Order Is Restored: Yankees First, Red Sox Second  —  There are stretches when all the world seems pinstriped, and the Yankees are in one now.  They moved into first place in the American League East last night by beating the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1, finding an invigorating way to cap three blissful days.

Cirillo suggests balls at Coors Field waterlogged  —  DENVER — Illegal, waterlogged baseballs are the real reason runs are harder to come by at Coors Field nowadays, Milwaukee infielder Jeff Cirillo suggested Tuesday.  —  Cirillo said that on Monday he compared a baseball from Milwaukee …

Sox can't catch a break  —  They lose to Indians — and also will lose Varitek, who needs knee surgery  —  There's a vacancy sign on the captain's chair in the Red Sox clubhouse.  That doesn't bode well for them on a night when they lost, 6-3, to the Cleveland Indians and fell into a virtual tie …

48 Responses to "Tommy Not So Terrific"  —  I think, maybe, you send Tom on vacation for a week or two.  I'm FAR more interested in watching Pelfrey and Maine pitch than I am Tommy at this point.  The rest couldn't do him any worse than throwing him out to be slaughtered.  —  Very true.

Under The Knife  —  I'm hitting the road for the rest of the week, another in my summer travels.  UTK continues, due to the magic of the internet.  So let's get right to this today—no long intro and not even a powered by.  Just injuries:  — This is one you do not want to see, especially if you're a Twins fan.

For Cuban Players, a Waiting Game  —  The sports agent Gus Dominguez, who has represented 38 Cuban defectors, sees a better day coming for baseball players on the island now that an ailing Fidel Castro has ceded power to his brother Raúl after more than four and a half decades of restrictive rule.

USC's Brandon Ting tested positive for steroids  —  USC safety Brandon Ting tested positive for steroids last winter and would have been ineligible this season before deciding to quit the football team with his twin brother, Ryan, according to multiple sources.

Embarrassing moments  —  Baseball embarrassments come in a veritable rainbow of shades, or something along the lines of the Houston Astros uniforms of the 1980s.  —  To start, you have your garden-variety, one-moment-in-time blooper play: Jose Canseco hitting a ball over the wall, in right field, with his head.

See also: Today's Baseball America Prospect Report  —  Ernie Shore Field is not where Ray Liotta dreamed he'd be right now.  The White Sox lefthander already passed the Carolina League test, when he went 6-2, 1.45 in eight starts for high Class A Winston-Salem last year.

Familiar Faces Lift Nationals Past S.F.  —  After Deadline, Team Makes Do: Nationals 4, Giants 1  —  Livan Hernandez used to do this all the time.  He pitched seven innings every time out, baffled batters with his ridiculously slow curveball, shrugged his shoulders as he walked off the mound, as if to say, "Hit that!"

Dukes Heads Home  —  As the Devil Rays' world turned this week, it looked like the news would be good for the talented prospects at Triple-A Durham, with B.J. Upton getting his long-awaited promotion to the big leagues.  —  It didn't take long for things to turn sour again, however …

McClatchy: Savings from trades will go back into team  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  The Pirates' ownership will take the money saved by the four trades Monday and reallocate it to general manager Dave Littlefield's budget for 2007, managing general partner Kevin McClatchy said last night.

Prospectus Hit List  —  Rk  —  Team  —  Overall W-L  —  Week W-L  —  Hit List Factor  —  Trend  —  Another sweet week for the Tigers as they pad their lead by two more games; their Postseason Odds are at 97.8 percent.  Still, it's an underwhelming deadline as they come away with just the requisite lefty bat in Sean Casey.