Since a few members of The Fifth Dimension are from St. Louis, they likely won't mind the way I tweak one of their songs -- you know, Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In. So here I go: Jupiter isn't aligned with Mars, but with the Gateway Arch when it comes to Mark McGwire these days.

That's because this is perfect timing.

In fact, for a bunch of reasons we'll discuss in a moment, there is no better time than now for the former St. Louis Cardinals star to end his cowardly seclusion. He could leave the shadows of southern California to speak in the spotlight of the All-Star festivities that begin this weekend in St. Louis . He could do so without a Jimmy Swaggert confession, but it wouldn't hurt his rapidly sliding chances for reaching Cooperstown if he included some crying and a lot of pleading.

SAN CARLOS, Calif. -- Filipino world flyweight champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (21-1, 14 KOs) knows that his growing legion of boxing fans -- and many in the sport -- view him as the next Manny Pacquaio.

To that end, Donaire recalls the tension he felt April 19 inside a packed Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines. Those nerves were not because he was preparing to fight previously undefeated Raul Martinez (24-1) of San Antonio for an IBF title defense.

Donaire, 26, who moved to California from the Philippines at age 10, also is a devoted student of boxing history. Araneta Coliseum gained fame as the site of the third and final match between heavyweights Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975, the "Thrilla in Manila," and Donaire was nearly overwhelmed by the experience and pressure of fighting there.

This week, as the (tongue-in-cheek) "golden aura" around Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard continues to dissipate, Jason Quick of The Oregonian reportS that contract negotiations with early extension candidates Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge have stalled.

With Aldridge, it's understandable. Quick reports the team wanted to give LMA a $10 million annual salary. Toronto extending Andrea Bargnani at that rate fudged those plans. But Roy ... what on Earth does Portland need to negotiate with Roy about? He's a maximum salary player, no doubt, and Pritchard should sign up for whatever contract length Roy requests -- three years a la LeBron, or the full five. There should be nothing to stall things because Pritchard should be nodding his head during the entire negotiation period.

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the AL East is a dead heat 85 games into the season, perhaps portending an epic race through the dog days of summer and into the fall. The Yankees pulled even with the Red Sox Thursday in baseball's toughest division by virtue of a win over the Twins and Boston's loss to the Royals.

New York, which is 48-23 against Minnesota since 2000, has been on fire since the latest A-Rod drama during a series June 19-21 in Miami. The Yanks have gone 13-3 since losing two of three to the Marlins that weekend to erase the gap between them and Boston.

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Weeks after the dramatic last-minute shelving of the Moneyball movie, Sony Pictures has unshelved it. The movie is back on again, this time with Aaron Sorkin writing the screenplay. Brad Pitt is still expected to play Billy Beane.

That probably means we'll get all sorts of great scenes with Beane and Paul DePodesta talking in way-too-smart-for-real-life dialogue as they hurriedly walk from place to place. Sorkin, right, is the writer responsible for The West Wing and Sports Night and films A Few Good Men and The American President.

He's also working right now on a movie about ... Facebook.

Seriously.

As if seeing him in green and white wasn't jarring enough, Rasheed Wallace showed up to his introductory press conference Thursday rocking cornrows. Considering how many players have given up the look in the last 12 months -- Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Ben Wallace stand out -- his new haircut already feels retro.

Of course, old school is just his style, from his trademark Air Force 1's, ratty workout clothes and dirty 13-year-old Ford Bronco that he still drives to games. And as he explained on Thursday, it was Boston's old school dedication to defense that convinced him to sign.

ORLANDO -- The Summer of 2010, which was supposed to be the mother load of all NBA free-agent classes, won't be the thriller that many anticipated.

The free spending just won't exist, according to several league executives and agents at the Orlando Pro Summer League Thursday.

News this week that the league is anticipating a dramatic drop in both the salary cap and the punitive luxury tax threshold for the 2010-11 season has sent a chill through every team in the league.

Although almost half the NBA teams had been shuffling future contracts to clear salary cap space in anticipation of a free agent feeding frenzy in 2010, many of those plans are looking rather bleak today.

Voters "turned out" online in record-shattering numbers to help send Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino and Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge to next Tuesday's All-Star Game in St. Louis in the fans' final vote.

Voting was done exclusively on MLB.com and the number of votes cast was astonishing. For both the American and National League teams, the fans cast 68.6 million votes to send first-time All-Stars, in Inge and Victorino, to play in the 80th All-Star Game.

Inge outlasted Ian Kinsler, who finished the close race in second place ahead of Chone Figgins, Carlos Pena and Adam Lind.

Victorino finished just ahead of Pablo Sandoval, Mark Reynolds, Matt Kemp and Cristian Guzmanto to earn his place on the National League squad.

Did you see what happened Thursday in the first round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament?

Just kidding. No one saw. No one is watching. That's not new. The most amazing and interesting thing about the game has nothing to do with actual golf. Instead, it's how this entire sport in unraveling. Right now. On the first day of its most important event.

The LPGA tour commissioner, Carolyn Bivens, didn't even come to the tournament. Reports surfaced on Thursday that Bivens has accepted a buyout to step down. This after players drafted a letter demanding she resign.

The Phillies may not wait to see if they can trade for Roy Halladay before helping their ailing rotation.

Pedro Martinez told The Associated Press his agent is negotiating with Philadelphia for his return to the majors, and the agent, Fern Cuza, told the Philadelphia Daily News, "There is interest on both sides."

"The Phillies saw me this past Tuesday in a simulated game and I felt very good with my fastball and all my pitches," Martinez said Thursday.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. denied reports a deal was done, but confirmed the team's interest in the three-time AL Cy Young Award winner.

"He has not been signed," Amaro said before the NL East-leading Phillies played Cincinnati on Thursday night. "We've seen him pitch. He's not in town."

ORLANDO -- Rookie James Harden, the No. 3 pick in the 2009 Draft, is a smart guy who will become a fine player as he grows up with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But the NBA Summer League may be giving him a false sense of security. As an NBA shooting guard, he will learn quickly that not everyone in his position puts their pants on one leg at a time.

When he starts trying to defend the likes of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, he may find himself a little more blistered than he thinks.

"Kobe is the best player in the world, but he laces up his shoes just like I lace up mine,'' Harden said earlier this week. "Sure, I'll get a welcome-to-the-NBA moment, but it's just basketball. I've played against him before [in the summer]. I won't be intimidated.''