Pujols angered at La Russa for All-Star benching  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Albert Pujols was angry about being left on the All-Star bench and the St. Louis slugger took aim at the National League manager — who just happened to be Tony La Russa of his own Cardinals.  —  "It's the All-Star Game.

Yanks want to talk deal with A-Rod during season  —  The New York Yankees are willing to bend their own rules to keep Alex Rodriguez in pinstripes beyond this season.  —  The Yankees have changed their traditional stance and are now willing to negotiate during the season with their star third baseman …

ICHIRO ACES INSIDE JOB  —  Ichiro Suzuki once again showed the world what a unique talent he is on the baseball field.  —  Ichiro's fifth-inning, two-run, inside-the-park homer was the key hit in the American League's 5-4 win last night in the 78th All-Star Game.

Seattle's Japanese superstar displays a sublime sense of timing  —  Since it appears the Mariners are poised to offer as much as $100 million in a new contract for Ichiro, perhaps they should meet him at his San Francisco hotel for breakfast this morning before his price goes up.

Will Twins go after Johnson?  —  The Twins' four-game series against Oakland beginning Thursday evening in the Metrodome could be an audition for A's first baseman Dan Johnson, a Blaine High School graduate.  —  Insiders say the A's are intent on trading Johnson to make room for top …

Zito's Deal May Rank Among the All-Time Worst  —  For San Francisco Giants fans, last night's All-Star Game should have been a wonderful event, a chance to show off their beautiful ballpark and shower love on the twin pillars of their franchise — Barry Bonds, their unaccountably beloved left fielder …

Ramirez named NL Player of the Week  —  Marlins shortstop hits .520 with three homers to cap first half  —  MIAMI — Most players are glad to see the All-Star break come, because it gives them a chance to rest, relax and visit family for a few days.  For Marlins opponents, however …

Balmy Weather May Bench a Baseball Staple  —  RUSSELL, Pa. — Careers at stake with each swing, baseball players leave little to sport when it comes to their bats.  They weigh them.  They count their grains.  They talk to them.  —  But in towns like this one, in the heart of the mountain forests …

Atlanta could witness Bonds' 756th HR  —  San Francisco — While Braves fans wait to see if the team can continue its recent resurgence after the All-Star break, here's a possible cringe-inducing scenario to think about regarding Barry Bonds.  —  What if the Giants slugger …

Milledge to play tonight in Troy?  In the words of the late Gilda Radner, never mind  —  UPDATE to UPDATE to UPDATE:  —  If you see Lastings Milledge, have him give me a call.  —  He is not in Troy tonight.  —  After hours of he's coming/maybe/no/yes/maybe, it turns …

Blogger Beat: John Delcos  —  In this special midseason edition of Blogger Beat, we check in with John Delcos, who covers the Mets for the Journal News.  John was nice enough to answer a few quick questions about the state of our beloved orange 'n' blue.  —  All last season, we heard the same thing; "These guys play hard for Willie."

Papelbon: Ditch the lousy radar guns, will ya?  —  With Jonathan Papelbon performing ably in the All-Star Game last night, I did some searching on Google this morning in an attempt to find pictures, quotes and the like.  And what pops up?  Papelbon going off this morning in an out-of-town …

The Big Picture  —  All-Star Ratings … The All-Star Game first made its way to nighttime television in 1967.  In the first 15 years of the broadcast, the game was a ratings juggernaut—from 1967 to 1982, the stars consistently pulled a rating around 25, meaning one quarter of households with televisions watched the game.