E-Rod here to stay  —  After another Alex error, Jays smack Mo, Yanks in 11  —  TORONTO - Not long after watching the unlikeliest of endings, Alex Rodriguez stood in front of his locker and answered what ought to be the unlikeliest of questions.  —  Across the room, Mariano Rivera …

Quentin hits 1st homer; Bonds hits No. 722  —  Barry Bonds moved within 33 home runs of career leader Hank Aaron and left the ballpark without talking to the media.  Carlos Quentin moved within 754 of Aaron and was talking up a storm.  —  Bonds hit his 722nd career home run hours …

Guillen's Trade Value Takes a Hit  —  Elbow Soreness Sends Right Fielder to the DL  —  MIAMI, July 20 — Washington Nationals right fielder Jose Guillen was placed on the disabled list Thursday with an elbow injury that could cost him the rest of the season, and General Manager Jim Bowden spent part …

Nationals unveil RFK changes  —  Fans for weekend series will get red-carpet treatment  —  WASHINGTON — Trying to spread the word about the "Grand Re-opening" of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, the Washington Nationals hosted roughly 30 members of the media as they offered a tour around their newly improved ballpark.

'It was either him or me'  —  Jays manager challenged Hillenbrand to a fight  —  TORONTO (AP) — After Shea Hillenbrand wrote on the clubhouse bulletin board that the "ship was sinking," Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons challenged him to a fight.  —  There was no brawl …

Abreu trade unlikely  —  CINCINNATI - While industry buzz was that the Mets and Phillies were engaged in talks that would include a Bobby Abreu-for-Lastings Milledge swap, Mets insiders said yesterday that deal seemed unlikely.  —  Still, Mets GM Omar Minaya has shown a willingness in the past to trade away top prospects.

From worst...to first: Making the most of empty seats at a Marlins game  —  "Blue seats," my editor says.  "That's the challenge."  —  The glee in his voice is usually reserved for assignments such as asking five "wacky questions" of Barry Bonds, but I'm calling his bluff.

Endy extra good!  —  Double in 10th lifts Mets  —  CINCINNATI - Some fast thinking by Endy Chavez helped cap the Mets' successful road trip with a victory.  —  Chavez, facing Gary Majewski in the 10th inning yesterday, knew his former Expos and Nationals teammate's propensity for high-octane fastballs.

Going to bat for housing  —  Ex-Met Vaughn a developer  —  Mo Vaughn, who struck out as a New York Met, is hoping to be a bigger hit now for the city.  —  The hulking first baseman, who retired from baseball because of a wrecked knee, is fixing up run-down low-income housing as his second career.

Notebook: Mets check out Batista, Cruz  —  The New York Mets have scouted the starts by Miguel Batista and Juan Cruz the last two days amid reports they were looking for more pitching for the stretch run, and the teams have had preliminary conversations about a possible deadline trade.

TBS may pitch to Costas  —  Could the arrival of a new player - Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) - on Major League Baseball's national TV landscape signal the return of Bob (Rapping Roberto) Costas, one of the game's marquee play-by-play practitioners, to the broadcast booth?

Padres interested in Mariners' Beltre  —  The Padres, continuing their search for a third baseman, are taking aim at a talented, expensive and perhaps unattainable option — the Mariners' Adrian Beltre.  —  The Mariners likely will entertain offers for Beltre only if they fall out of contention by the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

Lines remain open, but no urgent need to deal  —  CINCINNATI — Pedro Martinez is a week away from rejoining the rotation, rookie Mike Pelfrey continues to impress and the Mets have scored the most runs in the National League.  —  For all those reasons, the front office is not overly anxious …

Pirates Notebook: Randa not entirely without destinations  —  MIAMI — Joe Randa is skeptical he will be traded, no matter how hard the Pirates try.  —  And he has cause: There is not much demand for third basemen around Major League Baseball as the July 31 trading deadline nears.

Prospectus Q&A  —  Tom House … Baseball Prospectus: You last spoke to BP a couple of years ago.  Just to get started, what's new at NPA since then?  —  Tom House: Probably our relationship with Titleist golf.  They have 30,000 golfers in the computer with the same technology we have …

Quite frankly, Baker bails out  —  Host denies incendiary e-mail came from staff  —  Cubs manager Dusty Baker hasn't had much love for ESPN since the cable network ran a story in 2002 that revealed his long-standing dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.

Plenty to choose from for hole in OF  —  While the Yankees feel better about their team today than say three weeks ago, they still enter the final 10 days before the trade deadline expected to make a deal, or two.  —  Manager Joe Torre and general manager Brian Cashman have both stated …

Connecting on all fronts  —  Zambrano's pitching, rare back-to-back homers ignite win  —  For those still counting and for those who believe it matters, the Cubs have won eight of their last 14 games.  —  What really matters is that Carlos Zambrano has four of those eight victories during a career-high seven-game winning streak.