Ump touches Ordonez; Leyland angered  —  Schrieber puts hand on Tiger's back during third-strike dispute  —  Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected from Wednesday's game against the Twins after home plate umpire Paul Schrieber put his hand on Magglio Ordonez's back in a seeming attempt …

Rumblings and Grumblings — Disabled-list shenanigans?  —  Are teams bending the rules?  Some DL transactions appear suspicious  —  ESPN.com  —  Dontrelle Willis made his dramatic return from the disabled list Wednesday night.  And who among us wasn't happy to see him back in the big leagues?

Ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz hospitalized after suicide threat: police  —  Relative called Davie police for help; retired baseballer awaiting trial on DUI manslaughter charges  —  DAVIE - Jim Leyritz, the beleaguered ex- New York Yankee, was in Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines on Thursday …

Martin's double in 10th leads Dodgers over Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Russell Martin hit a tiebreaking double in the 10th inning and Matt Kemp followed with an RBI double to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Thursday.  —  Chad Durbin (1-1) retired the first two batters, then walked Andre Either.

Rockies boot another one, fall to Astros  —  So let's just reach into the swirl and pick out a sequence to explain why the Rockies lost again.  —  There's never one reason, which is what makes this disappointing start feel like a trend rather than an aberration.

Rose: A-Rod shouldn't get cheated out of Hall  —  Disgraced hit king Pete Rose said Wednesday that he believes steroid cheat Alex Rodriguez should be voted into the Hall of Fame.  —  “I'm willing to give a guy a second chance,” said Rose, who has been waiting for one of his own since …

Putz out at least two days  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Mets confirmed today that reliever J.J. Putz has a bone spur in his right (pitching) elbow and will be unavailable for at least the first two games of the San Francisco series that starts tonight.  —  Putz has been suffering from a noticeable drop …

While the Yanks were up in Toronto...  The New Stadium played host to my sister's (and many others') NYU graduation.  As you can see from the above photos, when Yankees' COO Lonn Trost equated the Legends seats to homes early this week by asking, rhetorically, “If you purchased a house …

Gritty Palmer goes distance for Angels  —  Rookie delivers first complete game; Napoli, Hunter homer  —  ANAHEIM — Darren Oliver emerged from the showers to find the guy at the next locker surrounded by the media again.  —  “Matty Palmer — you're the man!”  Oliver bellowed.

The Sox like Dumb and Dumber, plus lineups  —  Welcome to Angels Stadium, where the mood is relaxed and a little lazy.  It feels like a Sunday, which is one great aspect of weekday day baseball.  Several Red Sox sat on clubhouse recliners and watched “Dumb and Dumber.”

Yanks Alter Policy, Making B.P. More Fan-Friendly  —  For generations, die-hard fans have shown up early to games to watch batting practice and get an autograph.  —  So, fans at Yankee Stadium this season were dismayed to find out they could not go down to the field level before the game unless they had a ticket to sit there.

The World's Best Illusion: The Secret of the Curve Ball  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. (ISNS) — The three best visual illusions in the world were chosen at a gathering last weekend of neuroscientists and psychologists at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Florida.

Rodriguez headed to DL with ankle sprain  —  Shortstop helped off field after single in seventh  —  CHICAGO — Losing shortstop Luis Rodriguez to a sprained left ankle compounds the woes of Padres manager Bud Black.  —  Rodriguez turned his ankle after rounding the first-base bag on a single …

Davis' walk-off HR gives Rangers win over Seattle  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Chris Davis hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Texas Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday to complete a three-game sweep.  —  The Rangers didn't score until …

Is Toronto the real deal? … “The three best teams in baseball are in the American League East.”  —  That was a popular refrain among analysts this spring, myself included.  One fifth of the way through the 2009 season, two of the three best records in baseball belong to teams from the AL East …

Ex-Oriole Bedard likely to miss next start  —  Mariners say LHP is probable scratch due to tight right hamstring  —  ARLINGTON, Texas - Mariners left-hander and former Oriole Erik Bedard will likely miss his next scheduled start Saturday night in Boston.  —  Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu …