Maine Joins Mets, but Departs Too Quickly  —  John Maine was told to fly to Queens from Norfolk, Va., yesterday morning because of Alay Soler's impending demotion and Pedro Martínez's sore hip.  Those are not the ideal circumstances for a promotion, but Maine can deal …

Soriano to Dance With the Stars  —  Alfonso Soriano has acted as the unquestioned spark plug of the Washington Nationals in his first season with the franchise.  He combines power (24 home runs) and speed (18 stolen bases) like few players in the game.  "One of the few real bright spots of our ballclub …

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: Dream weaving  —  Dream weaving  —  The Cardinals are having internal discussions about Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jeff Weaver, who was designated for assignment Friday and must either be traded or released by the All-Star break.  —  Weaver apparently …

Rangers really are boys of summer  —  Been thinking.  Head hurts.  —  I know.  I know.  I should do that less often.  But inside the old cranium, the voices are arguing:  —  Talk about something significant," the one little man says. "  This team is going nowhere.''

Baseball's worst of the worst  —  I can't understand why people get so worked up about Major League Baseball's All-Star selections.  When home park attendance and how often a team appears on TV are the two most important selection criteria, you're bound to get plenty of horrendous snubs and shaky selections.

Canseco: Major League Baseball is the 'mafia'  —  Canseco: Major League Baseball is the 'mafia'  —  CHICO, Calif. (AP) — Jose Canseco wrote the book that helped persuade baseball to toughen its steroids policy, and he insists there's much more damaging information to come.

The life of Brien  —  Bricks, back roads & broken dreams of a former phenom  —  BEAUFORT, N.C. - A few times a week, often on his way home from work, the greatest pitching prospect the New York Yankees ever had pulls into a little roadside convenience store called In & Out Food Mart.

What's going on in San Diego's front office?  —  At present, the San Diego Padres hold a slim lead in the NL West and are on pace to post a third consecutive winning season for the first time in franchise history.  —  The architect of the Padres since late 1995 has been general manager Kevin Towers.

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.

Ex-nemesis Wallace accelerates Bulls' rebound  —  For years, Ben Wallace has made life tough on the Bulls in the Eastern Conference.  —  He's about to make it better.  —  Wallace agreed Monday night to a four-year deal worth $60 million with the Bulls, sources said.

Interleague games draw record crowds  —  NEW YORK — More than 8.5 million fans attended interleague games this season, the most in the 10 years of play between the American and National leagues.  —  The average crowd for 252 interleague dates this year was 34,097, topping the previous record of 33,703 in 2001.