But this offseason, as the Red Sox work to get back to contending, they can take a page from the Orioles' book. The Birds have the 18th-highest payroll in baseball at just over $80 million. Dan Duquette has built a playoff contender for under nine figures, with a lot of one-year deals. 

The Red Sox have money to spend. If they spend wisely, they will be back in the playoff race next September, instead of hunting for top-10 draft picks.

Final, Orioles 9-1: This game was over in the first inning. The Orioles are playing like a club on a mission. The Red Sox are playing like a club on a mission to get to Club Med.

Chris Tillman delivers a gem and picks up his ninth win this season and 16th career victory. The 24-year-old right-hander from Anaheim, who has a $417,000 salary this year, could make a name for himself this October and earn himself a big raise.

Aaron Cook takes his 11th loss of the season.

Ryan Flaherty, the pride of Portland, Maine, is the player of the game after going 2-for-4 with a double, home run, five RBIs and two runs scored.

Only five more games for the 2012 Red Sox. If they were a racehorse, they already would have been put down.

Game 158 is Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Steve Johnson gets the call for Baltimore. Felix Doubront takes the hill for Boston.

9:29 p.m.: Hardy makes a great play in the hole to throw out Iglesias. The Orioles' shortstop has made only six errors this season. Baltimore doesn't have many holes on its team.

9:28 p.m.: Tillman will have to wait for his first complete game. Troy Patton is pitching the ninth.

Final line for Tillman: 8 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, 100 pitches, 68 strikes. With more outings like this, the right-hander will be adding plenty of CGs to the back of his baseball card.

End 8th, Orioles 9-1: Hallelujah. Bard finishes the inning unscathed. He throws 19 pitches, 11 strikes, and walks one. That's a positive step for the right-hander.

9:24 p.m.: Homer Bailey has a no-hitter through eight innings against the Pirates.

9:18 p.m.: Daniel Bard relieves Beato. Fasten your seat belt.

Beato did a nice job. His line: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, 25 pitches, 16 strikes.

Mid 8th, Orioles 9-1: Another 1-2-3 inning from Tillman. That's 14 Red Sox batters in a row retired by the right-hander. Red Sox still have only one hit, a leadoff bunt by Podsednik in the first inning. Tillman's start has been as good as Cook's was bad.

End 7th, Orioles 9-1: Pedro Beato shuts down the Birds.

9:07 p.m.: The crowd at Camden is growing. The NFL has provided replacement refs to protect the goal posts in case Orioles fans choose to rush the field.

Mid 7th, Orioles 9-1: Tillman has thrown 93 pitches through seven innings, 62 strikes. He's two innings away from his first career complete game.

9:04 p.m.: Random question. Why is the number of games needed to clinch a playoff spot called a magic number?

End 6th, Orioles 9-1: No more damage done by the Orioles, but haven't they done enough already? Let's hope Aaron Cook can get some sleep before Christmas.

Baltimore's magic number to lock up a wild-card slot is four. If the Oriles hold on to beat the Red Sox (hold your laughter), the Birds' magic number will be three.

Final line for Aceves: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 K, 54 pitches, 37 strikes. The effort started with so much promise but ends with too many crooked numbers. The silver lining? We may have the makings of a fortune cookie fortune.

Mid 6th, Orioles 9-1: Stop me if you've heard this one before: one-two-three inning for Red Sox.

End 5th, Orioles 9-1: Scratch that thought about putting Aceves in the Red Sox' rotation in 2013. He's too erratic. Boston needs steadiness next year.

8:40 p.m.: Orioles add another run. Camden crowd is dancing in the stands. Alfredo Aceves is hitting the showers. So much for being lights out.

8:39 p.m.: Make that 8-1 Orioles. Baltimore is 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. That will get the job done. Boston is 0-for-1. No comment.

8:37 p.m.: In case you're wondering why Matt Wieters isn't in the lineup for the Orioles, he and his wife, Maria, welcomed a baby boy, Maverick, to the world early this morning. Congratulations.

8:37 p.m.: Orioles strike again. Baltimore 7, Boston 1.

Mid 5th, Orioles 6-1: Take away the first inning, and we have a 0-0 pitchers' duel. Baseball. What a game. America. What a country. Baseball in America. What a pastime.

End 4th, Orioles 6-1: Aceves is living up to the "Ace" in his name. Through three innings, he's allowed no runs on two hits with three strikouts.

Sure, Aceves is a wild card, but he can pitch. Maybe the Red Sox should consider putting him in the rotation in 2013.

8:23 p.m.: Watch out, WNBA. The Bikini Basketball League is about to start soon. We have visual evidence.

Mid 4th, Orioles 6-1: Jason Varitek is the Red Sox' new special assistant to the GM. He might want to start swinging a bat and get loose. Don't know if he could help Boston's offense, but he couldn't hurt.

8:08 p.m.: The Orioles acquired Tillman from the Mariners in the five-for-one Erik Bedard trade in 2008. Baltimore also received Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Tony Butler and Kam Mickolio in the deal. Safe to conclude the O's won that trade. Wasn't a shining moment for Bill Bavasi.

End 3rd, Orioles 6-1:: Maybe Aceves should have started this game. The reliever has brought stability to the Red Sox (there's a sentence that hasn't been written in a while). After a Jim Thome single, the reliever sets the Orioles down in order.

Mid 3rd, Orioles 6-1: A Jose Iglesias flyout to right is the highlight. When that happens, file the inning under unextraordinary. Chris Tillman is making quick work of the Red Sox. 

End 2nd, Orioles 6-1: The Red Sox get the Good Aceves — for now. The right-hander cleans up Cook's mess with a double play and groundout.

Final line for Cook: 1 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 HR. Call it the Etch A Sketch Special. If memories could be erased, this outing would top the list.

Cook's ERA against the Orioles this season in four starts balloons to 11.93. Even the 1927 Yankees would have a tough time providing run support for that kind of pitching.

7:45 p.m.: That's all for Cook. His night ends after 42 pitches, 18 strikes, 11 batters and three outs. Three outs. This start won't be part of his career highlight reel.

Enter Aceves. The Camden crowd thinks about giving him a standing ovation, but doesn't want to get overconfident.

7:43 p.m.: Alfredo Aceves is warming up in the bullpen. The Orioles are salivating like the Big Bad Wolf before eating Little Red Riding Hood.

Mid 2nd, Orioles 6-1: Red Sox seem to be more interested in making tee times than grinding out at-bats.

7:37 p.m.: If Bobby Valentine does not return as Red Sox manager in 2013, Don Orsillo is open to the idea.

End 1st, Orioles 6-1: Nine batters, five hits, two home runs, six runs. Nice start. The Birds are on pace to score 54 runs. That would be a record.

7:29 p.m.: Being a pitcher can be the loneliest job in the world. Exhibit A: Cook's first inning.

Flaherty leaves the yard with a grand slam. Orioles 6, Red Sox 1. Boston's focus has shifted from playing spoiler to not getting mercy ruled.

7:20 p.m.: That was fast. Chris Davis gives Orioles a 2-1 lead with a two-run home run over the right-field fence. The ball has not landed yet, and the hit reaffirms the O's hitting code: "You hang 'em, we bang 'em."

Could be a long night for Aaron Cook — or short night. Depends on your concept of time.

7:18 p.m.: First "Let's Go O's" chant of the night begins. Smart money says it won't be the last.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Boston strikes first by thinking little. One hit, one run. Podsednik crosses home on Dustine Pedroia's sac fly. Cue the KFC "Little Is New Big" commercial.

7:12 p.m.: Bunt. Error. Sacrifice bunt. Sacrifice fly. Run. Red Sox play small ball to take a 1-0 lead.

7:08 p.m.: Game time.

Scott Podsednik lays down a bunt single and gets to second on an errant throw by Ryan Flaherty.

6:50 p.m.: A year ago today, the Red Sox and Orioles played Game 162 of the 2011 season. Baltimore won that game 4-3 to ensure Boston missed the playoffs. The loss also completed the most epic collapse in baseball history. The Red Sox return to the scene of the crime looking to make life miserable for the Birds.

How will Friday night's #RedSoxRewind go? Use our hashtag, and join the conversation on NESN Nation.

4:17 p.m.: The Red Sox unveiled the All-Fenway Team this week. One notable player missing from the roster was Manny Ramirez.

The enigmatic left fielder helped the Red Sox win two World Series in eight seasons in Boston (2001-08) and was an All-Star every year he played in Boston. He hit .312 with 274 home runs and 868 RBIs over 1,083 career games with the Red Sox, but his body of work wasn't enough to make the cut in left field for the team of legends.

Of course, left field might be the deepest position in Red Sox history, so the three left fielders who made the All-Fenway Team aren't too shabby. Ted Williams got the starting nod (as voted by fans), Carl Yastrzemski was the first reserve, and Jim Rice was the second reserve.

Didier Morais and Ricky Doyle discussed the omission of Manny Ramirez on the All-Fenway Team on this week's Major League Baseball podcast.

3:57 p.m.: Here are the lineups for the series opener at Camden Yards.

Red Sox
Scott Podsednik, CF
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DH

Ryan Lavarnway, C

Daniel Nava, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Aaron Cook, RHP

Orioles
Nate McLouth, LF

J.J. Hardy, SS

Chris Davis, RF

Adam Jones, CF

Jim Thome, DH

Mark Reynolds, 1B

Manny Machado, 3B

Ryan Flaherty, 2B

Taylor Teagarden, C

Chris Tillman, RHP

3:40 p.m.: Rain has fallen most of the day in Boston, but Mother Nature wants to see the Red Sox and Orioles play. The forecast in Baltimore calls for 70 degrees, cloudy skies and 10-20 percent chance of precipitation.

3:22 p.m.: Jenny Dell is wrapping up her first season as NESN's Red Sox reporter. A few weeks ago, she caught up with some Red Sox fans and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia at Red Sox Fan Photo Day. Despite the team's subpar season, the event was still a big hit.

The same can be said for Jenny. Follow her on Twitter @JennyDellNESN. You never know what you could find. Here's a James Shields production in front of the Green Monster at Fenway.

Photo via Twitter @RaysJoeMaddon

1:58 p.m.: Buck Showalter deserves to win the AL Manager of the Year Award this season. A's skipper Bob Melvin and White Sox rookie Robin Ventura are in the conversation, but Showalter has turned a perennial source of shame into a dangerous contender. At the same time, Oakland and the South Siders have tasted varying measures of postseason success over the past decade. Baltimore has had nothing to celebrate in any fall since 1997.

Showalter tends to be underrated as a field general. Look beyond his career record as a manager: 1074-1016 (.514 winning percentage). At every stop of his 14-year managerial career, he has transformed a below-.500 team into an above-.500 team after one full season in charge. He accomplished the feat with the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and now the Orioles. If the Birds finish ahead of the pinstripes in the AL East, the first-place finish will be Showalter's third. If he takes home the top manager honor, the award also will be his third (he won in 1994 with the Yankees and 2004 with the Rangers).

Showalter took the reins in Baltimore in the second half of the 2010 season after a stint as an ESPN analyst (sound familiar?). He instilled a winning mentality from Day 1. Talent or no talent, the Orioles would compete every game, every inning, every pitch. Now the Fighting Showalters have a fighting chance to be one of the 10 teams that advance to the 2012 postseason.

1:19 p.m.: Six more games for the Red Sox — three against the Orioles in Baltimore, three against the Yankees in the Bronx — means six more opportunities to play spoiler.

Earlier this week, master motivator Ray Lewis reminded us that revenge is a meal best served cold.
Ravens fans at M&T Bank Stadium also unleashed the loudest chorus of "manure" Al Michaels has ever heard.

Will we see a replay of payback and profanity at the House That Cal Ripken Built?

8 a.m. ET: 2012 has been a tale of two seasons for Boston and Baltimore. While the end is near for the Red Sox (69-87), the Orioles (89-67) still have a very good chance to make the playoffs.

Entering play Friday, the Birds are one game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East and lead the wild-card race. The O's look to solidfy their postseason standing with a strong series against the Red Sox.

Baltimore has been waiting a long time to host meaningful baseball in September — 15 years, to be exact — so forget about Camden Yards being Fenway South this weekend. Orange and black will be the dominant colors in the stands. "Let's go O's" will be the preferred chant. And the home crowd could make the full house for Sunday night's Patriots-Ravens thriller look like a bridge game.

Chris Tillman (8-2, 3.08) starts for Baltimore. Aaron Cook (4-10, 5.13 ERA) goes for Boston.

Pregame coverage begins on NESN at 6 p.m. ET. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Spend a few hours with Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy on TV, and join us on the live blog for a little added value.

Adam Jones — the man who was traded for Erik Bedard — is the player of the game after going 2-for-6 with a double (37), home run (31), two RBIs and two runs. Jones is going to be a star for a long time.

Aceves falls to 3-10 in another adventure-filled outing. In the postgame news conference, Bobby Valentine explains Aceves’ unpredictable performance on the mound with a Forrest Gump reference: “It’s kind of like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

The same cannot be said about the Orioles. Every game, the Birds battle like their life is on the line. They now are 45-32 on the road and 7-1 at Fenway. At the end of the game, Orioles fans at Fenway could be heard cheering “Let’s go O’s” for the road warriors.

Baltimore goes for the sweep Sunday. Chris Tillman gets the start for the Birds against Felix Doubront. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m.

Could this be the Year of the Orioles?

You. Never. Know.

Mid 12th, Orioles 9-6: Three-run 12th for the Birds. Baltimore is three outs away from improving to 16-2 in extra-inning games and winning their sixth straight.

Aceves is on the hook to take his 10th loss. His line: 0.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 15 pitches, 11 strikes. Never a dull moment with Ace.

5:11 p.m.: The Orioles look well on their way to winning their 16th straight game in extra innings. Manny Machado hits a single off Chris Carpenter to plate Endy Chavez and give Baltimore a 9-6 lead.

You Never Know. The motto fits these Birds.

5:06 p.m.: Make that 8-6 Orioles.

Aceves hits the showers. Hide the women and children. As we walks off the mound to the Red Sox’ dugout, he mad dogs the Fenway crowd, daring them to boo him. They think better of it.

5:02 p.m.: Thome breaks the tie with a ground-rule double to give the Orioles a 7-6 lead.

Aceves should consider doing some Shakespeare in the Park. He’d be a natural with his love of drama.

4:59 p.m.: Like clockwork, the erratic Aceves delivers a dramatic moment with his first batter — giving up a double to Adam Jones. Boston’s string of consecutive Baltimore hitters retired ends at 13.

4:58 p.m.: This game could get even more interesting. Aceves is now pitching for Red Sox.

End 11th, 6-6: The Energizer Bunny has nothing on this game.

4:51 p.m.: We have an Alfredo Aceves sighting. The right-hander is warming up in the Red Sox’ bullpen. Seems like a perfect time for a Wooderson tribute. Alright, alright, alright.

On Friday, our NESN Daily poll question asked: Which Boston athlete would you most like to see on Twitter? Aceves was one of the choices, along with Dustin Pedroia, Tom Brady, Kevin Garnett and Tim Thomas. Aceves was not Mr. Popular, drawing just 4.6 percent of the votes. Pedroia was the people’s choice, garnering 33.74 percent of the votes.

Mid 11th, 6-6: No soup for the Orioles. Red Sox pitchers have retired 13 batters in a row.

4:45 p.m.: The Red Sox could help the Yankees and hurt their own 2013 draft position by beating the Birds. But in the immortal words of Herm Edwards, “you play to win the game.”

The Red Sox are professionals. Winning games is their job, even if they have been less successful this year than they — or anyone who roots for them — wanted.

End 10th, 6-6: Red Sox threaten with two runners on and two outs, but they are unable to drive a run home. Get comfortable. We could be here a while.

Mid 10th, 6-6: One-two-three inning for Andrew Bailey.

Red Sox get a chance to send Fenway crowd home happy, or less miserable. Your call.

4:22 p.m.: Overheard in the Orioles’ dugout: “We have them right where we want them.”

End 9th, 6-6: Bonus coverage. Nine innings isn’t enough. The Red Sox and Orioles head to the 10th after Luis Ayala shuts down Red Sox 1-2-3.

The O’s are confident. They have won 15 consecutive games in extra innings.

Mid 9th, 6-6: Play some MC Hammer because the Orioles can’t touch Junichi Tazawa. The Japanese right-hander continues to bring heat and sets the Orioles down in order. He strikes out two, including Jim Thome, whose eight-pitch at-battle ends with a swing and miss on a 95-mph fastball.

End 8th, 6-6: Believe and achieve. The Red Sox might not have the most talented September roster in baseball history, but they’re showing major league guts.

3:52 p.m.: The Red Sox tie the game. Repeat. The Red Sox tie the game. After a two-out double by Daniel Nava, Scott Podsednik drives him home with another double. Three-run deficit erased. Red Sox 6, Orioles 6.

Mid 8th, Orioles 6-5: Craig Breslow keeps the Orioles off the board with a 1-2-3 frame. The left-hander has been a very nice addition to Boston’s bullpen. In 20 appearances, he has a 3.12 ERA over 17 1/3 innings. He also can explain DNA sequencing. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

3:45 p.m.: Every Red Sox player on the field is auditioning for a job in 2013. They all are giving 100 percent effort and battling hard. That is great to see. Playing in the majors is a privilege, not a right.

End 7th, Orioles 6-5: The Red Sox answer the bell. They close the gap to one run on a Podsednik double, Pedro Ciriaco walk, Dustin Pedroia infield single, and pair of Cody Ross and Ryan Lavarnway groundouts/fielder’s choices.

Give the Red Sox credit. They are not rolling over for the Orioles. They are going to make the Birds earn a win. Hey, it’s the little things.

Mid 7th, Orioles 6-3: Stand up, stretch, loosen up those vocal cords, put on your rally cap and get ready for a Red Sox comeback. OK, maybe not. But the minute a person stops dreaming, they stop living. Not sure if that’s true, but sounds about right.

3:21 p.m.: Dan Duquette has had the Midas touch all year with player personnel moves. Randy Wolf is no exception.

Wolf puts the journey in journeyman. He began his career with the Phillies in 1999 and has pitched for five different teams since 2007 (Dodgers, Padres, Astros, Brewers and now Orioles). His addition to the O’s roster is the kind of move that gives credence to the notion that the Birds are a team of destiny.

The left-hander went 3-10 with a 5.69 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) for the Brewers this season. Milwaukee released him Aug. 22. Duquette signs Wolf off the scrap heap on Aug. 31, and the veteran delivers some quality innings out of the bullpen and rotation — and wins two games.

Besides the tangible benefits, Wolf also gives the Orioles a veteran mindset and leadership in the clubhouse. He’s been in playoff races before, and that experience can help the Orioles down the stretch and into October.

3:13 p.m.: Adam Jones provides another souvenir for fans in the Green Monster seats. Orioles increase their lead to 6-3. Someone should let Red Sox pitchers know that batting practice ended four hours ago.

End 6th, Orioles 5-3: Jake Arrieta picks up where Wolf left off and sets the Red Sox down in order.

3:05 p.m.: That’s all for Wolf.

Final line: 5 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 88 pitches, 49 strikes.

Wolf leaves with the lead and could win his third game with the Birds.

Mid 6th, Orioles 5-3: If the Orioles were an animal, they would be a good bull. They keep charging.

3:02 p.m.: Close the book on Cook and Hill.

Cook’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 9 H, 1 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 77 pitches, 48 strikes.

Hill’s line: 0.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K, 6 pitches, 5 strikes.

2:56 p.m. Thanks for playing, Aaron Cook. Rich Hill replaces the right-hander with two runners on and one out. Ryan Flaherty greets Hill with a first-pitch triple to center field. Chris Davis, who singled, and Manny Machado, who doubled, both score, and the Orioles take a 5-3 lead.

End 5th, 3-3: Three up, three down. The game is offical now, but there’s no tying in baseball. The show must go on.

2:43 p.m.: (Warning: Links in this entry have R-rated language.) Randy Wolf is not related to Winston Wolf, but imagine if he was. How cool would it be to have Mr. Wolf as a relative? Think of all the unique problems you could solve.

Mid 5th, 3-3: Cook has settled down and has a 1-2-3-4 inning. Wieters (who else) collects his 26th double of the season, his third hit of the game. Cook retires the other three Orioles mortals.

End 4th, 3-3: If Danny Valencia keeps hitting home runs, he will be a household name and Red Sox fan favorite in no time. He now has 25 career home runs in 999 at-bats.

2:28 p.m.: Joe Sewell was the anti-Mark Reynolds. The 5-foot-6, 155-pound shortstop/third baseman played for the Cleveland Indians (1920-30) and New York Yankees (1931-33) and struck out 114 times in 7,132 career at-bats — or one strikeout every 62.6 at-bats. That strikeout/at-bats ratio is the lowest in MLB history.

2:21 p.m.: Danny Valencia makes his presence known. Following an Aviles single, Valencia deposits a Wolf pitch over the Green Monster. The four-bagger is Valencia’s first home run with the Red Sox and third of the season (he hit two with the Twins). Boston 3, Baltimore 3.

Mid 4th, Orioles 3-1: Mark Reynolds might strike out a lot (1,109 K’s in 2,928 career ABs), but when he makes contact, the ball travels. Cook found out as Reynolds hit his 180th career jack.

2:13 p.m.: Too high? Too far. Mark Reynolds turns on an 89-mph Cook fastball and blasts a home run into the Green Monster seats to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead.

End 3rd, Orioles 2-1: The Red Sox get the first two runners on base but are unable to score. Through three innings, Randy Wolf has allowed one run on three hits.

Mid 3rd, Orioles 2-1: Dustin Pedroia turns a great unassisted double play. With the shift on for Jim Thome, Pedroia sets up in short right, and Mike Aviles gets positioned on the second-base side up the middle. The Orioles’ designated hitter hits a ground ball between Pedroia and Aviles. Pedroia hustles to his right, backhands the ball in front of Aviles, races to the second-base bag to beat Wieters, pivots, jumps, and throws to first to get Thome, who is nice enough to keep the piano on his back down the first-base line.

1:53 p.m.: Matt Wieters’ swing is smoother than Miranda Kerr’s skin.

End 2nd, Orioles 2-1: If you like groundouts, strikeouts, walks and fielder’s choices, this is your lucky day. Red Sox offense is cold today. So far.

Mid 2nd, Orioles 2-1: Cook is pitching like a Rubik’s Cube at an MIT computer lab. He isn’t fooling anybody. J.J. Hardy ends the inning by hitting a flyball to the deepest part of Fenway Park in center. Scott Podsednik makes a nice running catch while backpedaling.

The long out doesn’t bode well for Cook. If he doesn’t figure things out quick, an early trip to the showers could be in his future.

1:39 p.m.: Do you want the good news or bad news first? OK, first the bad: The Red Sox are 33-44 at Fenway Park in 2012. The good? Only three home games remaining for Red Sox after Saturday.

1:32 p.m.: Cook is off to a rough start. After a two singles and a Cook error, the Orioles regain the lead. Baltimore 2, Boston 1.

End 1st, 1-1: Anything the Orioles can do, the Red Sox can do better. Well, not really. But at least Boston gets a run to tie the game. Dustin Pedroia hits a ground-rule double to deep right. Ryan Lavarnway drives him home with a single to right.

1:26 p.m.: Red Sox even the score at one in the bottom half of the first.

Mid 1st, Orioles 1-0: One of the first rules of pitching from Little League is don’t walk the leadoff batter. Aaron Cook may have forgotten that lesson and walks Nate McLouth to open the game. The leadoff walk comes back to bite the right-hander. After drawing the free pass, McLouth steals second, moves to third on a J.J. Hardy groundout and crosses home on an Adam Jones groundout. The Orioles don’t need no stinkin’ hits to score. They know how to manufacture runs.

1:11 p.m.: No player in Saturday’s Orioles lineup is hitting .300. Look at their team hitting numbers, and few jump off the page. Entering play Saturday, the O’s rank 16th in the majors in runs (657), 22nd in batting average (.247), 23rd in on-base percentage (.312) and 13th in slugging (.414).

Their pitching numbers aren’t much more impressive. They rank 18th in the majors in ERA (3.97), 22nd in quality starts (71), 19th in WHIP (1.31) and 17th in batting average against (.277).

Add up their offense and defense, and they have minus-8 run differential (the Yankees are at plus-104).

So how are the Orioles one game out of first in the AL East? Are they the David Copperfields of baseball, winning with smoke and mirrors? Not exactly. They are 15-2 in extra-inning games (ESPN Insider subscription required) and 27-8 in one-run games.

The Birds have found a winning formula: no formula. Their motto is “You Never Know.” By winning close games, they have a chance to do more than just get to October. They could be the life of the whole party.

1:10 p.m.: Showtime.

12:49 p.m.: The Nationals are headed to the playoffs without Stephen Strasburg. The team’s handling of the star pitcher remains up for debate. Rany Jazayerli wrote a fascinating piece for Grantland on why the Nationals have made a mistake by shutting down Strasburg after 159 1/3 innings and 28 starts in his first year after Tommy John surgery.

Tommy John made 31 starts and threw 207 innings in 1976, his first season after having ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, or Tommy John surgery, as the revolutionary procedure became known. Patient Zero, John, was 33 when he had the procedure (10 years older than Strasburg) and went on to make 351 more starts in his career and throw 2,332 2/3 more innings. His 288 wins are the seventh-most by a left-handed pitcher in major league history.

Time will tell if the Nationals made the right decision on Strasburg.

12:30 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury is out of the lineup for the second straight game. He reportedly has a lat injury. Scott Boras might want to get Arnold Schwarzenegger on the horn for some advice on how to deal with sore lats. The Terminator has some experience pumping iron.

12:24 p.m.: Photo caption time. What is going on here with Bobby Valentine?

Tweet your responses to @NESN using #NESNcaption, or post your comment on the NESN Facebook page.

11:51 a.m.: The Red Sox have another different starting lineup. By unofficial count, the combination is Boston’s 983rd this season. All of the lineup shuffling has contributed to the Red Sox not finding any continuity. Injuries, trades and other extenuating circumstances are reasons for the multitude of lineups, but Bobby Valentine also hasn’t been able to settle on a preferred spot for anyone.

Take Cody Ross, for example. On Friday night, he hit cleanup. Saturday, he’s hitting third. On the season, he has batted second (one at-bat), third (14 ABs), fourth (119), fifth (161), sixth (52), seventh (72) and eighth (19). Versatility is nice. So is predictability.

Major league ballplayers are creatures of habit. They thrive on consistency and routine, doing the same thing over and over and over again: building muscle memory with practice drills, eating the same pregame meal, wearing the same socks. Hitting in the same spot in the lineup — with the same person batting ahead and behind a player — builds trust, camaraderie and chemistry. A set arrangement, or regular pattern, creates a comfort zone. The more comfortable players are, the more confidence they have, the better they perform.

September is a time for experimentation, especially for a team with 84 losses, but batting in a different place in the lineup every day doesn’t help players find a rhythm.

11:30 a.m.: Lineups. Get your lineups. Free of charge.

Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, DH
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Mike Aviles, SS
Danny Valencia, 3B
Daniel Nava, LF
Scott Podsednik, CF

Aaron Cook, RHP

Orioles
Nate Mclouth, LF
J.J. Hardy
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Jim Thome, DH
Mark Reynolds, 1B
Chris Davis, RF
Manny Machado, 3B
Ryan Flaherty, 2B

Randy Wolf, LHP

8 a.m. ET: The Orioles (86-64) are fighting for a playoff spot. The Red Sox (69-83) are fighting to avoid last place.

The Orioles are 6-1 at Fenway Park this season. The Red Sox are 4-9 against the Birds overall.

The Orioles are having a magical year. The Red Sox have had a disasterous one.

Welcome to Bizarro World.

For the first time since 1997, Boston will end a season with a losing record, and Baltimore will end a season with a winning record. That’s 15 years, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

The two sides play again Saturday at Fenway Park after the Orioles won the series opener 4-2 on Friday.

Aaron Cook (4-10, 4.93 ERA) takes the hill for Boston and will be opposed by Randy Wolf (2-0, 5.23).

Pregame coverage begins at 12 p.m. ET on NESN. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Watch the game with Don Orsilllo and Jerry Remy, and follow along with us on the live blog.

Final, Orioles 4-2:

Baltimore improves to 6-1 at Fenway Park this season (9-4 against the Red Sox overall) and remains one game back in the AL East after Russell Martin hit a walk-off home run in the Bronx to give the Yankees a 2-1 win over the A’s.

The Orioles and Red Sox play again Saturday at Fenway. Aaron Cook gets the call for Boston. Randy Wolf will start for Baltimore. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Thanks for joining us. Get some rest. See you in a few hours.

10:10 p.m.: The Red Sox have some action in the bullpen. Just in case, Clayton Mortensen begins to get loose.

Mortensen won’t be needed. Gomez strikes out to end the game. Johnson picks up his 46th save.

10:07 p.m.: Mauro Gomez pinch-hits for Iglesisas after Daniel Nava rips a two-out single. Red Sox still have a chance.

10:03 p.m.: Last licks for Red Sox against Jim Johnson. Getting past the 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander won’t be easy. Johnson leads the majors with 45 saves.

Mid 9th, Orioles 4-2: Melancon retires the side after hitting Andino. The reliever has good stuff sometimes. This outing is one of those times.

9:59 p.m.: A’s, Yankees head to 10th inning tied at one.

9:55 p.m.: Andino gets hit in the helmet with a mid-90s fastball from Melancon. Andino leaves the game. Warning are issued to both sides.

Who knows if there was intent with the pitch, but any bad blood between Boston and Baltimore just got a little worse. If Orioles pitchers hit a Red Sox batter the rest of the series, don’t be surprised to see some extracurricular activities.

9:50 p.m.: The A’s and Yankees are tied at one heading to the bottom of the ninth. The Rays are up 12-1 on the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay can thank Boston for jump-starting its offense.

End 8th, Orioles 4-2: The Red Sox go down in order. They must have late dinner reservations.

O’Day is making pitching look easy. It isn’t.

Mid 8th, Orioles 4-2: Atchison does what he usually does — provide solid relief. The veteran right-hander allows an infield single to Reynolds and nothing else for Orioles

9:33 p.m.: Atchison takes over for Lester in the eighth.

Final line: 7 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 8 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 112 pitches, 79 strikes. More bad than good. Kind of like Lester’s season.

The left-hander will have to wait to get his 10th win. Lester has won at least 10 games in the last four seasons — 15 in 2011, 19 in 2010, 15 in 2009 and 16 in 2008. He has been stuck on nine wins since Sept. 4 and likely will get two more starts to reach double-digit wins this season.

End 7th, Orioles 4-2: O’Day retires the two batters he faces.

Red Sox will need to rally to avoid their 83rd loss of the season.

Final line for Gonzalez: 6.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 101 pitches, 72 strikes.

9:26 p.m. Call to the bullpen. Darren O’Day replaces Gonzalez. The right-hander exits after giving up a one-out single to Iglesias.

O’Day throws a frisbee slider. Looks like he’s throwing a wiffleball in the backyard.

Mid 7th, Orioles 4-2: Lester returns to the mound. After giving up an Andino single, Lester delivers a strong frame and retires the Orioles in order.

End 6th, Orioles 4-2: If the object of baseball was to see how fast batters could make outs and get back on the field to play defense, the Red Sox would be peerless. The bottom half of the sixth lasts 57 seconds. Give or take.

Gonzalez is dealing. Through six, he’s allowed two runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts. On a side note, Gonzalez was released by the Red Sox on Dec. 10, 2011.

Mid 6th, Orioles 4-2: Lester may have thrown his last inning of the night. Through six innings, he’s at 93 pitches, 59 strikes. He’s allowed four runs, all earned, on seven hits, two strikeouts and three walks.

8:57 p.m.: Make that 4-2 Orioles. Reynolds singles home Wieters.

Scott Atchison is warming up in the bullpen.

8:54 p.m.: What do you know? The Orioles give up a run and come right back in the next half inning to score a run and take a 3-2 lead. Adam Jones walks. Wieters drives him in with a double for his second RBI of the game.

8:51 p.m.: We know Twitter would like to see Tom Brady join the social networking site, but which Boston athlete would you like to see sharing their thoughts in 140 characters or fewer?

Which Boston athlete would you most like to see on Twitter?

End 5th, 2-2: We have a ballgame.

8:45 p.m.: Dustin Pedroia ties the game at two with an RBI single. Ciriaco scores. Ciriaco is one of those players who seems to be in the middle of everything. Kind of like Ronnie Lott on the football field back in the day.

8:43 p.m.: In other games with AL playoff implications, the Yankees lead the A’s 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth. The Rays lead the Blue Jays 8-0 in the top of the fifth.

Oakland lost another starting pitcher this week. Brett Anderson went down with an oblique strain and is out for the rest of the regular season. The A’s already have lost Brandon McCarthy (fractured skull) and Bartolo Colon (suspension). Not good.

Mid 5th, Orioles 2-1: Orioles go quietly. After a one-out Andino single, the Red Sox turn their third double play of game.

The more Iglesias plays, the more confidence he gains, the more he looks like he could be the Red Sox’ shortstop for 10-15 years. His defense already is close to Gold Glove-caliber. His hitting needs to get much better. But if he could become a .250 hitter, could Iglesias be the next Omar Vizquel?

Vizquel is a career .272 hitter and probable future Hall of Famer. Iglesias has a long way to go before he’s in the same zip code as Vizquel, but the 22-year-old Cuban has shown glimpses of that kind of talent.

Why get greedy? Even half of Vizquel’s 24-year career would be nice.

End 4th, Orioles 2-1: That inning is why the Red Sox will finish this season with their first losing record since 1997. They fall behind and are unable to answer. No hits, one walk, back to the field.

Mid 4th, Orioles 2-1: That inning exemplifies why the Orioles have their first winning season since 1997. They fall behind and rally right back. The old Orioles would have folded faster than a cheap card table. Now, they battle like William Wallace.

Jose Igelias makes another nice play at short to turn a double play and end the inning.

8:11 p.m.: The Red Sox lead is short-lived. J.J. Hardy opens the top of the fourth with a single. Adam Jones doubles to left-center, Hardy moves to third, and Matt Wieters drives both of them home with a single to right. Orioles 2, Red Sox 1.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Once again, Ciriaco delivers and gives Boston its first run.

Vote for Pedro for Red Sox MVP. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz are easy, predictable and obvious choices. But they’ve won plenty of awards. Ciriaco is worthy.

So he can’t play the outfield? He’s been the team’s most exciting, clutch, (insert superlative) Red Sox player on a daily basis since his first day of work July 7.

He should be recognized for his effort.

8 p.m.: The Red Sox take a 1-0 lead. Pedro Ciriaco hits a double to drive home Daniel Nava, who also hit a double. Nava’s hit looked like it could have been a triple, but a fan interfered with the ball.

7:59 p.m.: Jose Iglesias hit his first career home run on Thursday, but he still needs to work on his bunting.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: A walk to Robert Andino almost comes back to bite Lester. Cody Ross makes a nice catch in right against the wall on a deep fly by McLouth. Ross then doubles Andino off first with a strike to james Loney. Still scoreless.

7:51 p.m.: What does Twitter have in common with millions of women? They all want Tom Brady.

At the 2012 Online News Association’s annual conference on Friday, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo was asked who he would most like to see join his social networking service. His answer? Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

End 2nd, 0-0: Gonzalez retires Red Sox in order. If the Orioles’ right-hander and Lester keep dealing the way they have in the first two frames, a pitcher’ duel could be in store.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Three up, three down for Orioles. Lester strikes out Mark Reynolds on four pitches and gets the final two out on three pitches.

7:32 p.m.: Think Dan Duquette would like to beat the Red Sox this weekend? After being run out of Boston in 2002, Duquette has been vindicated in his first year as Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations.

The former Red Sox GM (from 1994 through the 2001 season) never got the credit he deserved for the Red Sox’ 2004 World Series title. Duquette played a major role in helping construct that championship team. He acquired Manny Ramirez via free agency and Pedro Martinez via trade — two of the best moves in Red Sox history.

Good to see Duquette has gotten a second chance in the majors. Anyone who still doubts Duquette’s baseball acumen should check their head or take look at the AL East standings.

End 1st, 0-0: No runs for the Red Sox. Podsednik continues his hot hitting against the Orioles with a single, but Miguel Gonzalez shuts down Boston’s other hitters.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Jon Lester looks sharp. Aside from an Adam Jones single, no Orioles hitter puts good wood on the ball. Lester throws 16 pitches, 12 strikes. He strikes out Nate McLouth and induces two grounders to short from J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters.

7:16 p.m.: A lot of Orioles fans are at Fenway Park. If Camden Yards is Fenway South, could Fenway ever become Camden North? O’s are 5-1 in Boston this season.

7:11 p.m.: First pitch is a strike. As Kramer would say, giddy up.

7:09 p.m.: Red Sox take the field wearing their red jerseys.

6:57 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury is hurting a little bit. Could be a leg or shoulder. Bobby Valentine didn’t specify before the game.

“He has a little situation that we’re making sure is nothing more than a little situation,” Valentine said. “He really shouldn’t have played [Thursday]. He’s just got a little — I’m not even sure how to define it, so I’m not going to to try.”

Ellsbury, who dealt with a leg situation in mid-August, is hitting .309 (21-for-68) with two home runs and 10 RBIs in September. In his last seven days, he is even hotter, hitting .385 (10-for-26) with six RBIs.

5:23 p.m.: Robert Andino returns to Fenway. Don’t expect a standing ovation.

The Orioles’ second baseman hammered the final nail into the 2011 Red Sox’ coffin to join Bucky Dent, David Tyree, Scott Walker and other illustrious names in the New England F— Y– Hall of Fame.

Red Sox fans will be happy to know that the baseball gods, while smiling on the Orioles this season, have given Andino the middle finger. He is hitting .209 (77-for-369) with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in an injury-shortened season. His recent work at the plate is even less impressive: .074 batting average (two hits in his last 27 at-bats) in his last seven games.

With the Red Sox’ luck this season, though, Andino probably will go 3-for-4 in every game this weekend, drive in 10 runs and have a 1.600 OPS.

5:02 p.m.: Melky Cabrera wants to be disqualified from the NL batting title race. Ben Johnson has no comment.

4:36 p.m.: The Pedro Ciriaco center-field experiment didn’t work in the series finale in Tampa Bay, so Ciriaco returns to the infield against the Orioles at third base. Ciriaco misplayed a pair of fly balls into doubles against the Rays in his first career start in center. Jacoby Ellsbury was supposed to have the night off but replaced Ciriaco in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Scott Podsednik starts in center against the O’s and is a good choice. Podsednik is hitting .500 against the Birds this season with seven hits in 14 at-bats. One of those hits, on May 23 at Camden Yards, was the 36-year-old’s lone home run of the season.

4:21 p.m.: Here are the lineups.

Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Scott Podsednik, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DH

James Loney, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF

Jose Iglesias, SS

Jon Lester, LHP

Orioles
Nate McLouth, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 1B
Lew Ford, DH
Manny Machado, 3B
Endy Chavez, RF
Robert Andino, 2B

Miguel Gonzalez, RHP

3:35 p.m.: Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey in an upcoming biopic about Jackie Robinson called 42. Check out the trailer.

Ford is due for another classic. It’s been a while.

Here’s a top 10 list of Ford movies.

Honorable mention: Working Girl
10. Frantic
9. The Mosquito Coast
8. Patriot Games
7. Return of the Jedi
6. Clear and Present Danger
5. The Empire Strikes Back
4. Blade Runner
3. Witness
2. Star Wars
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Apocalypse Now doesn’t make the cut because Ford only had a small role, but his “terminate with extreme prejudice” scene is as good as moviemaking gets.

Do you agree with the list? Leave comments below or on Twitter @erictortiz.

3:30 p.m.: Want to be strong like Rob Gronkowski? Eat Gronk Flakes. No word yet whether Red Sox will be adding the cereal to their training menu.

2:55 p.m.: Major League Baseball ran a stunt on its Twitter account, @MLB, this week. According to Maria Burns Ortiz on ESPN.com, a few days ago, @MLB began posting tweets with #MLBMembersOnly as the hashtag and cryptic messages like “follow @MLB … while you still can.”

On Thursday, @MLB made the account private and promoted prize giveaways. All of @MLB’s 2.4 million followers could view the exclusive tweets. New followers had to be approved by @MLB. The account gained about 10,000 new followers, and one lucky fan won World Series tickets. Others won merchandise.

Actual Members Only jackets were not part of the freebies.

Maybe next time.

10:58 a.m.: Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of the job Dan Duquette has done transforming the Orioles into beasts. The Yankees better beware. The Birds are coming, and they smell blood. The last time the Orioles won the AL East was 1997. With 13 games to play, Baltimore trails New York by one game in the division. If the pinstripes aren’t careful, the Birds will catch them.

8 a.m. ET: Is it over yet?

That’s how much of New England feels about the 2012 Red Sox season. But not the Red Sox.

After taking two of three in Toronto last weekend, Boston split a four-game series with the Rays and came within two outs of winning three of four in Tampa Bay.

Now, the Red Sox (69-82) return to Fenway Park for a three-game series with the Orioles (85-64) and two-game set with the Rays. The five-game stretch is Boston’s last homestand of the season, and the Red Sox are motivated to serve up some revenge and keep both teams from making the postseason. Baltimore put the cherry to top of Boston’s epic collapse last season, and Tampa Bay prevented the Red Sox from advancing to the 2008 World Series.

Turnabout is fair play.

Jon Lester (9-12, 4.95 ERA) gets the call for the Red Sox in the opener against the Orioles. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 4.42 ERA over his past three starts, but has never lost to the Orioles, going 14-0 with a 2.49 ERA in 20 career starts.

Lester will be opposed by Miguel Gonzalez (6-4, 3.57), who signed a minor league deal with the Orioles in March and has been a very pleasant surprise. The 28-year-old rookie right-hander and former Red Sox farmhand picked up his first major league win July 6 (against the Angels) in his first career start and has delivered seven quality starts in 12 starts this season. On Aug. 15 at Camden Yards, Gonzalez notched his first career win against the Red Sox, allowing two runs (both earned) on six hits over six innings. In his last start, Sept. 12 against the Rays, he gave up two runs (both earned) on six hits for a no-decision.

Can Gonzalez lead the Birds to their fifth straight win, or will Lester help the Red Sox snap their two-game losing skid?

Find out Friday night. Pregame coverage begins on NESN at 5:30 p.m. ET. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Follow all of the game action on TV with Don and Jerry, and join us on the live blog.

One win down, 14 to go for Red Sox to finish year with .500 record. Boston hasn’t had a losing season since 1997. The streak is still alive.

Do you believe?

10:18 p.m.: Rays add a run to draw within three of Boston. B.J. Upton manufactures the score with a single, steal of second, wild pitch and Zobrist groundball.

Upton is an interesting free-agent-to-be at the end of this season. The .255 career hitter doesn’t hit for great average, but he runs well, has some pop, a strong arm and excellent glove.

Upton, 28, is expected to get a multiyear deal and raise from the $7 million he’s making now. According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, suitors may be willing to go three to five years on a new deal for $27 million ($9 million per year) to $70 million ($14 million per year). Anything more in contract length and average annual value, and a team may as well fill 100 briefcases with $100 bills, fly over the Las Vegas strip in a helicopter on a Saturday night and make it rain.

Boston would not be a good fit for Upton. After the failed Carl Crawford experiment, the Red Sox should avoid Rays outfielders for at least the next 20 to 30 years. But Upton could benefit from a fresh start somewhere.

10:14 p.m.: Mark Melancon is the fourth Red Sox pitcher of the game. He has allowed runs in eight of his last 18 games and sports a 6.92 ERA. Think Ben Cherington would like a mulligan on the Melancon-Jed Lowrie/Kyle Weiland trade?

Mid 9th, Red Sox 5-1: The score stays the same. With one out, Ellsbury reaches on an infield single. He advances to second on a Dustin Pedroia groundout, then gets thrown out attempting to steal third to end the inning.

10:10 p.m.: The announced crowd is 11,722 at Tropicana Field. Mostly friends and family of Rays players.

10:04 p.m.: Now pitching for the Rays: Dane De La Rosa. He throws hard. Strikes out Ciriaco with electric, 94-mph cheese.

End 8th, Red Sox 5-1: Tazawa takes care of Rays 1-2-3. Pitching is getting the job done for Boston.

9:58 p.m.: Red Sox will have a tribute to Johnny Pesky at Fenway Park on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m.

9:55 p.m.: Red Sox relievers providing relief. To paraphrase the Japanese groundskeepers from Major League, they don’t stink. After Rich Hill throws a perfect seventh with two strikeouts, Junichi Tazawa starts his inning with a strikeout of Roberts on a 96-mph fastball.

Final line for Cook: 6 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 75 pitches, 47 strikes. Efficient, effective outing. The 33-year-old could get his first win since Aug. 6 against the Rangers.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5, Rays 1: Ramos strikes out the side and prevents Nava, who reached on an error, from adding to Boston’s lead.

9:49 p.m.: Another error by Tampa Bay. Third baseman Sean Rodriguez throws ground ball hit by Daniel Nava into stands.

9:41 p.m.: Left-hander Cesar Ramos is Rays’ fifth pitcher.

End 7th, Red Sox 5, Rays 1: No joy in St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay is six outs from another L. The Rays continue moving in the wrong direction in the standings. They picked a bad time to start slumping. If they don’t snap out of their funk fast, they will be watching the postseason on TV just like the Red Sox.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 5, Rays 1: Fun for Boston is misery for Tampa Bay. Gomes stops the bleeding for the Rays, but not before the Red Sox put three more runs on the board.

Final line for Cobb: 6 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 H, 1 HR, 4, 3 BB, 101 pitches, 62 strikes. Add up all of the numbers, and Cobb is on the hook for the loss. Don’t expect him to buy a steak dinner for Molina anytime soon.

9:27 p.m.: Brandon Gomes replaces Cobb.

9:25 p.m.: Where has this type of quality baseball been from the Red Sox? They coulda been a contender. They coulda been somebody. Terry Malloy, the Marlon Brando character from On the Waterfront, can relate. 

9:24 p.m.: Red Sox 5, Rays 1. Ellsbury knocks a base hit to left to drive in his third run of the game.

Another pitching change for Rays.

Red Sox are getting good pitching, good hitting and good defense. In the same game. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.

9:20 p.m.: Pedro Ciriaco gets intentionally walked, just his sixth walk of the season. For Ciriaco to have a shot at being an everyday player in 2013 (and beyond), he will need to work on getting on base more. That includes taking walks. His .316 on-base percentage limits, rather than leverages, his greatest weapon: speed. Getting his OBP up closer to .400 would increase his value and make him a bigger threat.

9:17 p.m.: Mauro Gomez, hitting for Scott Podsednik, drives in two runs with a single. Red Sox 4, Rays 1.

9:13 p.m.: Left-hander J.P. Howell takes over for Badenhop.

9:09 p.m.: Burke Badenhop takes over for Cobb. The right-hander gets Lavarnway to hit a ground ball to short, but Zobrist boots the ball. Could have been a double play. Instead, the bases are loaded with no outs.

9:07 p.m.: Cobb gets the hook after giving up a single to James Loney and walking Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Rays’ right-hander goes six-plus innings and gives up two hits.

9:03 p.m.: The Red Sox and Rays have had a few altercations over the years. Who could forget Gerald Williams charging Pedro Martinez and turning into Marvin Hagler in 1999? Or Coco Crisp charging James Shields and sparking an old-fashioned donnybrook.

End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Three up, three down. After an Upton single, Zobrist grounds into a double play. Iglesias makes a nice play at short to throw out Joyce at first and end the inning.

8:55 p.m.: Cobb and Jose Molina show their frustration in the dugout between half innings. After the top of the sixth, the pitcher and catcher begin yelling at each other and have to be separated. Who do they think they are — the 1974 A’s? The Rays should be yelling at and fighting the Red Sox.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Ellsbury’s power stroke has been in the witness protection program most of the season. Nice to see it coming out of hiding.

The center fielder’s home run broke up Alex Cobb’s no-hitter and shutout. That’s baseball. Fortunes change in a hurry.

8:45 p.m.: First hit of the night for Red Sox is a big one and gives them the lead. Boston goes up 2-1 with one swing of Jacoby Ellsbury’s bat. The center fielder deposits a 91 mph fastball into the right-center field seats for his fourth home run of the season.

8:38 p.m.: Dick Vitale is one of the 75 people in the house at the Trop. He never met a camera he didn’t like. But can you blame him for this one?

A Kodak moment with Jenny Dell is awesome, baby. (Photo via Instagram @dickiev_espn.)

End 5th, Rays 1-0: A safety squeeze isn’t exactly the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” but the bunt is good, fundamentally sound baseball. Joe Maddon’s teams do the little things. That’s why they are in contention year after year.

8:33 p.m.: Red Sox bullpen stirs. Rich Hill starts warming up.

8:28 p.m.: We have offense. Sort of. Rays take 1-0 lead on a safety squeeze. Roberts lays the bunt down the first-base line on a tough inside pitch, and Luke Scott scores the first run of the game.

Mid 5th, 0-0: Cue Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear. This Red Sox-Rays game is moving right along.

8:16 p.m.: Speaking of Shangri-La, anyone who enjoys exciting yarns should check out The Lost Horizon, a novel by James Hilton published in 1933. The story is about a group of travelers whose plane crashes in the Himalayas in Tibet. There, they find a hidden community of peace where people live for centuries. Very enlightening pulp.

End 4th, 0-0: No runs, one B.J. Upton infield single for Rays. If you like pitching and no offense, this game is Shangri-La.

Mid 4th, 0-0: The hits keep on not coming for the Red Sox. At this rate, the game could be over in under two hours. That still would be far from the MLB record for fastest nine-inning game. On Sept. 28, 1919, the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in 51 minutes.

End 3rd, 0-0: Eight-pitch inning. Cook sets the Rays down 1-2-3. Iglesias shows off his hops in the field and makes a nice catch of a Ryan Roberts line drive. The 5-foot-11 Cuban shortstop looked a little like Rajon Rondo climbing the ladder. Wonder if Iglesias can do this?

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Red Sox go down in order. Only one at-bat of note: Jose Iglesias does not get pulled for a pinch hitter and flies out to center.

7:47 p.m.: Remember the name Psy. He is a South Korean pop star, and Major League Baseball is using his pop single, “Gangnam Style,” to promote the playoffs in a commercial. Catchy tune.

End 2nd, 0-0: We could have a ground ball theme for this game. Through two frames, seven groundouts — five by Cobb, two by Cook.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Wake up, St. Petersburg. You’re missing a pitchers’ duel. Red Sox get only one baserunner as Jarrod Saltamacchia draws a walk. Cody Ross, James Loney and Ryan Lavarnway ground out.

7:34 p.m.: If the Rays can get to playoffs — and it’s a big if – they would be dangerous because of their pitching. They rank first in the majors in ERA (3.27, tied with Nations), batting average against (.231) and WHIP (1.18).

7:31 p.m.: Rays should consider changing the name of Tropicana Field to Ghost Town.

End 1st, 0-0: Cook gives up a single to Ben Zobrist, but that is all for the Rays.

7:21 p.m.: Rays should pull an Art Modell and move the team to a city that will appreciate a team, come to the ballpark and watch games. Tampa Ray is in the middle of fighting for a playoff spot, and most of St. Petersburg had the early bird special for dinner hours ago. Now, the primary demographic is getting ready for bed. The lack of support is nothing new, but remains a pathetic sight for a major league franchise.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Alex Cobb to Red Sox: You’ll get nothing and like it. No runs, no hits. Better luck next time.

7:13 p.m.: Plenty of good seats still available at the Trop.

7:11 p.m.: And we’re off. Evan Longoria is out of the lineup for the Rays with some tired legs. He will be available to pinch-hit, if necessary. Insert joke here.

7:06 p.m.: Dustin Pedroia is en fuego in September, hitting .409 (18-for-44) with three home runs, three RBIs, a .458 on-base percentage and .682 slugging percentage.

6:09 p.m.: Dennis Eckersley and Jerry Remy weigh in on the Iglesias Pinch-Hit Brouhaha during NESN’s pregame show.

Eckersley calls Valentine’s move embarrassing and humiliating for Iglesias, who could be part of the Red Sox’ organization for a long time and still is working to gain confidence. In Eck’s 24 years of baseball, he remembers, maybe once, a hitter getting pulled for a pinch hitter in the middle of an at-bat.

Remy is equally confounded by the move. According to Remy, the joke going around the Red Sox clubhouse in St. Petersburg on Monday: Hitters better not go too deep into counts, or they might be pulled for a pinch hitter.

Henny Youngman would be proud.

5 p.m.: Jose Iglesias gets a clean slate at the plate.

After being pinch-hit for in the middle of an at-bat Sunday — when Bobby Valentine subbed in Daniel Nava with a 2-2 count — the Red Sox’ shortstop bats ninth in the series opener against the Rays.

Here are the complete lineups for both squads.

Boston Red Sox (66-81)
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DH
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Scott Podsednik, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Aaron Cook, P

Tampa Bay Rays (78-68)
Desmond Jennings, LF
B.J. Upton, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Matt Joyce, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Jeff Keppinger, 3B
Carlos Peña, 1B
Ryan Roberts, 2B
Jose Molina, C

Alex Cobb, P

2:21 p.m.: Bobby Valentine is a polarizing figure. Some people love him. Others don’t. But everyone can agree he is quotable.

The Red Sox’ skipper has had his fair share of “say what” comments this season. We have collected them on NESN.com in a feature called “According to Bobby.”

Nobody ever knows what will come out of Valentine’s mouth next. One thing you can be sure he won’t say during the Red Sox-Rays series? More cowbell.

Valentine is no Bruce Dickinson.

1:51 p.m.: In other sports news, Sunday was an eventful day in the NFL.

Greg Schiano made some new friends in New York.

The Patriots’ offensive line made the Cardinals’ defense look like the second coming of the Steel Curtain.

Wes Welker continued to get the new-kid-in-school treatment.

And NFL players had Ed Hochuli withdrawals because of replacement referees.

1:26 p.m.: Rays fans have come a long way. Joe Maddon used to criticize them for not showing up at the Trop to support the Rays. Now, he praises them.

Big thanks to the those who were waiting for us at the airport last night.Love your support. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

— Joe Maddon (@RaysJoeMaddon) September 17, 2012

According to ESPN, Tampa Bay plays in front of a 58.6 percent-full stadium on average, good for 23rd in the majors. That amounts to 19,956 fans per game (last in the majors), but the Rays are making progress. In 2010, the year Tampa Bay won the AL East, the Rays were lucky to get 12,000 at the park.

For perspective, the Red Sox rank first in full-house percentage (101.4 percent) and average 37,580 fans per game this season. They also have lost fewer games on the road (33-38) than at Fenway Park (33-43).

So today, we salute you, Mr. Tampa Bay Rays Cowbell Ringer. Keep showing up. You’re a real American hero. 

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox have 15 games left to play in
2012. At 66-81 and 17 1/2 games back in the AL East, they must win out to
finish at .500.

Don’t bet the mortgage, kid’s college fund or lunch money
that Boston will run the table. In fact, betting anything more than a handshake
is a bad idea. The Red Sox have not had a three-game winning streak since July 31 (when they had a four-game stretch) after failing to sweep the Blue Jays on Sunday.

But the show must go on, and Bobby Valentine is committed
to keeping the tent on the circus. Before the series opener in Toronto,
Valentine called Boston’s September roster the worst in the history of Western civilization. The insult worked like a
motivational charm, and the Red Sox won Games 145 and 146. On the third day, the skipper clarified
his remarks and sent in a pinch hitter for Jose Iglesias in the middle of an
at-bat.

What will Valentine do for an encore in Florida? Maybe he
and Joe Maddon can bike to games together, discuss managerial strategy and catch up on old times.

The Red Sox open a four-game series with
the Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday night. Tampa Bay won’t be in a welcoming mood. The Rays
(78-68) just dropped two of three to the Yankees in the Bronx to fall five back
in the East and four back in the AL wild-card race.

Nothing would make the Red Sox and Valentine happier than
knocking Maddon’s Band of Merrymakers further down in the standings.

Right-hander Aaron Cook (3-10, 5.18 ERA) gets the starting nod for Boston and will be opposed by right-hander Alex Cobb (9-8, 4.26) for Tampa Bay.

All of the entertainment begins at 5:30 p.m. on NESN.
First pitch is 7:10 p.m. Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy have the TV call. Follow
along on the live blog for catharsis.

Nothing but good vibrations in Toronto. The Red Sox seek to sweep the Blue Jays on Sunday. Loser gets last place in the AL East all to themselves.

4:12 p.m.: If a tree falls in the forest and there’s nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound? That’s kind of like what the Red Sox’ season feels like right now.

People are missing some good baseball being played by the boys with Boston across their chest. The Red Sox could ruin the seasons of the Rays, Orioles or Yankees down the stretch. Playing spoiler is better than nothing.

4:11 p.m.: Enter Andrew Bailey. Save opportunity.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 3-2: Three outs away from two straight wins for Boston.

4 p.m.: Yankees killer Pedro Ciriaco also is a Blue Jays killer. Ciriaco drives in Salty with a double to left to make John Farrell miserable. Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 2.

A case could be made that Ciriaco is the Red Sox’ MVP this season. The journeyman minor leaguer has come a long way from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. Perhaps this season will be the jumpstart to a long, successful major league career. You want to root for players like Ciriaco. His story is the kind of story that’s made for Disney movies.

3:52 p.m.: A few more interesting facts about Breslow. He attended Yale, majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and got a 1420 on his SAT. If he wasn’t playing baseball, he would have gone to med school and become a doctor.

Ryan Lavarnway is another Yale graduate, so the Lavarnway-Breslow battery might be one of the smartest batteries in baseball history.

When the Red Sox are in last place in September, over 15 games out of first in the AL East, any/every title means something.

End 8th, 2-2-: Craig Breslow makes quick work of the Blue Jays. Besides being a good relief pitcher, Breslow is one of the smartest players in the big leagues. Sporting News named him the smartest player in sports in 2010.

Close the book on Buchholz, who had a very good outing. His line: 7 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 5 K, 111 pitches, 67 strikes.

3:44 p.m.: Really enjoying this ballgame. Even though the Red Sox aren’t contending this year, baseball remains a wonderful sport. America’s pastime. So much happens in a baseball game. So many games within games. Just need to know where to look.

Mid 8th, 2-2: Red Sox squander golden opportunity to take lead and leave the bases drunk. Loney flies out to right to end the inning. That kind of hitting with runners in scoring position won’t lead to victories. The Red Sox’ record is evidence of that.

3:36 p.m.: Delabar strikes out Ross on split-finger fastball. After being up 3-0 in the count, the Red Sox’ slugger is unable to deliver. Baseball is a tough business. Failing 70 percent of the time is considered success.

3:33 p.m.: Pedroia walks. Bases loaded. Third walk of the inning by third different Blue Jays pitcher. Ross is ready to make them pay.

3:30 p.m.: Steve Delabar is new pitcher for Blue Jays. Opponents are hitting only .176 against the right-hander. He throws gas. Reaches 95 on the gun against Pedroia.

3:28 p.m.: Red Sox employ a little National League-style baseball to put runners in scoring position. Sacrifice bunt by Nava moves Ellsbury to second and Ciriaco to third.

John Farrell makes another pitching change.

3:25 p.m.: Red Sox have a prime opportunity to put some runs on the board with two on and no outs.

3:22 p.m.: Left-hander Aaron Loup replaces Villanueva, who leaves after walking Ciriaco. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings. He walked two, struck out six and three 60 of his 87 pitches for strikes. Nice effort.

3:15 p.m.: NESN production team plays Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Part 2” while going to commercial break. Great song. Props.

End 7th, 2-2: Buchholz gives up two-out walk to Brett Lawrie, but gets out of the inning unscathed. The walks is Buchholz’s fifth of the game, a season high.

Mid 7th, 2-2: Rally opportunity ends without a celebration. Loney leads off with a single and gets to third, but the Red Sox are unable to bring him one.

Villanueva strikes out Aviles to end the inning, his sixth K of the day. Buchholz has four.

3 p.m.: Eight hours, 59 minutes until the NHL lockout begins.

Let Bobby Orr lift your spirits.

End 6th, 2-2: Three batters. Seven pitches. Three outs. If the Cy Young Award were determined by one inning, Buchholz would be the runaway winner after that frame.

2:53 p.m.: A note for any picture-in-picture fans: No. 11 Clemson hosts Furman on NESNplus at 3 p.m.

2:48 p.m.: Ellsbury may not throw like Ichiro, but does Ichiro rake the field before a game, sell programs, tickets and hot dogs? He probably doesn’t run on Dunkin’.

Mid 6th, 2-2: That was quick. Villanueva gets Nava to pop out to short and strikes out Pedroia and Ross.

End 5th, 2-2: Toronto should not have scored. Stuff happens.

After loading the bases, Buchholz made the pitches to get out of the inning. Ellsbury didn’t pick up the right-hander with his errant toss from center. Strong arm is one tool missing from Ellsbury’s game.

2:38 p.m.: Blue Jays tie game at two. Lind hits a sacrifice fly to shallow center field. Ellsbury’s throw hits the mound.

2:30 p.m.: Who will win the World Series this year? A’s would be a great story. So would the Orioles or Nationals.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Villanueva sends Boston hitters back to the bench in order. The Red Sox and Blue Jays aren’t playing like cellar dwellers. Their records say they are the worst and second-worst teams in the AL East. But if each team had gotten more starting pitching like today’s, each team would still be in the hunt for October. Good pitching beats good hitting every day of the week.

2:21 p.m.: Two ways to look at the 2012 Red Sox season.

1. What a waste.

2. What an opportunity.

Optimists take door No. 2.

If you need a pep talk, listen to this.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: One. Two. Three. Buchholz has his best inning of the game.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Red Sox pick up a run. Ross draws two-out walk and advances to third on James Loney singles to center. Jarrod Saltalamacchia drives home Ross with a single to center.

Ross is in the middle of everything. Again. He’s gamer, and he’s only 31. Follow him on Twitter @IamCodyRoss.

2:08 p.m.: Vote for 10th Player Award. Don Orsillo is not eligible.

2:03 p.m.: Red Sox’ Opening Day outfield in 2013 — Daniel Nava in left, Jacoby Ellsbury in center, Cody Ross in right. Why not?

End 3rd, 1-1-: Buchholz’s control isn’t as sharp as he’d like. Through three innings, he has walked three and thrown 53 pitches (20 balls). So far, he’s not letting the wildness hurt him.

1:49 p.m.: Nava has made more memorable plays in two days in Toronto than Carl Crawford made in his entire career in Boston. Crawford was a great player with the Rays, but he was a poor fit in Boston.

Nava also is making about 1,000 percent less than Crawford.

Nava deserves a shot at the starting left fielder job next season. Every time he’s in the lineup, he comes up with a big hit or great play in the field. He hustles, he’s humble, and has a great attitude. What’s not to like?

Sometimes, the easiest answer is the right one. Too much analysis, or overthinking, can lead to the wrong decisions. Player evaluation, signing free agents, making trades — all personnel moves are an inexact science, but being disciplined can lead to the greatest rewards. Ben Cherington understands this philosophy. Expect him to make some smart moves this winter.

Mid 3rd, 1-1: Three up, three down. This game is moving right along.

End 2nd, 1-1: Nava continues to impress. The left fielder ends the inning with a great leaping catch against the wall. Before that, he kept Kelly Johnson at third with a flyball catch and strong throw to home.

Buchholz looks a little shaky early, but if he can settle down, he could go deep in this game.

1:33 p.m.: Ross’ contract is up at the end of the season after signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the Red Sox before the 2012 campaign. He has turned out be a great bargain. 

Boston likely will want to bring the right fielder back, but will he want a raise to stay in Boston? How much — in years and dollars — will it cost the Red Sox to re-sign him?

Ross is sure to have some other suitors, and they could offer more money and years than the Red Sox. Time will tell what happens, but Ross is the kind of player the Red Sox need: a no-nonsense producer who enjoys playing the game and plays the game the right way. They should find a way to give him a multiyear deal.

Mid 2nd, 1-1: The Red Sox respond to the Blue Jays’ first strike. Ross does all of the damage.

Boston doesn’t want to finish the season in last place. The Red Sox would much rather see the Blue Jays take that position in the standings.

1:25 p.m.: Ross ties the ballgame with one swing of the bat. Villanueva’s fastball was right down Main Street, and Ross knew what to do — crush it over the left-field fence for his 21st home run and 74th RBI.

End 1st, Blue Jays 1-0: Toronto gets on the board first. After an Edwin Encarnacion walk and Adam Lind double, Yunel Escobar singles to right to score Encarnacion. Lind gets thrown out at home by Cody Ross. The punchout is Ross’ eighth assist of the season.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Carlos Villanueva doesn’t waste any time setting the Red Sox down in order. Jacoby Ellsbury gives a pitch a ride to deep right, but the ball stays in the Rogers Centre yard. Daniel Nava strikes out, and Pedroia flies out to right.

1:07 p.m.: Game time.

12:44 p.m.: Having Pedroia back in the lineup is good news for the Red Sox. The second baseman has had an up-and-down season on and off the field. He’s battled some health issues with his thumb and faced some questions about his leadership. Throw in a new baby son, his second boy, and Pedroia has experienced a full of plate of emotions.

The one constant in the uneven circus has been Pedroia’s effort. He plays every game like it’s his last game. He may be having a down year in the production department (by his standards), but he never makes excuses and never lollygags. Look up gamer in the dictionary, and you’ll see a picture of Pedroia. And he’ll probably have something to say.

Red Sox fans are happy to have him back.

Photo via Twitter @RedSox.

Would you like to show your support for Pedroia? Send us a tweet @NESN or @erictortiz with a message or photo.

12:28 p.m.: Congratulations to the Pawtucket Red Sox. They won the 2012 International League Governor’s Cup — the club’s first since 1984.

Pawtucket advances to the Triple-A championship and will play winner of Pacific Coast League on Tuesday, Sept. 18, in Durham, N.C. The game will be a winner-take-all contest.

12:18 p.m.: Pedro Ciriaco has been very pleasant surprise for the Red Sox this season. He should have a role on the 2013 roster and even could win the starting shortstop job.

NESN.com Red Sox reporter Didier Morais recently caught up with Ciriaco to talk about his development. The interview was conducted in Spanish and translated into English.

11:58 a.m.: How strange has this Red Sox season been? Bobby Valentine is using his 978th different lineup combination.

11:51 a.m.: The lineups.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF

James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Mike Aviles, SS

Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Clay Buchholz, P

Blue Jays
Rajai Davis, LF
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Adam Lind, 1B

Yunel Escobar, SS

Kelly Johnson, 2B
Yorvit Torrealba, C

Moises Sierra, RF

Anthony Gose, CF

Carlos Villanueva, P

11:18 a.m.: The Red Sox will be sitting out the playoffs this October, but that doesn’t mean Boston can’t celebrate a championship at Fenway Park in 2012. On Sept. 25, the 2004 Red Sox will return to Fenway to relive one of the greatest seasons in the history of the ballpark’s 100 years.

Here are some memories to get in the mood.

Red Sox win first World Series since 1918, end 86 years of frustration, celebrate like its 2999.

Manny Ramirez crashes TV interview with Tom Werner and David Ortiz at 2004 All-Star Game.

Bobby Orr’s goal to win 1970 Stanley Cup edges Red Sox’ 2004 World Series win as Boston’s greatest sports moment.

Ben Cherington wants to build Red Sox with homegrown talent like 2004 champions.

10:41 a.m.: The Bruins learned a lesson from the NHL’s last lockout and are getting as many player as they can signed before the current CBA expires at 11:59 on Saturday night. Milan Lucic is the latest player to get a new deal.

Now if only NHL owners and players could negotiate like Peter Chiarelli has done this offseason, we’d be talking about the start of another hockey season instead of the stoppage of one.

6 a.m. ET: The Red Sox hit rock bottom this season. They are in last place. And they will be watching the playoffs on television for a second straight October. 

But the Red Sox have one big reason to be optimistic: The kids from Pawtucket and throughout the farm system are talented, hungry and fearless. Boston’s young players in 2012 have been a silver lining in a stormy season and continue to impress as the Red Sox scrap and claw to finish the season strong.

Ryan Lavarnway, Mauro Gomez and Daniel Nava led Boston to an 8-5 win over the Blue Jays in the series opener at Rogers Centre on Friday. Even Daisuke Matsuzaka, who may or may not return to the Red Sox in 2013, pitched into the sixth inning. Though he didn’t get his second win of the season, he left the game with a lead and helped the Red Sox capture their 65th win.

Clay Buchholz looks to deliver win No. 66 on Saturday. Buchholz is 11-6 with a 4.46 ERA this season and 8-4 with a 2.71 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 86 1/3 innings in 14 career games (13 starts) against the Blue Jays.

The right-hander will be opposed by Carlos Villanueva, who is 7-5 with a 3.48 ERA this season and 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA over 24 innings in eight career games (three starts) against the Red Sox.

Pregame coverage begins on NESN at 12 p.m. ET. First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. Tune in to watch the game with Don and Jerry, and join us on the live blog. We can’t promise a deli lunch for your stomach, but we will serve a feast for your mind.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 8-5: The smell of winning is in the air.

10:41 p.m.: Make that 8-5 Red Sox. Lavarnway drives in his fourth run of the game.

10:39 p.m.: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 5. Gomez puts the Red Sox back on a top with a two-run triple. Big day for Boston’s youngsters. First, Lavarnway. Then, Nava. Now, Gomez. The kids from Pawtucket don’t read the Internet or listen to critics.

10:37 p.m.: Rany Jazayerli wrote a fascinating piece for Grantland on why the Nationals made a a big mistake by shutting down Stephen Strasburg. Play to win today, not tomorrow, not next year, not five years from now. Today. What if the Nationals never get back to the postseason with Strasburg?

End 8th, 5-5: Exciting September baseball between a last-place team and a fourth-place team. Bud Selig’s dream has come true.

10:20 p.m.: All is not lost. Chris Carpenter relieves Padilla.

Raise your hand if you thought the Red Sox acquired the Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter when the news first made headlines in spring training. Don’t lie. For a split second, the thought crossed a lot of people’s minds. Then, Theo Epstein slapped everyone back to reality.

10:18 p.m.: Nava makes amazing diving catch in left to keep the game tied. Expect to see that highlight shown one or two more times on TV. He might even get his name in the papers.

10:16 p.m.: Vicente Padilla is unable to hold the lead. Lawrie evens the game at five with a double to plate Rasmus.

10:10 p.m.: The Red Sox have the look of a team that wants to start a one-game winning streak. If they can finish off the Blue Jays, they will be 17 wins away from finishing the season above .500.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5-4: A win? Getting warmer.

10:02 p.m.: The Red Sox opened the night 17 1/2 games back in the AL East and 17 1/2 games back in the AL wild-card standings. The Phillies opened the night 17 1/2 games back in the NL East and 4 games back in the NL wild-card standings. Translation: Nationals are very good.

10 p.m.: The unofficial NHL lockout song, courtesy of @_Happy_Gilmore.

End 7th, Red Sox 5-4: Junichi Tazawa is unhittable. He strikes out two and sends the Blue Jays back to the bench 1-2-3 in quick succession.

Break up the Red Sox.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 5-4: Everybody stand up and stretch. Keep those joints loose. After Boston collects win No. 65, the dance party begins. This Twisted Sister song will be on loop.

End sixth, Red Sox 5-4: Toronto cuts the deficit by one. But could they save the euro?

Get ready for a fantastic finish.

9:27 p.m.: Mortensen gives up a single to Escobar. Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4.

Close the book on Dice-K. His line: 5.1 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 H, 5 K, 3 BB, 98 pitches, 60 strikes. Respectable.

Dice-K is an inspiration on a certain level. He never gives up. With all the grief he’s gotten in Boston over the past couple of years (and it’s been a mountain to rival Kilimanjaro), he easily could have thrown in the towel a long time ago. Granted, he’s brought the pain on himself with inconsistency on the mound, but he shows up every fifth day when he’s healthy. Rain or shine. He’s a professional, doesn’t complain, is accountable. That’s more than some can say. No need to mention names.

9:20 p.m.: Daisuke Matsuzaka’s night is done after giving up a triple to Lind. Give the Japanese pitcher credit, though. He leaves the Red Sox a lead.

Clayton Mortensen takes over for the Red Sox in relief.

9:15 p.m.: Derek Jeter collects his 3,824th hit to pass Willie Mays on the all-time hits list for 10th place. The Yankees’ shortstop has passed eight Hall of Famers on the hits list this season. Eight. Only nine more players are ahead of him. Tremendous.

Can Jeter catch Pete Rose? The Captain needs more than 1,000 hits to be in the general vicinity of Charlie Hustle, but if anyone can — and should — pass the Gambler, Jeter is the right man for the job.

On an unrelated note, who do you think Jeter will be dating when he makes his speech at Cooperstown? If there was a Hall of Fame for players off the field, he would be first ballot also.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-3: The Red Sox don’t score any more runs, but they also don’t take any off the board. Good deal.

End 5th, Red Sox 5-3: Outings like this one are why Dice-K is so puzzling and can be so frustrating. He looks halfway not terrible. Aside from the one wild ride in the third, the Dice Man has pitched very well. He’s working fast, commanding the zone, being efficient with pitches. Add it all up, and he’s in line to win his second game of the season.

What’s going on here? Did aliens abduct the real Matsuzaka?

Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-3: Daniel Nava drives in two runs with a single to right to give the Red Sox a 5-3 edge. Erin Andrews is happy.

Andrews, you may remember, tweeted a congratulatory message to Nava after he hit a grand slam in his first major league at-bat.

Nava now has 29 RBIs on the season.

8:51 p.m.: Speaking of Rondo, Ray Allen shouldn’t expect any Christmas Cards from the Celtics’ point guard. The former GQ intern called the current Heat shooting guard “that guy” on BET’s 106 & Park. Get a parka. That’s cold.

8:47 p.m.: As Jerry Remy said, John Farrell isn’t going to win this battle. The manager comes out to argue that Aviles went out of the baseline to avoid a tag by Lawrie. All Aviles did was spin like Rajon Rondo on a drive to the basket. No harm. No foul. Aviles safe at third.

Can the Red Sox make the Blue Jays hurt a little more by driving Aviles home?

End 4th, 3-3: Three up, three down. Dice-K doesn’t allow a baserunner on 11 pitches. He’s already got the one bad inning out of his system. As a result, we may, just may, have a ballgame.

Don’t want to jinx anything.

Mid 4th, 3-3: Red Sox show some fight and even the score. They have something to prove to Bobby Valentine. Before the game, the Boston manager called the Red Sox roster “the weakest roster we’ve ever had in September in the history of baseball. We can use help everywhere.” 

Good thing he sugarcoated his feelings.

Valentine might be right about the Red Sox’ talent level down the stretch, but does he have to share the thought with the whole world? Maybe the public observation is just part of Valentine’s new motivational plan for the final 20 days of the season. The first six months have had a few hiccups.

On the other hand, what does Valentine have to lose by being honest?

8:32 p.m.: That’s all for Laffey. Right-hander Chad Jenkins takes over for the left-hander.

Laffey’s final line: 3.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 K, 3 BB. Maybe he’s not Steve Carlton after all.

8:24 p.m.: Lavarnway ties the game with one swing of the bat — a three-run home run that flew over the left-field fence in a hurry. Lavarnway might not be Johnny Bench on defense, but he looked like a poor man’s Bench on that swing.

The Red Sox may have finally figured out Aaron Laffey.

End 3rd, Blue Jays 3-0: An ugly inning for Dice-K. One hit by pitch, three walks and two wild pitches lead to three Blue Jays’ runs. On a positive note, he strikes out Yunel Escobar to end the 25-minute inning.

8:13 p.m.: Make that 3-0 Blue Jays. Red Sox are unable to turn two on grounder to second, and Colby Rasmus crosses home.

8:09 p.m.: Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 0. Toronto gets on the board first on back-to-back wild pitches by Dice-K. In fairness to Matsuzaka’s defense, both pitches were blockable, and probably should have been blocked, but Ryan Lavarnway won’t be confused for Johnny Bench behind the plate anytime soon.

8 p.m.: Should MLB teams give players more one-year deals? Players won’t like the lack of job security, but they won’t lack motivation to perform or produce. Look at David Ortiz and Cody Ross this season. Compare their seasons to, say, Jayson Werth’s year. Werth signed a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Nationals after the 2010 season. He hit .232 in 2011 and has only played in 63 games this season due to injury.

Monster contracts don’t make sense anymore unless a team is locking up a young star (23, 24, 25) for the long team. The risks that come with giving a multiyear deal to a player in his late 20s, early 30s are too great.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Still scoreless. Laffey is no joke. Red Sox threaten with a pair of two-out singles by Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury. A double steal puts them on second and third, but Aviles is unable to drive them home, flying out deep to right.

7:49 p.m.: Plenty of good seats are available at the Rogers Centre. If you happen to be in the Toronto area, stop by the stadium. The Red Sox and Blue Jays would be happy to see you.

End 2nd, 0-0: Dice-K finishes the second inning. After Lind leads off the frame with a double, Dice-K shuts down the Blue Jays.

The Red Sox right-hander already has gone deeper this game than his last start. A moral victory.

7:36 p.m.: D-Day for the NHL is fast approaching. The collective bargaining agreement expires Saturday at 11:59 p.m. If a new agreement isn’t reached, we won’t have hockey for who knows how long. Sad that billionaires and millionaires can figure out how to share the wealth.

Major League Baseball has been fortunate to have labor peace since 1995. That fact is a feather in Bud Selig’s cap and could be one of his greatest achievements as commissioner. Gary Bettman could have two work stoppages under his watch in eight years. Many people have a hand in the NHL’s inability to reach a new CBA, but locking out players again will leave a mark on Bettman’s legacy.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: No hits, no runs for the Red Sox. They leave Mauro Gomez at second base. Gomez reached on a walk and is batting .286. He has shown a decent bat (20-for-70) with a little pop (two home runs) since getting called up. Will he be in the mix for the first-base job in 2013? He wouldn’t cost much. 

End 1st, 0-0: Dice-K takes care of the Blue Jays 1-2-3 in an unorthodox way. With two outs and none on, Brett Lawrie hit a slow roller to Pedro Ciriaco at third. Ciriaco’s throw to first was off target and flew past James Loney. Aviles backed up the throw, picked up the ball and threw a strike to Jose Iglesias to nail Lawrie before he could reach second. Nice play.

7:17 p.m.: Dustin Pedroia is expected to return to the Red Sox this weekend in Toronto after staying in Boston for the birth of his second son. Congratulations to the second baseman. Hope mom and family are doing well.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Laffey continues his mastery of Red Sox hitters and sets the lineup down in order.

Mike Aviles flies out to end the frame. He is the 11th player to hit third for the Red Sox this season. That number sums up Boston’s season.

7:09 p.m.: Liftoff. Red Sox and Blue Jays are under way. Boston is wearing its alternate jerseys.

7:02 p.m.: Red Sox still have a chance to play spoiler. Although they lost two out of three to the Yankees this week, they have 15 games left against the Rays (6), Orioles (6) and pinstripes (3) after they leave Toronto.

5:23 p.m.: We are calling this game the Deja Vu All Over Again Don’t Blink or You Might Miss a Highlight Extravaganza. You might think the name has something to do with Dice-K and Laffey starting against each other for the second time in less than a week.

A fine guess, but to paraphrase Dana Carvey impersonating John McLaughlin, wrong.

A second thought may be that the name is an homage to Yogi Berra, who turned 87 four months and two days ago.

Completely logical and reasonable response, but no cigar.

Of course, the name refers to the character from Top Secret who uttered five famous words: Have we not met before?

This game is dedicated to him.

Thanks for playing.

Only 104 minutes until first pitch.

4:32 p.m. Here are the lineups.

Red Sox

Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Mike Aviles, 2B

Cody Ross, RF

Mauro Gomez, DH

Ryan Lavarnway, C
Daniel Nava, LF
James Loney, 1B

Jose Iglesias, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka, P

Blue Jays
Rajai Davis, LF
Colby Rasums, CF
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Adam Lind, 1B
Yunel Escobar, SS
Kelly Johnson, 2B
J.P. Arencibia, C
Moises Sierra, DH
Anthony Gose, RF

Aaron Laffey, P

3:30 p.m. ET: The Red Sox (64-80) open a three-game series with the Blue Jays (65-77) in Toronto. The journey north of the border is Boston’s last trek to Canada this season and begins a seven-day, seven-game road trip that ends with a four-game set in St. Petersburg against the Rays.

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Aaron Laffey are the probable starters for Game 145 of the 2012 Red Sox season. The last time Matsuzaka and Laffey squared off, on Sept. 8 in Boston, the skies opened up and dropped buckets of rain at Fenway Park as the Blue Jays rolled to a 9-2 win. Don’t expect any weather delays in the rematch. The forecast inside the Rogers Centre calls for clear skies and 72 degrees.

Matsuzaka is 1-5 with a 7.20 ERA on the season. He lasted only 1 1/3 innings in his last start but got a reprieve from the Red Sox, who decided to give him another shot in the rotation after considering giving him the hook.

Laffery is 3-5 with a 4.43 ERA and has become a Red Sox killer. In three starts against Boston this season, the left-hander is 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA in 17 1/3 innings.

In other words, the Red Sox are due. Very due.

All of the fun gets started at 6 p.m. with NESN’s pregame coverage. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. Enjoy the show with Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy on TV, and follow along with us on the live blog for a Friday night you wouldn’t soon forget.

The descent in the standings has been humbling and surreal. On April 21, after the Red Sox blew a 9-0 lead to the Yankees and lost 15-9, Bobby Valentine said, “I think we’ve hit bottom. … If this isn’t bottom, then we’ll find some new ends to the earth, I guess.”

Little did we know the Red Sox would drop onto a whole new planet.

Now, they need to rediscover their mojo.

Clay Buchholz gets the call against Carlos Villanueva in the series finale against Toronto in about 13 hours, at 1:35 p.m. Boston will do its best to avoid getting swept.

12:05 a.m.: There might be more Blue Jays fans at Fenway now than Red Sox fans. Both sides have started a “Yankees suck” chant at Fenway. Guess they haven’t looked at the AL East standings.

Mid 9th, Blue Jays 9-2: Anthony Gose provides a souvenir for the few fans still sitting in the right-field seats. The rookie crushed a three-run bomb off Andrew Bailey to give the Blue Jays a 9-2 lead. The home run is Gose’s first in the majors and gives him five RBIs for the night. He is going to be googled early and often Sunday, which has arrived.

11:49 p.m.: The jury is still out on whether Iglesias can hit major league pitching. If Iglesias hits below .100 for his career, will hitting around .100 become known as the Iglesias Line?

End 8th, Blue Jays 6-2: Jose Iglesias gets a hit. That is all.

11:42 p.m.: Thanks for playing, Brett Cecil. The left-hander exits after going two-thirds of an inning and wearing his sunglasses at night. Must be prescription shades.

Mid 8th, Blue Jays 6-2: Vicente Padilla wakes up the Blue Jays’ bats. Toronto grabs another run. The string of 1-2-3 innings is broken. Pour out some liquor.

End 7th, Blue Jays 5-2: Surprise, surprise. Lincoln sets Red Sox hitters down in order. Either all of these pitchers are future Hall of Famers, or hitters want to go home.

Mid 7th, Blue Jays 5-2: Three up, three down. More good relief by Red Sox pitchers. Melancon’s line: 2 IP, 0 H, 3 K. Those numbers will help lower his 7.11 ERA. Every little bit counts.

11:17 p.m.: Theeeeeeee Yankees lose — on a blown call. Orioles and pinstripes now tied atop AL East.

Mr. Selig, how many more calls do umpires need to miss before Major League Baseball implements instant replay for any play?

11:13 p.m.: NHL and NHLPA expected to meet Sunday. C’mon, fellas, the clock is clicking. Let’s find some common ground. The NHL season needs to start on time.

End 6th, Blue Jays 5-2: Another 1-2-3 inning. Take away the rain delays, and this game could have finished under two hours and been one of the fastest games of the season.

Lincoln’s 94 mph fastball buzzing over Mauro Gomez’s head is the most exciting moment of the frame. All this game needs is a brawl.

Mid 6th, Blue Jays 5-2: Mark Melancon takes over and shuts down the Blue Jays 1-2-3.

End 5th, Blue Jays 5-2: The game is official now after Brad Lincoln gets Ellsbury to ground out to second for the third out. If the rain starts again, umps probably will be sprinting toward the exits. But just in case, might want to get comfortable and make another sandwich.

Close the book on Laffey. He only went 4 2/3 innings, so he isn’t eligible for the win. But he deserves to be the pitcher of record. He only allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two and walking two. Red Sox could use a southpaw like him — 27 years old, $800,000 contract, good mound presence, strong command, versatile. He’s a free agent after this season.

10:51 p.m.: Play ball. Again. Game resumes after second rain delay of one hour, five minutes.

10:40 p.m.: Dave Mellor is a master greenskeeper. His team of grounds crew members is working overtime. Tarp is off, and heavy artillery is drying the field. Game is expected to resume at 10:50 p.m. ET.

10:25 p.m.: Tarp is back on the field, but word is, the game will be completed at some point. There’s a window of opportunity.

If you’re staying up to watch the end of the game, hat’s off. You’re a special breed. Thanks for staying with us.

10:18 p.m.: Looking forward to Sunday, Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season. Lots of good matchups. Best of the day could be 49ers at Packers. Interested to see how Andrew Luck does against Bears defense. Will Patriots’ offensive line keep Tom Brady from getting killed? Have Jets been playing opossum? Are Seahawks, Russell Wilson for real? Is Peyton Manning God?

Just saw the Rob Gronkowski Dunkin’ Donuts commercial. Not bad. If you haven’t read Chris Ballard’s Sports Illustrated piece on Gronkowski, his family and upbringing, check it out. Fascinating look into how Gronk became Gronk and why he is a football savant.

10:04 p.m.: The tarp is being removed from the Fenway infield. Now, the hard work begins for the grounds crew.

Good thing they’re going to keep playing. To quote Carl Spackler, “I don’t think the heavy stuff’s going to come down for quite a while.”

Watch the entire classic bishop golf scene from Caddyshack.

What are the odds this game turns into the best game of the Red Sox’ lives?

9:51 p.m.: Red Sox grounds crew is having a hard time getting the tarp on the field — water isn’t light. They finally manage to cover the infield. After the rain stops, the crew will have to do some work to get the field ready for play.

9:45 p.m.: The second rain delay of the game is presented by L.L. Bean.

9:41 p.m.: Scott Podsednik hits an RBI-single to right-center to put the Red Sox on the board. The celebration is short-lived as Lind makes a nice catch on a soft Jose Iglesias pop fly and doubles Podsednik off first. Pedro Ciriaco then hits a single up the middle to plate Mike Aviles. Red Sox now trail Blue Jays 5-2.

Rain is falling hard again. Umpires are stopping the game again. They have no choice. The rain is dumping.

Mid 5th, Blue Jays 5-0: Andrew Miller replaces Aceves after the rain delay and makes quick work of Rasmus, Encarnacion and Lind.

9:32 p.m.: Orioles have 5-2 lead on Yankees in seventh inning. If the Birds can hold on for the win, they will pull even with the pinstripes for first place in the AL East.

Dan Duquette has done a masterful job rebuilding the Orioles in his first season as Baltimore’s chief architect. They are the feel-good story of a season that has had many. If the O’s can get to the postseason, October will be a very big month in the Washington D.C. area.

End 4th, Blue Jays 5-0: Frustration continues for Red Sox. After Cody Ross gets hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with one out, Mauro Gomez grounds into a double play.

One inning until the game is official. So we got that going for us, which is nice.

8:26 p.m.: The game resumes after a 58-minute rain delay.

9:04 p.m.: Mother Nature, what happened? I thought we were friends.

On Friday night, I was at a welcome-back-to-school barbecue for my daughter, who started kindergarten this week. It started to rain. A little at first. The small drops then began to fall harder. Before long, the sky was pouring buckets. As we took cover under a building, a huge burst of lightning struck right in front of our eyes, a few feet from where we stood. The ensuing crash of thunder was deafening. The scene was reminiscent of the July lighting-thunder show at Rangers Ballpark that sent Twins and Rangers players running for safety.

Everyone at the barbecue headed indoors to be safe.

Before long, fire trucks arrived. The thunder boom had set off an alarm, so firemen needed to make sure lightning had not struck the same building we were using for cover.

Parents, students and teachers got to know each other a little better in the cafeteria and hallways of the school. We wondered if we’d be having a slumber party. We watched a monsoon. We bonded. After about 30 minutes, we were allowed go home, with a memory of a barbecue we would never forget.

And now it’s time to play ball again.

8:49 p.m.: One last thought on Dice-K. The Japanese right-hander never was the same after the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He pitched Japan to the title in March of that year, throwing at full speed, like it was October and he was pitching in the World Series, even though his arm wasn’t in condition for that pace.

The added workload may have led to his downfall. That’s just the kind of pitcher — and man — he is. In a high school tournament in Japan, his threw a legendary 250-pitch, 17-inning complete game to win the championship game. He wanted to be the best Japanese pitcher of all time, and that ambition may be his tragic flaw. The irony is that by striving to be the best for his country, he may have compromised his major league career in America, which then hurt the reputation of all Japanese pitchers in MLB. Until Yu Darvish helped rebuild the image this season.

But remember this: Matsuzaka went 33-15 with a 3.72 ERA in 61 starts and threw 372 1/3 innings over his first two big league seasons in 2007 and 2008. He helped the Red Sox win the 2007 World Series and get to Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS against the Rays. Since then, over four seasons from 2009 to 2012, he has gone 17-19 with a 5.17 ERA in 51 starts and thrown only 262 innings (those numbers don’t include Saturday night’s gem).

Dice-K was supposed to be the greatest pitcher on earth, a machine who could throw a gyroball and create new pitches every time he stepped on the mound. But like other great folklore — Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFOs — the myth failed to live up to the hype. Matsuzaka has not been worth the $102 million it cost the Red Sox to sign him.

He could have owned Boston. Instead, he got owned in Boston.

That’s life. You win some, you lose some, sometimes it rains.

Maybe Matsuzaka can resurrect his career in another market. Perhaps on the West Coast. Seattle, Los Angeles or San Diego. The chances of the Dice-Man getting another contract from the Red Sox are slim and none. And slim just left town.

8:34 p.m.: The Red Sox had 13 rain delays in 2011 that lasted 19 hours and one minute. This season, the Red Sox have had six rain delays, lasting seven hours and 16 minutes.

8:28 p.m.: This rain delay is presented by L.L. Bean.

Anyone know any good jokes?

8:26 p.m.: Forget about a no no-hitter. Ellsbury hits a clean line-drive single to center to break Laffey’s shot at the record books.

And now the skies have opened up. They are bringing out the tarp. The next question is, when will the rain end?

Mid 4th, Blue Jays 5-0: Another 1-2-3 for Aceves. Bobby V.’s favorite hurler is on a roll. Aceves has thrown 37 pitches in 2 2/3 innings with 26 for strikes.

End 3rd, Blue Jays 5-0: New England is hoping the Patriots bring more offense to Tennessee than the Red Sox have brought to Fenway. They are making Laffey look like Cy Young. If the Blue Jays’ lefty could face the Red Sox every game, he even might win a Cy Young.

Mid 3rd, Blue Jays 5-0: Aceves sets the Blue Jays down in order. The right-hander may be a little erratic off the mound, but he can pitch, if given the right role.

End 2nd, Blue Jays 5-0: The Red Sox fail to answer and still don’t have a hit against Laffey.

Mid 2nd, Blue Jays 5-0: Alfredo Aceves stops the bleeding as Edwin Encarnacion flies into a double play, thanks to bad baserunning by Colby Rasmus, who forgot how many outs there were. John Farrell isn’t going to be happy about that.

Matsuzaka likley won’t have many more outings at Fenway.

7:42 p.m. That’s all, folks. Bobby Valentine mercifully removes Dick-K. His final line: 1.1 IP, 5 R, 5 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HR. Unofficial line: Millions of unhappy Red Sox fans.

7:38 p.m.: Make that 4-0 Blue Jays. Gose singles to center to drive in two more. Dice-K is throwing a nice round of batting practice.

7:33 p.m.: Mr. Inconsistent strikes again. After looking good in the first, Dice-K looks terrible in the second. Blue Jays put another run on the board on a double by Hechavarria for a 2-0 lead.

Scratch that earlier thought. Maybe a change of scenery for Matsuzaka would be best for all parties.

Matsuzaka turns 32 on Sept. 13 and is in the last year of the six-year, $52 million deal he signed before the 2007 season. He’s now the third-highest paid player on the Red Sox — behind John Lackey ($15.25M) and David Ortiz ($14.57M) — after Adrian Gonzalez ($21M), Carl Crawford ($19.5M) and Josh Beckett ($15.75M) were sent to the Dodgers in the Nick Punto ($1.5M) megadeal.

7:29 p.m.: Escobar puts Blue Jays on the board first with a home run over the Green Monster. That ball was a laser and would still be going if the seats weren’t there to stop its flight.

End 1st, 0-0: Three up, three down for the Red Sox. Laffey made it look easy.

7:24 p.m.: Dice-K is such a conundrum. Some days, he looks like an ace. Other days, he looks like a bum. On this night, he looks like a pitcher who could help the Red Sox in 2013.

Rest assured, Ben Cherington is considering every option. If Dice-K is willing to take a paycut from the $10.3 million salary he’s making this season — which is no guarantee for anyone represented by Scott Boras — the pitcher might be a serviceable starter.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Dice-K looks strong early as he retires the side with two strikeouts and a groundout. He walked one but threw three first-pitch strikes, has good velocity and is working quickly.

7:19 p.m.: Rain is beginning to fall at Fenway.

7:10 p.m.: Game on. Dice-K is undefeated against Blue Jays. We’ll see if he can stay undefeated.

Pull up a chair and stay a while.

7:01 p.m.: Red Sox have the second-most home runs by catchers in the American League with 25 (White Sox lead with 30). Jarrod Saltalamacchia has 23 of the Red Sox’ jacks.

Time will tell if Salty or Ryan Lavarnway is the long-term answer at catcher for Boston. Both have some shortcomings behind the plate and at the plate.

Russell Martin is one interesting potential free-agent backstop who could interest the Red Sox. Although he’s hitting just above the Mendoza line, he calls a great game and has come up with some big hits for the Yankees this season. He’s making $7.5 million this season and likely wouldn’t break the bank but could have other suitors.

The New York Times ran a cool series on Martin and his value to the Yankees.

Here is the complete list of 2013 MLB free agents.

6:46 p.m.: Mother Nature is showing kindness. Red Sox game is expected to begin on time.

6:45 p.m.: John Lackey threw batting practice on Saturday and said he felt great. Lackey is 10 months removed from Tommy John surgery. Tim Wakefield, on Red Sox First Pitch, said Lackey pitched hurt the past two seasons and didn’t get the credit he deserved. Wakefield also predicted that Lackey will win Comeback Player of the Year in 2013.

Lackey needs to deliver on the field in regular-season games before the veteran right-hander is given the benefit of any doubt.

6:29 p.m.: Stephen Strasburg’s season is over in Washington after 159 1/3 innings. Did the Nationals make the right decision? Don’t think so. Washington’s reasoning is understandable. They want to protect their investment and the value of Straburg for the foreseeable future, but getting to the playoffs and having a shot to win the World Series isn’t guaranteed. Teams need to play to win now, when they have the chance.

Couldn’t the Nationals have started Strasburg in the bullpen in the first half and then move him to the rotation like the Braves did with Kris Medlen, who also is coming off Tommy John surgery and has an innings limit this season? The Braves’ right-hander is dominating now and also is available to pitch in the postseason if Atlanta gets to October.

Couldn’t the Nationals have found a creative solution to ensure Strasburg pitches in the games that matter most? It’s not just a shame for Washington fans and players, but it’s a shame for all baseball fans. It’s also a hit for Major League Baseball, which wants to showcase its best players on the biggest stage under the brightest lights.

Oh, well. Wait until next year.

6:19 p.m.: Dustin Pedroia hits third in the lineup after collecting his 400th career RBI on Friday night. Pedroia is batting .327 in the three spot with six home runs and 25 RBIs this season.

Jacoby Ellsbury moves to the two hole. Scott Boras might disagree, but Ellsbury seems better suited to hit leadoff or No. 2. His 2011 numbers notwithstanding, the center fielder is more of table setter than a table cleaner. He has only one home run and one RBI in 37 at-bats in the three spot this season. Part of his low power numbers are due to missing most of the first half with injury, but even if he is healthy for an entire season, his speed is a bigger weapon than his power.

6:01 p.m.: Weather could be an issue. Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast, but no rain yet. Current temperature is 76 degrees with 84 percent humidity and 22 mph winds. Hope Mother Nature cooperates.

5:51 p.m.: Good news for Red Sox? They are 25-19 (.568) against left-handed starters this year, the fourth-best mark in the American League. Bad news? They haven’t scored a run against Laffey in a pair of games. He pitched seven shutout innings on July 20, a 6-1 Blue Jays win, for his second victory of the season. On June 20, a 5-1 Red Sox win, he delivered six shutout innings for a no-decision.

4 p.m.: Here are your lineups for this evening.

Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Mike Aviles, DH
Scott Podsednik, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS
Daisuke Matsuzaka, P

Blue Jays
Rajai Davis, LF
Colby Rasmus, CF
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Adam Lind, 1B
Yunel Escobar, SS
Kelly Johnson, 2B
J.P. Arencibia, C
Adeiny Hechavarria, 3B
Anthony Gose, RF
Aaron Laffey, P

3 p.m.: Crash Davis, Ty Webb and Sgt. Hulka make us feel good, proud to be Americans. They might be fictional characters, but they are the type of leaders the Red Sox need to restore dignity in the clubhouse and order on the field. When the Red Sox start looking for players to add to the roster this winter, they must scour every corner of the globe to find the Crash Davises, Ty Webbs and Sgt. Hulkas of the baseball world.

Think of how good the Red Sox can be, not how bad they have been, and watch how fast hope is restored in Red Sox Nation.

The healing process begins now, and we want to document the closing of the wound. So smile, take a picture and send photos to @NESN or @erictortiz with #smile as the hashtag. We will post the best pictures on NESN.com.

Going to Sept. 8 #BOS-#TOR game? Send @instagram photos from #Fenway to @erictortiz with #smile. Best pics go in @nesn live blog.

— NESN (@NESN) September 8, 2012

2:57 p.m.: Bobby Valentine called this year’s Red Sox campaign “miserable” earlier this week. Larry Lucchino agreed. To say the season has been a disappointment would be like saying Democrats and Republicans don’t see eye-to-eye on some issues.

But just because the 2012 Red Sox have fallen far short of meeting expectations doesn’t mean the apocalypse has arrived. The Red Sox have financial flexibility and talent on the farm. If Ben Cherington and Co. make effective offeason moves and provide the right answers to key questions — who will start at pitcher, catcher, shortstop, first base, left field and right field in 2013? — the Red Sox could contend as early as next season.

The reloading process won’t be easy, but look on the bright side: The Red Sox are not the Royals. While the Red Sox may have strayed from the philosophy and core principles that helped them win two world championships in four seasons, they have the means to rise again.

Everyone who roots for the Red Sox should embrace the opportunity. The organization has been given a great gift (by the Dodgers): the chance to hit the reset button. Being negative is easy. The impulse and reaction is predictable. Now is the time to choose a new approach. Instead of crowing about all of the Red Sox’ problems and reliving every detail of the drama and dysfunction — we all know the story by heart, anyways — how about we talk about solutions? The sooner we do, the sooner Boston can get back to enjoying the Show.

If you don’t believe me, listen to the sage advice of three legends.

Crash Davis, who reminds us that baseball is fun (warning: video contains some salty language).

Ty Webb, who explains the secret to unlocking the mystery of success.

And everyone’s favorite big toe, Sgt. Hulka, who knows a little something about discipline, duty, honor and courage — and how to keep things in perspective.

8 a.m. ET: We have reached Game 140 of the Red Sox’ 2012 season. Call it the Playing for Pride Special.

After losing 7-5 to the Blue Jays in the series opener on Friday night at Fenway Park, Boston (63-76) dropped into a virtual tie with Toronto (62-75) for last place in the AL East.

Can the Red Sox avoid taking sole possession of the cellar?

Daisuke Matsuzaka gets the ball in Game 2 against Aaron Laffey. Matsuzaka is 1-4 with a 6.15 ERA in seven starts this season. If you’re keeping score, that’s $1,476,190 per start for Matsuzaka. Four of those starts have been at Fenway, where he is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA. 

Law of averages says Dice-K is due for a quality outing. He surrendered six runs on seven hits (two home runs) in a forgettable 3 2/3 innings in Oakland in his last turn on Sept. 2.

Laffey rejoins the Blue Jays’ rotation since J.A. Happ is out for the season with a fractured foot. Laffey is 3-5 with 4.46 ERA, but the left-hander has pitched very well against the Red Sox this year. In two starts, both in Boston, he’s allowed no runs, struck out six and held batters to a .229 average over 13 innings.

First pitch Saturday night is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Tune in to NESN at 6 p.m. for pregame coverage, and follow along with the live blog right here.

Unfortunately, in the final games of the year, it has also been filled with pain. Johnny Boychuk went down and was helped off the ice after he suffered a leg injury in a loss to the Penguins on Tuesday. 

But pain and loss has never stopped the Bruins from coming through for their community. As most of the team traveled to play the Ottawa Senators in a playoff preview, several Bruins players stuck behind to meet fans and sign autographs.

Boychuk, along with Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin, demonstrated just how big their hearts are by taking time away from their recoveries to meet kids and families at the Garden.

The fans were thrilled to meet some of the leading stars on the team. All three players rank among the best in the league in plus/minus.

Seguin, meanwhile, also won NESN's Seventh Player Award. As Seguin claimed his hardware, Bruins fan and NESN Seventh Player Sweepstakes winner Ashley Friend took home a brand-new 2013 Mazda CX-5. She was on hand for the autograph session.

Bergeron, Boychuk, Seguin and Brad Marchand made the day for several fans, and showed that a frustrating loss would not stand between them and doing a good deed for the community.

Click here to see Bruins players meet fans and sign autographs >>

God, country and family are the three traditional American values. But in some New England households, the Red Sox trump everything.

Combine that passion with TV, newspaper, radio and the Internet — where information is just a Google search away — and it’s not easy to find anything Red Sox-related that flies under the radar. However, assistant general manager Ben Cherington has managed to do just that.

Cherington might not be a familiar name to the casual fan, but for the Sons of Sam Horn crowd and the Red Sox themselves, he is an invaluable member of the organization.

Since joining the club in 1999 — after being an advance scout with the Indians in 1998 — Cherington has worked his way up the org chart over the past decade. He began as a mid-Atlantic scout for Boston before heading to the team’s baseball operations department. After two years as coordinator of international scouting, the Meriden, N.H., native was named assistant director of player development in 2002 and was promoted to director of player development later that year.

When Theo Epstein took a brief hiatus during the 2005-06 offseason, Cherington was named co-general manager with Jed Hoyer. Prior to that, Cherington, Hoyer and Larry Lucchino helped broker the Josh Beckett trade with the Marlins. That deal brought Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to Boston for Hanley Ramirez, Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia and Anibal Sanchez. To say the move worked out well for Boston would be like saying Ben and Jerry enjoy ice cream. Without Beckett and Lowell, the Red Sox wouldn’t have won the 2007 World Series.

After Epstein returned as GM before the 2006 season, Cherington and Hoyer became a two-headed assistant GM. Cherington handled minor league affairs and oversaw player development and scouting. Hoyer handled major league affairs, transactions and contracts, doing everything from evaluating talent to negotiating contracts to analyzing sabermetrics.

Under Cherington’s watch, the farm system prospered and the team added players like Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson and Casey Kelly via the draft. Now that Hoyer has become the Padres’ new GM, Cherington slides into the role as Epstein’s right-hand man and will focus on roster construction, professional player evaluation and contract negotiations.

This winter will be a big offseason for the Red Sox, and Cherington will play a major part in determining which direction the team goes. He knows every player in the organization. This knowledge will come in handy as the Red Sox evaluate whether the risk of giving up prospects is worth the reward of adding Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera or some other slugger to the lineup.

Cherington is used to pressure and great expectations. He is one of the reasons why the Red Sox were able to snap their 86-year slump in 2004 and win two championships in the last five years.

But all that success is in the past. Eighty-six years of misery have all but been forgotten. Fans no longer accept the idea that the season will inevitably take a turn for the worse the way they did up until Boston won the World Series in 2004. Today, the Yankees are world champs, and the Red Sox haven’t won a World Series in two seasons. Red Sox Nation no longer represents the most patient fans on the block. They don’t want to wait until next year, and neither do the people working on Yawkey Way.

Winning changes everything.

Originally hired by former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette, Cherington is one of the few people in a position of power in the Red Sox organization who has been around long enough to be a part of the Yawkey Trust and the new ownership group comprised of John Henry, Tom Werner and Lucchino, whose goal upon arrival was bringing multiple championships to Boston.

It still is.

Cherington understands the Red Sox’ mission as well as anybody. His experience with both regimes and the cultural shift that ensued gives him insight on two different eras — BC (Before Championship) and AC (After Championship). That unique perspective makes him an underrated asset.

Cherington doesn’t wear a Red Sox uniform, but his input these next few months will have a major impact on what kind of success those who do have in 2010.

***

Tuesday, Nov. 24: Should the Red Sox let Daisuke Matsuzaka return to his own throwing program?

The 2011 Red Sox are not the greatest team that ever was. They are the greatest team that never was.

In January, I predicted that the 2011 Red Sox could be the next 1927 Yankees. They were more like the 2007 Mets. Instead of celebrating a championship for the ages, the 2011 Red Sox had a collapse for the record books and will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Losing 20 of 27 games in September.

Blowing a nine-game lead in the final month of the season.

Becoming the first team to miss the playoffs after being up by as many as nine games for a postseason spot entering September.

Glory wasn’t meant to be for the 2011 Red Sox. Their 2-10 start to the season was the first warning sign. They went 81-42 to restore hope and appeared on target for 100 wins.

Then, September struck, and the Red Sox turned into The Bad News Bears — before Morris Buttermaker convinced Kelly Leak and Amanda Whurlitzer to join the team. The Red Sox could have used Leak’s bat and Amanda’s arm down the stretch, because they couldn’t hit, field or pitch with consistency. They didn’t win back-to-back games after Aug. 27. Champions don’t do that. Teams watching the playoffs on TV do, and the Red Sox will have a front-seat in their living rooms this October.

The question is why. Many reasons have been cited for the wipeout. Expect the team — players, coaches and front office alike — to seek answers. But second-guessing isn’t going to bring the Red Sox back from elimination. No single person is to blame for the epic crash. The breakdown was a collective failure and likely will lead to some changes this offseason.

A World Series title was the goal for the 2011 Red Sox, and unmet goals have consequences. That’s the nature of the business. For the second straight October, the Red Sox are spectators. Now, the Yankees, Rays, Rangers, Tigers, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Brewers and Phillies will fight to be kings.

The show will go on without the 2011 Red Sox, but their memory won’t soon be forgotten. They will live in infamy with other clubs that blew big leads: the 2009 Tigers, 1995 Angels, 1987 Blue Jays, 1978 Red Sox, 1969 Cubs, 1964 Phillies,1962 Dodgers, 1951 Dodgers and 1938 Pirates.

You win some. You lose some. You learn a lot.

The 2011 Red Sox won 90 games and underachieved.

Only 188 days until Opening Day to turn the page and believe again.

Here are Manny’s career numbers.

Seasons: 19
Teams: 5
Games: 2,302
At-bats: 8,244
Hits: 2,574
Batting average: .312
Home runs: 555
RBI: 1,831
OBP: .411
SLG: .585
OPS: .996
Rings: 2
All-Star Games: 12
Salary: $204,807,769

Here are his numbers with the Red Sox.

Seasons: 8
Games: 1,083
At-bats: 3,953
Hits: 1,232
Batting average: .312
Home runs: 274
RBI: 868
OBP: .411
SLG: .588
OPS: .999
Rings: 2
All-Star Games: 8
Salary: $147,238,269

Thanks for the memories.

Stats: Baseball-Reference.com

Doubting them.

After being anointed champs before Opening Day, the Red Sox have looked more like chumps in their first six games of the 2011 season. But starting 0-6 might be the most revolutionary blessing to hit Boston since Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride.

Only two teams in baseball history have ever made the playoffs after starting a season 0-6: the 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1995 Cincinnati Reds. Both teams lost in the National League Championship Series.

The Red Sox have an opportunity to be the first 0-6 team to win a World Series. In other words, the Red Sox have another chance to make history in 2011.

In 2004, the Red Sox became the first major league team to win a playoff series after being down three games to none, beating the Yankees in the ALCS to shock the world.

Now, the Red Sox have to dig themselves out of their worst hole since 1945.

The Red Sox historically have performed better in the underdog role than as a front-runner. After losing six straight to open this season, they might as well change the B on their cap to a big U, don capes and start fighting crime. The Red Sox have had the blue-blood sense of entitlement smacked out of their mouth, but they can get back to their blue-collar roots and take an us-against-the-world attitude.

They can get back to playing fundamental baseball — throwing the ball, catching the ball, hitting the ball.

They can get back to hitting pitches where they are thrown, getting hits with runners in scoring position, hitting the cutoff man, painting the black, smacking home runs.

They can stop pressing and get back to being dirt dogs.

The team with the $161 million payroll needs to start having fun again.

Pop the Napoleon Dynamite dance scene into the clubhouse TV. Start smiling. Start high-fiving. Forget all the hype.

Imagine The Show is Little League. Play like nobody’s watching. Fast and loose like Eddie Felson.

Winning is a lot easier with a carefree, confident approach and some swagger.

Every player on the 25-man Red Sox roster has produced under pressure before. These are not greenhorns. This is a seasoned team. The Red Sox just didn’t forget how to play winning baseball.

Will they end up being the greatest of all time?

No title will be handed to them, but don’t underestimate a wounded lion.

Do you believe the Red Sox have all the pieces to win the 2011 World Series? Share your thoughts below.

A poisonous Egyptian cobra escaped from the Bronx Zoo on Sunday and is still on the loose, the New York Daily News reports.

In fact, the 20-inch snake has opened a Twitter account (@BronxZoosCobra already boasts almost 10,000 followers) and is enjoying life on the town while the rest of Gotham rests uneasy. According to CNN.com, the cobra’s venom can kill an elephant in three hours and a human in about 15 minutes.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is beginning to wonder if the crafty reptile can fill out the back of New York’s rotation.

So is adidas with a new ad campaign.

Lionel Messi, Derrick Rose and Katy Perry cover every demographic.

What do you think of the commercial?

If a 16-1 upset happens this March, Pizza Hut will be catering the celebration with free pizza in the 48 contiguous states of the United States.

At the half, No. 16 seed Boston University trails No. 1 seed Kansas by four, 33-29.

Go Terriers.

America is hungry.

Update: Still no free lunches. Kansas won 72-53. Maybe next year.

NESN’s college basketball coverage is presented by Bodog.net.

Just check out his Tournageddon page on Facebook. Here’s the San Diego State sample.

I love little, obscure, no-one’s-ever-heard-of-you schools. I just think it’s nice of the Tournament to let a team from Mexico in to compete against the good ol’ USA. I don’t know what San Diego stands for in Mexican, but evidently, it’s synonymous to “the little train that could.” It’s pretty cute. 20 straight wins? Not bad, but I can’t imagine the competition in Mexico is that good. Most people there play stupid games like soccer. So, this must be some sort of All-Star team. Either way, get ready for two or possibly three wins. Viva Mexico!

Good luck finding insight like that on CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV. Who needs Dick Vitale, Bill Raftery  or Bobby Knight?

Kenny Powers has the kind of incisive mind that can slice through incomprehensible coachspeak and X-and-O psychobabble to get right to the point. His unconventional way of thinking might not be for everybody, but genius always has been misunderstood. 

Powers speaks the language of every fan who doesn’t know the difference between a pick-and-roll and a jelly donut. He doesn’t get bogged down by facts, stats and logic. He thrives on feel and gut instinct.

So if you’ve watched more reruns of Jersey Shore than live college basketball games this season, listen to Kenny Powers. Absorb the knowledge. Soak up the wisdom.

You’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t and your bracket is busted by the end of the first weekend.

NESN’s college basketball coverage is presented by Bodog.net.

The lowest seed to ever win an NBA title was the sixth-seeded “Never underestimate the heart of a champion” Rockets in 1995, but bet the Kia that the team holding the Larry O’Brien trophy this year will be a four seed or better.

That leaves eight teams.

1. San Antonio Spurs, 51-12 (entering play March 7)
2. Boston Celtics, 46-15
3. Dallas Mavericks, 45-17
4. Chicago Bulls, 43-18
5. Los Angeles Lakers, 45-19
6. Miami Heat, 43-20
7. Oklahoma City Thunder, 39-22
8. Orlando Magic, 40-23

According to Bodog, all eight are not created equal.

1. Lakers, 3-1 odds of winning the title
2. Heat, 3-1
3. Celtics, 9-2
4. Spurs, 5-1
5. Bulls, 9-1
6. Mavericks, 12-1
7. Magic, 15-1
8. Thunder, 18-1

Look at defensive field goal percentage NBA rankings as an indicator of success.

1. Bulls, 42.9 percent
2. Heat, 43.0
3. Celtics, 43.6
4. Magic and Lakers, 43.8
8. Spurs, 44.9
12. Mavericks, 45.1
20. Thunder, 46.4

Then, consider a team’s weakest link.

The Heat close like the Golden Girls.

The Spurs are a JV team without Tony Parker.

The Mavericks don’t have enough rebounders.

The Magic have a losing record against winning teams.

The Thunder’s core is still rawer than a cold seafood platter from Union Oyster House.

The Bulls are short on 2 guards.

The Celtics are two deep at every position except center.

The Lakers have seven players in their rotation 30 or over.

Add up all the intangibles, crunch every number like an MIT Ph.D. and predicting an NBA champion remains an inexact science. Being correct 54 percent of the time is enough for a professional gambler to make a living.

Smart money says the Lakers or Celtics will be crowned king in 2011.

If the Finals started today, the Lakers would have the edge (even without home-court advantage) due to the size of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. The Celtics need to get healthy and jell.

Threepeat or Banner 18?

Whatever happens between now and June, remember wise guy rule No. 1: Don’t pick with your heart.

James Franco and Anne Hathaway made history by being the first male-female duo to serve as hosts, and Hollywood’s biggest night was watchable for the most part.

The King’s Speech took home awards for best picture, director, actor and original screenplay. The Fighter — the life story of Lowell (Mass.) boxer Micky Ward — also had a good showing and earned two golden statues.

Here is the complete list of 2011 Oscar winners.

BEST PICTURE: The King’s Speech

BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

BEST ACTRESS: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

BEST DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

BEST SONG: “We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3, Randy Newman

BEST EDITING: The Social Network, Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception, Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Inside Job, Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT: God of Love, Luke Matheny

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: Strangers No More, Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Alice in Wonderland, Colleen Atwood

BEST MAKEUP: The Wolfman, Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

BEST SOUND EDITING: Inception, Richard King

BEST SOUND MIXING: Inception, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo, and Ed Novick

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale, The Fighter

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: In a Better World (Denmark)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The King’s Speech, Screenplay by David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

BEST ANIMATED FILM: Toy Story 3

BEST ANIMATED SHORT: The Lost Thing, Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Inception, Wally Pfister

BEST ART DIRECTION: Alice in Wonderland, Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara

Randy Newman — who also wrote music for The Natural, Leatherheads and “I Love L.A.,” the unofficial Lakers theme song — delivered the best acceptance speech of the night.

What did you think of the 83rd Academy Awards?

But remove emotion from the equation, look at the move from a purely basketball standpoint and Danny Ainge added some talent to Boston’s roster — especially with Green, who is averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 49 games as a starter for Oklahoma City this season.

“We are pleased to welcome Jeff and Nenad to the Celtics,” said Ainge. “Jeff is a versatile talent on the offensive end and someone who can play multiple positions while Nenad, who is one of the better shooting big men in the league, gives us good size and length on both ends of the court.”

Green was drafted out of Georgetown by the Celtics with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. He then was traded to the Seattle Supersonics with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for Ray Allen and Glen Davis.  

Green is only 24 and has averaged 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 289 career games.

He also can do this.

This.

And this.

So saying goodbye to Perkins and Robinson isn’t all bad. Green could end up becoming a star in Boston.

Ask Derek Jeter, and he might pick Kadafi as the less crazy one.

The Yankees’ captain took the high road in responding to Steinbrenner’s not-so-subtle shots at the shortstop and his choice of residence, but the way the Yankees have treated Jeter lately has been far from classy.

Jeter is the face of the franchise. Next to Yogi Berra, the captain is the most famous living Yankee on the planet. He has an entire book of New York Times articles dedicated to him. He is a future Hall of Famer and never has done anything to embarrass the pinstripes, despite leading a personal life Frank Sinatra could appreciate.

So why are the Yankees doing everything they can to make Jeter angry?

First, they turned Jeter's contract negotiations into an open debate. Sure, Jeter might have thought the year was 2000 when he calculated his average annual value, but Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankees' brain trust didn't have to treat him like the second coming of Mario Mendoza. They could have kept the money talks private.

Now, Hank Steinbrenner is harping on 2010 and insulting Jeter for building a mansion. Guess the son of The Boss doesn’t want to be invited to a cookout.

Maybe playing hardball is part of a calculated plot to motivate Jeter after the down year he had a season ago. Maybe all the internal venom directed toward him is a way to get people to respect Jeter even more, to turn him into a sympathetic figure, someone non-Yankees fans will feel bad about booing.

Jeter is from the old school. He doesn’t like TMZ drama and has spent his entire career avoiding circus sideshows. Being the good soldier he is, Jeter will smile in the face of blowback. But don’t think for a New York minute that the captain enjoys being called out by anyone in public, let alone the owner of his team.

Jeter has been living a dream playing for the Yankees. His quotes over the years trumpet that pride. As he enters the twilight of his playing days, the Yankees’ powers that be might be planting some seeds of doubt in Jeter’s mind about how great the Yankees are.

If this is how they treat someone who’s done the right thing from Day 1, someone who’s stood for excellence and demonstrated impeccable character, someone who is destined to have a place in Monument Park alongside Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio – perhaps this organization isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.

The Bronx Zoo is alive and well and open for business in 2011.

The Red Sox couldn’t be happier. The biggest controversy in Fort Myers is figuring out how Terry Francona will fill out the lineup card.

Will the Yankees regret their recent treatment of Derek Jeter? Share your thoughts below.

Click here to see photos of Derek Jeter's new Florida pad >>