of the full story below:

“He took the fall, no question,” says Cleveland media relations director Bart Swain. “I can remember we weren’t exactly laughing about it, but we talked about how, this guy, we never saw him again. Juan only spent another week or two with us and he didn’t come back.“

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/439079p-369944c.html

How soon before ESPN “takes credit” for one of their ‘exclusives?’

-Of course, it’s no surprise that Juan Gone would be named. The more you find out about the players Jose Canseco named in his book “Juiced,”, the more the former credible the former AL MVP looks. Imagine that.

-Just a few days after Tour de France winner Floyd Landis was found positive for testosterone, the same result cameback for Olympic gold medallist sprinter Justin Gatlin earlier today. The track and field American star was informed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that a test he took after a race back in April was positive. The co-world record holder in the 100 meters with Asafa Powell stated that he will cooperate with the USADA in hopes of clearing his name. He claimed that he’s come back negative in over 100 professional races since testing positive back in college for Adderall to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD), receiving a two-year international ban. If he’s indeed guilty of this accusation, a repeat offense “could mean a lifetime ban from the sport he loves.”

This would be a devastating blow to American track and field. Ironically, Gatlin has also been coached by Trevor Graham. Graham coached Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, who both were mentioned during the BALCO case. It’s probably not a plus for the star runner to be associated with the coach but we shouldn’t assume anything. It’s best to wait and see what transpires.

-The Yankees’ four-game win streak was rudely halted by Tampa Bay in a 19-6 destruction at the Stadium. In a game which started out well thanks to back-to-back first inning dingers from Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi, it quickly went south the next inning when the Devil Rays scored three unearned runs with two outs. After Randy Johnson retired the first two batters, he walked Jonny Gomes and then Johnny Damon booted a Damon Hollins fly ball which kept the inning alive. Ex-Yankee catching prospect Dioner Navarro followed with an RBI single and then Tomas Perez’ two-run double put Tampa ahead. A three-run homer by Hollins in the third made it 6-2 before Jorge Posada’s two-run double cut it to two. But the D-Rays cameback with a four run fourth to knock out Johnson, including a Hollins two-run single. He entered the game hitless in his last 18 at bats but finished with five RBI’s. Ironically, the other Tampa hitting star was Perez, who came in hitting .194. He was a perfect five-for-five with four doubles, tying a major league record shared by many. Travis Lee and Gomes also homered in a six-run seventh in the rout. The 19 runs the D-Rays scored were the second most the Yanks have ever allowed at home. Two years earlier, Cleveland embarrassed them 22-0 on August 31, 2004. Joe Torre summed up the wasted day perfectly:

“They killed us. It was just a day we’d like to forget. It wasn’t a whole lot of fun. It felt like it lasted a day and a half.”

Fortunately, this is baseball. It’s only one game and if they bounceback tomorrow, all will be forgotten.

-The loss hurt in particular because the Red Sox rallied from three runs down to beat the Angels in 11 innings 7-6 to increase their AL East lead to one and a half. The hero was David Ortiz, who went four-for-five with his major league-leading 35th long ball and four RBI’s including a game-winning two out single. Big Papi also paces the majors with 99 RBI’s. Just another amazing year for the Red Sox slugger. His latest antics helped offset Angels rookie Jered Weaver’s bid to become the first pitcher to win his first eight career starts in 25 years. The 23 year-old former 2004 first round pick went 6.2 innings allowing three runs and K-ing four- leaving with the lead before the bullpen blew it. The AL rookie race should be very interesting down the stretch between him, Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano, Detroit’s Justin Verlander and Boston super closer Jonathan Papelbon. It might go down as one of the best rookie classes in a long time. The 25 year-old Papelbon tossed two perfect innings fanning two to dwindle his ERA to 0.51. Papelbon, whose converted 29 of 32 saves this season was amazed of Ortiz’ latest heroics which lifted Boston to 22 games over .500 (62-40):

“To have that guy on your team, to be able to take the pressure off your teammates and to be able to carry the team on his back is amazing. He’s the type of guy that enjoys that role. We’re going to ride him a lot.”

Perfectly stated and why despite being a DH, the lovable Ortiz will be tough to beat in the MVP race.

-On the first day of practice up in Albany, Giants running back Tiki Barber was thinking about not just life on the football field but life afterwards. Unfortunately for Big Blue supporters, that might come a lot sooner than some think. Coming off his best season in which his 1,860 rushing yards ranked second to Seattle’s Shaun Alexander, the 31 year-old admitted that a few opportunities off the field existed but rejected them because he feels this team can reach the Super Bowl. Here’s what Barber had to say:

“I honestly feel we can compete for a Super Bowl this season. I am telling everyone on our team and you guys if you want to listen, that we can get there. That we should be able to get there as long as we stay healthy, as long as we all believe that.”

Of course, he’s right when it comes to their potential. With a third-year quarterback in Eli Manning along with a talented offense which also includes Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and rookie Sinorice Moss, they should put up plenty of points. The defense will once again be led by Michael Strahan and budding star Osi Umenyiora. Ex-Skin LaVar Arrington has been added to a linebacking corps which includes Antonio Pierce and Carlos Emmons. They’re hoping 35 year-old vet Sam Madison can provide a lift in coverage along with second-year cornerback Corey Webster.

There’s no question that the Giants have a chance to be very good. But nothing will come easy. They start the season in the way overhyped “Manning Bowl” against the Colts before visiting Philadelphia and NFC champion Seattle. After a bye week, there are no cupcakes in the next four when they host Washington before traveling to Atlanta and Dallas- then returning home for Tampa Bay. That doesn’t even include the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers who are all on the schedule. Combined with what should be an ultracompetitive NFC East, it promises to be a difficult road for Big Blue.

Regarding his bright future which could range from a TV/writing career to future endeavors, the Giants’ all-time leading rusher goes on to explain why he might not finish his contract which runs out in 2008:

“I have a lot in my life already mapped out. I know that some inside and outside of this organization probably aren’t happy with what I have been doing. It’s my dream and my passion, just as football is…What I do in my offseason is my business even though it is in the public eye. I’m excited for new challenges in my life and we’ll see what happens with this season, and possibly next.”

As usual, the former Virgina product nails the situation perfectly. You can bet that Giants brass doesn’t want to hear this “retirement talk.” Especially at the beginning of camp in what’s an extremely important year for the franchise. Despite Tiki’s brutal honesty, you can bet that he won’t let it affect his play on the gridiron. He’s too much of a professional. One never has to worry about the well spoken 10-year pro not bringing it every down. On the field, he should be the least of the Giants’ worries.

-The recently fired Harold Reynolds told the NY Post’s Andrew Marchand that he wants his job with ESPN back. According to him, he did nothing wrong that merited being dismissed:

“It was a total misunderstanding. My goal is to sit down and get back. To be honest with you, I gave a woman a hug and I felt like it was misinterpreted.”

Basically, it’s his word against the female PA who filed the complaint. I really would like to believe the former Seattle Mariner second baseman is telling the truth. You’re supposed to be presumed innocent. Who knows? ESPN has been known for giving second chances to their talent. Mike Tirico and Michael Irvin come to mind. Despite serious accusations of wrongdoing, they only received a slap on the wrist and are still employed. I have to believe more information will come out regarding the Reynolds case. We’ll anxiously await it.

-In a minor deal yesterday, the Yankees picked up backup catcher Sal Fasano from the Phillies in exchange for second base prospect Hector Made. In his Bomber debut, the 34 year-old Fasano went 1-for-3. He replaced Kelly Stinnett, who was designated for assignment to make room. New York is hoping their new backstop can provide more offense. In 50 games with Philadelphia, Fasano hit four home runs and drove in 10.

-The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Ben Broussard from Cleveland for minor league outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Broussard was hitting .321 with 13 homers and 46 RBI’s this season with the Indians. Despite being three games under .500 and sitting in last place in the AL West, they trail the first place A’s and Angels by three games. In a lineup which has Ichiro along with Jose Lopez, Raul Ibanez and Richie Sexson, the 29 year-old first baseman could bolster their offense. But any run at a division means that closer J.J. Putz must do a better job of protecting leads. He’s blown three saves this month.

-In NHL news, the Devils will accept the $5 million arbitration reward center Scott Gomez received Tuesday. No surprise here. Team President and GM Lou Lamoriello will look to cut other salaries to make room for his top playmaking center. We’ll have more on this later.

-Jets and Giants training camps opened up Wednesday. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Gang Green has a four quarterback battle and is looking to bring back respectability under new coach Eric Mangini. Meanwhile, Big Blue expects to build on the NFC East title they captured and compete for the Super Bowl this season. They’ll have to bury an embarrassing shutout home playoff loss to Carolina behind.

-Just finished watching a remarkable Yankee game in which some late dramatics allowed them to complete a sweep in Texas and pull a half game ahead of Chicago for the wild card. The final two innings were so crazy, that’s the only part worth discussing. Trailing 4-2 and having stranded a bunch of runners, the Yanks put together a four-run eighth to go ahead 5-4. The much discussed A-Rod got it started with a big solo homer to dead center. After two more Yankees reached, rookie Melky Cabrera delivered an opposite field two-run double. He would later score on a wild pitch. But up two, it fell apart quickly. With Kyle Farnsworth unable to come in due to a sore back, rookie T.J. Beam ran into trouble, forcing Joe Torre to bring in the overworked Scott Proctor. He had been great recently but this time, gave up three consecutive hits to put Texas back in front 7-6. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Torre went to Shawn Chacon. A nightmare this season, he came through big time by fanning Mark DeRosa and getting Brad Wilkerson to line into a 1-3 double play. It allowed the Yanks to escape down one. The late dramatics continued when Derek Jeter singled off Akinori Otsuka and the slumping Jason Giambi followed by crushing his 29th homer into the second deck. The huge blow allowed them to bring in Mariano Rivera, who worked around a two out single to notch his 25th save in 27 chances.

-Words cannot express how huge this game was for the Bronx Bombers. Especially with the sizzling Twins completing a sweep of the White Sox. The wildcard race is heating up. The Yanks need every win with Minnesota continuing to win. They also shouldn’t rely on the White Sox to continue losing. Eventually, they’re going to come out of it which should make the final 10 weeks something else. What is fun about these Yankees is their bounceback ability despite being shorthanded. You would’ve thought losing three of four at Toronto in bad fashion might have taken something out of them. Instead, they came right back and took all three at Arlington including tonight’s gutsy comeback. Without Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano, they are 19 games over .500 and find themselves just 1.5 behind Boston after they lost to Oakland 5-1. It’s not just the big stars anymore. It’s guys like Cabrera, Miguel Cairo, Andy Phillips and Aaron Guiel that have provided huge lifts. Say what you want but this team has tremendous character, which GM Brian Cashman should take into consideration before making a big move at the deadline.

-At Shea, the Mets got a huge 10 inning 1-0 win over the Cubs to avoid a sweep and four straight losses. The hero was Jose Valentin, whose bases loaded two out single made a winner of Aaron Heilman. The shutout came in large part due to John Maine’s second straight outstanding start. He went the first seven to match zeroes with Cubs’ ace Mark Prior. Prior left the game in the sixth with a no-hitter. Maine followed a shutout of the Astros with seven scoreless to give the Amazin’s a much needed lift after their pen was taxed the last three days. With Pedro Martinez scheduled to return Friday in Atlanta, Willie Randolph wouldn’t guarantee another start for the 25 year-old former Orioles farmhand acquired in the Kris Benson deal. All he’s done is toss 17 consecutive scoreless innings. If it’s because they want to give rookie Mike Pelfrey another look, understood. But maybe they should consider going with a six-man rotation. Especially in light of how Tom Glavine has struggled and Steve Trachsel was tattooed his last two outings. Maine deserves that chance after how he rewarded Randolph.

-The win allowed the Mets to stay 11.5 up on Atlanta. The Braves cameback to defeat Florida 6-5 thanks to eighth inning dingers from Andruw Jones and Adam LaRoche. Bob Wickman tossed a scoreless ninth for his second save. Atlanta can pickup a half game later today with another win over the Marlins before hosting the Mets for three starting Friday.

-It was another good night for the Yankees. They improved to 18 games over .500 (58-40) by posting their second consecutive win over Texas 7-4 in Arlington. They fought back from an early two-run deficit with a three-run third. First baseman Andy Phillips atoned for a throwing error with an RBI walk which scored Alex Rodriguez. Miguel Cairo’s two out two-run single put the Yanks ahead for good. The following inning, recent waiver pickup Aaron Guiel hit his second home run in two games, connecting for a three-run blow to make it 6-2. Since becoming a Yankee, the ex-Royal has already matched the three homers he had with K.C. in seven less games. Mike Mussina went six allowing three runs and striking out four to improve to 12-3 on the season. Mariano Rivera saved his 24th game.

-The win helped New York keep pace with first place Boston, who got back-to-back homers from Manny Ramirez and Trot Nixon in a 13-5 rout of the A’s. While the Bronx Bombers still trail the Red Sox by 2.5 for the division, they’re suddenly just a half game behind the White Sox for the wild card. Chicago continued to struggle by dropping their sixth of their last seven- falling to the red hot Twins 4-3. Johan Santana outpitched Jose Contreras to pickup his 12th win and pull Minnesota within a game of the wild card. While the reeling Sox have lost nine of 11 since the All Star break, the Twins improved to 11-2 in that same span. It will be interesting to see if the defending World Champion Sox can recover and stay in the three-team race.

-Meanwhile at Shea, the Mets lost their third straight game. Tom Glavine continued to struggle, giving up eight runs (five earned) including three homers in an 8-6 loss to the Cubs. He allowed back-to-back dingers to Aramis Ramirez and Phil Nevin in the first to put his ballclub in a two-run hole right away. But as the Mets have done so often this year, they cameback to score the next four on a Carlos Beltran solo shot (28) and a second inning three-run HR from super sub Endy Chavez. The Cubs struck back immediately for four in the third. The big blow was a bases clearing two out Henry Blanco double which made it 6-4. Though a Beltran RBI groundout cut it to one, Chicago wasn’t done mashing Glavine. Even opposing starter Carlos Zambrano went yard, going opposite field to make it 7-5. A Ramirez RBI single increased the lead to three. The Mets mounted a rally in the ninth but with a run in, it fell short when Paul Lo Duca popped out against Bob Howry to end it, leaving the bases loaded.

-It has to be alarming what’s happened lately with Glavine. Reliable for much of the season, the crafty southpaw has begun to show some of his 40 year-old age. While it’s true he hadn’t gotten smacked around in his past few starts, he has been giving up more hits and not pitching as deep into games. In his last five outings including Tuesday, the former Brave has allowed 22 runs (17 ER) and 40 hits in only 29 innings. That’s not going to get it done in October. It’s also taxing the Amazin’s bullpen, which has been worked a lot. Glavine also hasn’t won since June 23. Time for Omar Minaya to consider getting another arm at the deadline? We’ll find out in five days.

-For the Cubs, it’s been a rough season. At least Ramirez is hot with seven dingers in his last six games. It’s got to ease some of Dusty Baker’s pain. The big question is who else will leave Chicago at the deadline? A player like Ramirez could get a nice return. So too could injured first base slugger Derrek Lee. They might be able to find a taker for centerfielder Juan Pierre, who has been playing very well as of late. Hopefully for Cubs fans, they’ll be able to get a head start on rebuilding this weekend.

-It has now come out that former ESPN baseball analyst Harold Reynolds was accused of sexual harassment by a production assistant. If true, then it explains his sudden dismissal. It would be ashame that Bristol lost such a talented person. But if he was guilty, they really had no other choice. That kind of irresponsible conduct should never be tolerated.

-Devils center Scott Gomez won his arbitration hearing against GM Lou Lamoriello. The affable top center was granted a reward of $5 million. The previous season, he earned slightly over $2.2 million setting career bests with 33 goals and 84 points. It’s going to be difficult for Lamoriello to keep him due to the cap situation. If they accept, Gomez’ figure will put them over the $44 million cap for next season with Brian Gionta, David Hale and Paul Martin still unsigned. If you’re Lou and you already have committed longterm stars Martin Brodeur, Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner and Colin White, you are not trying to rebuild. But to add to the three Cups they have. Somehow, he’s going to find a way to keep Gomez as part of that core. If it means finding a taker for Alex Mogilny and Vlad Malakhov, he will. The guy isn’t one of the best executives for a reason. Just watch.

-Team USA Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski trimmed the roster for next month’s world championships in Sapporo to 15 by cutting Adam Morrison, Luke Ridnour and Shawn Marion. It will be interesting to see if the Duke coach has better success than his predecessors at making the right selections to build a winner for the summer tournament.

-Make me care about Danica Patrick. I don’t care about all the hype because she hasn’t won an IRL race yet. Facts are facts. Try telling ESPN.

-So far, it’s been a quiet day aside from ESPN’s surprising firing of Baseball Tonight’s Harold Reynolds. The likeable former Mariner was a terrific lead baseball analyst in Bristol for a decade. He was fun to listen to and even sometimes did demonstrations on set. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years ago and he was a very happy guy. You could really tell how much he enjoyed his day job. It’s ashame that he will no longer be a part of one of ESPN’s better studio shows. It’s quite sad that such a farce of a network won’t even specify why he was axed. Reynolds was one of the most credible voices employed by them. Too bad he wasn’t given the proper respect in the end.

-The usual talk on WFAN has centered around A-Rod. Has there ever been such a more despised New York athlete? Back in the early 90’s, the Mets’ Bobby Bonilla took it on the chin for his big mouth and awful first year at Shea. But he brought it on himself from the beginning after inking a record five-year $29 million deal with this:

“I know you all are gonna try, but you’re not gonna be able to wipe the smile off my face. I grew up in New York. I know what it’s all about.”

He didn’t live up to his own hype. Now, one Alex Rodriguez is an extreme case because he is one of the most talented players to ever put on a uniform. The fastest player to 450 homers has already won an MVP here for the Yankees. The highest paid player in the game has taken more abuse than any athlete including Bonilla ever has. Part of it is his continued knack for saying the wrong thing. The latest case in point coming to the NY Post’s George King after the Yanks’ 6-2 win last night in Arlington:

“Tiger Woods missed three [actually two] cuts and was thrown under every bus. Then he came back to win the British Open. Hopefully I can come back and shut people up.”

A few days ago, we wrote a column on this whole thing and concluded that the third base slugger needed to shutup and just play ball. Here we are again. When is he going to realize that whatever he says is just playing into the media’s hands? They want him to make these comments. This way they have stories to write. When the public sees this, it just adds to the frustration that this player can’t deal with all the attention here. He’s just putting more pressure on himself. I’ll say it one final time. Stop making such comments and let your play on the field do the talking.

A-Rod’s supporters might say, ‘What’s wrong with what he said?’ He comes off arrogant and self centered. Could you see Derek Jeter or Bernie Williams making such proclamations when they’re in slumps? It would never happen.

Finally, I don’t need to hear what former Mayor Rudy Giuliani thinks. Stick to politics!

-As we head out to cover the Staten Island Yankees, still no word on Scott Gomez’ arbitration case. This was supposed to be decided yesterday. Here it is a day later and still nothing’s been resolved. What on earth does Devils’ GM Lou Lamoriello have brewing?

-Congrats to Floyd Landis on winning the Tour de France Sunday in Paris. It’s ironic that following Lance Armstrong’s amazing run of six straight wins, it would be another American who carried the torch. Ironically, Armstrong’s past competitors Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso were two of nine riders implicated in a Spanish doping investigation back on July 1. The pre-race favorites were eliminated from the competition allowing a good story like Landis to unfold and win the 103rd Tour. He cameback from 11th last Wednesday to capture the yellow jersey. An amazing turnaround in Saturday’s last time trial helped him surge ahead of race leader Oscar Pereiro. He held on Sunday to win by 57 seconds. Well done.

-This next thought is completely random. Last night, I was looking over my baseball cards and came across several Tony Gwynn cards. It’s amazing what the 2007 bound Hall of Famer accomplished in his illustrious 20-year career. Today, all anyone ever talks about is how many home runs and RBI’s a player winds up with. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with baseball. If you look at Gwynn’s numbers at baseballreference.com, you’ll see one of the greatest players ever to take the field. Eight batting titles including four straight (1994-97). 15 All Star appearances. Five Gold Gloves. Seven Silver Sluggers. Five 200+ hit seasons. Seven times he led the NL in hits. All these lofty accomplishments. The best part was it came with the only team he played with in San Diego. My favorite though has to be the 19 consecutive seasons the San Diego State product hit over .300. How many ballplayers have done that? In 2,440 career games, Gwynn finished with over 3,000 hits (3,141) and a lifetime batting average of .338. He also drew 790 walks compared to only 434 strikeouts. There are not enough words in the dictionary to summarize how brilliant his career was. In a Juiced Era where there is far too much controversy, Gwynn personified everything that was right about not just baseball but about sports. You never heard anything negative about him. He just showed up everyday and played the game all out. We need more Tony Gwynns.

-One thing we forgot to note regarding Tiger Woods’ 11th major victory at the British Open was how emotional he got after tapping in that last par on the final hole to clinch a two shot victory over Chris DiMarco. He broke down in front of everyone and cried on his caddy Steve Williams’ shoulder for a few minutes. His Dad Earl Woods meant a lot to him. It was a great sports moment. My favorite part:

“He would have been proud, very proud. He thoroughly enjoyed watching me grind out major championships.”

Pretty inspiring stuff. There wasn’t much doubt in my book that the great champion would bounceback from his disappointing showing at last month’s U.S. Open in which he failed to make a cut at a major for the first time in his brilliant career. He could’ve been excused because it was his first tournament back after his father passed away. The great ones though can bury such showings and turn it around instantly. That’s what made this past weekend so special.

And then there’s this:

“I miss my dad so much. I wish he could have seen this one last time.”

I’m sure Dad was watching every second from up above smiling down.

-In Sunday’s NY Post, Mark Everson speculated that the Red Bulls might be readying to bring French star Zinedine Zidane to the Meadowlands. As it turns out, the Red Bulls and MLS are shipping striker Jean Philippe Peguero to Brondby of Denmark. Peguero led the Red Bulls with six goals. Everson contains that such a move would open the door for incoming coach Bruce Arena to open the vault and bring in a megastar. Headbutt aside to Marco Materazzi, Zidane was named the World Cup’s best player, dominating the tournament in leading France to a surprising second place finish before falling to Italy in penalty kicks. If he came over, it would be monumental. But it also assumes that the 34 year-old will unretire. He announced his retirement from competitive football on April 25 following the World Cup. Everson covers the Devils during the NHL season. He’s never had a great record when it came to making such assumptions. So this should be taken with a grain of salt.

-The Yankees bounced back from a 13-5 loss to Toronto, posting a 6-2 win over Texas to take the opening game of a three-game set in Arlington. The hitting star was rookie Melky Cabrera, who finished one hit short of the cycle. The 21 year-old Dominican was 3-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot, replacing an injured Johnny Damon. In his first three at bats, he tripled, doubled and singled to spark the offense. The Bronx Bombers also got two hits apiece from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Both knocked in runs with extra base hits. Aaron Guiel added a solo homer and Miguel Cairo chipped in with a big two-run double which put them ahead to stay in the fourth. Randy Johnson went six innings to pickup his 11th win, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out seven. The Big Unit didn’t have his best stuff but got through. He’s been pitching better of late which definitely bodes well for the Yanks.

-The good news: They picked up another game on the slumping White Sox, who dropped their fifth in their last six to red hot Minnesota 7-4. Trailing by two, the Twins got homers from Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer to make Brad Radke a winner. A couple of days ago, he announced that he’ll retire at the end of the season. The way the Twins are playing, his retirement might have to wait until October. The wild card race is heating up. The Sox still lead the Yanks by 1.5 and the Twins by two. It’s going to be an exciting final 10 weeks.

-The bad news: It looks like the Yankees will remain 2.5 out behind Boston. At last check, the Red Sox were thumping Barry Zito and the A’s 7-0 on homers from Manny Ramirez, Alex Gonzalez and David Ortiz.

-Meanwhile at Shea, the Mets dropped their second straight- falling to the putrid Cubs 8-7. The Cubs hammered Steve Trachsel for eight runs in 4.2 innings. The former Cub gave up three homers including back-to-back to Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones in the fifth. Juan Pierre’s two-run single would prove huge due to a late Mets rally. In the Amazin’s seventh, they scored three times on a Paul Lo Duca groundout, Carlos Beltran sac fly and David Wright single to cut the deficit to 8-7. But that’s as close as they got. Believe it or not, the shaky Cubs bullpen was able to shut the door. Ryan Dempster tossed a 1-2-3 ninth (not a misprint) for his 17th save.

-The good news for the Mets: Carlos Delgado continued his turnaround with a two-run single in the first to extend his RBI streak to five straight. He has three homers and 10 RBI’s over that stretch. The other plus is that the Mets are still comfortably in front of Atlanta by 11.5 games. The Braves have been hot of late winning eight of 10 including a 10-8 victory over the Phillies Monday. Despite being without stars Andruw and Chipper Jones the last two nights, they took the final two games in Philadelphia. Adam LaRoche hit two homers and newly acquired closer Bob Wickman retired the Phillies in order for his first save as a Brave. The Braves concluded their road trip 7-2 and now will return home to host the Marlins for three before a pivotal three-game set against the Mets. Believe it or not, that could be a huge series. A lot can happen in the next six days.

-In tennis news, it looks like the legendary Jimmy Connors will coach Andy Roddick. I think it’s a great hire. Maybe the fiery Connors can rub off on Roddick in time for the U.S. Open. I can’t wait to see what his impact could have.

-In other tennis stuff, Andre Agassi won his opening round match in LA over Xavier Malisse 7-6 (10), 6-0. His last ATP title (60th overall) came there last year when he defeated Gilles Muller. The 36 year-old eight-time slam winner might be retiring after this year’s Open but he still is grinding it out. Against an opponent he beat in five grueling sets in the fourth round of last year’s Open, he rallied from 3-1 down and fought off three set points to capture the first set and wore down an opponent 10 years younger. It says a lot about Andre’s dedication even with just a few tournaments left in his remarkable 20-year career.

-Tiger Woods’ repeat at the British Open proves why he’s the best golfer on the planet. He shot a 67 for 18 under par to capture the tournament by two strokes over Chris DiMarco Sunday at Royal Liverpool. A month removed from failing to make the cut at the U.S. Open after the recent death of his Dad Earl, the 30 year-old improved his record at majors to a perfect 11-0 when leading into the final round. Even more amazing is that his 11th major tied for second all-time with Walter Hagen- trailing just legend Jack Nicklaus who went on to win a PGA record 18. By the time he’s finished, Woods could break that record and go down as the greatest of all-time.

-James Blake edged Andy Roddick for the RCA Championships in Indianapolis- posting a hard fought three set win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5). It was his sixth career ATP title. Half of them have come this year, which explains the 26 year-old Yonkers native’s rise to a career high No.5 in the world. He’ll certainly want to continue that momentum into the U.S. Open next month.

-For Roddick, even though he fell short, the 23 year-old Austin Texas native was pleased with his performance. The former world No.1 has struggled this year, falling out of the Top 10 for the first time in three years. Though he hasn’t won an ATP title since last year, Roddick is starting to regain confidence. He only dropped his serve once in the tournament but didn’t come up empty handed thanks to teaming up with fellow American Bobby Reynolds to capture the doubles title. It’s a good sign to see him playing doubles. Hopefully, it will pay dividends for the big server at the net in future tournaments.

-It was a tough day for the local baseball teams. Both the Yankees and Mets lost. The Bronx Bombers saw recent waiver pickup Sidney Ponson hammered by the Blue Jays in a 13-5 pasting. The ex-Cardinal lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up six runs. After allowing a two-run home run to Vernon Wells in the first, Ponson was given a reprieve when Jorge Posada’s three-run shot put the Yanks ahead 3-2 in the third but gave it right back when Troy Glaus took him deep to make it 4-3. It would only get worse. Kris Wilson was no relief, allowing two more homers in the eight run frame, which put Toronto comfortably ahead 10-3 en route to three out of four to trail the Yankees by only two games.

-In the same game, Wells hit his second dinger of the day off Shawn Chacon. He added a sac fly to finish with four RBI’s. He might just be the most underrated star in baseball. The 27 year-old centerfielder is having a great season to keep Toronto in playoff contention- hitting .322 with 26 homers, 78 RBI’s and 11 steals. He doesn’t get much recognition playing north of the border. If you compared those numbers to A-Rod, Wells is superior in every category. Now would you even put him in the same category as the two-time AL MVP? Of course not. But the former Jays’ 1997 first round pick continues to improve and deserves more recognition. Maybe if he gets Toronto into its first postseason since 1993 when they repeated as World Champs, he’ll finally get it.

-Meanwhile in Queens, the Mets saw their three-game win streak halted- losing 8-4 to the Astros. In his third career start, rookie Mike Pelfrey suffered his first loss, giving up five runs in only 4.1 innings. The 2005 ninth overall selection took a 3-1 lead into the fifth before things unraveled. The Astros touched up the righty for four runs including a go-ahead Lance Berkman double which knocked out Pelfrey. Reliever Darren Oliver allowed a two out RBI single to former Met Preston Wilson which made it 5-3. Though Cliff Floyd’s runscoring single cut the deficit to 5-4, it was the closest the Amazin’s came. Houston tacked on the final three runs to salvage the final game of the series.

-In the loss, Carlos Delgado hit a first inning three-run homer for his 24th of the season to stake Pelfrey to a three run lead. After slumping badly for over a month, the 33 year-old first baseman has snapped out of it with three long balls in his last four games, driving in eight. Definitely a good sign.

-In other action, Twins rookie Francisco Liriano fanned 10 in five innings to lead Minnesota to a 3-1 win over Cleveland. He improved to 12-2 with a 1.93 ERA on the season. There’s little doubt the 22 year-old Dominican native is a leading AL Cy Young candidate. My question is what on earth was Giants GM Brian Sabean thinking when he included him along with now Twins closer Joe Nathan in a package for current White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski? It might go down as one of the worst deals ever. Even worse than Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.

-The Red Sox dropped their second straight to the Mariners 9-8. In a wild finish, Seattle went ahead on Adrian Beltre’s inside the park home run in the eighth. But Jason Varitek’s two out ninth inning homer off closer J.J. Putz tied it. Unfortunately for Boston, Mike Timlin served up a walkoff HR to Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson. Despite the loss, they still lead the Yankees by 2.5 games and Toronto by 4.5.

-In NHL news, Sabres center Daniel Briere was awarded a one-year deal worth $5 million in arbitration. This is just a guess on our part. But that probably doesn’t bode well for the Devils in their case against Scott Gomez. Briere and Gomez are very comparable. Both made a shade over $2 million this past season. Thing is the Sabres pivot played in only 48 games during the regular season but posted 25 goals, 33 assists for 58 points. He also returned for the postseason and paced Buffalo with 19 points (8-11-19). Comparatively, Gomez tallied a career best 84 points (33-51-84) in 82 games and posted nine points (5-4-9) in nine playoff contests. Looks like he’s in line for a hefty raise.