Bonds won't participate in Home Run Derby  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Barry Bonds will sit out of the Home Run Derby on Monday night, opting to rest his tired body before Tuesday night's All-Star game.  —  "Nope," Bonds said Thursday when asked about the Derby.  "Especially when you're 42.

A National Celebration  —  Chico and Young Combine to Make This Fourth of July One to Remember: Nationals 6, Cubs 0  —  The Washington Nationals could be scoring runs by the bushel or shriveled up in a drought, and Matt Chico would betray none of it on his 24-year-old face.

Mets call up Alomar Jr. as backup plan at catcher  —  DENVER - Jason Vargas' uninspiring performance in Tuesday's rout, coupled with the fact that Paul Lo Duca's appeal hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, prompted the Mets to purchase the contract of Sandy Alomar Jr. from Triple-A New Orleans …

Two Final Pitches Leave Mussina Taking the Blame  —  Mike Mussina has pitched long enough to know the nuances of each loss, and he usually shows his feelings.  He reacts differently depending on what happened, whether the umpire squeezed him, or his teammates let him down, or the other team simply hammered him.

Game 83: Twins at Yankees  —  Here is the lineup:  —  YANKEES  —  Damon CF  —  Cabrera LF  —  Jeter SS  —  Matsui DH  —  Posada C  —  Abreu RF  —  Cano 2B  —  Phillips 1B  —  Cairo 3B  —  Igawa LHP  —  Pregame chatter: Alex Rodriguez (left hamstring) is out of the starting lineup for the first time this season.

Okajima wins Star slot  —  Oki wins.  —  Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima was just selected to the American League All-Star team in the final vote balloting for the 32nd spot on the roster.  —  Okajima joins Red Sox All-Stars Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, Manny Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbon, and David Ortiz on the team.

Bonds doesn't scare Marlins  —  SAN DIEGO — Some of the names are nearly as recognizable as the players who made history.  —  Ralph Branca.  Al Downing.  Tracy Stallard.  —  Somebody will join that group this season.  Perhaps even a member of the Marlins.

Vote: MetsBlog's All-Time Mets 25-Man Roster  —  Recently a reader of MetsBlog sent in his All-Time Mets 25-Man Roster.  So, that got us here at MetsBlog thinking, which players would our readers elect to be a part of the All-Time Mets 25-Man Roster.  —  Over the next 10 weeks …

The Rockies love beating N.Y.  —  Hot bats help sweep other team from the Big Apple  —  The sound began at 6:21 p.m., piercing a sunlit evening straight from a postcard.  Either somebody had wrecked their car into the backstop or the Rockies were hitting.