The Bottom Line

OFF THE WALL

Looking ahead

* The quarterly owners meetings take place Wednesday and Thursday in New York. Television blackouts of teams on the Extra Innings package are a hot issue. A vote to approve the sale of the Atlanta Braves is also on the agenda, and the issue of alcohol in clubhouses could surface.

Looking back

* Phil Nevin, the No. 1 pick in the 1992 draft from Cal State Fullerton, announced his retirement Friday. He hit 208 home runs in his 12-year career -- 156 of them in his six-plus years with the San Diego Padres. He hit 22 home runs last season but received only a minor league offer from Washington this season.

It’s a fact

* In a team-bonding ritual, 21 of the 25 active New York Mets got their heads shaved Tuesday before their game against the San Francisco Giants. They won three consecutive games after that, and returned Friday to Shea Stadium to signs that read, “Play Bald.” Carlos Beltran served as team barber.

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MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

ANGELS IN THE MINORS

NATHAN HAYNES, OF

Salt Lake City; triple A

Haynes, 27, has spent nearly 10 years bouncing around the minor leagues but is starting to show the talent that made him a first-round pick out of high school in the 1997 draft. Through Friday, he was leading the Pacific Coast League with a .395 batting average and was fifth in the league with 11 stolen bases. He was named the Angels organization minor league player of the month in April, when he batted .375 with 10 stolen bases, 14 RBIs, 14 runs and three home runs. This is the second stint for Haynes in the Angels’ organization. He was considered a top prospect when the Angels traded for him in 1999, but he was released in 2003. The Angels re-signed him last June.

BROK BUTCHER

Rancho Cucamonga; Class A

Butcher, a 25th-round draft pick from Oxnard College in 2005, is turning into a gem. He pitched six scoreless innings Friday night, lowering his earned-run average to a California League-leading 0.96. He is 3-2 for the season and has not given up more than two earned runs in any appearance. He has held opponents scoreless in five of his eight appearances. A 6-foot-1 right-hander, Butcher has a fastball that tops out in the low 90s, but with good movement, and he’s given up only 40 hits in 47 innings. He also features a hard slider and a good changeup, and his 31/10 strikeout/walk ratio indicates he has good command of all three pitches.