Red Sox lefty Lester diagnosed with form of lymphoma  —  BOSTON — Boston Red Sox rookie left-hander Jon Lester has a form of lymphoma and will start treatment in the coming week, the team announced Friday.  —  Enlarged lymph nodes were identified when Lester, 22, was tested to determine …

Time to look ahead — to '07  —  The first game of the 2007 Boston baseball season was played last night (a 6-4 win over the Blue Jays).  —  The Red Sox officially declared the end of their efforts to win in 2006 when they announced that David Wells had been traded to the Padres at 7:47 p.m., in the bottom of the second inning.

SOMEDAY, YANKEES WILL HAVE TO REPLACE IRREPLACEABLE  —  MO  —  THE BULLPEN door opened Wednesday night and so did a scary window into the Yankee future.  Scott Proctor, not Mariano Rivera, emerged and a Yankees' lead disappeared.  —  It was yet another reminder that some time soon …

The best young tandem in baseball?  Tough call  —  A scout last week asked me this question:  —  "Who would you take, the Mets' Jose Reyes and David Wright or the Phillies' Ryan Howard and Chase Utley?"  —  Without giving the topic much thought, I responded, "Howard and Utley."

Lookout for Lefties  —  DOWNTOWN - Apparently giving himself brief immunity to his hard-line stance that he'll only talk about the current series, the here, the now, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa peeked ahead at the probable pitchers for a few of the upcoming series.

With Respect, Leyland Argues His Point  —  Nothing, it would seem, could stop an ornery baseball manager from arguing with an umpire.  Nothing, that is, except the voice of Kate Smith.  —  Detroit Tigers Manager Jim Leyland was ejected from yesterday's game after the second to last pitch of the top of the seventh inning.

997 At-Bats, and the Twins' Tyner Can't Buy a Round-Tripper  —  The running gag on the Minnesota Twins about Jason Tyner's lack of power reached a high point Aug. 13.  That is the day the willowy Tyner, the Twins' fill-in left fielder and a former No. 1 draft pick of the Mets, had a single …

Wells: 'I don't plan on coming back'  —  SAN DIEGO — David Wells blew into his hometown on Friday evening and let on that this is more than likely going to be the last season of successful, colorful big-league career.  —  Wells, obtained Thursday by San Diego from the Boston Red Sox for the stretch drive …

Tulowitzki, Iannetta up  —  Rockies trying something new at shortstop, catcher … Troy - I appreciate loyalty and giving a guy a chance, but what's the deal with Clint Hurdle and Clint Barmes?  The minors are full of flashy-glove, no-bat guys.  Their middle fielders are killing them at the plate.

Twins RHP Radke out indefinitely due to shoulder injury  —  BRONX, New York (Ticker) - The Minnesota Twins postseason hopes took a hit on Friday when it was announced Brad Radke could be out until late September with a right shoulder injury.  —  Radke was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the glenoid in his throwing shoulder.

The Nevin Trade  —  One of the Twins' biggest weaknesses this season has been the complete lack of production they've received from designated hitters.  That spot in the lineup has batted a combined .264/.311/.371, which is good for a .682 OPS that ranks dead last among AL teams.

Under The Knife  —  Thank You  —  It's not a normal day in these parts.  I'll admit to being both tired and excited, nervous and even a bit scared, but mostly just grateful.  I'll be making my TV debut tonight at 5:30 p.m. Eastern as part of ESPN2's "The Fantasy Show" and I hope you'll watch, since you're a big reason I'm there.

Signings decrease pool of free-agent starters  —  Major league clubs have been so successful signing their starting pitchers to contract extensions, the free agent market for 2006 is starting to look awfully bare.  —  And for that matter, so is the 2007 market.