The good son returns home … BOSTON — The wrapped bottle of Cristal champagne was sitting in his new chair.  A case of his country's Presidente beer was nearby on the floor with a card on top from Jason Varitek addressed to "Petey."  Tommy McLaughlin, the visitors' clubhouse manager at Fenway Park …

Gammons has an aneurysm  —  ESPN icon placed in intensive care  —  ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons, whose Sunday notes column in the Globe had a seminal impact on the way the sport is covered, came out of surgery and was in intensive care last night for a brain aneurysm.

Reyes OK after scary collision  —  BOSTON — The Mets admit they have plenty to learn about the complexities of Fenway Park.  Fortunately, last night's lesson did not come at a greater expense to Jose Reyes, who could have been badly hurt in a fifth-inning collision with Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.

Can the Cubs be fixed?  Here are 6 ideas  —  Let's assume the Cubs will fire Dusty Baker and part ways with pitcher Kerry Wood before Opening Day 2007.  Plenty of other work lies ahead if the Cubs are going to avoid that century-mark stigma in 2008 of putting 100 years between them and their last World Series championship.

Rangers' catching platoon a solid hit  —  Barajas and Laird are swinging mean bats at the same time  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Just three weeks ago, Rangers manager Buck Showalter said he heard Gerald Laird's noisy bat speaking loud and clear and indicated the backup catcher's playing time might increase.

Reds reward Narron, Krivsky  —  Manager, GM have helped Cincinnati to surprising success  —  CINCINNATI — The Reds have been surprise playoff contenders this season, but chief executive officer Bob Castellini didn't wait for the race's final outcome to reward his two main architects.

Freewriting  —  Sometimes, I feel like this blog is too focused on reacting to things or constrained by the day's news or pigeon-holed by who else is saying stuff about what other people are saying.  I don't mean to make this style sound so desultory; by the nature of the medium …

Mid-Season Blockbusters: June (Part Three: 1975-2005)  —  We've examined the most prominent June trades from the early portion of the 20th century, as well as from the middle period.  Now we'll take a look at the big deals from the past few decades.  —  June 13, 1975: The Texas Rangers …

Foul play in Rangers loss?  —  SAN FRANCISCO - If the Rangers miss the playoffs by one game, or lose the division title by one game, they will look back at the night of June 27 with even more anger than they felt Tuesday.  —  And that would be tough because the Rangers' clubhouse was …

Notes: Sore arms are healing  —  Ohka, De La Rosa to go on rehab assignments in minors  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  Chicago - The Milwaukee Brewers moved a step closer Tuesday to getting back one of their injured starting pitchers when right-hander Tomo Ohka was scheduled …

Padres continue to treat fallen LaChappa as one of their own  —  Matt LaChappa hasn't thrown a pitch professionally in 10 years.  He is confined to a wheelchair, and constrained by the physical fallout from back-to-back heart attacks.  —  Yet the Padres continue to pay him as if he were an active player.

Prospectus Notebook  —  Astros, Mets, Blue Jays  —  HOUSTON ASTROS  — Last week's Roger Clemens-Francisco Liriano matchup was a disappointment for Astros fans looking for a splashy return from the Rocket, but it underscored a bigger problem for Houston.