A big blast from Ortiz  —  Angry DH rips media scrutiny  —  David Ortiz is having one of the best seasons of his career and is sure to be an All-Star again.  But he's not having fun, and the media is to blame.  —  It's even to a point, the designated hitter said, where he is unsure about returning next season.

Mets closer Francisco eggs on Subway rival by calling Yankees ‘chickens’  —  Mets on Twitter  —  At least somebody isn't afraid to talk trash about a cross-town rival.  —  “I can't wait to face those chickens,” Mets closer Frank Francisco told The Post when asked about playing the Yankees …

Robin Ficker heckles Joe Maddon, receives signed ball  —  (By James Wagner - TWP) Just when you thought the Joe Maddon-Joel Peralta pine tar trip to D.C. couldn't get any more amazing, along came the series finale, featuring heckling from Robin Ficker, a souvenir ball smeared with pine tar, and a personalized message from Maddon.

Paulino likely headed for Tommy John surgery  —  KANSAS CITY — Right-hander Felipe Paulino could be the fourth Royals pitchers to have Tommy John surgery this year.  —  Team doctors have diagnosed Paulino with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, which usually leads to reconstructive elbow surgery.

Former Brewer Hall tweets Livan deal with Crew  —  MILWAUKEE — It's a brave, new, social media-dominated world when a former Brewers player breaks news about the newest member of the team via Twitter.  —  Bill Hall, a onetime Milwaukee utility man who is currently playing for the Orioles' Triple …

Phillies' optimism just turns into another loss  —  PHILADELPHIA — One by one, they walked to the dugout as the boos rained down.  First, Chad Qualls, then Hunter Pence, then Shane Victorino.  In order: a suspect relief appearance, a strikeout with the tying run on second and nobody out, a pop out with the tying run on third.

2012 College Player Of The Year: Mike Zunino  —  Few players have had more of an impact on college baseball over the last three years than Florida catcher Mike Zunino.  —  Maybe Zunino's offensive numbers this spring weren't eye-popping, but they were plenty robust—he tied for fourth …

Schilling's baseball fortune ‘probably all gone’  —  BOSTON — Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said Friday that the collapse of his 38 Studios video game company has probably cost him his entire baseball fortune, and he placed part of the blame on Rhode Island officials, including Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

Tim Lincecum's struggles a Giant mystery  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum took the team bus back to his hotel room Tuesday night, called the 425 area code on his cellphone and undraped his soul for 1½ hours, not hanging up until nearly 2 in the morning.

Oswalt ready to resume career on his terms  —  Here comes the midseason return of Roy Oswalt in circumstances of his own choosing; for the team he wants to pitch for, in a place not that far from his Mississippi home, at a time he found suitable, just after the summer solstice.

Mike Trout and the AL MVP  —  Despite playing just 48 games and only just recently qualifying for the FanGraphs leaderboards under standard search filters, Mike Trout has been one of the most valuable players in all of baseball.  And at his current pace, his +3.5 wins above replacement …

Before becoming toast of town, NY Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey had rift with TV analyst Bobby Ojeda  —  Knuckleballer having career felt slighted by comments before the pair cleared air during spring training  —  R.A. Dickey soaks in adulation lately but early last season found Mets TV analyst Bobby Ojeda …