With the ball rolling out of bounds as time expired, Houston's Adam Moffat nailed the Revs' Pat Phelan. Reis, who was pursuing the ball, watched as his teammate dropped to the ground. He then reacted in the way any teammate would and shoved Moffat in the face.

The benches soon cleared, but not before Moffat and Reis got some words in toward each other.

After the game, it was announced that Reis had received a red card for the play. Moffat received his second yellow of the game, resulting in a red. Under MLS rules, both players are ineligible to play in their team's next game.

"Nobody deserves to get red cards," coach Steve Nicol said before learning of Reis' red card. "It was just a lot of huffing and puffing."

Reis had a great game Wednesday night against Houston, completely laying out to make some outstanding plays.

"Reis showed he's the best goalie in the league," teammate A.J. Soares said. "Everyone does a good job, he does a great job."

Unfortunately for the Revs, that great player will be absent Saturday against the Red Bulls.

Now, you can't blame Nicol for the decision. With a young team, it's clearly easier to ask your players to defend the goal and clear the ball, as opposed to asking them to add an insurance score — which could result in a costly mistake.

Regardless, that mistake came in the 90th minute when Dynamo defenseman Bobby Boswell recovered a corner kick off New England goalie Matt Reis and tapped it into the open net.

Minutes earlier, veteran defenseman Ryan Cochrane – who scored the Revs' lone goal — had to exit the game with an apparent injury. That veteran presence — and Cochrane's size against a tall team — was suddenly gone as New England looked to close out the game.

"He's a leader off the field," fellow defender A.J. Soares said after the game. "It's a bummer [he had to exit]."

Yet, Nicol was quick to dismiss the fact that the teams' size differential or Cochrane's absence played a role in the final score.

"With a team that big, throwing the ball in, it's not only about headers," Nicol explained after the game. "It's about putting bodies in the right place, and we didn't do that.

"To lose, it sticks in your throat."

The coach did acknowledge that Cochrane was suffering from some dizziness from a banged head, and Cochrane also confirmed the injury.

"I had blurry vision," he said. "I couldn't shake it."

The symptoms that the defender mentioned suggest a mild concussion. The Revs were close to pulling off the win until Cochrane exited, and it's clear they'll need the 28-year-old if they hope to pull off a win Saturday against the Red Bulls.

Final: Revolution 1, Dynamo 1

Adam Moffat nailed Pat Phelan as the ball rolled out of bounds with time expiring. Reis, who was running after the ball, shoved Moffat in retaliation, and the benches soon cleared.

Reis and Moffat got at it a bit, with Reis shoving Moffat right in the face. Order was restored and the game ended as a 1-1 tie.

Disappointing result for the Revs, who held the lead for nearly all 90 minutes. A late flukey Houston goal tied the testy game, which saw plenty of shoves from both sides. 

Matt Reis is surely the player of the game with some excellent saves. The late goal he allowed was the result of poor luck — the shot bounced off his chest, rolling right to the feet of the Dynamo's Boswell.

Well, that's it for tonight. Thanks for reading, and check out NESN.com for continued Revs coverage.

Extra Time: Benny Feilhaber got a free kick, but the ball was headed out of bounds.

Houston's Jermaine Taylor just received a caution.

90th Minute: Dynamo goal!

A Houston corner was headed in front of the net off Matt Reis. The ball hit off his chest and dropped at the feet of Bobby Boswell, who easily chipped it in.

89th Minute: Revs controlling it on offense right now, not allowing the Dynamo offense to get a foot on the ball.

86th Minute: Kenny Mansally rushed to head a ball out of bounds. He lost balance, and his face slid across the concrete where the turf ends.

He got up with no visible wounds.

85th Minute: As expected, the Revs are trying to capitalize on every push or shove. The Revs keep falling to the ground, hoping to waste away the clock.

82nd Minute: A little skirmish there. Benny Feilhaber went to grab a dead ball, and Houston's Bobby Boswell knocked the ball out of Benny's hands. Benny, meanwhile, was knocked to the ground.

Boswell got a caution for the play.

Meanwhile, Carlo Costly just got into it a bit with Matt Reis.

With 10 minutes left, I'm willing to stay an extra five for a sweet fight.

80th Minute: Subs: (Dynamo) Calen Carr in, Hunter Freeman out

78th Minute: Subs: (Revs) Stephen McCarthy in, Milton Caraglio out

Houston's Adam Moffat just earned a yellow card and a caution for a dirty trip on the Rev's Shalrie Joseph.

75th Minute: Subs: (Revs) Pat Phelan in, Ryan Cochrane out.

Word here in the box is suggesting that Cochrane might be hurt. He is walking gingerly off the field.

It was Cochrane's goal in the 4th minute that made the score 1-0.

72nd Minute: With the substitutions, you'd expect the big, energized Houston squad to make a rush. Instead, the Revs have kept forcing offsides and have controlled the ball in the opposition's side of the field. Should be an interesting final 20.

69th Minute: Subs: (Dynamo) Carlo Costly in, Brian Ching out

66th Minute: Almost a serious mistake by Reis. A goal kick went right to a Houston defender, who passed it up to a wide-open teammate. The play was called offsides, though.

62nd Minute: Reis made another diving save and, in the process, slammed his shoulder into the poll. He stayed down for a moment, but got up looking alright.

Caraglio got a yellow card a moment ago, and Houston's Hunter Freeman just got a yellow, as well.

60th Minute: Houston's Andre Hainault had some issues with the Revs' Kenny Mansally, and the two got in each other's faces for a moment.

Subs: (Revs) Zack Schilawski in, Chris Tierney out
Subs: (Dynamo) Alex Dixon in, Je-Vaughn Watson out 

57th Minute: Feilhaber deflected a shot off his head, sending the ball flying into the air. It landed in front of the Revs net, and the ball quickly got shot. No surprise, though, Matt Reis came up with another huge save.

55th Minute: New England's Milton Caraglio had a brief breakaway and tried to push it towards a teammate, but Houston came away with it.

52nd Minute: Houston's Watson got the ball toward the right side of the Revs goal and tried to cross it to Brian Ching. Instead, a swarm of Revs defenders came and recovered it.

49th Minute: Cam Weaver managed to out-strengthen Soares to get a shot off in front of the net. Luckily for the Revs, it soared over.

47th Minute: Dynamo had a shot from about 30-feet away, but it was right at Reis.

45th Minute: As the second half is set to begin, let's check out some of the numbers from the first half.

When discussing the Revs' performance in the first half, one can view it with a glass half full or a glass half empty.

New England leads 1-0 and has forced four offsides and eight fouls. The Revs defense has constantly looked to clear the ball, and goalie Matt Reis has had a couple of incredible saves.

Meanwhile, the Revolution have been outshot 8-5, have allowed six corners and (if the stat was available) would probably be trailing in time of possession. None of those stats matter if the Revs can manage to keep it out of the back of their own net.

Second half is underway.

Halftime: Revs 1, Houston 0

The Revolution defense has looked solid so far, but they've also had to rely on goalie Matt Reis a bit too much.

The 36-year-old veteran has come up with some timely saves, literally fully extending to get to some shots.

Toward the end of the half, the powerful Houston squad seemed to be taking advantage of the smaller — but quicker — New England team. Their size difference has truly become a key of the game.

We'll be back shortly for the second half.

44th Minute: Last play was actually called offsides.

44th Minute: Cam Weaver somehow missed a wide-open net. Jermaine Taylor had a perfect pass to Weaver, who forced the ball right over the goal. Nice break for the Revs.

39th Minute: Houston's Cameron got what looked like a perfect header off a corner, but Reis again came up with the big save. 

34th Minute: Revs' A.J. Soares was down for a moment, but managed to get up and continue playing.

Houston's Geoff Cameron, a URI alum and Attleboro, Mass. native, was chasing a ball toward the net with a chance to score. Reis charged, though, and got the save.

32nd Minute: Some close chances for the Dynamo. Brian Ching first had a nice shot that was cleared by the Revs, and Ching then had a nice no-look pass that set up a teammate perfectly. The ball ended up rolling out of bounds, though.

30th Minute: A Houston cross was cleared by Tierney. Good aggressiveness from the Revs. They've been battling for every possession.

25th Minute: Houston's Geoff Cameron had a great cross from the left side, placing it perfectly at the head of Watson. Matt Reis jumped up to force the ball over the net.

A moment later, Reis dove and saved an Adam Moffat bullet.

Reis is coming up big so far in this match.

21st Minute: Revs defense has looked great so far. They forced Dynamo forward Cam Weaver to an offsides call. Weaver had scored on the play and showed clear disappointment with the call.

16th Minute: After the teams switch possessions, Milton Caraglio found an open shot outside the box. He pulled the trigger, but the shot proved to be too weak. Houston keeper Hall made the grab.

12th Minute: Houston attempted a header off a corner, but Reis came up with the save.

10th Minute: Tierney tried to fool defenders on the right side of the box. He tried to get it in front of the goal, but it rolled out of bounds.

10th Minute: New England's been doing all they can to keep the ball toward the opponents end. They've continually cleared it out of their defensive end, forcing Houston to come up big on defense.

5th minute: Revs defender Kevin Alston happened to be standing toward the right side of his own goal to knock a shot away with his feet.

Had he not been there, I'm not sure Matt Reis would have had that one.

4th minute: Revs score!

A Revolution shot pulled Houston goalie Tally Hall out of the net. The ball ended up at the feet of Revs defender Ryan Cochrane, who tapped it in for the first goal of the game.

Cochrane, certainly an unlikely goal scorer, knocked in his first of the season.

2nd minute: Revs get a free kick from outside the box. 

Chris Tierney had an excellent kick over the wall and out of the reach of the goalie, but it went off the post.

8:05 p.m.: The National Anthem followed by Eminem's "Lose Yourself" can only mean one things — it's game time.

The team's are preparing to take the field and the game should be starting any moment now.

7:50 p.m.: Disappointing moment here at Gillette — for me at least. 

A young fan won the chances to score a goal through a small hole in one of the nets. I thought he had a good chance to make it in — but he whiffed completely. He looked fairly athletic, but the ball still rolled harmlessly past.

I also think — or thought — the Revs had a good chance to win the game tonight. Let's hope my prediction doesn't go the same way as my prediction for the young fan.

7:25 p.m. ET: We're about 30 minutes from the start of the game as the Revs meet up against familiar foe, the Houston Dynamo. The Revs faced off against Houston during the 2005 and 2006 Cup Finals.

It's fun to see familiar faces return to Gillette, and that's the case with Dynamo assistant coach Steve Ralston. Ralston holds the MLS record for career assists.

The starting lineup for the Revs sees a couple changes. After playing 79 minutes on Saturday, rookie Stephen McCarthy is not starting against Houston Wednesday. Pat Phelan, who had an assist Saturday, is also not in the starting lineup.

Without further ado, the Revs lineup:

GK Matt Reis
D Kevin Alston 
D Darrius Barnes
D Ryan Cochrane
D A.J. Soares
M Zak Boggs
M Shalrie Joseph 
M Benny Feilhaber
M Chris Tierney 
F Kenny Mansally
F Milton Caraglio

and the subs:

GK Bobby Shuttleworth
M Diego Fagundez
M Ryan Guy
M Stephen McCarthy
M Pat Phelan
F Zack Schilawski
M Andrew Sousa

For Houston:

GK Toby Hall
D Hunter Freeman
D Bobby Boswell
D Andrew Hainault
D Jermaine Taylor
M Je-Vaughn Watson
M Adam Moffat
M Geoff Cameron
M Brad Davis
F Brian Ching
F Cam Weaver

and their subs:

GK Tyler Deric
M Corey Ashe
F Calen Carr
M Alex Dixon
F Carlo Costly
D Eddie Robinson
D Kofi Sarkodie 

10 a.m. ET: It's been almost a month since the New England Revolution pulled out a victory, and a win at home Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo is sorely needed.

New England currently stands a point ahead of Chicago for last place in the Eastern Conference. The squad will be facing off against a Houston team that currently sits tied for third in the Eastern standings.

The Revs are coming off a 3-1 loss to conference-leading Columbus on Saturday. New England was leading 1-0 after a Benny Feilhaber goal right before the break, but completely fell apart in the second half. The Crew scored twice within a five minute span, pulling off the win.

I'll be blogging the game starting with the kick-off at 8:00 p.m, and check back here later for starting lineups.

The Revolution found itself up by one during the 2006 MLS Cup Finals after Taylor Twellman scored a goal in the 113th minute. With the opportunity to take New England by storm, the Revs watched as Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching headed a ball past Matt Reis to force penalty kicks.

The Dynamo would go on to win the game and the MLS championship.

Five years later, the Revs find themselves at the bottom of the conference as they prepare for their Wednesday night match against Houston.

While fans at Gillette Stadium expect perfection from the New England Patriots, at the beginning of the decade, the Revs looked poised to equal — if not exceed — the Pats' accomplishments.

The Revolution made six straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, advancing to the Cup Finals four times, including a three-year span from 2005-2007. In '05, the squad lost 1-0 to Los Angeles in the Finals, but in the following two years, the team was expected to win it all.

While the Revolution are certainly used to playing second fiddle to its big brother at Gillette, as well as the trio of other Boston pro teams, the team had an opportunity to grab hold of the city in 2006. While the other four teams struggled to make a playoff push, the Revs cruised to the Finals, where, as mentioned, they suffered defeat.

A Finals rematch the following year still failed to result in a Revolution championship — which was an even more heartbreaking result the second time around.

The Revs made conference semifinals appearances in '08 and '09, but failed to advance beyond that point. After a sixth-place finish last season, the 2011 squad bears little resemblance to the near-championship squads of years past.

On Wednesday night, though, the man who forced penalty kicks in the '06 Finals will be captain of the opposition.

While the match doesn't possess the drama and importance of that championship game, it's no doubt a reminder of what was, and a New England victory would bring some satisfaction to those Revs who failed to take New England by storm on that fateful day.

In the video below, as discovered by Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog, players from Avangard Omsk (AO) and Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (NN) of the Russian KHL get tangled up in what may be the worst hockey fight ever.

In the white is Dmitry Ryabykin of AO, a 35-year-old defenseman who was drafted 45th overall in the 1994 draft by the Calgary Flames. Ryabykin never played a game in the NHL.

In the blue is Evgeny Lapenkov, a 27-year-old whose claim to fame is probably the video below.

Now, it isn't very easy to declare a winner in the skirmish. Accompanied by the background music, it wouldn't be surprising if someone actually mistook the fight for a dance battle — in which case, blue definitely takes it.

To see the, uh, "fight", check out the video below.

Despite being nailed by a line drive off his leg from Mets outfielder Angel Pagan in the third inning, Marquis would continue pitching into the fourth. After plunking Josh Thole a few batters into the inning, Marquis dropped to the ground.

After the game, it was revealed that Marquis had sustained a fractured right fibula, shelving him for four to six weeks. It’s a tough break for the D-backs, who acquired the 32-year-old before the deadline in the hopes that he’d provide stability to their rotation.

“I thought it was just a normal bruise — with swelling and tightness — and I felt like the pain was enough to deal with to stay out there and pitch,” Marquis said after the game. ”Obviously, on that last pitch to Thole, pushing off, I just felt something pop.

“The doctor was saying he believes the bone in my leg broke on the line drive … He said [pushing off] pretty much completed the fibula break, so it is what it is.”

Ironically, Marquis’ manager, Kirk Gibson, is perhaps best known for tolerating an injury during the 1988 World Series. Marquis’ performance may not go down in baseball history quite like Gibson’s has — he allowed a home run a few batters after being hit — but it’s still a testament to the right-hander’s toughness.

To see Marquis’ final pitch of the night, check out the video below.

The Associated Press reports that Michael Obi has not been seen since leaving work at 6 p.m. on Friday evening, according to federal police spokesman Olusola Amore. Plateau State police commissioner Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni told the AP that he disappeared from Jos, the capital of Plateau State, where Mikel was born.

The 24-year-old soccer player took to television on Monday to plead for his father's safe return.

"I have always tried to help the country in every way I can, playing for the country, serving the country. This is the time for the country to help me in this situation," Mikel told Sky Sports News. "I am just going to say, whoever has got my dad, whoever knows where my dad is, should please contact me and hopefully he should be released."

Despite the incident, Mikel still played in his team's match against Stoke City.

"Mikel was informed by his manager prior to the Stoke v Chelsea match and decided to play so as not to let down his team and family," Sport Entertainment and Media Group, Mikel's management company, said on Twitter.

Plateau State has had thousands of casualties over recent years due to religious and ethnic violence protesting mostly political and economic issues. Still, the kidnappings in the state pale in comparison to those in southern Nigeria, where foreigners are often kidnapped for a ransom.

In June, Forbes magazine listed Mikel as the seventh highest-paid African player playing in Europe at $5.8 million a year.

The Liverpool manager revealed that the team's principal owner, John Henry, has encouraged additional spending before the transfer deadline, according to the Liverpool Daily Post.

"I'm not under pressure to sell," Dalglish said. "We are under more pressure to get somebody in. The owners have been fantastic and there is no pressure in any way, shape or form."

The team appeared to have a couple needs following its 1-1 tie to Sunderland on Saturday, but Dalglish attributed the results to playing his entire roster during the pre-season, tiring them all out.

"We had to be fair to everybody we have on the books and we gave them all a reasonable opportunity to get themselves fit and to prove they were worthy of a game," Dalglish said.

"I don't see any reason why that is not the correct way to go about things."

Even if the manager thinks his team's underwhelming opener wasn't a sign that Liverpool needs more additions, he'll have an ample amount of money to spend regardless of need.

The Boston Red Sox stuck around the top of the standings for the majority of the 1991 season, pulling within a half-game of first place on Sept. 21. The Sox would go 3-11 the rest of the way, though, and and finished seven games out. Two days after the season concluded, manager Joe Morgan was fired. He was later replaced by former Red Sox third baseman Butch Hobson.

The team's big off-season move, 35-year-old designated hitter Jack Clark, ended up leading a powerless offense. His 28 home runs accounted for more than a fifth of the team's total. On July 30, Carlos Quintana tied a major-league record with six RBIs in one inning. The first baseman slugged a grand slam and a two-run double off former Sox starter Oil Can Boyd.

Earlier that same evening, pitcher Jeff Gray suffered a stroke in the team's clubhouse. The reliever had a 2.34 ERA through 61 innings, but would never play in the majors again.

Roger Clemens was awarded the American League Cy Young after posting 18 wins, 2.62 ERA and 241 strikeouts.

Prior to the season, the team clubhouse received a new weight room and multipurpose room. In May, Harvard defeated Boston College in 10 innings to win the baseball Beanpot championship. An Old-Timers' game featuring legends Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio was played a few weeks later.

For more information on Fenway Park, visit Fenway Park 100.

"We don't believe you, Mr. Longoria," we can imagine the officers saying, "Ricky Williams no longer lives in Florida."

In March, the rented home of Rays teammates Longoria, David Price and Reid Brignac was robbed. The three were sharing a home in Port Charlotte, Fla., during spring training.

Recently, cops announced arrests in connection with the crime and reported that they were able to recover the stolen goods. Among them were watches, computers, an Xbox 360, Longoria's AK-47 and a container of pot.

"We've decided, obviously, the three of us as a group and the organization as a whole, to just let the police do their job and us to keep that to ourselves," Longoria said prior to Friday's game against the Yankees. "We're just not going to make a comment."

No, the eccentric pitcher did not throw anything — except maybe his career down the drain. Instead, the fiery righty told friends he was retiring following the Cubs' 10-4 loss to Atlanta, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Zambrano's locker was empty after the game.

The righty lasted 4-plus innings in the start, allowing eight runs on eight hits. He was ejected in the fifth after throwing at Chipper Jones. Jones had nailed a three-run homer earlier in the game.

After the game, manager Mike Quade hinted that the pitcher may not retire, but may be running himself out of Chicago, regardless.

"He didn't have it tonight," Quade said after the game. "I'm really disappointed. His locker is empty. I don't know where he's at. He walked out on 24 guys that are battling their [butts] off for him. I don't know where he's gone or what he's doing. I heard he's retired, or talking about retiring.

"I can't have a guy walking out on 24 guys, that's for damn sure."

"I figured he's just decided he's had enough," he continued. "I have too much respect for the rest of the guys in this room to worry. It's on him now, and whatever he wants to do, whatever he's going to do, I guess he's made up his mind because he didn't stick around and tell anybody about it."

Longtime teammate Aramis Ramirez expressed surprise at the supposed retirement.

"I've never seen that before, someone just get [ticked] off and leave and retire," Ramirez said after the game. "I've been around for awhile. Even with him, players don't do that. He's been playing for awhile. He knows anyone can have a bad game, a bad week, a bad month. It happens to everybody."

The Ravens improved their offense by dealing a fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for wide receiver Lee Evans. The eight-year pro figures to be the team's second receiver behind Pro-Bowler Anquan Boldin.

Evans had less than 600 yards in 13 games during the 2010-11 season. His most productive season came in 2006, when he caught for 1,292 yards and eight touchdowns.

"We're excited about getting Lee Evans," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday. "He's a proven player in this league, and a quality person who will fit in well on our team."

For those who haven't heard the story, here's how it went down, according to the New York Post.

Five minutes after takeoff, Vietze staggered a few rows ahead to where an 11-year-old girl was sitting by herself. Vietze — who, mind you, is only 18 years old — proceeded to take a leak on what he presumably thought was a urinal, but was actually the 11-year-old girl's leg. The girl's father, returning from the bathroom, cursed out Vietze as the skier explained to fellow passengers that he had had an "accident."

He later admitted to police that he consumed eight alcoholic beverages prior to the flight.

"I was drunk, and I did not realize I was [urinating] on her leg," the 6-foot-4 Vietze later told police, according to sources.

Well, at least he didn't intend on peeing on the girl's leg. Still, Vietze was dismissed from the U.S. ski team on Friday and faces up to a year in prison for indecent exposure.

In the commercial, Pierce catches a football, baseball and soccer ball — showing fundamental skills in two of the three sports. Later, Pierce shows his knowledge in the classroom, particularly in science.

To see the C's captain goofing around, check out the video below.

The two-time Pro Bowler revealed Tuesday that he played the second-half of the season, including the Packers' journey to a championship, on a broken leg, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

"I don't make a big deal of it," Matthews said Tuesday. "[It happened] some time in the middle of the season. You can't do anything about it. I was just taking practices off and showing up on gameday and giving it my all."

The linebacker finished the regular season with 13.5 sacks and added 3.5 more during the postseason. In the Super Bowl, Matthews had three tackles and a forced fumble.

The 36-year-old, who hasn't pitched in the majors this season after pitching the 2010 season in Baltimore, will replace injured pitcher Juan Nicasio and start in Cincinnati. Millwood was granted his release from the Red Sox on Sunday and signed with Colorado soon after.

After going 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA in 2010, Millwood signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees this offseason. After opting out in May, Millwood signed with the Red Sox and joined Triple-A Pawtucket. With Pawtucket, Millwood went 6-2 with a 4.68 ERA in 82-plus innings.

Millwood said that even he was surprised by how quickly things came about with the Rockies.

"This kind of came out of nowhere for me," Millwood told MLB.com. "I had heard a little bit about this becoming a possibility on Saturday. Then I left Sunday to go home and that's kind of when it all happened. I was going home to Gainesville, Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta. I was going home and living my life. I kind of had come to the point where I was OK with it."

The squad capitalized on a five-run second inning en route to an 8-0 win over Rhode Island on Monday night.

Ryan Hall only had one hit for New Hampshire, but the second baseman still came up big with three RBIs. First baseman Cameron Bond also had two RBIs for New Hampshire.

Starter Colby St. Pierre earned the win, allowing no runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out five in five innings of work. Dakota Mulcay struck out two in the sixth to close the game out.

New Hampshire improves to 3-0 in the region, while Rhode Island’s representative, Cumberland America, falls to 1-1.

Massachusetts 17, Vermont 1 (Four Innings)
Massachusetts got its first win in region play with a convincing 17-1 victory over Vermont. The Andover, Mass., squad was led by Michael Reilly and Sam Conte, who each slugged home runs in the win. Reilly also led the offense with six RBIs.

The game was called after four innings. Vermont’s representative, Barre Community, fell to 0-3.

Connecticut 10, Maine 1
Connecticut proved that they could compete with New Hampshire for a run at the region championship. The Fairfield, Conn., Little League team defeated the representative from Maine, Yarmouth, 10-1 Monday.

Connor Lynch led the way for Connecticut with three RBIs. Jack Oricoli, Grant Carnemark and Jon Annuzzi each homered in the win.

Brendan Layne got the victory for Connecticut, allowing four hits over three-plus innings. The win improved Connecticut to 2-1, while Maine dropped to 1-2.

A. The 2011-12 NBA season
B. No season, but Dwight Howard in Celtics’ green come the 2012-13 season.

Seems like a ridiculous hypothetical, but believe it or not, the NBA lockout may have a direct influence on the dominating center heading to Boston.

If the dispute is resolved and there ends up being a 2011-12 season, the Celtics’ chance of landing Howard is greatly reduced. While many of the teams pursuing the five-time All-Star seem to possess the assets to acquire Howard in a trade, the Celtics do not. It’s doubtful Orlando would want aging stars like Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and it’s unlikely that the Celtics would include point guard Rajon Rondo in any discussions for the defending Defensive Player of the Year.

That leaves Jeff Green (assuming he stays with the Celtics), Avery Bradley and JaJuan Johnson as the only valuable, available trade chips the C’s have. There’s no way that package would compare to the Lakers offering Andrew Bynum or even the Nets dangling young center Brook Lopez.

It’s likely that if Howard is traded, he won’t reach free agency. If he’s swapped to another team, expect that team to sign him to an extension — or at least have a deal in place. No team would risk trading young assets without knowing Howard would re-sign.

The Magic would also have an opportunity to make a trade for an impact player to play besides Howard. There were rumors of Chris Paul heading to Orlando last summer, but those talks have seemed to cool.

Aside from trades, the Magic would have exclusive rights to negotiate with Howard throughout the season, something other teams wouldn’t have the opportunity to do until the offseason.

Therefore, without an NBA lockout, the Celtics would need to hope that Howard isn’t traded or signed by the Magic prior to him reaching free agency. It seems unlikely he’d get that far, considering Orlando’s desire to either keep him or get compensation. If the Magic believe they have no shot at re-signing him, they’ll likely ship him off.

But with an NBA lockout and no 2011-12 season, the Celtics’ chances of landing the second coming of Superman would increase. There’s no telling what the next collective bargaining agreement may look like, but it’s almost insignificant in regards to the C’s pursuit of Howard.

With no NBA season, the Magic would be unable to trade their star, resulting in Howard reaching free agency. Considering he’s the most dominant center — if not player — in the league, it’d be silly for him to not test free agency waters.

That’s where the C’s benefit.

The Lakers and Dallas Mavericks may have the pieces to trade for Howard and the money to lure him to a long-term extension, but come the 2012 offseason, neither team would have enough cap room to get him as a free-agent.

So then it comes down to the teams with the cap room. Assuming every team with space would throw a maximum contract at Howard, it wouldn’t be a matter of a bidding war. It would instead come down to Howard’s decision of which opportunity is best for him.

Plenty of teams may have the room under the cap to acquire Howard, but the center is surely considering two things: a team’s market and a team’s chance to win now and in the future. Taking those two things into account, two teams would appear most likely to sign the franchise player: the New Jersey (Brooklyn) Nets and the Boston Celtics. Boston and Brooklyn are comparable in marketability for Dwight, so we can assume that the decision comes down to Howard’s best opportunity to win.

In New Jersey, Howard would team up with superstar point guard Deron Williams (assuming the Nets re-sign him). The team would have little remaining space left under the cap to fill out the roster, though, meaning coach Avery Johnson would be throwing out the likes of Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow and Damion James to play crucial minutes. Yikes.

Meanwhile, Howard would come to Boston with the potential to team up with Paul Pierce, Rondo and Green. Assuming Delonte West sticks around — he appears to like Boston, and coach Doc Rivers appears to like him — we’re looking at an initial roster of:

• Point Guard: Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley
• Shooting Guard: Delonte West, E’Twaun Moore
• Small Forward: Paul Pierce
• Power Forward: Jeff Green, JaJuan Johnson
• Center: Dwight Howard

The Celtics could capitalize on Pierce and Green’s versatility to squeeze Johnson into the starting lineup if need be. Also, it’s easy to forget that the two players whose expiring salaries allow this signing to happen — Allen and Garnett — could still be valuable in 2012, especially if they’re only relied on as number four or five options.

You don’t think that Allen, who has made nearly $170 million in his career, or Garnett, who has made more than $270 million in his career, would be willing to take a deal worth $5 million to stick around? Assuming that Bird Rights are still included in the next collective bargaining agreement, Boston would be allowed to exceed the salary cap to re-sign these two. Take into account that the duo just got to rest for an entire season, and Boston may be celebrating Banner 18.

Everyone likely wants to avoid a season-long lockout. The C’s have a unique opportunity to capitalize on the work stoppage, though, and acquire that key piece for a potential dynasty.

Alex Rodriguez

That will be the extent of the games A-Rod will miss, as MLB has decided not to suspend the All-Star third baseman amid allegations that he participated in an illegal poker game, the New York Post reports.

While MLB certainly frowns upon players gambling — Rodriguez had already received a warning from the league in 2005 — the league decided that unless Rodriguez admits to more serious allegations, his card-playing ways are not enough to ban the star.

"Even if it is determined that he was [playing illegal poker], he will not be suspended at this time for this infraction," a source told the New York Post. "He will be warned again and not lightly."

Rodriguez will receive a "serious" warning, and MLB will reportedly look to add language to the next collective bargaining agreement that prevents players from participating in illegal underground poker games.

Sources had placed Rodriguez at a Beverly Hills poker game where, among the allegations, a fight broke out and cocaine was used. Rodriguez apparently held another one of the games at his Miami home, where a participant brought "thugs" to intimidate the others. Actors Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon have also been tied to the poker ring.

Rodriguez has yet to meet with MLB officials, but his spokesman said "he looks forward" to the meetings. Rodriguez declined to discuss the allegations while rehabbing last week, but has denied participating.

ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reports the New England Patriots have signed defensive end Shaun Ellis to a one-year deal. The deal is pending a physical, which is expected to be completed by Sunday night.

Ellis has played his entire career for the New York Jets since being drafted 12th overall in 2000. The 34-year-old has only missed six games in his entire career, resulting in 72.5 career sacks, a total that ranks third in Jets history.