Epstein spells out his defense of move  —  Theo Epstein and his former mentor, Kevin Towers, routinely exchange e-mails and phone calls, most social, some business.  A round of business exchanges began about a week ago and intensified after Thursday's game, in which Josh Bard allowed four passed balls.

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.

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.

Floyd working hard to find way out of darkness  —  There really is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Cliff Floyd can see it clearly, which is more a commentary on the brightness of the light than on how close he is to the end.  —  Floyd truly believes this Mets team is good, and if he didn't, he would say so.

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.

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.

Clemens Still Undecided, and Cashman Won't Push Him  —  BOSTON, May 1 — Brian Cashman exchanges e-mail messages with Roger Clemens now and then.  But Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, insists he will not pester Clemens about returning to the Yankees.  —  Clemens, a free agent …

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 …

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.

An even tougher test is at hand  —  Jake LaMotta used to say, ''I fought Sugar Ray Robinson so often, I almost got diabetes.  Does this mean the Red Sox are in danger of catching Mad Steinbrenner Disease or Jeter-itis?  —  The Sox play host to the Yankees tonight and it'll …

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 …

Guilty Pleasures And Whammies  —  Why must one shoulder the weight of the world on his shoulders full of guilt?  —  Because a game was won on an error?  —  HA!  —  Mets fans are long past that kind of guilt.  —  Why feel guilty?  You make your own breaks.

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 …