These American idols have lost their fear factor  —  George Lucas may not be making any more Star Wars movies, but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of the Evil Empire.  —  Yes, the hated, despised, reviled, insufferable and arrogant Yankees are in town for a three-game weekend series …

New Nats owner to take deliberate steps  —  When Ted Turner bought the Atlanta Braves in 1976, he gave baseball's other owners chills.  He was loud, flamboyant, a maverick in every sense of the word.  He didn't get his nickname "Mouth of the South" by mistake.  —  Free agency was in its infancy.

Banged up Dodgers continue to struggle  —  Navarro and Mueller injured as skid reaches five games  —  LOS ANGELES — Thursday's game marked the Dodgers' fifth straight loss, but they may have lost much more than that in the process of being shut out, 3-0.  —  The game was hardly underway …

$20 million for the Rocket?  —  • I'm told the Astros made a stunning opening offer to Roger Clemens: around $20 million for five months.  Meanwhile the Hendricks Brothers aren't tipping their hand.  —  • People have been so nice to defend me on this blog.  I appreciate it beyond words.

Hamels vs. Bonds would be ESPN classic  —  IT WAS a sunwashed early September afternoon in the middle of the last century.  I can't tell you why I was in the rightfield bleachers of the Polo Grounds for a doubleheader between the New York Giants and the Phillies.

Rain delay provided an opportunity to soak the fans  —  Despite more brutal weather, they played baseball at Fenway last night.  Hallelujah.  But had they not played, the Red Sox still would have been winners at the cash register.  The $ox always win these days.

It's almost Lima Time  —  Jose Lima was pulled from last night's Triple-A Norfolk game after two innings and received congratulatory handshakes from teammates, but Mets officials insisted they aren't bailing on John Maine for Sunday's start.  Not yet, anyway.

Setup man with stuff of closer  —  The best relief pitcher in the National League, and maybe all of baseball, looks more like a grad student in his street clothes.  Off the mound and out of uniform, Duaner Sanchez replaces his signature goggles with rimless glasses, just as Superman trades …

Bonds gets a day off from starting lineup  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) - Barry Bonds' pursuit of the Babe might have to wait until Philadelphia.  —  Bonds wasn't in the starting lineup for the San Francisco Giants' game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.  —  He still had a bit of a headache …

Future Shock  —  Now that we're a month away from the 2006 Draft, we do have a better idea of who's going to be picked at the top, but little idea of the order.  Let's start this week's notebook with an update of where things stand with the first five picks.

Gomes has some serious strength … They are the next line, the line below the stars, but the line that clearly is on the rise.  Their next stop could be their first All-Star Game — and after that, perhaps even bigger things.  Here are five players who are off to good starts, which might be a sign of things to come.

Rockies need to establish home-field advantage  —  The Astros face a contrast of styles for the second straight weekend, taking on the surprising Rockies in a three-game series that begins on Friday.  And they'll do so without utilizing their top two starting pitchers in Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte.

Left-hander is a fantasy come true  —  ARLINGTON - When the Rangers acquired pitcher John Koronka on the eve of the 2006 season, my high-dollar fantasy baseball service described him as "a soft-tossing lefty destined, at best, for the Cubs' bullpen."  —  I'm thinking about canceling that service.

Cards Notebook: Pujols is hobbled  —  Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols fouled a breaking pitch off his left ankle during a first-inning at-bat Thursday.  He ended the plate appearance by grounding to second base.  He limped noticeably running to first before slamming his helmet.