Rickey Henderson hired as Mets hitting coach  —  Newsday has learned that Rick Down has been relieved of his duties and that the future Hall of Famer will take over immediately.  —  The Mets will begin the season's second half with a dramatic change in their coaching staff, Newsday has learned.

Hafner gets 4-year, $57M extension  —  FOXSports.com, Updated 8 minutes ago  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  The Indians have signed designated hitter Travis Hafner to a four-year, $57 million contract extension, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  Hafner, 30, was eligible for free agency after the 2008 season.

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 …

Selig: System working  —  Commissioner against changing playoff format; no decision on following Bonds  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Commissioner Bud Selig continues to weigh a decision on whether to attend games when Barry Bonds has put himself on the threshold of breaking Hank Aaron's career home-run record.

Angels quietly dominating AL West  —  Despite potential weaknesses, Halos manage to click  —  Major League Baseball, like life, is defined by checks and balances and decisions to live with.  Teams are forever juggling strengths and deficiencies, especially in this big-ticket era.

Hummel's take: La Russa was right ... and wrong  —  Hall of Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel covered the All-Star Game for the Post-Dispatch.  Here's his take on the ninth-inning situation in which NL manager Tony La Russa left Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols on the bench with the bases loaded, two out and the NL trailing 5-4:

Yanks, Twins may enter Hillenbrand fray  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  Infielder Shea Hillenbrand, who cleared waivers on Wednesday, is expected to draw interest from the Yankees, Twins and possibly one other club, according to major-league sources.  —  Hillenbrand, who turns 32 on July 27 …

2007 ALL-STAR GAME  —  GIANTS: Magowan wants Sabean to stay  —  Contrary to rumors that the Giants are preparing to fire Brian Sabean, ownership has decided it wants Sabean back next year for a 12th season as general manager, and the two sides have begun discussions about a contract extension, The Chronicle has learned.

Longtime NL umpire Shag Crawford dies  —  Longtime major league umpire Shag Crawford, patriarch of a family of prominent sports officials, died Wednesday.  He was 90.  —  Jerry Crawford said his father died at an assisted living facility in suburban Philadelphia.

Fog forces cancellation of tied Eastern League All-Star Game  —  NORWICH, Conn. (AP) -Dense fog that rolled into eastern Connecticut late Wednesday forced the cancellation of the Eastern League All-Star Game in the top of the third inning.  —  The Southern and Northern divisions were tied …

Twins, Yankees Like Dan Johnson  —  There's a lot of buzz going around that the A's may become sellers soon, nine games back in their division and eight out in the Wild Card.  Typical impending free agent parts like Mike Piazza and Shannon Stewart are candidates to be moved.

Ortiz' aching knee may need surgery  —  SAN FRANCISCO - A surgical procedure will "probably" be necessary to correct continued soreness in the right knee of David Ortiz [stats], the Red Sox [team stats]' designated hitter said yesterday.  —  Ortiz is expected to have an MRI performed …