Pre-game news: Red Sox place waiver claim on Johnny Damon  —  News that Johnny Damon could be returning to the Red Sox put a twinkle in the eyes of those who knew him and played with him.  —  “Yeah!  Party like rock star,” said a gleeful David Ortiz.  —  From Tim Wakefield to Jason Varitek …

MLB Confidential: The Financial Documents Baseball Doesn't Want You To See, Part 1  —  We've obtained financial statements for a number of baseball teams — containing perhaps some of the most closely guarded information in sports — and they offer a rare glimpse at how MLB franchises do brisk business in the modern era.

Sources: Manny likely to hit waivers this week  —  The expectation around baseball is that outfielder Manny Ramirez will be placed on waivers early this week, according to baseball sources.  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers could have put Ramirez on waivers on Monday but would not do so, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports.

Nationals put Strasburg on DL with forearm strain … Stephen Strasburg is going back on the disabled list.  —  There's a decent chance the Washington Nationals rookie phenom could be shut down for the season as a precautionary measure.  He had an MRI on Sunday but will have a second one later this week with dye.

What I care about more  —  Matt Cerrone mentioned Johan Santana's run of bad luck on MetsBlog earlier today, which is funny to me because earlier in the season, sabermetricians everywhere were rapping about Santana's run of good luck.  —  Remember when Santana was walking more batters …

Brewers Release David Riske  —  The Brewers released reliever David Riske, according to the team's Twitter feed.  Riske has about $1MM remaining in 2010 salary, plus a $250K buyout for 2011.  The Brewers will be on the hook for that minus the prorated league minimum if Riske signs elsewhere.

Morrow gets the call for Jays' opener against Yankees  —  Sports Network  —  (Sports Network) - Ivan Nova makes his first major league start this evening, when the New York Yankees open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.  —  Nova, who pitched three scoreless innings …

Quade stays in routine as Cubs' skipper  —  WASHINGTON — Day 1 of the Mike Quade era dawned on Monday, with a baseball lifer, elevated to the managerial ranks when Lou Piniella stepped down after Sunday's game, talking about improving an underperforming club and making the most of the opportunity he's been given.

Report: Sammy Sosa says Chicago Cubs' No. 21 jersey ‘should be untouchable’  —  Former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa said his jersey No. 21 should be retired and its continued use shows the strain in his relationship with his old team.  —  “That number should be untouchable because of the things …

Free Talent  —  Yesterday, the Giants were awarded Cody Ross on a waiver claim, likely made to keep the Marlins from being able to ship him to San Diego.  They didn't need another outfielder, but they got stuck with him when Florida just let him go, and so they had to clear a roster spot.