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  Tom Glavine, who started for the Mets on Sunday against the Marlins, has withdrawn from the game …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Major Leagues  —  Can you explain how the free-agent compensation process works?  —  Every offseason, the Elias Sports Bureau compiles rankings of all major league players, based on the previous two year's stats.  The players are ranked by position, so first basemen are not compared to second basemen, etc.

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 …

Hughes: Wait and see  —  PITTSBURGH - Phil Hughes isn't buying it.  —  Not yet, anyway.  —  Maybe he'll feel differently if July 31 passes and he still can wear a Yankees cap, as he did yesterday.  —  "You never know," the righthander said at PNC Park.

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.

Huff wants to keep on hitting  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Usually, Aubrey Huff can't wait for the All-Star break.  —  But with a rejuvenated bat that, after two months of immense struggle and injury, has produced a .433 average, 13 doubles, five home runs and 16 RBIs over his past 23 games …

Bullpen Melts Down, Nats Limp Into Break  —  The phone rang in the Washington Nationals' bullpen in the middle of the sixth inning, with the home team leading by six runs, seemingly coasting to a series-salvaging win over the San Diego Padres.  Manager Frank Robinson was on the line …

Kennedy: Contract Is Up to Club  —  OAKLAND — Adam Kennedy wants desperately to remain with the Angels beyond this season, but he has not made a contract proposal to the club.  The Angels have not offered a new contract, and Kennedy said he would not ask his agent to make a proposal.

Beinfest has no regrets on slashing payroll  —  NEW YORK — The Marlins began the season with a projected 25-man roster payroll of less than $19 million.  Based on what they've already paid players in the first half and looking ahead at what they owe, that figure likely won't change much by season's end.