Rodriguez's Two Homers Quiet Mets and Win Over the Fans  —  In the broad view, Alex Rodriguez spends the regular season killing time.  It is not enough to simply lead the Yankees to the playoffs, as he did last season.  The fans at Yankee Stadium quickly forgot that after Rodriguez failed in the postseason.

Uggla, Cabrera named reserves  —  Two Marlins — rookie second baseman Dan Uggla and veteran third baseman Miguel Cabrera — were chosen as reserves for next week's All-Star Game.  —  kbaxter@MiamiHerald.com  —  When Marlins manager Joe Girardi called Dan Uggla into his office early Sunday afternoon …

Notes: Baker keeps faith in Dempster  —  Skipper aims to prevent doubt from affecting closer's approach  —  CHICAGO — Ryan Dempster is still the Cubs' closer.  —  Cubs manager Dusty Baker said he'll stick with the right-hander, who blew his fifth save on Saturday in the Chicago White Sox 8-6 victory.

Scoop!  —  I'll write a few notes on today's highly entertaining 15-11 Cub win over the White Sox in a moment.  —  First, I want to tell you of a trade rumor I heard today, and you're going to dismiss it, but I heard this from a source I trust, and it makes sense on a number of different levels.

Top Latino prospects get major-league deals … The New York Yankees paid a $2 million signing bonus to Venezuelan catcher Jesus Montero on Sunday, a busy day for the best Latin American prospects.  —  Dominican shortstop Esmaily Gonzalez received $1.4 million from the Washington Nationals …

Cards Notebook: Ponson up Thursday  —  The perception is that pitcher Sidney Ponson toes a fine line as a Cardinals starter, having already been moved to the bullpen once this year, only to emerge with his finest performance of the season when pressed into action.

A's All-Stars as elusive as hits  —  THE AMERICAN LEAGUE All-Star team was announced Sunday.  Stop us if you've heard this one before — the A's offense got shut out.  —  So profound is the team's inability to put bat on ball at this point that manager Ken Macha couldn't even feign indignance.

Uecker wants to regain control of life  —  MILWAUKEE — Hall of Fame announcer Bob Uecker said he wants a restraining order against a woman he contends is stalking him so he can regain control of his life.  —  Uecker, the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers for more than 35 years …

Eaton on target for late-July return  —  ARLINGTON - Adam Eaton has a calendar of his planned rehab starts for July sitting in his locker.  He's quick to point out July 21, the day planned for his final rehab start.  —  "That means five days later, I could be back in the rotation," Eaton said.

Weekend Buzz: Hometown Pirates get boost from ballot stuffers  —  The Weekend Buzz while you were aiming the fireworks AWAY from the children ...  1. Pittsburgh, city by the Bay: Every so often one of those cool stories comes along that makes you stand at attention and salute.

Moehler to have an MRI on foot  —  Right-hander Brian Moehler will undergo an MRI on his sore right foot today and is hoping he'll be able to come off the disabled list shortly after next week's All-Star break.  —  ''The X-rays were negative.  There's no stress fracture,'' said Moehler …

Jones to Replace Choo on All-Star Team  —  Outfielder Adam Jones will be replacing outfielder Shin-Soo Choo on the 2006 PCL All-Star Team.  Choo, who was originally selected to be the Rainiers representative, was recently called up to Seattle to replace the injured Jeremy Reed.

No-Hitter Requires a Complete Game  —  THERE are as many no-hitters in the front office of the Los Angeles Angels as there have been in the major leagues for more than four seasons.  —  Bill Stoneman, the general manager of the Angels, pitched two no-hitters for Montreal, one in 1969 and the other in 1972.

Finally, Bowden Gets To Deal With a Full Deck  —  For the past 20 months, Nats General Manager Jim Bowden has made what seem like a vast number of trades, free agent signings and draft picks.  The impression among Washington fans is that Bowden deserves to be a controversial figure …