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.

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 …

Sheffield willing to switch to first with Abreu's arrival  —  NEW YORK — Gary Sheffield embraced Bobby Abreu's arrival with the New York Yankees, saying he would shift to first base if needed.  —  "I gave him a hug.  I wanted him to feel welcome," Sheffield said Tuesday after Abreu reported …

Call-up Mateo may get start Thursday  —  The Cubs called up Double-A right-hander Juan Mateo on Tuesday and will likely give him his first major-league start Thursday against former Cubs prospect Juan Cruz.  —  "It depends on if we have to use him (in the bullpen) or not," manager Dusty Baker said.

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 …

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.

McGwire holds Hall fate in his own hands  —  There is a real irony in this.  The Baseball Hall of Fame no sooner completes one of its golden days by inducting 17 players and executives from the Negro Leagues this past Sunday than the talk turns to next year and the case of Mark McGwire.

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.

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 …

Where are the fans?  —  Despite success, attendance jump is small  —  The Reds begin a 10-game homestand tonight, leading the National League wild card race by 1 game and on track for their first winning season since 2000.  —  But while the team's unexpected success has resulted …

Should We Be Blaming Sanchez?  —  Chris Mad Dog Russo is going off on WFAN about Duaner Sanchez's decision to go out at 2 am to get food and later suffering a season ending accident.  —  I really can't believe what I'm hearing-maybe young guys do look for trouble, I did when I was in my 20s.

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.

What's eating Billy Beane?  Take your pick  —  The trade deadline, which just passed with the Giants making only minor changes and the A's none at all, is often a trick question anyway.  Activity is confused with wisdom and work ethic, inactivity with indolence, smugness and even sloth.

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.