Yankees near a Bobby prize  —  Close to bringing Phils' RF to Bronx  —  The Yankees moved closer last night to landing Bobby Abreu, according to sources, as the field for the Phillies outfielder was narrowed to just three teams - with the Bombers believed to have the best chance of landing him.

This time, don't blame Hart  —  ARLINGTON — When Rangers manager Buck Showalter finally exited The Ballpark on Friday, it was Saturday.  —  He had a lot on his mind, namely: Why had his players responded to a blockbuster deal that brought slugger Carlos Lee to Arlington …

Tejada happy with O's … On a day when Miguel Tejada affirmed his desire to stay in Baltimore, the Orioles worked late into last night, mulling offers for their star shortstop.  —  The Los Angeles Angels, once considered the front-runner to land Tejada if he is moved …

Nationals still trying to lock up Soriano  —  Team officials hoping to secure extension for franchise player  —  LOS ANGELES — With a little more than two days before the trade deadline, the Nationals are still trying to sign Alfonso Soriano to a contract extension, MLB.com has learned.

Cubs wait for calls on Maddux  —  Greg Maddux never has changed teams unless it was his choice.  That will be the case again should the starting pitcher leave the Cubs by Monday.  —  Maddux, who never has been traded, might be the most attractive commodity the Cubs have as the non-waiver …

Loria: trades not expected  —  Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria joined the club's three top-ranking baseball officials in Philadelphia on Saturday, but general manager Larry Beinfest cautioned against reading anything into that with Monday afternoon's nonwaiver trade deadline approaching.

The bell of the ballpark  —  The New York Mets were down seven runs by the seventh-inning stretch to the worst team in the National League one recent night, and it seemed the only thing keeping fans inside steamy-hot Shea Stadium was the promise of post-game pyrotechnics.

Here's the deal  —  Teams getting ready to bust a move  —  COOPERSTOWN - Let's be perfectly frank here.  As much as fans, talk-radio hosts and the rumor-a-minute mongers at ESPN have desperately sought to keep alive the notion of a Dontrelle Willis or a Barry Zito suddenly becoming available …

Old-school handiwork  —  Nothing against Gary Matthews' catch, but he was wearing a glove.  The defensive play of the year was made last Sunday by San Diego catcher Rob Bowen, who caught a ball barehanded to tag out Steve Finley at the end of a rundown.  His glove had been knocked off …

Pitchers on block step into spotlight  —  It's possible that several big-name major leaguers played their final game for their respective teams Saturday, and most of them showed why they're on the trading block.  —  However, Barry Zito is so sure he'll still be with Oakland …

Confused Lee Smith still waiting  —  Lee Smith will watch today's presentation and all the replays with pride, of course, because Bruce Sutter's a bud and a brother of sorts.  Smith will be happy that somebody, anybody, of his ninth-inning ilk made it to Cooperstown.

'Bingo' is special to Jones  —  Actor thinks movie about black ballplayers was misunderstood.  —  With his signature baritone voice, James Earl Jones has compiled an award-winning acting career that spans decades and several unique roles.  —  For sports fans, however, Jones is a central figure in a number of baseball films.

Win streak ticket to NL West lead  —  If the Rockies are going to put together a season-changing run, they will have to buck recent history.  —  Winning seven, eight or nine games in a row could vault them to the front of the pack in the tight National League West.