Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 29

DETROIT FREE PRESS WWW.FREEP.COM BASEBALL AUTO RACING THURSDAY, AUG. 2, 2007 7 TIGERS CORNER Hall: Take your time, Bany Tigers schedule Home games shaded. Glavine misses 300th Bonds watch Hank Aaron: 755 home runs. Barry Bonds: 754 home runs. Tuesday: 0-for-2 with two walks at Los Angeles.

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"I'll get a feel for it. We'll see how it is when we get to that point. After the game is over, we'll let him enjoy his celebration." Currently in the Hall, there is a bat from Bonds' rookie year in 1986 and spikes from when he became the first player with 400 homers and 400 stolen bases. Unsolicited, he sent the bat and ball from his hit. A batting-practice bat from the 2002 World Series was the last thing Bonds donated.

Last week, when the Giants were playing at home against Atlanta and Florida, Idelson tried to watch Bonds' first at-bat on TV, then set his alarm for 1:30 a.m. to get up and see whether the seven-time NL MVP had homered. Idelson had flights booked for each day and would cancel them if Bonds didn't connect. He would have flown out during the week, then returned to Cooperstown for Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken induction. Now, it's all Bonds for Idelson.

The Giants go from Los Angeles to San Diego, where they have a three-game weekend series against the Padres starting Friday before returning home to face the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Wednesday: At Los Angeles, inc. Go to freep.comsports for updates. Tonight: San Francisco at Los Angeles, 10:10, ESPN2. (ESPN also plans to cut into its programming to show each of Bonds' at-bats until he breaks the record.) and reiterated that it only takes one item to connect the fans to a history-making moment.

He plans to be there when it happens. After the Hall of Fame induction ceremony last weekend, Idelson traveled Tuesday to Los Angeles to be at Dodger Stadium for the Giants' three-game series. Around 35,000 artifacts are shown and stored in the Hall of Fame. About a dozen of those are connected to Bonds, and 30 to Aaron. Idelson isn't sure what to expect from Bonds, but he is optimistic it will work out well for both sides.

"I think we have to see how the final act plays out," Idelson File photo from the Associated Press Hank Aaron holds up the ball he hit for his 715th home run on April 8, 1974, in Atlanta. during his 23rd and final major league season. "The complete uniform and third base came in a couple of years after he retired," Idelson said, "as is the case with many star players." The 43-year-old Bonds, who had 754 career homers heading into Wednesday night's game against the rival Dodgers, has said he would like to keep the items from his 756th home run close to him and later decide what to send to Cooperstown. Idelson is fine with that Mementos from No. 756 can wait ByJANIE McCAULEY the associated press LOS ANGELES The uniform Hank Aaron wore when he became home run king didn't arrive to the Hall of Fame until well after he retired.

So those in Cooperstown say it's no biggie if that's how it happens with Barry Bonds, too. In June, Bonds and Hall of Fame vice president Jeff Idel-son met for 40 minutes in San Francisco to discuss what the slugger might donate when he hits his 756th homer and Aaron's 33-year-old record falls. Bonds suggested he might offer up a batting helmet from the historic day. That piece of equipment might take awhile to reach the East Coast if Bonds opts to enjoy everything from the big day for a while, the way Aaron did it. Aaron tied Babe Ruth's 714 mark on Opening Day 1974, then broke the record with No.

715 four days later. Aaron's last home run came on July 20, 1976, at now-demolished County Stadium in Milwaukee TIGERS I Head home after the 3-8 road trip From Page 1C The Yankees began Wednesday three games behind the wild-card leading Indians, who began the day one game behind the Tigers. So if the Tigers finish second, as they did last season, they might not win the wild card. The Tigers now come home for an 11-game home stand. They will spend the two weeks after that playing the Yankees and Indians exclusively a stretch that could do a lot to determine whether they return to the postseason.

Over the last few weeks, the Tigers are 4-10. "I think that we're playing (bleep)," manager Jim Leyland said before Wednesday's game, "and if we don't start playing better, we won't be in a pennant race. That's as simple as it is." Check out these facts, which sound nothing like the heavy-hitting team that the Tigers have been most of the season: I In five of the 11 games on the trip, the Tigers scored three runs or fewer. They went the final four games of the trip without a ho mer their longest stretch of the year without one. There were six losses on the lit NATIONAL LEAGUE FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES MILWAUKEE It was a tough night for Tom Glavine and his personal cheering section.

With Glavine's wife and children rooting him on in the stands at Miller Park, Glavine was two innings of scoreless relief from his 300th career victory. Then the Mets' usually reliable bullpen wasted an eighths inning lead, and Geoff Jenkins hit a two-run homer off Aaron Sele in the 13th inning to give the Brewers a 4-2 victory Tuesday night. Now Glavine will have to haul his friends and family to Wrigley Field this weekend for another shot at one of baseball's most cherished milestones. "I'm sure it's tough on them emotionally, but I'm sure they'll be there again on Sunday," Glavine said. Glavine's wife, Christine, cheered vigorously as David Wright scored on a sacrifice fly by Moises Alou to give the Mets a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

Mets manager Willie Randolph fook Glavine out of the game an inning later, after the left-hander had allowed only two hits in six-plus innings, Aaron Heilman relieved Glavine, who fidgeted and stared nervously from the Mets' bench as he accepted congratulations from his teammates. It turned out that Glavine had a reason to be nervous. Bill Hall hit a ground-rule double to left off Guillermo Mo-ta that scored J. J. Hardy with the tying run.

Glavine's wife slumped in her seat as Brewers fans applauded, and she then put her chin on her right wrist and stared angrily. SAN FRANCISCO 3, LOS ANGELES 2: Barry Bonds stayed stuck at 754 home runs AS he went 0-for-2 with two walks for the visiting Giants. Pedro Feliz hit a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth. ST. LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 4: The visiting Cardinals won their fourth in a row as Adam Wainwright (10-8) gave up two runs in six innings.

CHICAGO 7, PHILADELPHIA 3: Jacque Jones made up for a fielding gaffe with an RBI double in the sixth inning for the host Cubs. COLORADO 6, FLORIDA 3: Aaron Cook (8-6) allowed five hits in innings to win his third start in a row for the visiting Rockies. ATLANTA 12, HOUSTON 4: Kelly Johnson had five RBIs and four hits, including two homers for the host Braves. WASHINGTON 6, CINCINNATI 3: Ryan Zimmerman's three-run double highlighted the host Nationals' five-run fifth inning. ARIZONA 4, SAN DIEGO 0: Chris Young and Stephen Drew hit two-run homers for the visiting Diamondbacks.

IST' -4T JT 4 Ulf it i Ai ui MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZAssouateo Press Sheffield has pain in shoulder By JOHN LOWE FREE PRBSS SPORTS WRITER OAKLAND, Calif. Tigers designated hitter Gary Sheffield said after Wednesdays game that his right shoulder continues to bother him and hinder his production. Sheffield will have a medical exam on the shoulder in the next few days in Detroit. Neither Sheffield nor Tigers manager Jim Leyland speculated if Shef field might have to miss some games to rest the shoulder. There was concern on Shef field's face and in his voice as he talked about the shoulder, which he said is causing numbness in his right hand when he bats.

"I am concerned, because I know if it's the worst-case sce nario, I'm thinking about long- term and what I'm going to do about it," he said. "I don't even want to think about the worst-case scenario right now." In his six games since he got a cortisone shot in the shoulder, Sheffield is 4-for-23 with no extra-base hits and no RBIs. "I just don't feel comfortable when Im up there (at bat), Sheffield said. "When I want to fire, it's not firing I just don't feel strong. The shoulder has troubled Sheffield periodically for about 15 years.

This is the first time, he said, that the shoulder has react ed this way after a cortisone shot. The other times, he said, the shot worked. He said that if the shoulder were healthy, then the ball he hit in the first inning Wednesday would have been a homer. In stead it was a fly ball to the warn ing track. "When I wiggle the bat, I get numbness in my hand, Shef field said.

"It's been there every game I've played since the shot. It's the first time I've had it The numbness is what I don't understand. That's probably what is frustrating me more than anything else. I can deal with pain, but when it's a nerve And his voice tailed off, typifying the uncertainty over the shoulder's condition. ERRORLESS: With a major league record for defense newly in his possession, Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco discussed why he's become an even better defensive player this season.

"More concentration," Polanco said. "And there is my routine before the game where I take grounders right to me, to my left and to my right. You try to make the plays in practice. You take 40 or 50 grounders every day." Polanco set a record for second basemen Tuesday night with his 648th straight chance without an error. With another errorless game Wednesday, he moved within eight games of the record for most consecutive errorless games at second (143), set by Minnesota's Luis Castillo over last season and this season.

RELIEF SOON: Reliever Fernando Rodney was due to pitch Wednesday night for Triple-A Toledo. That would mark the first time on Rodney's rehab assignment that he had pitched on back-to-back days. Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said that if Rodney didn't have a significant drop from his normal velocity and if he felt fine after Wednesday night's outing, then he would come off the disabled list and rejoin the Tigers bullpen on Friday or Saturday. Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, left, and first baseman Sean Casey, right, console starter Nate Robertson (29), as Robertson is pulled in the seventh after giving up a single and a double. RBIs and no extra-base hits.

Hitters carried the pitchers earlier this season when they were struggling. The pitchers haven't returned the favor lately. Robertson's quality start on Thursday was only the Tigers' third on the 11 games of the trip, and the bullpen lost three games in which the Tigers were tied or ahead in the late innings. Contact JOHN LOWE at Check out his Tigers blogat www.freep.com sports. jr 'M i 1 It 1 PATRICK I Looking for historic 1st win ging percentage against lefthanders.

But Oakland rookie lefty Dallas Braden, who had struggled in most of his previous seven starts, held them to two runs in his 5'A innings Wednesday. In three of his five full innings, Braden retired the Tigers in order. On Wednesday morning, Leyland said that Magglio Ordonez (heel), Gary Sheffield (shoulder) and Placido Polanco (back) all were hurting and yet continuing to play. In the six games since he sat out a few games to rest his right shoulder, Sheffield is 4-for-23 with no you lose. She was passed at the start of the race, only to run out of gas with a couple of laps to go, falling out of the top 10 and finishing 17th.

"I lifted off the throttle, and then all of a sudden I'm back in 12th, and there's just no getting back," Patrick recalled. In 2006, Patrick ran for Ra-hal Letterman Racing. She believes her switch to AGR will help her at MIS on Sunday. "Last year, we didn't necessarily qualify great and I didn't feel fast," said Patrick, who started 11th. "I think the race cars at AGR are quite good, as well as my pit stops.

I gain positions now in the pits and at a place like Michigan it is important." With five races remaining this season, could Patrick create racing history at MIS this weekend? "Michigan is interesting because it's such a flat-out track and you can go out there and catch a couple of breaks," said Patrick, who was raised in Ros-coe, 111. "It might be an easier one (than the others) to win at." Contact MIKE BRUDEXELL at 3WZ22-2Uoor mbrudertrll a frerprcss.com. trip that were close at some point in the late innings. In those six losses, the Tigers didn't score from the seventh inning onward in any of them. On Wednesday, trailing by a run, they left three runners in scoring position in the final three innings.

They had the bases loaded with one out in the eighth. Then left-handed closer Alan Embree arrived and retired Curtis Granderson (after his grand-slam bid went foul) on a pop to shallow left and fanned Craig Monroe. I The Tigers have the league's best batting average and slug- IRL at MIS What: Firestone Indy 400. When: Noon Sunday. Where: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn.

Tickets: $40. Children 12 and younger, free. Available at www.mispeedway.com or 800-354-1010. TV: ESPN2. it.

"Recent races have showed I've been really working hard, and it is coming through now in the results," said Patrick, who finished fourth in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 in her rookie year. "The team is so well-rounded. From driving to development to engineering, there are so many good aspects of the team. It's helped me raise my game." Patrick said her favorite moment of the year was her qualifying effort at Mid-Ohio, but a victory at MIS would top that, of course. "I'm optimistic about Michigan," said Patrick.

"It always has its own unique challenges. It's fast, flat-out you have to keep your foot in it." Last year, Patrick, 25, discovered at MIS if you cruise, From Page 1C such a historic track like MIS. The only shortcoming is that if I win there, I wouldn't be returning to defend it." Patrick, driver of the No. 7 Motorola DallaraHonda for Andretti Green Racing, paused a moment. "But I'd always be the reign ing winner.

In her third year the IRL, Patrick is inching closer to breaking the ice earning that first victory. She is seventh in series points, but more impor tantly, she is competing for the win in every race these days, not just qualifying well and being left in the dust of drivers like teammates Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan, or Kiwi Scott Dixon, who has won three races in a row for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, or Team Penske's pair of Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. At Mid-Ohio on July 22, Pat rick qualified second to Castroneves on the road course and finished fifth to Dixon. On the oval at Nashville (July 15), she placed third and at tough Rich mond (June 30 sixth. If a win is in the cards for Pat rick in 2007, Michigan might be Want to Last Longer and Perform Stronger? Boston Medical Group can help.

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