A bad deal for Sox: Front office caught in a mess with trade for Lopez  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Now, somewhat astonishingly, this is not solely about the deals that Red Sox officials failed to make at the annual trading deadline.  It is also about a trade the Sox did make that has blown up in their face like a trick cigar.

Notes: Medders takes a break  —  Reliever to rest weak shoulder Tuesday and Wednesday  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Medders has been bothered in the last week by weakness in the back of his right shoulder.  —  That comes on the heels of a career-high three-inning stint he threw against the Rockies …

Squandered Opportunities Cost Yankees  —  Joe Torre did not say it to his players because he did not feel he had to.  Three thousand miles and one day removed from completing a five-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Torre expected his tired Yankee team to understand the sweep …

Rangers GM talks to his future free agents  —  GM begins early discussions with club's impending free agents  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - General manager Jon Daniels has begun talking with agents representing the club's impending free agents but said he doesn't want it to become a distraction in the clubhouse.

Rowand's likely done but he's still optimistic  —  CHICAGO — Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Aaron Rowand wouldn't mind pulling a Kirk Gibson — overcoming a major injury to perform some postseason heroics.  —  What's more likely, however, is that Rowand will miss the rest of the season …

Girardi Doesn't Dodge Query On Hit Batters  —  Florida Marlins Manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday that he does not instruct his players to stay in the way of breaking pitches to get on base, an accusation levied by Washington Nationals Manager Frank Robinson following Monday night's 3-1 Florida victory.

Peavy aims to bring stability to Padres  —  San Diego (63-62) vs. Los Angeles (66-59), 7:05 p.m. PT  —  If they could, the Padres might keep Tuesday's starter Jake Peavy in a protective bubble where nothing could harm him.  —  Should Peavy make it past the first inning in the middle …

Being Julio Franco  —  Were this story to start with my stomach doing a loop-de-loop, it would not sufficiently explain how I tried to stifle the aging process, so let's instead begin with the two-pound omelet and work from there.  —  Every morning, Julio Franco takes 20 or so eggs …

Clinton visits Cards' clubhouse  —  NEW YORK — After telling a gathering of people at Shea Stadium on Tuesday how he listened to Cardinals baseball as a boy in Arkansas, former President Bill Clinton stopped in for a pregame clubhouse visit with manager Tony La Russa and the players.

GM Cashman says Yankees losing money  —  How bad does George Steinbrenner want to win?  Bad enough that he's willing to lose money with the Yankees to do so.  —  "We're making a lot, but we're spending more than we're making," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told Bloomberg radio for a show to be aired this weekend.

In College Football, Big Paydays for Humiliation  —  The University at Buffalo football team went 1-10 last season and did not score a touchdown until the fourth game.  For nearly a decade, it has been considered one of the worst teams in college football.  —  Buffalo is just the kind …

Reds prepare grievance vs. Nats  —  Could take case to Bowden, or MLB, to settle matter  —  General manager Wayne Krivsky's standard answer about the Gary Majewski controversy lately has been: "We're having internal discussions."  —  But the Reds are doing more than simply talking.

Oy Vey, What a Game  —  One of 2 posts on Wednesday, with the other celebrating Julio Franco's 48th birthday, which can be found here...  http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2006/ 08/me-and-julio-down-by-ballyard.html&n bsp; —  Anyone know the Hebrew or Yiddish translation of Walk-Off Home Run?

Hacking Bernie  —  What About The Children (And Their Wallets)?  —  At first the idea sounds nuts, like barbecuing in the nude, or a Madonna concert.  But then when you think about it ... why shouldn't kids get paid for playing in the Little League World Series?

Their tools of ignominy  —  A baseball box score adds up as neatly as an accountant's ledger.  For every home run, walk or strikeout in a hitter's column, there is an accompanying mark for the pitcher.  For every winner, there is — as every Cubs fan knows — a loser.