With Henry, dinner and The Show  —  It's 7 p.m. on a glorious Tuesday in a leafy suburb not far from Fenway Park and John Henry is in his home office, staring at a computer screen almost as big as the frame bordering Jane Swift's gubernatorial portrait.  He's downloading some crucial information …

Prospectus Today  —  Summer Drama  —  It's been a long, hard slog from their 17-24 start, but as of this morning, the Minnesota Twins have the third-best record in the American League and a tenuous grip on the AL's wild-card slot.  They won two out of three this week in Detroit …

Floyd Put on D.L.; Tucker Is Recalled  —  The Mets placed Cliff Floyd on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with tendinitis in his left Achilles' tendon, and purchased the contract of outfielder Michael Tucker from Class AAA Norfolk.  —  Floyd did not start in left field against the San Diego Padres …

The Shifting Swings of A-Rod and Andruw: Part 1  —  It might be different in New York, but from here in Atlanta, it seems as though the media criticism of Alex Rodriguez has tapered off.  Apparently, all is well now that the Yankees have returned to their rightful position at the top of the AL East.

Position Breakdown: Center Fielders  —  The 2005 draft is looking like it could go down in history as the year of the centerfielder.  Half of the 12 players listed here were selected in the first round of last year's pickfest, and two of the five honorable mentions were selected later on.

Dusty on '07: 'I've got a choice, too'  —  MILWAUKEE — Whether he was motivated by his team's recent success or by months of speculation about his job, Dusty Baker spoke with a sense of defiant confidence Wednesday before the Cubs faced the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cubs' scheme a bad sign  —  Proving that there's as much justice in the justice system as jazz in Utah, an appeals court ruled recently that the Chicago Cubs' ticket-scalping scheme did not violate state anti-scalping laws, despite clearly violating the state's anti-trust law.

Liriano's absence indefinite after second MRI  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins are optimistic, but not totally confident, that injured left-hander Francisco Liriano will return this season.  —  Liriano, 12-3 with a league-leading 2.19 ERA, had a second, enhanced MRI exam Thursday when a shot …

Freeze This Moment  —  So.  Eighth inning.  Two on.  One out.  Aaron Heilman on the hill.  Here comes Mike Piazza, 800 feet of home runs hastily appended to his resume, only this time we're not talking about some cosmetic solo shot.  He's the go-ahead run.

Ex-Peabody star Allison suffers heroin overdose  —  The sad saga of former Peabody High ace and Florida Marlins pitching prospect Jeff Allison , whose once-promising baseball career has been derailed by drug problems, took another disappointing turn Monday when, according to a Medford Police report, he suffered a heroin overdose.

Who Needs a Heart When a Heart Can Be Broken?  —  Like something from Mark Twain's imagination, the big, red paddle wheel on the Mississippi Queen slowly churned through the muddy Ohio River, just beyond the right-field seats of the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Book excerpt: Spalding's World Tour  —  The Epic Adventure That Took Baseball Around The Globe — And Made It America's Game … Rough seas made the four-day trip due west from Auckland to Sydney one of the more difficult legs of the tour, but the welcome Spalding and his men received …

A Signature Moment for This Relationship  —  We almost won, we almost won.  —  Had the streak continued, we would have been in first place, but that's all right, the guys are still great, and it's like I was telling my bro Jeff Kent before the game, we're one big family around here when the Dodgers are going good.

Calling his bluff  —  Met loves poker, sez source, as Paul's mum on teen tryst  —  Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca's public declaration that he only bets on horses was torpedoed yesterday by a source who recounted the slugger's part in high-stakes poker games and trips to Atlantic City.

Tigers fall short in finale vs. Twins  —  Zumaya gives up game-deciding homer in eighth  —  DETROIT — For the third time in this six-game homestand, the Tigers went ahead with late-inning heroics.  This time, however, the other team answered back.  —  Brandon Inge's two-run …