Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

1. The Mets will drop three of four games to the resilient Phillies, cutting their National League East lead to one game (two in the loss column). But on a positive note, Carlos Delgado and Julio Franco will be cast in a remake of "The Sunshine Boys."
2. The Yankees' bats will continue to show signs of life. Alas, all three of their games against the A's will be suspended, keeping their record at 36-39.
3. The White Sox will fail to sign Mark Buehrle to an extension, and will subsequently trade the left-hander to Atlanta. Buehrle will immediately accuse Chipper Jones of being soft.
4. In this season replete with milestones, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will use four pitchers in an inning for the 6,000th time, while Carl Pavano will set a record with his second Tommy John surgery in one season.
5. Barry Bonds will make the National League All-Star team when it's announced on Sunday, only to be removed by Bud Selig. The commissioner will claim that Bonds disqualified himself during a recent game of Trivial Pursuit, when he answered that the "Moors," rather than the correct "Moops," invaded Spain in the eighth century.

One can argue that baseball has never been more popular, given the attendance numbers and vast media coverage. In conjunction with that, there is a clear hunger for anticipated player movement, and this time of year, that means looking ahead to the July 31 non-waivers trading deadline.

But here in 2007, the fans and media are all revved up with few places to go.

In-season trade discussions have changed dramatically in the last few years. Just look at the White Sox. They peddled Mark Buehrle to the usual suspects, discovered that no one was willing to give up an elite prospect and now they're trying to re-sign the impending free agent. Which takes the top starting pitcher off the trade market.

There'll be plenty of chatter in the next month, with some big names probably thrown in, but ultimately, you can expect someone of Jermaine Dye's caliber _ or perhaps the oddity that is Sammy Sosa _ to be the biggest player moving. Last year, it was Greg Maddux _ a huge name, I grant you, but one well past his prime. In 2005, it was...Kyle Farnsworth?

There are two obvious factors behind the change: 1) Fewer teams are willing to give up on their seasons, thanks to the late playoff runs of the 2004-05 Astros and 2006 Twins; and 2) There's virtually no team that will give up a big-time prospect without a compelling reason. That includes the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox, all of whom used to be more far more generous when it came to disposing of unproven youngsters.

So, enjoy the proceedings, and we'll certainly document everything here at Newsday. But don't get your hopes up too much. The times, they have changed.

Bernie Williams is sitting at home in Westchester, while Ruben Sierra is doing the same in the Miami area. Neither man is technically or spiritually retired. Both could be helping a New York team right now, if only they hadn't let their egos guide their decisions.

Bernie, you know about. How he turned down the Yankees' spring-training offer of a minor-league contract. How he could made the team _ over Josh Phelps, for instance _ or, barring that, could have been summoned a week into the season, when Hideki Matsui went on the disabled list. How he could be the starting designated hitter Wednesday night against Baltimore left-hander Erik Bedard.

Sierra _ not as beloved in New York, but as important and famous a figure in the baseball community _ took the Mets' minor-league offer in spring training, and Mets general manager Omar Minaya had his old Rangers pal Sierra pegged for Triple-A New Orleans, where he would mentor Carlos Gomez and Latings Milledge and be available as an injury replacement. Ruben, who reported to camp out of shape, said thanks but no thanks. Given the injuries to Moises Alou, Endy Chavez and Shawn Green, it's not outrageous to think that Sierra would've gotten a shot, no matter how bad his defense is.

Instead, Sierra has held discussions with the independent Newark Bears about playing, a person familiar with the situation said. Meanwhile, Bernie is supposedly keeping in good shape but also moving forward with his life, as he'll be performing in an Aug. 18 concert in the Bronx.

We all know that Bernie would rather be elsewhere in the Bronx, all things being equal, and that Sierra wishes he were still in the big leagues. If both hadn't been so reluctant to lower their standards, even just for the short term, they might be far happier right now. And the Yankees and Mets might be better off.

We in the media are always trying to establish ultimatums, deadlines, now-or-nevers - what have you. When it comes to sports, in particular, we're wrong at an alarming rate.

So I refuse to point to this week as do-or-die for the Yankees, because it turns out that this guy is far wiser than they thought back in the day. It truly ain't over until it's over.

Therefore, I won't pinpoint a date when the Yankees will finally get it together. I'll just say that I think they will, in time to capture the American League wild card. Thanks to these reasons:

1. They'll catch up to their Pythagorean record. With 398 runs scored and 336 runs allowed, the Yankees should be 42-31, not 36-37. That they've underachieved speaks partly to poor relief pitching, partly to poor defense, partly to poor late-inning execution _ and partly to dumb luck. Their 4-12 record in one-run games, as opposed to their 32-25 record in other contests, reflects that, as well, and teams' one-run-game winning percentage usually matches their overall winning percentage.

2. Because they have the easiest schedule of all AL wild-card contenders, as my hard-working colleague Jim Baumbach detailed Monday.

3. Because, for whatever reason, they've been a better second-half team than first-half team since 2005, even though the same age/depth/bullpen issues have hovered.

4. Because they have the best player in baseball.

(Kidding, kidding. Where have all the A-Rod bashers gone, anyway?)

5. Because their starting rotation should, and will continue to, keep them in most games.

Obviously, Mets fans have to be encouraged most of all by the weekend sweep of the A's, but the Braves' tough week has to rank a close second. It seems as though the Braves, swept by the Tigers over the weekend and losers of five straight overall, simply don't have the horses to hang in this NL East race.

Put aside the mythology that the Braves always figure out a way to prevail; that died last year. Atlanta is lacking in both starting pitching and offense, especially, having been shut out in four of its last five games. The Braves may own the Mets this year, but they aren't anyone else's daddy.

The reality might be that the Mets, their flaws notwithstanding, could simply outlast their NL East competitors. As always, I'll stick to my preseason prediction of the Phillies winning, because that's the sort of guy I am. But the Phillies have just been crushed by injuries, with Jon Lieber joining Freddy Garcia, Tom Gordon and Brett Myers on the disabled list. Their pitching surplus has turned into a big-time shortage. As it is, the Phillies are overachieving with a 39-36 record. Given their 382-389 run differential, they should have a losing mark right now.

So the Mets might be able to stay disciplined and not give up Lastings Milledge for Mark Buehrle, and still make the playoffs. And once you get in, as last year's terrible Cardinals team displayed, anything is possible.

1. The Yankees, having been swept by the Rockies, will recover with a three-game sweep of the awful Giants at AT&T Park. However, both Friday's starter Kei Igawa and Sunday's starter Mike Mussina will serve up home runs to Barry Bonds, giving the slugger 750 career homers and raising further doubts about Igawa, who will respond to Bonds' first-inning blast by pitching right-handed in their next encounter.

2. The woeful Mets will drop yet another series, two of three to Oakland, with the Shea Stadium boos particularly strong for Carlos Delgado, Scott Schoeneweis and Mr. Met.

3. Joe Girardi will nearly agree to sticking his head in a barrel full of dead fish and used athletic socks, then decide against it at the last minute.

4. Due to some odd alignment of the constellations, both the Cubs and White Sox will go 0-3, even though they'll be playing each other.

5. Just to make sure no one is upset with him, Jason Giambi will personally wash Bud Selig's car. Then he'll take personal responsibility for Pete Rose's gambling problems, all horrible movie sequels and those "parachute pants" from the '80s.

I attended Sammy Sosa's first day at Rangers spring training, back in February, and if you had bet me then on the likelihood of Sammy reaching the 600-homer mark, you could've taken me to the cleaners. Wow, did Sosa look bad taking batting practice, and he was coming off a year of retirement, on top of a horrid 2005 with the Orioles.

On Wednesday night, Sosa hit number 600, his 12th homer of the season, a highlight in an otherwise miserable Rangers campaign. Sammy has now authored one of the more memorable comebacks in recent baseball history. Good for him. Good theater for the rest of us.

But when Sosa finally does retire for good, how about his Hall of Fame candidacy?

His, I think, will be the most challenging case. Every logical instinct says that this guy, like his contemporary Mark McGwire, used performance-enhancing drugs. Yet we've got virtually nothing on him.

I don't think we need trial standards when it comes to determining a player's guilt on the steroids issue. I didn't vote for McGwire last year, because of 1) his refusal to answer the steroids question during the infamous Congressional hearings of March 17, 2005, when, a month earlier, not under oath, he categorically denied using PEDs; 2) the revelation by Congressman Tom Davis that the day before those hearings, McGwire offered to testify about his steroid usage in return for immunity, which Davis rejected; and 3) the New York Daily News report in March 2005 that detailed McGwire's steroids cocktail from his playing days.

For Barry Bonds, we have this. For Rafael Palmeiro, there's an actual positive drug test from 2005.

But what about Sammy? His Congressional testimony was pathetic, as he pretended to speak poor English, but nowhere as damning as McGwire's. There are no known positive tests. And not once has a journalist tracked down a potential supplier.

The corked bat in 2003 was bad, yet not bad enough to keep him out of Cooperstown. Corking your bat doesn't break any federal laws.

So for now, Sammy makes my ballot, because there's not enough hard evidence. Perhaps some day a skeleton will emerge from Sammy's closet. Not yet, however. The only thing keeping Sammy out of the Hall is the fact that he's still playing. Playing surprisingly well, for that matter.

In 1996, Bruce Froemming entered the vistors' clubhouse at Shea Stadium, then penetrated the trainers' room, to boot, and asked Mike Piazza (then with the Dodgers) for some autographs. While Piazza was undergoing treatment.

In 2003, Froemming, Major League Baseball's senior active umpire, left an anti-Semitic, sexist message on a superior's voice mail, drawing himself a 10-game suspension.

Which offends you more? Those actions, or Barry Bonds' apparent steroid usage?

For me, it's a no-brainer. As someone paid to be both objective and a leader on the field, Froemming has no business hustling players and managers for autographs (and the Piazza anecdote is just one example. Froemming used to talk on the banquet circuit about how he would harrass Johnny Bench for autographs). The nasty voice mail message speaks for itself, doesn't it? An apology really doesn't soften the blow; once you say something like that, you're forever exposed as a bigot.

Bonds' actions are highly objectionable, don't get me wrong. At this point, I don't intend to vote for Bonds for the Hall of Fame, because of his offenses. Yet Bonds' near-certain deployment of performance-enhancing drugs reflected his desire to improve his statistics, which also improved his team's chances of winning. It was cheating, but it wasn't conflict-of-interest cheating.

Furthermore, Bonds' sour personality is well known, yet he seems to hate pretty much everyone, not discriminating on race, sex or beliefs.

Why does this matter? Because baseball continues to tribute Froemming for his longevity, publicly celebrating his 5,000th career game last year and naming him the crew chief and home-plate umpire for this year's All-Star Game. Whereas Bud Selig refuses to commit to attending Bonds' 756th career homer.

Why honor one jerk while shunning the second? Unless he gets "guilty-in-a-trial" evidence on Bonds (which would, of course, merit a suspension), Selig should exhibit an equality-for-jerks understanding. I'm not ripping baseball for supporting Froemming; since his offenses are loathsome yet not fireable, that's the right thing to do. But so, therefore, is being there for Bonds' big moment.

Please discuss.

There were times in his childhood, Joe Torre said yesterday, when his father, a New York City police officer, would arrive home at 3 a.m., accompanied by a couple of buddies. The elder Torre would wake up his wife _ Joe's mother, Margaret _ and instruct her to cook for the men. Margaret Torre didn't have a real choice. She knew what the ramifications would be if she refused.

Stories like that explain why Torre started his Safe at Home Foundation back in 2002. The foundation helps children who have found themselves in violent homes, through lectures, literature and advertising, and there are 10 foundation-sponsored safe houses _ all called "Margaret's Place," in memory of Torre's mother _ in the tri-state area. More are on the way.

"I just felt that my mom meant so much to me and the other kids in her family," Torre said Monday, at the Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope's sixth annual celebrity gala. "Her life was all about her children. She never went to dinner, never went to movies, never went on vacation. It was all about being there for her children. So I wanted to do something in her name."

We're fortunate to have many local baseball figures who take their community service seriously. Derek Jeter has done great things with his Turn 2 Foundation. Newsday's Kat O'Brien wrote a great Father's Day story about Jorge Posada's efforts to raise awareness about craniosynostosis, which his son Jorge Luis has battled. On the Mets' side, Carlos Delgado won last year's Roberto Clemente Award for his organization, Extra Bases, and Tom Glavine has been honored by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America for his work.

All deserve great praise, and while I'm loathe to start ranking, I think Torre deserves special credit, because he has chosen to open up about something very painful and personal. Torre himself never suffered abuse at the hands of his father, but he always feared that day would come, because of the way Torre's father abused his mother.

"The days where I used to come home from school and see my dad’s car in front of the house, I used to go somewhere else," Torre said. "I could never go home. It’s so reassuring that my daughter never wants to leave home, that she just enjoys hanging out at home, which is something I never felt comfortable doing. ...It was very turbulent in that home. You don’t have to be physically hit to be affected by what goes on."

This Yankees season has featured its usual tension and speculation about Torre's job security, and there will come a time, whether it's this year, next year or beyond, when Torre no longer manages the Yankees. There's no doubt the prestige of the job helps Safe at Home, when it comes to donation time. But at this point, the foundation appears strong enough to carry on its mission regardless of Torre's job.

And really, that's something we should respect and admire more than those four World Series rings.

The Yankees broke out of their season-long funk on May 30, when they pounded Toronto rookie Jesse Litsch for five first-inning runs. Including that game, the Yankees are 14-3 in their last 17, a stretch that seemed highly unlikely, given the way the season began, but quite plausible when you consider the Yankees' talent base.

The Mets have to be asking themselves, "When do we get our Jesse Litsch?"

Perhaps it's tonight, when Carlos Silva takes the mound at Shea Stadium. But the Twins, the reigning AL Central champions, are coming off a thrilling, 10-9 victory over the Brewers Sunday, with reigning AL MVP Justin Morneau providing a walk-off homer. The Twins are simply not the team you want to face when you have lost 12 of 15.

Neither are the A's, who follow Minnesota into Shea Stadium, nor the Cardinals, who are fighting to stay relevant in the horrid NL Central. And then the Mets go to Philadelphia for a four-game set with the Phillies, who could be atop the NL East by then. Or perhaps the Mets will have rediscovered their mojo.

There's no doubt that the Mets have played some awful baseball lately, yet there's also little disputing that they have been burned by their extremely difficult interleague schedule. It's no conspiracy; this was put together well before the Yankees, Tigers, Twins and A's clinched their 2006 playoff spots. Rather, it's a byprodcut of the uneven interleague parameters, by which the Mets play the Yankees six times each season simply because those games are guaranteed sellouts. And the difficult logistics of interleague play put the A's on the schedule, even though the Mets' designated "opponent division" is the AL Central.

If the Mets are to wake up any time soon, it'll be on their own merits. It won't be because they found an oasis in the schedule desert.

1. The Yankees will prevail, 7-4, in Friday's Subway Series opener at Yankee Stadium. In tallying his 350th career victory, Roger Clemens will last 5 1/3 innings and allow three runs, striking out four and, for old time's sake, throwing a sawed-off bat in the direction of Paul Lo Duca.

2. The Mets will end their six-game losing streak, and the Yankees' 10-game winning streak, when they defeat the Yankees on Saturday, 10-1, for Tom Glavine's 296 career victory. Moises Alou, inspired by his healthy teammates' performance, will vow to return to action no later than Labor Day.

3. The Yankees will take the series finale, 5-2, evening the two New York club at 3-3. For convenience's sake, the Mets and Yankees will agree to forgo the scheduled 2008 Subway Series, settling on a 3-3 tie for those games, as well.

4. The Phillies will take two of three from the Tigers, gaining another game on the Mets.

5. George Mitchell will agree to exonerate Jason Giambi in return for two autographed bats, a jersey from the pre-testing years and a Giambi Celebriduck.

Happy Father's Day.

The clock ticks for Jason Giambi, as he must inform the commissioner's office by next Tuesday whether he will meet with George Mitchell or, in effect, trigger a 50-game suspension by declining to see Mitchell.

From speaking with people in the loop, I believe that Giambi will sit down with Mitchell between now and then and say nothing of consequence, allowing both Giambi and Bud Selig to save some face. Giambi, who catapulted himself back into the steroids mess with some recent ill-advised comments, won't have to deal with appealing the suspension (which would be overturned very quickly). And Selig won't have to look noble yet powerless, in issuing such an empty punishment to Giambi.

I've made my feelings clear on Giambi. I hate that he gets massive credit _ from himself, most of all _ for doing the bare minimum regardindg honesty on this issue. That's why I don't mind terribly, on a visceral level, that Giambi is being put through the ringer.

But when you take a step back, you realize that this is another misstep in Selig's post-steroids-era reign. You can understand his behavior at the height of the pre-testing period; there was so little incentive to question what was going on.

Since the truth became evident, though, all Selig has done, at every turn, is refuse to contemplate his own role in the scandal _ he is the CEO, after all _ while pointing fingers at both whistle-blowers and scapegoats, and appointing his crony Mitchell to conduct a systemic investigation of the past which, for some inexplicable reason, doesn't include Selig himself.

Undoubtedly, Selig (as well as Congress and Canseco) deserves credit for the current testing program - and yes, you can say, "It's more of an IQ test than a drug test," but baseball is doing a better job than any other sport on this front. I just wish that Selig, someday, would say, "This happened under my watch, and I'm very sorry." The commissioner's conscience couldn't be more clear on this issue, however _ and, obsessed with his legacy, he wants to legitimize the Mitchell investigation _ and so we're left with silly showdowns like this Giambi nonsense.

Status quo on the locals front, with the Yankees surging toward the AL wild card and the Mets plummeting out of the playoffs (and your 2007 NL East champion Phillies making up more ground), so let's venture away from the normal parameters for a couple of friendly suggestions:

Even watching on television, you can feel the Mets' lack of confidence, their lost mojo. You see it when Orlando Hernandez walks the allergic-to-OBP Juan Pierre to start the fourth inning. Or when Paul Lo Duca thwarts a squeeze play in the sixth inning, only to try and be a hero with a double play (rather than holding onto the ball) and committing a two-base throwing error, helping the Dodgers score an insurance run. Or when Carlos Delgado once again fails to deliver with men on base, all of which led to a 5-3 loss.

Not once last year did the Mets lose 8 of 10 games, and while they still hold the National League East lead, it seems like the Braves and Phillies, though obviously flawed, intend to stick around.

Every team is entitled to a slump. But what we've seen from the Mets the last 11 days does reflect some of the concerns people had about them going into the season. In no particular order:

At the risk of sounding like Peter Gammons, what's going on right now is why I love baseball.

And no, it's not because I'm a Yankees fan, because I assure you I root for no team. It's because the baseball regular season is so long, it constantly brings us surprising results, challenges what we thought we were seeing.

The Mets are unstoppable? Perhaps not. The Yankees are done? Doesn't look like it. We could be facing a Subway Series rematch this weekend where the Mets are reeling and the Yankees are soaring, the precise opposite of May 18-20 at Shea Stadium.

It's not just here in New York where perceptions change. Remember when Barry Bonds was going to pass Hank Aaron by the All-Star break? Now, it seems feasible (although probably, ultimately futile) for Bud Selig to fantasize about Bonds not reaching 755.

Really, the hardest part of following this game is knowing what you're watching will stick. Are the Mets going to struggle like this the rest of the way? (Not this dramatically, IMHO, but I think they'll be in a dogfight for a playoff spot). Will the Yankees cruise into the American League wild-card spot? (They won't cruise, but they will make it there, eventually).

So we'll all keep watching, knowing, in the back of our minds, that no one can fully anticipate what will come next.

1. In his highly anticipated 2007 debut Saturday, Roger Clemens will defeat the Pirates, 8-2, for his 349th career victory. After scattering five hits and two runs in his six innings, Clemens will meet his family for a mid-afternoon snack, return to the Bronx for his post-game news conference and go home to Houston for dinner.

2. By Sunday, the Mets' injury-plagued outfield (second item) will feature David Newhan in centerfield, Bernie Williams in right and 76-year-old Willie Mays in left.

3. In a rematch of the 2005 World Series, the White Sox and Astros will look at each other and realize, "Hey, they're just as terrible as we are!"

4. In the wake of ESPN2's televising of the amateur draft, casual fans will demand to know why their team's draft picks aren't yet in the big-league lineup.

5. Jason Giambi and Bud Selig will call a press conference, hold hands, take a collective deep breath and say, at the exact same time, "We're sorry about the steroids era. We are both culpable, and we will both be accountable." Then you will wake up.

I'd hope that, as habitants of this planet, you've seen the 1969 television special, "Frosty the Snowman." With a 3-year-old son, I've watched it roughly 40 times in the last year (after watching it once a year from, let's call it, 1978 to 1988).

When I read about Bud Selig's ultimatum to Jason Giambi, I immediately thought of the scene where Professor Hinkle demands his magical hat back from Frosty. Here is the exchange, courtesy of imdb.com:

Professor Hinkle: Now, give me that hat, or else.
Frosty: Or else what?
Professor Hinkle: Don't bother me with details. Just give me that hat!

Cast Selig in the role of Professor Hinkle, and Giambi in Frosty's spot, and you've pretty much covered it.

I can't believe Selig is trying to bully Giambi into meeting with the profoundly conflicted Mitchell, a questionable effort to try and validate a questionable investigation. Giambi has absolutely nothing to gain from testifying in this toothless endeavor. And he has nothing to lose from refusing to do so.

For if Selig attempts to suspend Giambi, based on the comments Giambi made to USA Today, no arbitrator in this country will hold that up against the Players Association's appeal. There's not even close to enough to nail Giambi.

In other words, Selig is saying to Giambi, "You meet with Senator Mitchell, or else!" And Giambi is saying, "Or else what?" And Selig, frustrated, is replying, "Don't bother me with details!"

As detailed on this blog before, Giambi's self-righteous act bothers me greatly. But if you support individual rights, then you've got to side with the Giambino on this one. And you've got to wonder what in the world Selig was thinking when he devised this plan.

Watching Yankees-White Sox on TV last night reminded me of my first game at the new Comiskey Park (let's pretend that's still the name). I was spending the summer of 1991 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of my alma mater, and on a day off from work, I convinced a buddy to accompany me on the four-hour drive along I-94 West.

Thanks to this phenomenal web site, I can remind myself that the game took place on June 20, 1991. Most notably, it was Ivan Rodriguez's major-league debut, and I can honestly say I remember the scoreboard notating that fact. Pretty cool to have been around for the start of a Hall of Fame career, assuming the accusations from this book never gain credibility.

I also remember that Kevin Brown started that night for the Rangers, although I forgot that Jack McDowell started for the White Sox. The game also featured a current Hall of Famer in Carlton "Pudge" Fisk, who unwittingly bequeathed his nickname to Rodriguez, and three more players (in additon to Rodriguez) who are still active in Julio Franco, Sammy Sosa and Frank Thomas. And, in one of those "I forgot that guy played for that team" moments, an aging Goose Gossage sat in the Rangers bullpen that night, joking around with my friend and me, who were within shouting distance.

I love this part of baseball, recalling your first time at each ballpark. I attended my very first major-league game, Astros-Mets, on June 16, 1977, at Shea Stadium, a couple of weeks into Joe Torre's managerial career (and two days before he retired as a player). The Mets won, 4-3. My first game at Yankee Stadium was July 28, 1978, a 7-5, 10-inning loss to the Twins. Sparky Lyle pitched a remarkable 5 1/3 innings of relief.

Do you remember your first big-league game? Or do you just consider this nostalgic blowhardedness? I'd love to read your memories. Then again, I'd love to win the New York state lottery and retire.

The baseball amateur draft will never compare to its football and basketball counterparts, for obvious reasons: 1) The casual fan hasn't heard of the draftees, because there's no Bowl Championship Series or March Madness in baseball; and 2) Virtually no one goes straight from the draft to the major leagues. It's much harder to project talent in baseball than the other sports, because so much more can go wrong over a longer time period.

Only the die-hards follow the baseball draft, in other words, but those die-hards constitute a niche that has grown so large that ESPN2 will televise the start of this year's draft on Thursday. It's a great advance for the game.

So what can we expect this year? It looks like Vanderbilt lefty David Price will go first to the Devil Rays, followed by New Jersey high school right-hander Rick Porcello to the Royals. Porcello is being advised by Scott Boras, which means that he will not accept Major League Baseball's slotted signing bonus.

However, the new collective bargaining agreement took away some of Boras' weaponry. All draftees (besides college seniors) must sign with their teams by August 15. No longer can Boras hold out players for nearly a year in the hopes of getting his asking price.

Other potential Boras first-rounders include high school right-hander Matt Harvey of Connecticut, Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters and North Carolina State right-hander Andrew Brackman. As one veteran scout put it, "Let's see who's got chutzpah."

Our local clubs aren't in a position to make much hay with the Boras clients. The Yankees have the last pick in the first round, 30th overall, while the Mets don't pick a name until the 42nd pick comes up. The Mets gave up their first-rounder when they signed Moises Alou from the Giants. The 42nd selection is a sandwich round pick in return for losing Roberto Hernandez to Cleveland.

The baseball draft will never compare to rabid Jets fans at the NFL draft or the male fashion show that is the NBA draft. But when it produces an occasional great story like this one, and if you can accept the reality that a gargantuan percentage of these guys won't make it, then I think you'll find it worthwhile.

No other baseball rivalry even comes close to what happens when the Yankees and Red Sox meet, and I really don't think that's the East Coast bias talking. It seems to be most intense of all on these Beantown weekends.

Just look at everything that happened the past three days at Fenway Park: Injuries to major-league and minor-league players; clearing benches; another play that could have incited retaliatory voilence; and a surprising ending to the craziest week (probably) of Alex Rodriguez's career.

So with a wakeup call in three hours and 50 minutes, here's what stands out most from the weekend, to me:

1. The details are a litlte hazy right now, but by late Sunday night, Alex Rodriguex will have alienated and infuriated the ACLU, NASA and three-quarters of Australia.

2. Jose Reyes, having unnerved Armando Benitez en route to a thrilling victory Tuesday night (in what turned out to be Benitez's final outing with the Giants), will rattle the Diamondbacks with his spot-on impersonation of Arizona Senator and U.S. presidential candidate John McCain.

3. Braves manager Bobby Cox will break the all-time record for ejections on Sunday, after arguing with the umpire over Britain's greatest prime minister.

4. The Brewers will lose the next three to the Marlins, yet still manage, somehow, to increase their National League Central lead by two games.

5. At Citizens Bank Park, fans will boo Barry Bonds, putting the controversial slugger in the company of other notorious Philadelphia pariahs like Santa Claus, a career-endingly injured Michael Irvin and cute puppies.