Padilla can play hardball … Game time was approaching, but the man on the other end of the phone line said not to worry.  —  "I've got a little time...tonight," Buck Showalter said.  —  The Rangers manager wasn't trying to be funny.  —  Major league managers don't have the luxury of appealing their suspensions.

Bowie to DL, Vidro Likely To Be Activated  —  The Washington Nationals have been working for the last week without a left-hander in the bullpen, ever since Micah Bowie strained a muscle in his upper back — a strain that has left a nasty bruise on his upper arm.

Admit one — With wild card out of play, the games really matter  —  They play 19 games a year, every year, and we treat each unfolding drama as if it were the work of William Shakespeare.  Then the dust settles and the air clears, and in the aftermath, we come to a stunning conclusion.

Borowski proving to be a valuable commodity on young Marlins staff  —  If anyone should have wanted Joe Borowski gone at the trading deadline, it was Taylor Tankersley.  With Borowski pitching elsewhere, Tankersley probably gets first crack at replacing him in the closer's slot.

Hey, Yankee fans, get yer warm beer!  —  If you want to "get your cold beer" at Yankee Stadium, you might want to bring your own ice pack.  —  Yankee fans who shell out as much as $8.75 for an allegedly "ice-cold beer" from vendors say that the brews are nowhere near frosty enough - and they're right.

Zink refused to knuckle under  —  What are the chances of two knuckleballers being in a starting rotation?  The answer is remote, but if it's not in Boston, there might be a place for Charlie Zink somewhere else in the big leagues.  —  The Pawtucket righthander has finally shown consistency …

Delgado and Maine Show Their Strength in Lifting Mets  —  From his two seasons as a Phillie, Billy Wagner considers himself somewhat of an authority on tape-measure home runs at Citizens Bank Park.  —  He has seen balls hit harder.  He has seen them hit farther.

Go West, Young Men....WAY West  —  One of the best things about the prospect beat is that baseball never really ends.  Once the regular season ends, some of the top prospects in the game (well, at least the hitting ones) head to the desert for the Arizona Fall League.

Etkin: Hynick looks to be steal for Rockies  —  Etkin: Hynick looks to be steal for Rockies  —  The June draft was underway, and pitcher Brandon Hynick was glued to his computer, aware his name was not going to appear right away but hoping to learn his professional destiny before long.

A season of discontent for Cardinal Nation  —  The outcome of each Cardinals game determines if Don Marquess reads the next morning's paper.  If the Cardinals lose, Marquess has no need for the newspaper.  —  He will leave it where it landed, in its wrapper, sometimes for days.

The Delicate Sound of Thunder  —  You know that feeling as a kid where you couldn't wait to run downstairs on Christmas morning because you were dying to see if Santa brought you that new red bike you'd been begging for?  But your eagerness was tempered with a bit of anxiety, as you really …

Mulder struggles in third rehab start  —  OKLAHOMA CITY — Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder gave up five runs in four innings Thursday in a rehab start for Triple-A Memphis, but felt he made a slight improvement over his last outing.  —  The two-time All-Star walked five and yielded seven hits …

Really?  Is Baseball Less Popular?  —  A recent analysis of baseball's popularity by Gary Gillette concluded that the game is "not nearly as popular now as it once was."  Gary Gillette is the co-chair of SABR's Business of Baseball committee and editor of the 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia, making this piece especially credible.

Ranking the Closers: Over the Lidge  —  Has the plug finally been pulled on Brad Lidge?  —  Following another blown save earlier this week, the Houston Astros have apparently decided to go with a closer-by-committee approach.  It remains to be seen if Lidge will be a part of that committee.

Wilson knocking on Minaya's door  —  WASHINGTON - As the Mets continue to discuss a potential trade for the Diamondbacks' Shawn Green, the agent for Preston Wilson contacted general manager Omar Minaya yesterday to let him know of the outfielder's interest in coming to New York.

The iPod Shuffle (One Year Later)  —  I spent much of this week discussing and planning for my future, which was both exciting and tedious.  I'm happy to announce that the contract negotiations I talked briefly about yesterday have ended, with me signing the first official employment contract of my life yesterday morning.

How much is too much for young arms?  —  When pitchers take the mound for the Little League Baseball World Series, starting today in Williamsport, Pa., something of greater value than a championship could be on the line: their arms.  —  Increasingly, ace 11- and 12-year-old hurlers …