Subway series-ous?  —  Mets' improved play has some fans thinking games with Yankees not as important as those within division  —  Ken Adair sat in the home dugout Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, dressed in full Yankees regalia, and sheepishly offered a shocking admission:

Perez ruins surprise ending  —  Everybody on the Cubs agreed it was a good first step back for Kerry Wood, even if there were too many missteps overall that led to a 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday at Wrigley Field.  —  Ultimately, though, Wood (0-1) was thrust into the background by how the game finished.

After loss, M's need to talk — and they do  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — The Mariners had one for the record books Thursday.  —  Not the game — the 6-3 loss to the Athletics was fairly routine.  —  We're talking about the postgame meeting in the clubhouse, a talk-and-answer session that lasted a full 57 minutes.

Settled in: Cordero sets up 6-2 win  —  NEW YORK - When the Rangers finally decided to make "the switch" three weeks ago, they understood the difficulties.  The hard part of dumping a closer isn't the actual breakup.  It's getting him to remain a reliable friend.  —  So far, the Rangers have done the seemingly impossible.

Stewart's legend larger than blue ox  —  This week the variables fell into place.  The offense slumped, the home field didn't host many home runs, so the question flooded the e-mail inbox: When is the kid coming up?  —  Folks remember Ian Stewart in the same way they think of Paul Bunyan.

Victorino is meeting Gillick's expectations  —  MILWAUKEE - Between the spring-training complex in Peoria, Ariz., and the glowing postseason report from Gene LaMont, new Phillies general manager Pat Gillick was sure Shane Victorino had this in him.  —  Entering last night …

Springer Suspended for Throwing at Bonds  —  NEW YORK — Houston pitcher Russ Springer was suspended for four games Friday after throwing several times at Barry Bonds and eventually hitting the San Francisco star earlier this week.  —  Astros manager Phil Garner was suspended for one game and fined …

Limited Lester finally finds a groove  —  Eyebrows were raised when the Red Sox limited Jon Lester's pitch counts at the start of his fifth professional season, but the measure was an act of preservation aimed at getting the most out of the lefty for the parent club later this year.

Yankees, Mets coexist despite their differences … The Yankees and Mets have a few things in common besides their New York domiciles.  They've both had Casey Stengel and Joe Torre as managers.  They've both had Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry as reclamation projects.

O's Mora agrees to lucrative extension  —  Third baseman's deal is for three years with option for 2010  —  BALTIMORE — The Orioles have called a press conference for 2 p.m. ET on Friday, when they are expected to announce that third baseman Melvin Mora has reached agreement …

Long Shot  —  You can shake a dozen glove men out of a tree, but the bat separates the men from the boys.  —  If you don't recognize the name of the guy who imparted that little bit of baseball wisdom, listen up.  He was a journeyman among journeymen and it's been 50 years since he had his hour …

Yankees OF Crosby on 15-day disabled list  —  NEW YORK — The New York Yankees put Bubba Crosby on the 15-day disabled list Friday, the third outfielder they've sidelined in the last two weeks.  —  Sluggers Gary Sheffield (left wrist and hand) and Hideki Matsui (broken left wrist) …

Revenue sharing boils Steinbrenner's blood  —  George Steinbrenner slowly put his hands behind his head, sat back in the big leather chair and, after thinking about the question for a few moments, said, "I'd like to see everybody competing, but we're not a socialist state."  —  Revenue sharing.

Money Is A.L.'s Thumb on the Power Scale  —  THE American League has won 7 of the last 10 World Series.  The American League has won the last 8 All-Star Games played to a decision and 14 of the past 17.  Last season, the American League gained a 136-116 edge in interleague games.  Do we see a trend here?

Mounting Injuries Trump Wright's Outing  —  Willie Randolph called Joe Torre a few days ago, one New York manager reaching out to another.  Randolph was trying to congratulate Torre on his 1,000th victory with the Yankees, but Torre admitted he had not called back.