Yanks draw assist in giving Johan to rival  —  This was late Monday night, about 12 hours before the Mets would pounce upon their most dramatic trade in recent history.  Twins' general manager Bill Smith, in a panic to move Johan Santana, called the Yankees and admitted surrender: Phil Hughes was no longer a prerequisite, he said.

Clemens present at Astros' Elite Camp  —  Vet shrugs off recent controversy to coach third straight year  —  HOUSTON — Roger Clemens' son, Koby, doubted his dad would show up at the Astros' Elite Camp this week, but on Wednesday, the Rocket emerged from the Astros' dugout, ready to throw batting practice.

MLB Investigation Asks if Umpire is Member of KKK  —  File this under “ugly”.  —  In August of last year, MLB announced that it was going to conduct credit checks for all umpires in the wake of the Tim Donaghy betting scandal in the NBA, much to their chagrin.  The umpires are unionized under the World Umpires Association.

O's, Mariners still dancing around in Bedard talks  —  Trade talks between the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners about pitcher Erik Bedard appear to be somewhere between a standstill and a low simmer, with the possibility of some other inquiring parties entering the mix.

Notable Mets trades  —  Since their inception in 1962, the Mets have made numerous trades, dealing the likes of Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver, while acquiring legends like Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and Mike Piazza.  —  April 5, 1972: Acquired Rusty Staub from the Expos for Ken Singleton, Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen.

Your thoughts on Santana to Mets  —  As a fan of the Braves, what do you think about the Mets' potential acquisition of All-Star pitcher Johan Santana?  —  The Mets have already finished ahead of the Braves in the NL East the last two seasons, and picking up a dominant lefthander for the top …

Cowley's Top 5 ...  Top 5 observations to come out of the SoxFest weekend:  —  5. Make room: Speedy outfielder Jerry Owens might not win a starting job out of camp, but he will undoubtedly win a spot on the 25-man roster.  White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen wants him to make it, as does GM Ken Williams.

No spot for Cirillo  —  Veteran infielder Jeff Cirillo, back in town for a couple of days to pursue some business matters, met with Brewers general manager one last time to see if there might be a spot for him on the club this year.  —  The answer, again, was no.

Oakland Athletics  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

Player Profile  —  James Shields  —  Recently the Rays locked up James Shields to an extension, one that serves both parties very well.  Shields gets paid well with a guaranteed contract for a few seasons before he would have been arbitration-eligible, and the Rays win out even if Shields …