Selig up front about absence  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — About 10 minutes before last night's game a fan in the second deck of Tropicana Field yelled, ``That knee looks fine, Manny.  Let's go.  Despite the pleas of that fan and of Major League Baseball, it still appears Manny Ramírez …

Angels trade Weaver to Cards for minor-league OF  —  SEATTLE — The Los Angeles Angels traded disappointing right-hander Jeff Weaver to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night for minor-league outfielder Terry Evans.  —  Weaver, 29, was designated for assignment by the Angels last Friday …

Canseco gets trade after 1 Surf Dawg game  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) - Only one game into his comeback, Jose Canseco was traded Wednesday after seeking the move because of family obligations.  —  The Golden Baseball League approved the swap, sending the 42-year-old Canseco from the San Diego Surf Dawgs …

Eight-run inning ties Marlins mark; Marlins 18, Nationals 9  —  WASHINGTON — The Marlins completed a double play to end the fifth inning and retreated to their dugout, but they could just as well have converged on the RFK Stadium diamond and started shaking hands.

60 Years and 1,000 Tales Since 14 Were Ejected  —  Sixty years is a long time to stretch a memory.  But Dario Lodigiani is certain that the reason that he and 13 other Chicago White Sox players and coaches were ejected from a game against the Boston Red Sox had nothing to do with a ventriloquist in the stands.

Mp3 exclusive: Peter Gammons  —  A week from today, Fenway Park will host its second annual "Hot Stove, Cool Music: The Fenway Sessions" concert, an event that couldn't have happened without Peter Gammons.  A few years ago Gammons, now 61, became a crucial link between Boston rockers and the Red Sox …

Soriano's suitors  —  Angels lock in on Nats slugger; is Milledge available?  —  The Los Angeles Angels may be in last place at the moment, but during a season where just about everyone's in a race (or thinks they are), the Angels are one of about 24 buyers.

Scowling Scolari blames referee  —  It was always unlikely that Portugal would leave this World Cup quietly and so it proved last night as Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari laid the blame for their semi-final defeat at the feet of the Uraguayan referee Jorge Larrionda.

Pirates Notebook: Burnitz, Randa amenable to being traded  —  NEW YORK — Neither Jeromy Burnitz nor Joe Randa has asked the Pirates for a trade.  —  But neither sounds as if he would be terribly troubled if one were to happen.  —  Check out Burnitz's typically candid response to a question on the matter yesterday:

Bonds' trainer jailed for not testifying  —  SAN FRANCISCO —Barry Bonds' personal trainer is back in prison after refusing to testify to the federal grand jury investigating the San Francisco Giants' slugger for perjury.  —  Greg Anderson, who served three months in prison after pleading guilty …

Hendry backs off Baker deadline  —  GM says evaluation of Cubs' staff could take days—or weeks  —  HOUSTON — General manager Jim Hendry met with Dusty Baker before Wednesday's game and discussed published reports that the Cubs' manager and some of his coaching staff could be in danger of losing their jobs during the All-Star break.

Soriano Says He Wants to Stay In D.C.  —  With half a season under his belt and the trade deadline less than three weeks away, Alfonso Soriano has a new take on his stint with the Washington Nationals: He wants to stay.  —  "I feel very good here, better than I expected," Soriano said in an interview yesterday.

Twin killing in KC  —  With a big hit from Buck, the Royals win another series, beating red-hot Minnesota 6-3.  —  Credit the Royals with this much: It no longer seems rare when things go right.  They no longer seem capable of threatening the 1962 Mets or the 2003 Tigers for sustained futility over a full season.

Chacon could be on the way out  —  CLEVELAND - It appears unlikely that Shawn Chacon will make his scheduled start Sunday, but that could be the least of his concerns.  With Chacon failing to show any of the magic he had last season, his time with the Yankees could be coming to an end.

Borowski closes on bigger payday  —  WASHINGTON — As if his day wasn't bad enough already, Joe Borowski had just walked out of RFK Stadium after giving up a game-losing home run Tuesday when the skies suddenly opened up.  —  A flash thunderstorm soaked Borowski as he sprinted to the subway stop about a half-mile from the ballpark.

Elbow surgery will end Martinez's season  —  WASHINGTON — Carlos Martinez's season is over.  —  As the Marlins feared, the right-hander needs Tommy John surgery.  Dr. James Andrews, who examined Martinez on Wednesday, will perform the operation today in Birmingham, Ala.

Jeff Suppan gives up a bundle of runs early  —  BRAVES 14, CARDINALS 4  —  Up next: 7:05 tonight at Houston, FSN Midwest  —  It took Jeff Suppan five starts to go from 99 to 100 wins in his big-league career.  After three subsequent starts, he still is at 100.