Fan Gives Back Thome's Milestone Ball  —  Jim Thome had something special in mind for his 500th home run ball: he wanted to make a road trip with his father to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY to hand-deliver the small piece of history.  He can now do that after hitting …

100 players you love to hate  —  The underachiever who always looks disinterested.  The loudmouth who complains from Day 1.  The choker who lets his team down when it matters most.  These are the players who drive their fans nuts.  —  In honor of these boo magnets, I set out to find …

A good old time, but Yankees beat Sox  —  If Dave Mellor, keeper of the greensward at Fenway Park, could have found a way that would not have torn up his precious turf, it would have been fitting for the 36,533 fans present last night to emulate the pregame ritual observed by the bullpens of the Red Sox and Yankees.

Art of thievery  —  NEW YORK - Nowhere on his body did the grind of 1982 show on Rickey Henderson.  Each of the 150 or so times he dove face-first into a base that year, a lithe torpedo of thievery, he came up feeling great in the arms, torso, hips and legs.

DUQUE OUT; LAWRENCE TO START  —  As expected, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez will not be on the mound in Washington tonight for the Mets.  —  The veteran right-hander was scratched from the start yesterday after he was still feeling pain in his right foot.  The Mets hope Hernandez can return …

Orioles stick with it, win in 12th  —  Moore's hit brings first series victory since mid-August; Markakis at 20 HRs, 100 RBIs  —  TORONTO - It lasted 4 hours, 25 minutes, and featured two teams that used a total of 15 pitchers and 28 position players and combined to go 5-for-37 with runners …

Clay could follow K-Rod's footsteps  —  In the 2002 playoffs, Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez morphed from an unknown to a game-changing force called K-Rod.  The 2007 Red Sox [team stats] hope that history can be repeated in the form of Clay Buchholz.  —  In three big league appearances …

'Joke' but no laughs  —  By most accounts, rookie Shelley Duncan has positively changed the culture of the Yankees' clubhouse with his jovial demeanor.  —  Yet this weekend, that same demeanor brought Duncan some unwanted notoriety.  —  While he signed autographs before Friday's series opener …

You Heartless Bastards: Leave Bill Belichick Alone!  —  Leave Bill Belichick Alone!  —  This guy must have watched the Crazy Britney Fan video at least fifty times to achieve this degree of nuance, and for that I salute him.  He also gets a couple points for the Brady jersey.  Not sure about the touque, though.

News' Madden finds Papelbon's cell phone in cab  —  In a bizarre set of circumstances, I got a "save" from Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon yesterday.  —  I hailed a taxi to take me to Fenway Park and happened to notice a cellphone lying on the seat next to me.

Dodgers fail in chemistry  —  LOS ANGELES - For the good of the game, some teams shouldn't win anything.  —  Those who spend profligately.  —  Those who misbehave shamelessly.  —  Those who play joylessly.  —  (Give us a scowl, Los Angeles Dodgers.)  —  Yes, the Dodgers, circa 2007.

Kranitz's position appears to be safe  —  DENVER - If the Marlins plan to shake up manager Fredi Gonzalez's coaching staff, it doesn't appear pitching coach Rick Kranitz will be one of the casualties.  —  Kranitz's contract, like those of his fellow coaches, is up at season's end.