Wells may go to Dodgers  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - Left-hander David Wells, who is scheduled to start the first game of the homestand tomorrow against the Blue Jays, flew back to Boston yesterday to rest up for the outing.  —  General manager Theo Epstein refused to discuss a report that he is prepared …

Reports: Cardinals' Mulder, Edmonds may miss rest of season  —  ST. LOUIS (TICKER) — The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly could be without lefthander Mark Mulder and center fielder Jim Edmonds for the rest of the season.  —  The web site of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported Wednesday …

Bird knows the feeling  —  On March 17, 1998, Indiana Pacers coach Larry Bird was in the midst of barking instructions to his players during a tight game against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls when he suddenly felt his heart ``kick out.  ``It was all out of rhythm," Bird recalled.

Skipper Hurdle pulls plug on Barmes  —  Character is admirable.  But as the Rockies have proved the past few weeks, even the best of men can be on the worst of teams.  Once on the verge of being a postseason threat, Colorado has plunged into the National League West basement, falling 10-5 to the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

Notes: Lineup in flux  —  With Thome temporarily sidelined, Guillen juggling order  —  CHICAGO — Even when he returns, Jim Thome's hamstring could continue to affect the White Sox lineup.  —  Manager Ozzie Guillen insinuated that when the slugger comes back — Thome didn't start …

Mets talking to Rockies about Ardoin  —  The Mets, seeking to upgrade their backup catcher and add infield depth, are talking to the Rockies about acquiring catcher Danny Ardoin and infielder Luis Gonzalez for a minor-league pitcher, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  Ardoin, 32, was designated for assignment by the Rockies last Friday.

Kaz: Mets failure 'all my fault'  —  DENVER - Kaz Matsui doesn't offer any alibis for his unfulfilled expectations in Flushing.  But the infielder, whose three-year, $20.1million contract is set to expire after the season, said he intends to remain in the majors in 2007.

Oswalt receives five-year contract worth $73 million  —  Informed the Astros had just given him a five-year, $73 million contract extension Tuesday night, ace righthander Roy Oswalt immediately placed a call to Weir, Miss., to give his father Billy the news.

Old unreliables  —  In a lot of ways, the Giants have absolutely no business being mentioned in the same sentence as the word postseason.  This is not a particularly good team.  In fact, this is an old not particularly good team, prone to slumps, bone-headed plays and, in general, extended bouts of bad baseball.

Liner hits Mariners' Soriano in the head  —  Reliever stays conscious; M's hold on for sixth win in row  —  There was no joy in victory, no agony in defeat.  —  There were just athletes concerned for one of their own.  —  Mariners reliever Rafael Soriano had to be wheeled off …

Pavano's New Injury Bemuses the Yanks  —  Technically, Johnny Damon has never been teammates with Carl Pavano.  They have occupied the same Yankees clubhouse, but Damon has never played behind Pavano, who has had more disabled-list adventures than any pitcher in memory.

Offense is absent in 5th straight loss  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — The margin of error is so tiny that Josh Beckett was actually chiding himself for throwing a fastball high and away to Eric Chavez in the fourth inning that resulted in the A's first run.  —  ``That was a dumb pitch to Chavez," …

Former student may sue Delsea  —  The attorney for a former Delsea Regional High School baseball player who was banned from playing after he was found with a beer in his hand on a school trip filed a notice of intent to sue the district.  —  Christopher Manganello, the attorney for Joshua Krautwald …

Tigers need to learn patience is a virtue  —  Most players sympathized with the Yankees and Red Sox for having to play that five-games-in-four-days series.  No way MLB should have allowed TV to dictate that kind of schedule: day-night doubleheader on Friday, day game Saturday, night game Sunday …

Like an old car, Orioles need more than recycled parts  —  I've got some sad news.  My '92 Celica, which carried me to countless local sporting events over the past 15 years and provided regular fodder for the Kickoff page, announced its retirement yesterday on a lonely stretch of Highway 10 in Anne Arundel County.