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High & Inside: NL Notes

A day's work for a day's pay Mets' closer Francisco Rodriguez, on striking out Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez in the fabled "K-Rod vs. A-Rod" showdown on Sunday night.

A day's work for a day's pay

Mets' closer Francisco Rodriguez, on striking out Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez in the fabled "K-Rod vs. A-Rod" showdown on Sunday night.

"That's what I get paid for."

On the block

The Texas Rangers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday in hopes of speeding the $575 million sale of the team to a group of investors that includes Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. Under the plan, the new owners would pay the $75 million of debt owed by current owner Tom Hicks, including nearly $25 million in deferred salary to Alex Rodriguez.

Maybe A-Rod should just buy the team.

History lesson

After seeing a note here on the hot start by Detroit rookie Brennan Boesch, a sharp-eyed reader who uses the handle Sunshine, pointed out the electrifying start by Milwaukee's Bob "Hurricane" Hazel in 1957.

From Aug. 9 through Aug. 25, Hazel savaged NL pitching, hitting .473 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI in just 14 games. The reason he wasn't included with the record starts of such phenoms as Willie McCovey or Boesch was a prior six-game stint with Cincinnati in 1955.

It's not over till . . .

The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center unveiled a rendition of a statue that will be placed in front of the museum in Little Falls, N.J. It depicts the fabled Yankee on one knee in the on-deck circle, holding two bats and gazing skyward.

Since statues usually only are put up when the honored subject is dead - and the impish Berra just celebrated his 85th birthday May 12 - it brings to mind this famous Yogi-ism: "Always go to other people's funerals; otherwise they won't go to yours."

Interleague nonsense

Joe Sheehan of SI.com, who clearly hates interleague play, points out just how much it will affect the races in the two Eastern Divisions:

"The Phillies play an absurd schedule, with six games against the Red Sox, and three each against the Yankees and Twins," Sheehan wrote. "[And] if the Nationals somehow are in the race come July 1, they can thank an interleague schedule that gives them six games against the Orioles, but none against the top three AL East teams or the Twins.

"In the AL East, the Red Sox get stuck playing the Phillies six times, while the Yankees get the Mets and the Rays get the Marlins."

Sheehan has a point, although he probably had a better case before the Mets skunked the Yankees twice this weekend and the Sox beat up on the Phillies.

Noteworthy

Washington catcher Ivan Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. . . . St. Louis righthander Kyle Lohse had an MRI exam of his right forearm that revealed inflammation but no structural damage. . . . An MRI exam found that New York Mets pitcher John Maine has tendinitis in his right rotator cuff. . . . Cincinnati put righthander Homer Bailey on the 15-day disabled list after tests found inflammation in his pitching shoulder. . . . Kaz Matsui, released by Houston last week, cleared waivers and is an unrestricted free agent. The 34-year-old second baseman was batting .141 and hadn't had a hit in his last 20 at-bats.