Under The Knife  —  May Day  —  May?  Already?  Time flies and, small sample size or not, flipping the calendar over to Miss May—I mean, May—is a landmark that we all seem to notice.  We have records based on a month that are impressive (14 homers?!) but relatively meaningless.

Notes: Willingham happy to be in left  —  Outfielder also enjoys batting behind slugger Cabrera  —  MIAMI — Years of waiting for a big-league chance is paying off for Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham.  —  A slugger throughout his Minor League career, Willingham was blocked of a big-league break the past few seasons.

Nats Throw One Away on Error in 9th  —  NEW YORK, May 1 — The play won't show up on the splashy back pages of the tabloids, for that territory this week will belong to the Yankees and the Red Sox, the two teams receiving postseason hype for a three-game series in May.

Yankees vote for standing O  —  Alex Rodriguez, no stranger to being considered a turncoat in Boston, had this to say about yesterday's topic du jour: the return of Johnny Damon to Boston.  —  "It'll be mixed.  Overall, I hope all the great things he did will be remembered," Rodriguez said.

Major step for Tejeda  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Rangers will finally receive a big league return from their end-of-spring trade of David Dellucci.  —  After a chaotic spring training and a month in the minors, Robinson Tejeda joined the Rangers on Monday and will officially join the rotation today.

Padres-Giants Preview  —  Barry Bonds has just six career hits off Jake Peavy - but one moved the seven-time NL MVP into an exclusive club, while another temporarily ended questions about his hitting prowess.  —  The matchup between Bonds and Peavy will be the highlight when the San Francisco Giants welcome …

Mulder aims for 100th career victory  —  St. Louis (17-8) at Cincinnati (17-8), 6:10 p.m. CT  —  Milestones are nicer when they are accomplished during victories.  In Mark Mulder's case, it's going to take a victory if he's going to achieve a milestone on Monday night in Cincinnati.

Lerner Expected To Get Nationals  —  Barry, Orange Say Developer Lacks Real Minority Input  —  Major League Baseball is likely to award ownership of the Washington Nationals to a group led by Bethesda developer Theodore N. Lerner, after efforts by District politicians and others to steer …

Marlins' Hermida leaves rehab game early  —  JUPITER — Jeremy Hermida's quest to return to the Florida Marlins' lineup may have suffered another setback Monday night.  —  Hermida left his first minor-league rehab game early after feeling tightness in his right hip, the same hip that led him to the disabled list April 17.

The Upcoming CBA and the Battles Within It (Part 2) - Revenue Sharing  —  Baseball has to address the disincentives created by large scale transfers of revenue from successful clubs to less successful clubs.  - John Henry, owner, Boston Red Sox  —  I'd like to see everybody competing …

Notes: Maine to get first start Tuesday  —  Second product of Benson trade to make Shea debut  —  NEW YORK — John Maine will make his Mets debut on Tuesday, filling in for the injured Brian Bannister, the team announced Monday.  —  Maine, a right-handed pitcher who turns 25 next week …

Minor league umps reject settlement  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Striking minor league umpires rejected a tentative strike settlement by a 2-1 margin.  —  The umpires, who have been on strike since the start of the minor league season on April 6, had reached a tentative agreement last Thursday following …