Maybe it's nicer just as a visitor  —  From 5:20 onward yesterday, it must have felt like a fantasy for Mike Piazza.  We all desire to be missed by those from our past, don't we?  The love filled Shea Stadium for Piazza's return, from his pregame stretch to batting practice, from a video tribute to his first at-bat.

Indians and Reds complete trade  —  OF Todd Hollandsworth sent to Cincinnati for player to be named; Outfielder Franklin Gutierrez recalled from AAA Buffalo  —  CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has completed a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, sending OF TODD HOLLANDSWORTH …

Abreu leaps into the fire  —  CHICAGO - Well, he's got the clothing part down already.  Bobby Abreu walked into the New York Yankees clubhouse at 4:30 p.m. sharp Tuesday, the top four buttons of his white shirt undone.  Throw in a pair of jeans so distressed they needed therapy …

Girardi on market?  Cubs may sniff  —  MILWAUKEE — The aftershocks of Joe Girardi's reported dispute with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria could be felt as far away as Chicago, where the Cubs have yet to decide whether to bring back manager Dusty Baker in 2007.

Utley right in middle of Phils' big inning  —  Second baseman laces key three-run double, hustles to score  —  ATLANTA — At the core of Philadelphia's eventful, extended seventh-inning offensive barrage stood Chase Utley, pumping his fist at second base one second and daringly sliding into home the next.

Gammons back at the ballfield  —  ESPN baseball analyst and Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons saw his first live baseball game in quite a while yesterday, taking in a few innings of Game 1 of the Cape League's West Division playoffs at Lowell Park.  —  Gammons, a huge fan of the Cape League …

Padres-Mets Preview  —  New York Mets ace Pedro Martinez has bounced back nicely since a stint on the disabled list.  —  He'll look to turn in another strong start as the Mets continue their three-game series with the San Diego Padres Wednesday at Shea Stadium in a matchup of division leaders.

Under The Knife  —  Liriano  —  The intro is often the last thing I write when I'm putting together UTK.  Today, I had no question on what it would be.  Despite being a football piece, this is one of the best written sports medicine pieces I've ever seen.  If you're not amazed and moved at the end of it, you just don't get sports.

Fantasy leagues can use baseball stats  —  A federal magistrate judge ruled Tuesday that the names and statistics of Major League Baseball players are part of the public domain and can be used at no cost by fantasy sports game operators.  —  ON DEADLINE: What's your take on fantasy stats being of public domain?

Edmonds says he's 'in limbo'  —  CINCINNATI — Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds insists he will play next season but says he has resigned himself to the probability that it will be in a different uniform.  —  His playing time diminished against lefthanded pitching …

AWOL HoJo puts Norfolk job in jeopardy  —  Howard Johnson's days with the Mets look numbered.  Sources say the Triple-A hitting coach was denied permission to attend his son Glen's competition in a Wilmington, N.C., tournament for rising high school seniors that's heavily scouted by major-league teams.

No Bang Off the Bench?  —  A Closer Look at Pinch Hitting  —  A strong bench would seem to be one of those indispensable elements of a successful team.  After all, if you need to generate some offense late in a game, you need players on the bench you can count on.