Field of dreams:
A bush serves as a marker for home runs. Motorcycles laden with goods cruise by second base, and rice planters and water buffaloes look on as a ragtag collection of players embrace America's pastime. What was once a rice paddy in steamy, rural Cambodia has been cleared to make a ballpark where the children and young adults of Kraing Khmer village compete each day in the impoverished nation's first foray into baseball. The spectacle of young villagers wearing a hodgepodge of uniforms donated by Americans, tossing balls and practicing swings is the brainchild of Joe Cook, a Cambodian-American living in Dothan, Ala., who introduced baseball to his homeland two years ago. "They don't have proper uniforms or just wear flip-flops, or go barefoot ... but baseball is baseball. It doesn't matter if you're barefoot or flip-flopped." Cook, 35, came to America at age 12 as a refugee fleeing the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, blamed for the deaths of nearly 2 million Cambodians in the late 1970s. He took up baseball as a way to learn English, make friends and fit into his new American setting. He returned to Cambodia a few years ago to unite with a sister he believed had perished under the Khmer Rouge. That is when he got the idea to share with Cambodian children a sport that had given him motivation, confidence and a sense of professionalism. "I see in their eyes. I look around and they need hope and they need opportunity," said Cook, whose legal name is Joeurt Puk. Last week, Major League Baseball officials and U.S. coaches visited the village as part of MLB's foreign outreach program, handing out crisp leather gloves, shiny bats, helmets and other gear.

Streak buster:
Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle had a string of 49 consecutive games in which he pitched at least six innings. That was the longest such streak since Steve Carlton did it in 69 games in a row from 1979-82. So how did Buehrle's streak end yesterday? He hit B.J. Surhoff in the back with a pitch with two outs in the sixth and was ejected.

What's in a name?
Venerable Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Sheppard must have lost his scorecard in the 10th inning of Sunday's game against the Angels. When reliever Kevin Gregg entered the game, Sheppard said, "Now pitching for the Angels, No. 63 ... No. 63."