Glavine, Reyes out of All-Star Game  —  Veteran decides he won't be able to pitch after starting Sunday  —  NEW YORK — What might have been a contingent of seven Mets All-Stars now is a set of three.  Tom Glavine, who started for the Mets on Sunday against the Marlins, has withdrawn from the game …

PNC Park a winner, but Pirates . . .  Pittsburgh gets its ballpark right, but team is all wrong  —  PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh's steel-and-glass skyline is so close, it appears to hover over the right fielder's shoulder.  There are three major rivers located about the length of a Jason Bay home run from the ballpark's boundaries.

Finally, time to give it a rest  —  CHICAGO — The scoreboard in right-center field was full of ``F"s, as in final scores.  Even the West Coast games were complete.  As a matter of fact, the Sunday night game between St. Louis and Houston was underway.  —  All-Star break getaway planes were being missed.

Rogers, Penny chosen as All-Star starters  —  PITTSBURGH —Kenny Rogers has gone from all-star scourge to All-Star game starter.  The Tigers' left-hander, the top winner for the team with the best record in the majors, will be on the mound for the AL on Tuesday night against Brad Penny of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

What Is Gil Meche?  —  Another day, another good start from Gil Meche, resulting in a Mariners win.  With the performance today, he lowered his ERA to 3.83 for the season and has been essentially annointed the team's current ace by the coaching staff, as he will start the first game after the all-star break.

Phillies Notes |  Gordon not worrying about trade rumors  —  Phillies Notes  —  For as long as Phillies closer Tom Gordon has been around, he has been traded only once.  —  That was from the Chicago Cubs to Houston in 2002, and the move seemed to reinvigorate his career.

Measuring homers a guessing game  —  Pittsburgh - Bow-tied essayists and dyed-in-flannel traditionalists love small ball.  Most fans, however, love to see the ball get small.  —  Dating to 1883, there has been a fascination with big-league power, with watching a ball loosen itself …

Speculation frays manager's nerves  —  Here's the thing about managerial firings: You can smell them a mile away, like a bushel of rotten, festering eggs.  —  The Phillies are having a stink bomb of a season, but there have been no real indications that Charlie Manuel is on the way out.  —  None.

Braves, Indians Get Active In Pacific Rim  —  The international signing period, which began July 2, doesn't just apply to Latin America.  —  The Braves and Indians made significant splashes in the Far East in the first week of the period, with both teams signing pitchers out of Taiwan …

Baker's job status raising ire of Eyre  —  MILWAUKEE — Cubs reliever Scott Eyre on Sunday accused the media of hurting the team by focusing on Dusty Baker's job status instead of the game.  —  "I think if we keep playing the way we played this series, and if everyone would stop talking about Dusty's job …

Millwood expects Friday start  —  ARLINGTON - Rangers right-hander Kevin Millwood said he is healthy and ready to start Friday in Baltimore.  —  Millwood threw off a mound Sunday for the first time since straining his right biceps muscle July 2 against Houston.

WAGS WOULD MORTGAGE FUTURE, BUT WILL OMAR?  —  July 10, 2006 — BILLY WAGNER turns 35 in two weeks and the Mets have a 12-game lead in the NL East.  These are the pertinent numbers in the closer's baseball life.  The short time he has left in the game and the wide lead his club has in its division.

Going Deep: Answering your questions  —  Clearing up confusion over MLB's procedural rules … Q: I always get a little confused about the different ways call-ups from the Minors occur, i.e., purchasing a contract vs. recalling a player.  —  A: It boils down to whether the player is already on the 40-man roster.

United States 8, World 5  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — At last, the lowly Kansas City Royals have something to get excited about.  —  A pair of their prospects — Billy Butler and Alex Gordon — led the United States to an 8-5 victory over the World team Sunday in the All-Star Futures Game, the eighth annual showcase for top minor leaguers.