With the All-Star picks, there's always some All-Star nits  —  As often has been the case these past few seasons, the bulbous, Jupiter-sized head of Barry Bonds overshadowed baseball's attempted formal proceedings Sunday.  —  The game's newest television partner, TBS, didn't help things, either.

Sox win  —  The string of five consecutive one-run games was broken tonight with the Sox defeating the Rangers 7-3 before 36,778 at Fenway Park.  —  The Red Sox managed 10 hits and had two three-run innings (the third and fifth).  The Sox ended their first half at 50-31, which was also their record last year.

Chat with Buster Olney  —  Welcome to The Show!  On Monday, ESPN The Magazine MLB writer Buster Olney will stop by to take your questions on your favorite team, favorite players and all the latest news on and off the field!  —  Send your questions now and join Buster on Monday (and every Monday during the MLB season!) at 1 p.m. ET.

No joy for McLaren  —  Because of the way handover took place, new M's skipper doesn't feel he can celebrate  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There was no celebration for John McLaren on Sunday night, just a few sleepless hours in a Kansas City hotel room.  —  The new manager of the Mariners …

Pirates' Duke to seek second opinion on elbow  —  Tests taken today by the Pirates' medical staff showed starter Zach Duke has no ligament damage in his ailing left elbow and will not require surgery.  But he will seek a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, the noted orthopedist, Friday, in Birmingham, Ala.

Is tonight Buehrle's swan song?  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mark Buehrle might want to start hiding personal belongings over the next few weeks.  His teammates and even his manager have started ''collecting'' memorabilia connected with anything the White Sox pitcher touches.

Rockies deny Mets' Glavine his 298th win  —  DENVER (AP) — Right-hander Jason Hirsh was a scary sight on the mound and on the bases Monday night.  —  Hirsh threw six shutout innings but left Colorado's 6-2 win over the New York Mets after spraining his right ankle at third base while trying to avoid a pick-off throw from the catcher.

A's Duchscherer to miss rest of season  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland right-hander Justin Duchscherer will undergo season-ending surgery on his injured right hip, the latest bad injury news to hit the Athletics' bullpen this season.  —  Duchscherer, an All-Star in 2005 …

International Signing Period Starts  —  The beginning of the international signing period is like the draft was 25 years ago, shrouded in secrecy even on the opening day, when players 16 years old and up all over the globe can sign with clubs.  —  Only the players have no known statistics …

Napoli put on disabled list  —  Catcher suffered high ankle sprain in home-plate collision that ended Sunday's game.  Mathis is recalled from triple-A Salt Lake.  —  BALTIMORE — Maybe Manager Mike Scioscia should have knocked on wood before Sunday's game against the Orioles when he said the Angels have …

Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros named Bank of America Presents the National League Player of the Week  —  Craig Biggio, who recorded his 3,000th career-hit, has been named Bank of America Presents the National League Player of the Week for June 25-July 1, 2007.

Blogger Beat: Purple Row  —  This season, at the beginning of each series, MetsBlog will attempt to get the perspective of the opposition and their fans.  From this, we hope to be better educated on the opposition going into a series.  It also gives us a fine opportunity to highlight some of our favorite team blogs.

NL West: Heroes today, gone tomorrow  —  The past week in the NL West saw the departure of a minor folk hero, a dispiriting losing streak by one team, a matchup of two of the NL's best starters and two outstanding efforts by young pitchers who hope to become two of the NL's best starters in time.

Prospect Hot Sheet  —  Another week, another Hot Sheet.  —  As we head into the dog days of summer—and with the Futures Game less than a week away—we're waiting for some of the bats to heat up again.  —  Pitchers have taken center stage over the last two weeks, and as we close out June …

Burnett's days with Toronto may be numbered  —  Pitcher will have to rebuild arm strength before returning to rotation and could be trade bait  —  OAKLAND — The next time A.J. Burnett pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays will be around the trade deadline, and don't be surprised if that's a start of some significance.

MRS. A-ROD IS A BRONX F-BOMBER  —  OBSCENE SHIRT SHOCKS STADIUM  —  Oh, no, she didn't!  —  Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez's long-suffering wife, Cynthia, may have finally flipped her pretty lid yesterday when she went to a game in The Bronx wearing a tight-fitting, white tank top bearing a foul message on the back: "F- - - you."