Buehrle deal: Now or never  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — White Sox general manager Ken Williams continued to deny he has had any dialogue with pitcher Mark Buehrle about a contract extension.  —  Jeff Berry, Buehrle's agent, insisted the same thing about talking to Williams.

Saves Won't Help Torre Save Yankees  —  A frustrated reader suggested that today's column should be devoted to a thorough recitation of "the worst on-field blunders in the history of the Yankees."  The reader was moved to make the request after watching a stunned Scott Proctor hold on to the ball …

Big Hurt gets road ovation for hitting No. 500  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Frank Thomas hit his 500th home run Thursday, routinely putting his head down as he rounded the bases while joining one of baseball's most elite clubs.  —  Thomas became the 21st major leaguer to reach the career mark …

Bats erupt for 22 hits as Smoltz wins ninth  —  Four days after they feuded, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones returned to the business of leading the Braves to victories — in this case a seriously one-sided win.  —  Order was restored on several fronts Wednesday night, as Smoltz got …

Revitalized Tom Mets' reign man  —  1-hits Cards over six  —  There's a strange reverence in the Mets clubhouse on the days Tom Glavine pitches.  Teammates respect that every time he takes the mound, it could be a step toward 300 wins and baseball immortality.

Honor Where Honor Is Due … In the spirit of a surprising three game sweep of the best team in the American League (and yes, I know that they threw Gabbard and Tavarez at us, but we threw Weaver and Feierabend at them, so call it even), this post is for one thing - to give credit to the performances …

The best unemployed GM in baseball  —  In his 18-month tenure as Dodgers' GM from February '04 to October '05, Paul DePodesta did all of the following things:  — Helped construct a roster that produced the 2004 NL West Divison title, the Dodgers' first playoff berth in eight years.

Playing Favorites  —  "On the other hand, if Rod Carew asked me to check the ball, I didn't even glance at it.  That ball was gone.  If Rodney didn't like it, I didn't like it.  That's one of the reasons we were such a good hitter."  —The late Ron Luciano, former umpire, in his 1982 book The Umpire Strikes Back.

Jon Heyman: Building the perfect title contender  —  I recently asked 14 baseball executives and experts to name the five players they'd choose to start their team, and the experts appeared to have so much fun with the exercise that I thought I'd try it myself.  —  Of course, I had a few advantages.

Sosa might be Rangers' only All-Star  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  DETROIT - Sammy Sosa's remarkable return to baseball could take another dramatic turn this weekend.  He could end up as the Rangers' lone representative to the All-Star game, to be played July 10 in San Francisco.

Peanuts, Cracker Jack and Jesus Make an Unsavory Mix at Ballparks  —  T he last time the Washington Nationals tried to mix baseball and religion, the team ended up suspending its volunteer chaplain and having to apologize for a player who suggested that Jews are destined for eternal damnation.

Wally Backman Has Had A Tough Few Years: How The "Mighty" Have Fallen  —  WALLY BACKMAN HAS HAD A TOUGH FEW YEARS  —  How The "Mighty" Have Fallen  —  You might remember, almost three years ago, when the Arizona Diamondbacks hired former Met Wally Backman to be their manager before firing …