Prospectus Notebook  —  Rockies, Dodgers  —  COLORADO ROCKIES  —  Historically, the most significant problem in Rockies baseball is the lack of pitching talent.  The lineup has never really been as potent as it is believed to be—the 1995 playoff squad made it as far as it did on the strength …

Protection of Milledge makes Mets look minor league  —  It took until the second inning Wednesday night, and a failed attempt at a one-handed catch by Lastings Milledge, for Mets TV voices to reveal another side of the highly touted prospect.  —  "He (Milledge) did irritate the opposition …

Mets juice up security for Bonds' arrival  —  Team adjust safety plan in preparation for visit by slugger Barry Bonds to Shea this weekend  —  Boos?  No problem.  —  Negative signs?  OK, within limits.  —  Beyond that, though, the Mets will be keeping a close eye this weekend …

Hey fake fans: Make like Damon and leave  —  They show up like every day is Christmas, and you know what that means: You just lost your seat at church.  You have shown up week after week, year after year, and now you have to stand behind the last pew because of some lady with an obnoxious pink hat.

From Way Out in Right Field  —  Yankees Fan Who Beat O's in Stands Could Join Them in Dugout  —  This is a story about fate, a story about a curse — if you care to believe in such things.  It is a story about coming to grips with them, and maybe, just maybe, reversing them.

Lords of the stance  —  Individuality proves it's not how you start, but how you finish  —  "The one unbreakable rule about hitting is this: If a batter hits well with his own particular stance and swing, think twice — or more — before suggesting a change."  — Stan Musial

Harden looks on track to make return Sunday  —  A's notebook  —  OAKLAND — A's pitcher Rich Harden said he's ready to return from a lower back strain that has sidelined him since April 27, and he'll almost certainly get his chance Sunday against the Minnesota Twins.

Colon Not Quite Up to Speed but Gets Results  —  In the box score, Bartolo Colon pitched well.  The radar gun, however, offered evidence that Colon might not have fully recovered from his shoulder injury last year.  —  In his first minor league rehabilitation start, Colon threw four shutout innings …

Sheffield Out Indefinitely  —  MRI Shows Ligament Tear, Tendon Injury In Wrist  —  DETROIT — The injury news keeps breaking all over for the Yankees, and most of it is bad.  On Thursday, they learned right fielder Gary Sheffield will be lost for indefinitely, perhaps the rest of the season.

Delgado slumping but won't shift blame  —  It almost seems unfair.  When Carlos Delgado steps into the batter's box and surveys the field in front of him, he probably feels as if someone has changed the rules in the middle of the game.  —  Nobody is standing within 20 feet of third base …

Come July, Nationals Could Be a Top Seller  —  Over the next two months, fans will scan the baseball standings trying to figure out which teams are true playoff contenders and which are not.  Baseball executives are no different.  But depending on the day or the week, the health of one team or another …

Numbers tell story of May daze  —  ST. LOUIS — A 7-22 record in May seems to offer little hope.  But Cubs general manager Jim Hendry bristled when the idea was raised that the team's playoff hopes are dead.  —  The Cubs need to go 70-40 in their remaining 110 games to reach 90 victories …

Sports and Salvation on Faith Night at the Stadium  —  It has long been noted that in certain parts of the United States, a fine line separates sports from religion.  But at a minor league indoor football game last month in Birmingham, Ala., fans may have witnessed as transparent an attempt …