3:20 p.m.: 

The B’s have acquired defenseman Wade Redden from St. Louis, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.

3:17 p.m.: Colorado has traded defenseman Ryan O’Byrne to Toronto in exchange for a draft pick, according to Darren Dreger.

3:05 p.m.: It sounds like Roberto Luongo is staying in Vancouver.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie just tweeted this:

“Roberto Luongo has not been traded. He remains a Canuck. #tradecentre“

3:02 p.m.: The trade deadline has technically arrived, but that doesn’t mean deals are done trickling through.

For instance, Raffi Torres has been traded to San Jose, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBruin.

2:59 p.m.: According to multiple reports, Roberto Luongo wsa just pulled off the ice at Canucks practice.

2:55 p.m.: The Columbus Blue Jackets are not done just yet. According to TSN’s Aaron Ward, CBJ has acquired Blake Comeau from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

The Blue Jackets are going for it, apparently, having already added Marian Gaborik this afternoon.

2:47 p.m.: Mike Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has a couple of more details on the Jason Pominville trade.

According to Russo, the Wild will send Buffalo Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett, as those two were the duo pulled off the ice during practice. Russo also says a first-round pick is likely headed to the Sabres.

2:44 p.m.: Marian Gaborik had a no-trade clause, and apparently he waived it to go to Columbus. Wow.

2:39 p.m.: We’re not done yet.

RDS’ Renaud Lavoie reports Jason Pominville has indeed been traded to Minnesota.

2:36 p.m.: Wow. Business has really picked up.

ESPN.com’s Katie Strang just reported that Rangers forward Marian Gaborik has been traded to Columbus.

2:30 p.m.: Something is brewing in Minnesota, with just about 30 minutes before the deadline.

Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett were just pulled off the ice at Wild practice, according to Mike Russo of the Star Tribune. He also speculates that a “huge” deal could be on the way.

Buffalo’s Jason Pominville could be part of that “huge” deal, according to various reports.

2:25 p.m.: The Columbus Blue Jackets are done with Steve Mason, and somewhat humorously, he’s headed to Philadelphia of all places.

RDS’s Renaud Lavoie says Mason has been traded to the Flyers. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that a draft pick is what will be heading back to Columbus in exchange for the goalie.

2:10 p.m.: It was clear that the Senators were trying to trade goalie Ben Bishop, and they accomplished that with less than an hour to play.

The Sens traded the netminder to Tampa Bay, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch says that Cory Connacher and a fourth-round pick are on their way to Ottawa in exchange for Bishop.

2:04 p.m.: Once again, the latest news is that there’s no real news. Another player who some thought might be moved will likely stay put.

Capitals forward Mike Ribeiro doesn’t have his contract extension yet, but he doesn’t expect to be moved in the next hour.

Ribeiro himself said he doesn’t expect to be moved, according to CSN Washington’s Chuck Gormley.

1:56 p.m.: Quick programming note: Be sure to tune into NESN at 2 p.m. (in just a few minutes) to check out our two-hour trade deadline special. It will be fun.

1:42 p.m.: The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch (who has been killing it as of late), has an update on Drew Stafford.

The Buffalo forward is reportedly getting interest from New Jersey, Winnipeg and Columbus.

1:39 p.m.: Florida defenseman Brian Campbell was thought by many to be part of a potential Panthers firesale, but it sounds like he’s staying put.

The veteran blue liner will not be moved before the deadline, according to RDS’s Ranaud Lavoie.

1:27 p.m.: Ray Shero and the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t done just yet.

ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun just reported that Carolina center Jussi Jokinen has been traded to Pittsburgh, and according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie it’s for a conditional draft pick.

12:51 p.m: We have another trade, albeit another minor move.

Florida forward Jerred Smithson has reportedly been traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

12:44 p.m.: The San Jose Sharks have reportedly acquired defenseman Scott Hannan from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a conditional draft pick, according to TSN’s trade deadline coverage.

12:22 p.m.: We finally have our first trade of the day.

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Bruins have traded minor league forward Maxime Sauve to the Blackhawks for minor league forward Rob Flick.

It’s obviously not much of an earth-shattering move, but Flick seems like he should fit in with the Bruins’ culture. He’s a big boy, at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and he can throw his weight around. He already has 97 penalty minutes this season, and he played a big role in a couple of nasty brawls this season for Rockford of the AHL.

12:08 p.m.: One player whose name has been reported in multiple circles as a guy who may be moved is Winnipeg forward Alex Burmistrov. RDS’ Ranaud Lavoie says the 21-year-old is being shopped by the Jets right now.

12:05 p.m.: So, anyone heard any good jokes lately?

11:25 a.m.: It also doesn’t sound like Miikka Kiprusoff is going anywhere. TSN is reporting on its trade deadline show that the Calgary goaltender is likely to stay in Calgary until the end of the year when he might retire.

Given this news plus the fact that Mike Smith isn’t expected to be moved as well, puts the pressure on Vancouver when it comes to Roberto Luongo.

11:19 a.m.: The Coyotes aren’t going to be trading goalie Mike Smith, according to Pierre LeBrun.  Instead, they’ll be hoping to re-sign the 30-year-old, who has been on the IR since March 22 (also happened to be his 30th birthday).-JB

10:50 a.m.: It was safe to assume that the Bruins would probably look to add a defenseman before the deadline, but it will be interesting to see if that changes. The reason it may change, of course, is the potential of a Patrice Bergeron injury. The Boston forward left Tuesday’s game with an apparent injury, and there hasn’t been any update on his status yet.

10:30 a.m.: The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch says (via Twitter) that Senators goalie Ben Bishop could be on the move as there has been interest in the netminder. The Flyers, Oilers, Hurricanes and Lightning all reportedly have interest in Bishop.

10 a.m.: Don’t expect the Edmonton Oilers to go blowing anything up before the deadline.

TSN’s Darren Dreger tweeted that the Oilers are likely to stand pat, and may even look to add a forward. They’re just one point out of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

9:53 a.m.: There’s a little more than five hours left until the deadline, and business has yet to really pick up. At this point, who knows if it really will at this point either.

However, there are some big names who could still be moved before the deadline. One of those is Keith Yandle. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston says the Phoenix defenseman could be moved, but it’s not going to be cheap both in terms of return and salary. Yandle has three more years left on his contract with a $5.25 million salary cap hit.

TUESDAY

7:38 p.m.: According to multiple reports, the Ryane Clowe to New York deal is done, and the veteran forward becomes a Ranger.

6:45 p.m.: Carolina defenseman Jamie McBain, whose name started to surface in rumors Monday, is being held out of the lineup Tuesday night against Washington.

6:25 p.m.: There it is: Ryan Clowe is a New York Ranger.

Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted the news moments ago, and it appears that Clowe is headed to the Big Apple. Nothing official has been announced yet, but it sure seems like the Blueshirts got their man.

5:35 p.m.: The Ryane Clowe trade market has shrunk by one team, it appears.

Bob McKenzie is still all over things, and his latest update pegs the Rangers as the favorite to land San Jose’s forward. The Canucks are still in the mix as well, but as McKenzie puts it, the “smart money is on” New York.

3:20 p.m.: Ryane Clowe remains one of the biggest names left on the market, at least when it comes to forwards. It sure sounds like he’s going to be dealt sooner than later, but it’s still unclear where he’ll end up.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie tried to shed some light on that a few moments ago. According to the NHL insider, the Rangers, Canucks and Flyers are expected to be the most likely landing spot for Clowe.

3:10 p.m.: Chris Higgins isn’t going anywhere. The Vancouver Canucks just announced that they have signed the winger to a four-year extension.

2:45 p.m.: The Bruins have officially acquired Jaromir Jagr. The Stars just announced the deal.

2:40 p.m.: Teams looking to acquire a defenseman, especially a defenseman who can move the puck, might be interested in the latest from ESPN.com’s Katie Strang.

She recently tweeted that D-man Mark Streit isn’t any closer to signing a contract extension and that talks have stalled with the club in that regard. Of course, the Isles are hanging around in the Eastern Conference playoff race, so it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be traded, but it may mean that’s more of an option now.

2:20 p.m.: Not to be too Bruins-centric, but it sounds like the B’s may not be done after potentially adding Jaromir Jagr.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch are still likely to try and add a defenseman before Wednesday afternoon’s deadline.

1:30 p.m.: This probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise at this point, but it doesn’t sound like the Bruins will be in on Ryane Clowe now that they’ve reportedly added Jaromir Jagr.

RDS’ Renaud Lavoie just tweeted that the Bruins “won’t be a possible destination” for the Sharks forward after Boston’s reported trade for Jagr.

1 p.m.: One of the hockey season’s biggest holidays has started early, as while the NHL trade deadline is still more than 24 hours away, business has already started to pick up.

Big names have been changing sweaters for the last week or two, but things have really picked up in a big way over the last few hours.

The biggest move of the day so far? According to multiple reports, the Bruins have acquired future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a pair of prospects and a pick.

That came after the club reportedly sent center Derek Roy to the Vancouver Canucks for a prospect and a draft pick. That’s a good move for the Canucks, who have been looking to shore up their depth down the middle. Once they get Ryan Kesler back and healthy, that vaunted offense should only improve.

Midnight: That’ll do it for the round of 32, as Duke proves to be too much for Doug McDermott and Creighton, advancing to take on Michigan State with a 64-50 win.

We were treated to some great games today, from Aaron Craft’s buzzer-beater to push Ohio State past Iowa State to No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast’s dunk-and-dance-filled victory over San Diego State.

The winners will now take a few days off before the Sweet 16 kicks off on Thursday.

11:23 p.m.: This has really been one heck of a day for college basketball.

Saturday was dominated by blowouts, but Sunday has featured tight game after tight game. Miami just escaped from the latest nailbiter, foiling Illinois’ upset bid with a 63-59 win.

The night’s final contest is shaping up to be a good one, as well. Creighton has held Duke’s Ryan Kelly scoreless, but the Blue Devils hold a 41-32 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the second half.

10:31 p.m.: They have been vastly overshadowed by FGCU’s miracle run, but the No. 13 seed Explorers of La Salle are headed to the Sweet 16.

The boys from Philadelphia took down Ole Miss 76-74 on a layup by Tyrone Garland with three seconds remaining. Garland tallied 17 points in the contest while teammate Ramon Galloway led all scorers with 24 to propel La Salle deeper in the tournament than the school has been since reaching the Final Four in 1955.

We have two other tight games taking place, as the Illini lead Miami 35-34 with 13:51 to play and Duke holds a two-point cushion on Creighton as the first half winds down.

9:50 p.m.: Neither team has been able to take control in Kansas City, but a Marshall Henderson 3-pointer gives Ole Miss its largest lead of the game with 9:17 to play. Twelve of Henderson’s 16 shots tonight have been from deep, and he leads all Rebels with 18 points.

Meanwhile, the neon-sneakered Miami Hurricanes hold a 29-26 lead over Illinois at halftime.

9:20 p.m.: All hail the Eagles.

Florida Gulf Coast advances to play Florida in the Sweet 16 with an 81-71 victory over San Diego State. The Eagles had six players in double figures, with Bernard Thompson leading all scorers with 23 points, and ran away with the game in the second after trailing by one at the half.

In other action, La Salle leads Ole Miss 40-38 at half time and Florida’s third team in the tournament, No. 2 seed Miami, trails No. 7 Illinois by one early in the first half.

9:00 p.m.: We may be witnessing history right now.

FGCU has scored the last 16 points and now holds a 70-52 lead over San Diego State with just over four minutes to play. If the Eagles can hang on, they will the first No. 15 seed in the history of the tournament to advance to the Sweet 16.

8:32 p.m.: The Gophers made it interesting in the second half, but Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators were ultimately too much for Minnesota, winning 78-64 to advance to the Sweet 16.

Speaking of interesting, Florida Gulf Coast and San Diego State are playing in an instant classic in Philadelphia, with the Eagles holding a 50-46 lead with 13:30 to play, and the Marshall Henderson-led Ole Miss Rebels lead La Salle by five early in the first.

8:00 p.m.: Florida Gulf Coast University is trying to become the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16. The Eagles are making a run at the historic mark, trailing San Diego State 35-34 at half. Oh yeah, plenty of highlights from Dunk City too.

Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss will tip against La Salle at 8:09 p.m.

7:36 p.m.: It’s official, Kansas will advance to the Sweet 16 to play Michigan after defeating North Carolina 70-53 in a second half surge. Florida still holds a considerable lead over Minnesota in the opening minutes of the second half. Two new games are underway.

Tournament darling Florida Gulf Coast University is in a tight one thus far against San Diego State with the score tied at 19 apiece midway through the first half. Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss will take on La Salle for a spot in the Sweet 16 against Wichita State. That game tips at 7:40 p.m.

7:12 p.m.: Doesn’t look like either of these games will go down to the wire. Kansas has started to get rolling in the second half led by the strong play of Jeff Withey and Travis Releford.

Kansas hadn’t hit a 3-pointer in the first three halves of the NCAA tournament, but in the second half against the Tar Heels, the Jayhawks have connected on five. Michigan and Kansas looks like a very fun matchup in the Sweet 16.

Florida has been cruising on Minnesota from basically the start, up 48-27 at halftime.

6:26 p.m.: We’re getting overlapping games at this point in the evening. After a pair of exciting finishes, North Carolina is on top of Kansas at halftime, in the 1-8 matchup in the South Region.

This is a bit of reunion for UNC head coach Roy Williams, coaching against his former team.

The other game in action is No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Florida in the other third round matchup in the South. The Gators are up on the Gophers, 30-21, with 11 minutes to go in the first half.

5:06 p.m.: Victor Oladipo connected on a wide-open 3-pointer to give Indiana a 56-53 lead, the dagger in the Hoosiers’ 58-52 third round win over Khalif Wyatt and the Temple Owls.

Indiana scored 10 unanswered points in the final three minutes of the game to avoid being the second No. 1 seed to be bounced from the big dance.

Wyatt was the story of the game until Oladipo’s three. The Temple guard had 31 points, but didn’t score for the final six minutes of the game.

Indiana advances to the Sweet 16 to face fourth-seeded Syracuse.

4:31 p.m.: Khalif Wyatt was held in check for most of the second half, but made a couple of tough baskets to keep Temple in the lead.

Jordan Hulls returned to the floor and hit a 3-pointer to get within one. Temple responded with an Anthony Lee layup over Cody Zeller. With 7:15 remaining, Indiana has the ball trailing Temple 43-40.

3:50 p.m.: Khalif Wyatt has 20 of Temple’s 29 points at halftime. Take away Wyatt’s hot shooting and the Owls are shooting 4-for-20 from the field.

Indiana sharpshooter Jordan Hulls went to the locker room with a shoulder injury after a first half collision. Big blow for the top-seeded Hoosiers. Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller and Christian Watford all have six points.

2:33 p.m.: Ohio State continues the wild play in the West Region, as Aaron Craft’s 3-pointer with half a second gave the Buckeyes a 78-75 win over Iowa State.

Craft also made a key play on the defensive end when he drew a charge on a Will Clyburn drive. Iowa State was leading 75-74 at that point. Craft came down, got fouled and sank one of two free throws to tie the score.

The charge Craft drew will go down as one of the more controversial call of the tournament. Craft’s foot hovered over the restricted circle line and appeared to slid underneath the airborne Clyburn

Iowa State turned the ball over, giving Craft the first of two chances. He missed a 16-footer, but the ball knocked out of bounds, giving Ohio State the ball with under 30 seconds to play.

1:56 p.m.: LaQuinton Ross scores five straight for Ohio State and the Buckeyes are starting to create some distance with the No. 10 seed Iowa State.

Cyclones are attempting to knock out the No. 2 Buckeyes — No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 3 New Mexico, No. 4 Kansas State and No. 5 Wisconsin have all been bounced in the West Region.

1:08 p.m.: The Buckeyes enter the half with just a two-point lead over the Cyclones. Iowa State guard Chris Babb suffered a scary-looking ankle injury. He came down from a shot and severely rolled his ankle. He headed to the locker room before his teammates.

Buckeyes forward Deshaun Thomas has a game-high 13 points so far. Cyclones guard Will Clyburn has 11 with three rebounds and one assist.

Iowa State is out rebounding Ohio State 23-to-12 so far.

12:57 p.m.: This one’s a lot closer than anyone expected so far. Iowa State and Ohio State are all tied up at 29 with 3:57 left in the first half.

Deshaun Thomas has 11 points for Ohio State with three rebounds. Will Clyburn is leading the way for Iowa State with eight points and three rebounds.

12:18 p.m.: The first game of the day pits Iowa State and Ohio State off against one another in Dayton, Ohio. Ohio State has the home-field advantage and the seeding advantage in this one, but Iowa State has got off to an early lead.

Iowa State beat Notre Dame 76-58 in their first matchup of the tournament, while Ohio State beat Iona 95-70.

8 a.m. ET: It’s official. The first No. 1 seeded team has fallen. The NCAA tournament has lived up to its usual hype, with Saturday being no different, and even holding some surprises. For just the fifth time in NCAA history, a No. 9 seed is headed to the Sweet 16. Wichita State stunned top-seeded Gonzaga beating them 76-70.

The other top seeds, however, would not give up their spots. Louisville handily crushed Colorado State 82-56. That performance should be enough to put fear in the eyes of anyone the Cardinals face in the news two weeks. In case it’s not, head coach Rick Pitino said after the game, “I think we can play much better.” It’s no surprise that Louisville has started off as strong as they have, but of course, everyone loves a good upset.

A number of early Bracket Busters have already been shown the way out with 14th seeded Harvard falling to Arizona 74-51 and Cal falling 66-60 to Syracuse. But that doesn’t mean this won’t be the year of the Cinderella story as Wichita State showed they are not intimidated by a top-25 team. The Shockers outscored the Zags 31-21 as the minutes winded down, and did not relinquish their post.

Some storylines that are still alive in the tournament include Ole Miss’ resident bad boy, Marshall Henderson, who was recently spotted celebrating a win a a Kansas City bar and Creigton’s Doug McDermott,who is averaging 23.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. McDermott is poised to strike Sunday night against the Duke Blue Devils, and Coach K has already given praise to the superb scorer.

Sunday’s eight games are sure to excite, starting with the No. 10 seed Iowa State Cyclones taking on second-seeded Ohio State, and No. 9 Temple tipping off against a strong No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers team. The round of 16 is not the time to get complacent, as a number of teams are still on upset alert for tomorrow’s games including No. 2 Duke vs. No. 7 Creighton and No. 3 Florida vs. No 11 Minnesota.

One thing is for sure, it can only get more exciting from here on out. Make sure to check back here throughout the day for all the updates and latest news from the tournament.

NESN.com’s college basketball coverage is presented by Bovada.net. Download a bracket here.

So, lots of upsets on this day, including the Wichita State Shockers shocking Gonzaga. In any case, that’s it for us today from this live blog, but thanks for tuning in, and we’ll be back at it tomorrow.

11:20 p.m.: Yet another upset, folks. No. 9 Wichita State takes down No. 1 Gonzaga by the score of 76-70. The Shockers went up early on Gonzaga, but saw that lead erased late in the second half. However, after a crazy back-and-forth of three-point shots, Wichita State holds on for the surprise victory. The bench ends up being huge for the Shockers, with both Ron Baker and Cleanthony Early coming off the pine to score 16 apiece.

In the other (and last) ongoing game, Syracuse maintains a 44-30 lead over Cal Berkeley with about 11 minutes to go in the second half.

10: 35 p.m.: So, upsets are looking less and less likely as the night finishes out.

Marquette ultimately closed out Butler 74-72 after some possession musical chairs to end the game. However, after leading for most of the contest, Wichita State has allowed Gonzaga to come all the way back, and now the No. 1 seed looks poised to move on in the tournament. That one’s at 54-49 with about nine minutes to go in the second half.

In the last game on the slate for Saturday’s action, Syracuse holds an eight-point lead over Cal (or, as they say everywhere in California that isn’t Cal, Berkeley) at the half.

10:10 p.m.: California and Syracuse are just getting under way, but two other games to report on.

Butler is trailing Marquette by just two points with about four minutes to go in that game. It’s a No. 3 seed versus a No. 6, but still an exciting contest.

In the other current game, Wichita State is holding its ground against Gonzaga, up by three with about 16 minutes to go in the second half. Suffice it to say, if the Shockers can hold on it would absolutely be a huge shock to Gonzaga and the rest of the tournament.

Sorry for the bad pun, folks.

9:20 p.m.: Just to make it official, Harvard did indeed fall to Arizona, but it was certainly a nice story while it lasted.

However, Oregon becomes the latest tournament upset, taking down No. 4-seed Saint Louis as the No. 12 seed 74-57.

There are two games currently in action. Butler is ahead of Marquette 35-29 at halftime, and Wichita State is up by eight points on Gonzaga late in the first half, in what could be another upset in the making. Likewise, California is set to tip off against Syracuse in about 20 or so minutes.

8:15 p.m.: So, sorry folks, but it looks like Harvard’s run is done. They had a historical win against New Mexico, but as we speak they’re down 23 to Arizona with about two minutes remaining in the game.

In other action, Oregon is up big early on Saint Louis, with the No. 12-seed fixing to upset No. 4. The Ducks lead by 16 at halftime behind an all-around team effort that’s featured 10 points from Carlos Emory off the bench.

Likewise, Butler and Marquette have just gotten underway, while Wichita State and Gonzaga will tip off in about half an hour.

7:20 p.m.: So, with just under five minutes to go, Louisville has taken a commanding 73-51 lead over Colorado State, so no upset in that game is likely to happen after Colorado State was able to hang around early.

In the Harvard game, the Wildcats are taking it to the Crimson, up 40-22 at halftime. It’s not like this wasn’t expected, but still, it would have been pretty incredible to see Harvard steal another one — especially against a perennially solid team like Arizona.

In other games, No. 1-seed Oregon and No.4 Saint Louis are just getting off the ground, with Butler and Marquette coming up in about half an hour.

6:20 p.m.: So Colorado State managed to stick around with Louisville for a while, but before the half the No.1-seed managed to pull away, and currently lead the No. 8 team 45-31 at halftime. Russ Smith leads the Cardinals with 18 points.

In the Harvard game, Arizona has the lead early, up 12-2 with just under 15 minutes to go in the first half. So, it seems that Cinderella story may be over, but, hey, at least Harvard can now say they’ve tasted a win in the NCAA tournament.

5:00 p.m.: So, we have two finals in the books. And, since you all must be wondering, the Harvard-Arizona game is set to tip off at 6:10 p.m. EST.

In the two contests already finished, Michigan State knocked off Memphis 70-48, led by 23 points from Gary Harris. In the other contest, No. 4-seed Michigan defeats No. 5 VCU behind a monster performance (21 points and 14 rebounds) by Mitch McGary.

Still ahead are Harvard and five other games, including No. 1-seed Louisville taking on No. 8 Colorado State, which will tip off in about 15 minutes.

3:43 p.m.: Memphis went on an incredible 16-6 run to end the half and now Michigan State leads just 32-29. The Tigers are showing off some impressive hops with four blocks on the half. Check out D.J. Stephens rising up to block a Keith Appling shot here.

Gary Harris is leading the way with 16 points on the half for the Spartans.

3:12 p.m.: The Memphis-Michigan State matchup looks like it may follow in VCU-Michigan’s footsteps of being a blowout. The Spartans are up 26-13 with eight minutes remaining in the first half.

Gary Harris of Michigan State has 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

2:14 p.m.: This game might have started out close, though, Michigan started to run away with it right around the 10 minute mark in the first half. After that, the Wolverines couldn’t be stopped.

Michigan’s bench warmers even got a shot in the NCAA tournament. Caris LeVert, Jon Horford, Corey Person, Blake McLimans and Matt Vogrich all got minutes for the Wolverines. None of them got trillions, though. Sorry, Mark Titus.

Mitch McGary was the star of the game. He had 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting with 14 rebounds. Trey Burke scored 18 with seven assists, while Glenn Robinson II scored 14 with nine rebounds. Robinson even had to wear a namless No. 12 jersey after a VCU player tore his usual No. 1.

1:49 p.m.: Michigan is running away with this one. Forward Mitch McGary is leading the way for the Wolverines with 15 points and 11 boards.

VCU has had no answer for Michigan. If you have Michigan in the Sweet 16 in your bracket, you’re looking pretty good.

1:13 p.m.: VCU’s full-court press was working for a while against Michigan, but the Wolverines’ high-powered offense became too much for the Rams. Michigan leads 38-23 at the half.

Trey Burke, the top prospect on Michigan, leads the game with 11 points so far. He’s just 1-for-4 on three-pointers, but 4-for-9 overall from the field.

Glenn Robinson III has 10 points and five rebounds. Mitch McGary leads the way with nine rebounds. On VCU, Treveon Graham leads with nine points. Michigan already has six turnovers.

12:38 p.m.: VCU is keeping up with Michigan so far with help from its full-court press. Michigan’s an athletic team, though, so VCU’s tricks may not work on the Wolverines.

For fans of ’90s NBA action, you may recognize some names on Michigan’s squad. Do the names Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III ring a bell? Hardaway, a junior, and Robinson, a freshmen, could follow their fathers’ paths to the NBA. Hardaway is currently the No. 49 ranked prospect on CBSSports.com, while Robinson is No. 23.

12:22 p.m.: VCU-Michigan will kick off the day’s action. VCU comes in as a No. 5 seed, while the Wolverines entered the tournament as a No. 4 seed.

Michigan toppled South Dakota State 71-56, while VCU annihilated Akron 88-42. Michigan has taken the early 9-5 lead over the Rams.

8 a.m. ET: People want to see upsets and March Madness has given the people what they want so far. Thursday’s matchups showed that this year’s field has no clear-cut dominant team, as No. 1 seeded Gonzaga barely survived Southern and California shocked fifth-seeded UNLV. From 40-point blowouts to last-second heroics to history being made, the first couple of days of the NCAA tournament delivered.

Harvard has played the role of the underdog all season long. After losing two of their top players for the entire 2012-2013 campaign, nobody expected them to compete in the Ivy League, let alone go home with the title. Their impressive ride continued Thursday and, for the first time in school history, Harvard won an NCAA tournament game, stunning No.3 seed New Mexico — and the rest of America.

Saint Mary’s also almost pulled off the unbelievable as they stormed back against No. 6 Memphis, but ultimately fell short, losing 54-52. Meanwhile, Louisville, Syracuse and VCU never let their opponents even think of attempting an upset as the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 seeds respectively, all came away with massive wins.

Friday’s 16 games also lived up to the hype as brackets everywhere went up in flames. The upsets began with Ole Miss defeating Wisconsin, as the Rebels recorded their first NCAA win in 11 years, led in large part by Marshall Henderson. No. 13 La Salle continued the surprises knocking off No. 4 Kansas State, but the biggest news of the night came when No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast shocked second-seeded Georgetown. The Hoyas threatened a comeback late in the second half, but FGCU was able to escape any danger and come away with the astonishing win.

To the dismay of many, but to the surprise of few, Duke pulled out a win over Albany avoiding another Lehigh fiasco, while ninth-seeded Temple bested North Carolina State, 76-72 and Creighton, led by 27 points from All-American Doug McDermott, held on to beat Cincinnati.

Saturday’s games promise to ruin some more brackets — if they aren’t already destroyed — and provide hours of entertainment as the tournament heats up with eight matchups. VCU and Michigan get things started when they tip off at 12:15, Harvard hopes to keep their Cinderella story going as they take on No. 6 Arizona and Gonzaga will be tested by Wichita State in the last game of the night.

Check back here throughout the day to see how the games unfold. We’ll provide news and updates as the day goes on.

NESN.com’s college basketball coverage is presented by Bovada.net. Download a bracket here.

In games still going on, Minnesota is in the midst of pulling an upset of its own over UCLA. The No. 11 seed is currently up 54-42 with just under 12 minutes to go in the second.

So, let’s recap. Georgetown is out. Notre Dame is out. And UCLA may be out. If you like upsets, this is sure your night.

10:20 p.m.: The two game going on right now might be the two most competitive we see tonight.

San Diego State is a solid team with one of the best all-around players in the country in Jamaal Franklin. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is a bunch of big-bodied ogres who tend to dominate the glass and use their size down low.

Well, the Sooners are asserting themselves thus far with a 27-21 lead and just over seven minutes to play.

The other big 7/10 game has Notre Dame really bodying up Iowa State down low and trying to keep the Cyclones from getting those high-percentage shots they love.

Both of these games feature some definite star power and should come down to the wire before a winner is decided. Don’t be surprised if we get some late-game drama even.

9:51 p.m.: It didn’t look good in the first half as Florida led by just eight at the break, but Billy Donovan’s guys really turned on the jets in the second half.

The Gators locked down defensively and took control of the tempo in the final 20 minutes, outscoring Northwestern State by 24 for the 79-47 win. And maybe just to add some wow factor to this win, Florida held the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (81 points per game) to just 47 points total and 15 in the second half. Yikes.

If the Gators play like they did in the second half the rest of the tournament there is no question they’ll be in the Final Four.

9:47 p.m.: Just like most of the other top seeds — not you, Georgetown or Gonzaga — Ohio State took care of business in the Round of 64.

Deshaun Thomas and Sam Thompson combined for 44 points and Aaron Craft chipped in seven assists and six steals to help lead the Buckeyes to an easy 995-70 win over the Gaels of Iona.

Now, they can turn their attention to the winner of the Notre Dame/Iowa State game later tonight.

9:36 p.m.: It was not pretty at all, but Roy Williams gets his 700th-career win and North Carolina will move on to, in all likelihood, play Kansas.

It’s mind boggling that UNC, as talented as they are, had a 20-point lead in this game, but allowed Villanova to climb all the way back to even take a lead. That is not the sign of a team even close to competing for a championship.

If Kansas puts on even a decent showing against Western Kentucky, I’d bet they’ll drop the Tar Heels by double digits on Sunday.

9:25 p.m.: Brackets everywhere may be busted right now with that Georgetown loss, but you can at least take solace in the fact that both Florida and Ohio State are doing work right now.

Florida, who struggled with Northwestern State in the first half, has extended their lead out to 20 and Ohio State is putting a hurting on Iona.

Right now, I’d have to say Ohio State, along with Louisville, Indiana and Syracuse, look like the best teams in the tournament. Florida could work their way back into that conversation, but for the time being they’re outliers.

9:16 p.m.: The little guy did it again.

After two No. 2 seeds — Duke and Mizzouri — took a tumble in the first round in 2012, Georgetown followed suit with a loss to 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast.

The Eagles became just the seventh 15 seed all time to pull the unlikely upset with a 78-68 win, but it didn’t come without some drama.

Georgetown was down by as many as 17 in the second half, but some timely shooting pulled them back within four in the final minutes. But FGCU hit their free throws to seal the win in the end.

Now, the giant killers will be faced with either San Diego State or Oklahoma in the Third Round — I maintain my opposition — on Sunday.

9:00 p.m.: UNC blew what was a 20-point lead and are now stuck in the middle of a dogfight with Villanova.

Roy Williams was so angry at his starters that he even sent in an entire reserve unti for a minute or so just to prove a point and motivate them again. The message seems to have been heard loud and clear, but is it too late?

Over on TBS, Florida Gulf Coast has Georgetown on the ropes. They’ve got a nine-point lead with under two minutes to play. Can they do it?

8:22 p.m.: We may have another upset in the making.

As things stand right now, Florida Gulf Coast is still well out in front of Georgetown, 50-33 with 13 minutes to go in the second half. The No. 15-seed is being led by guards Bernard Thompson and Sherwood Brown, who have 18 and 16 points, respectively.

This would easily be the biggest upset of the tournament so far, if FGCU can hold on — even bigger than Harvard’s upset win over New Mexico.

7:45 p.m.: The first half has come to a close and the Florida Gulf Coast actually has the lead on Georgetown.

Now, don’t get too excited, they’re only up two points at the break, but with the way Georgetown has been playing it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this upset attempt go down to the wire.

John Thompson III needs to dig into his team at the half and really get them going offensively in the second half. It’s not like the Eagles are shooting lights out either, as they’ve only hit 30 percent of their shots. But Georgetown isn’t doing themselves any favors either and their best Otto Porter only has four points.

You can just see the blood in the water now.

7:38 p.m.: So, Ohio State is taking care of business with Iona, but the Hoyas aren’t enjoying quite as much luck against Florida Gulf Coast.

FGCU is actually ahead of Georgetown with under two minutes to go in the first half. Now, the Hoyas aren’t exactly an offensive power, but you’d think their staunch defense might be able to keep the Eagles at bay.

I guess we’ve got out first upset alert of the evening games. Keep on the lookout for this one.

7:15 p.m.: Illinois can take let out a big sigh of relief, because the Illini found a way to fend off the pesky boys from Colorado.

The Fighting Illini led by 16 early in the second half, but a 23-5 run by the Buffaloes saw it quickly evaporate. Luckily, some clutch shooting from senior Brandon Paul and and a few key rebounds from center Nnanna Egwu provided just enough to secure the 57-49 win.

Now, Illinois will have the fortune, or misfortune, of facing No. 2 Miami in the third round — I still don’t agree with these round labels — on Sunday.

Elsewhere, No. 2 Ohio State just tipped off against No. 15 Iona and fellwo no. 2 Georgetown currently holds a six-point lead over Florida Gulf Coast halfway through the first half.

5:35 p.m.: So after blowing an 18-point lead, La Salle finishes it off and pulls the upset — as the No. 13 seed — on Kansas State, 63-61.

In other games, Creighton beats Cincinnati 67-63 behind 27 points from Doug McDermott. The junior forward went 7-for-13 from the field, and also pulled down 11 rebounds for the double-double.

Two games going live as we speak. James Madison is trailing Indiana big early in the second half — no surprise there — while Illinois is up 37-21 over Colorado at the half.

5:05 p.m.: So no matter what the other storylines may be, upsets are always the sexy item at the NCAA tournament.

Last night it obviously fell to Harvard to fulfill that role, but late this afternoon it may well be La Salle. The Explorers are currently knotted up 60-60 with Kansas State with just about 3:30 to go in the game. Of course, Kansas State was down 18 at halftime, so perhaps the aggregates are just on their side at this point.

In any case, Jerrell Wright leads La Salle with 18 points, while Shane Southwell leads Kansas State with 17.

4:10 p.m.: Miami is just about to put a bow on a blowout victory against the 15-seed Pacific.

The Hurricanes are up 73-49 with two minutes to go, thanks in large part to the play of Durand Scott. He’s got 21 points to lead all scorers, and the strong start to the tournament bodes well for the ACC champion’s title hopes.

3:50 p.m.: Temple holds on to beat NC State 76-72, in a game that ended up much closer than the Owls would have liked. NC State battled back from an 18-point deficit to make this close, but couldn’t pull off the miracle comeback.

Attention now shifts to the “upset alert” brewing in the Kansas State-La Salle game. There, La Salle has opened up an 18-point lead over K-State. Elsewhere, Creighton leads Cincinnati by five at the half, behind 14 points by the nation’s leading scorer, Doug McDermott.

3:48 p.m.: C.J. Leslie has fouled out of this one, as the junior guard finishes with 20 points for NC State.

3:44 p.m.: A couple of controversial calls went against NC State in these final moments, with what looked like a clean block and a possible charge instead turning into free throws for Temple.

NC State only trails by three with about 10 seconds to go, but Temple has the ball and will need to inbound it from under their own hoop.

3:40 p.m.: LaSalle has opened up a double-digit lead against Kansas State halfway through the first half. Temple is still clinging to a lead with under 30 seconds to go, but NC State is shooting free throws down six points.

3:35 p.m.: The action is coming fast and furious on TBS as the Wolfpack continue to rally. It’s a three-point game with 1:27 to play.

3:30 p.m.: Here comes the Wolfpack!

Back to back 3-pointers have cut the Temple lead that once was 18 all the way down to three with just over three minutes to play. NC State’s Lorenzo Brown has 16 points, but he’s also playing with four fouls and has to be careful.

A pair of free throws for Temple extends the lead back to five, but kudos to NC State for showing some fight late in Dayton.

3:20 p.m.: Cincinnati and Creighton have tipped off, with the 7-10 matchup starting off a close one. La Salle and Kansas State are also underway early, with those two playing for the right to face Ole Miss next.

Temple is holding on to a late lead against NC State, who are valiantly trying to come back. They’re down eight at the under-four minute timeout after a key 3-pointer by C.J. Leslie.

3:00 p.m.: NC State is making things interesting against Temple, as the No. 8 seed Wolfpack have cut the lead to single digits. It’s 47-39 Temple with 13 minutes to go in the second half.

Meanwhile, Miami is cruising over No. 15 Pacific, having opened up a 20-point lead nearing halftime. Shane Larkin has 10 points and five assists for the Hurricanes.

2:45 p.m.: It’s in the books. Another No. 5 seed has fallen to a No. 12.

Ole Miss will move on to the next round after dispatching Wisconsin 57-46, behind 19 points from star guard Marshall Henderson and 12 rebounds from Reginald Buckner. The Rebels will face the winner of the Kansas State-La Salle game in the Round of 32.

2:30 p.m.: It’s that time again — time to find where truTV is on your dial.

While Temple enters halftime up 16 on NC State, Ole Miss and Wisconsin are in a tight one with under four minutes to go. Elsewhere, Miami leads Pacific early, while Duke is moments away from wrapping up a W over Albany in its first game of the tournament.

2:15 p.m.: Miami and Pacific are underway in the second 2-15 matchup of the day. Duke is still comfortably ahead of Albany in the first one, leading by 10 with under four minutes to play.

Meanwhile, Henderson is heating up for the Rebels, and Ole Miss has grabbed the lead from Wisconsin. That’s the game to watch as we head into the home stretch of these early games.

2:10 p.m.: Marshall Henderson has finally made a 3-pointer. His first make from long range brings Ole Miss to within three of Wisconsin with 11:26 to go, and improves his shooting mark to 1-for-7 from deep.

Bo Ryan immediately called a timeout, possibly in hopes of making sure Henderson doesn’t find his rhythm.

1:50 p.m.: We’re up to three simultaneous games after Temple has tipped off against NC State in Dayton. The Owls have grabbed a quick 12-4 lead over the Wolfpack thanks to all five starters scoring in the first five minutes of play.

Meanwhile, Duke continues to pull away from Albany, making an upset for Duke haters less and less likely. They’ve got a comfortable double-digit lead midway through the second half.

Wisconsin and Ole Miss are underway in the second half as well.

1:25 p.m.: For all his talk of getting paid, Marshall Henderson has been anything but money in this first half.

The outspoken Ole Miss guard heads into the locker room with his team trailing 25-22, and Henderson’s shooting is a big part of that. He’s just 1-for-11 from the field and 0-for-4 from long range. He averages 20 points per game and has gone for 21 or more in five straight games, but he’ll need a monster second half to reach that mark against a stingy Wisconsin defense.

1:15 p.m.: Duke has reached halftime, and the Blue Devils lead 35-26 over Albany. Seth Curry leads all scorers with 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting so far today.

In Kansas City, Bo Ryan is looking more and more frustrated with his Badgers squad during their dogfight against Ole Miss. Wisconsin has already committed six turnovers in the first half as the two teams trade blows in a close game.

1:05 p.m.: There’s a much more exciting game going on in Kansas City, where Mississippi now leads Wisconsin 15-11. While Marshall Henderson has been ineffective so far (just two points, and some bench time), the Rebels are hanging in with Bo Ryan’s Badgers.

Albany, meanwhile, has snuck within five of Duke. The Blue Devils are up just 31-26 with 1:38 to go in the half.

12:55 p.m.: Duke is pulling away, but it’s not as bad as it could be. Albany has ways to stop the Blue Devils, and it just has to hope that the shooting cools off. Duke is up 29-18.

Wisconsin has an early 9-7 lead on Ole Miss, by the way. As for Marshall Henderson? He has two of the points.

12:38 p.m.: Austin Rivers couldn’t keep Duke from a first-round upset last year, but Seth Curry may be able to. He is torching the net so far and showing that this is one of the games where he’ll be hard to stop. He’s been outstanding this year despite not being able to practice due to ankle problems.

He has nine points as Duke leads 22-12, and he’s well on his way to the 17.0 points a game he’s averaging this year.

Duke is 8-for-10 from the field so far, and 3-for-4 on 3-pointers. Albany needs to find some defense.

Ole Miss and Wisconsin are getting ready to go on truTV. They’ll start any minute now.

12:35 p.m.: Duke has the lead early in this one, but Albany is hanging in. Seth Curry has already dropped in five points, but the Danes have some real strength inside. Sam Rowley, Blake Metcalf and Gary Johnson are capitalizing on what has been Duke’s biggest weakness all year — physicality inside — and are stemming the Blue Devils’ attack somewhat.

If Albany can get more easy buckets inside and push Mason Plumlee away from the basket, they can make life horrible for Duke. Plumlee averages a double-double, but he struggles against good post players.

Then again, if the Danes collapse and lock it down inside, the Duke sharpshooters can feast. This will be an uphill climb.

Duke leads 18-9.

12:19 p.m.: Tip-off! Oh, there’s nothing more March Madness-y than Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils mascot that looks like Mike Krzyzewski roaming the sidelines as Duke looks to make another run.

Then again, there’s also nothing more March Madness-y than a No. 15 upsetting a No. 2, which of course is what happened to Duke at the hands of Lehigh last year.

Great Danes taking down the Blue Devils? We’ll watch.

11:55 a.m.: We’re about 20 minutes from tip-off here, with Duke up first and then Ole Miss at 12:40. If yesterday’s performance by Harvard busted plenty of brackets, today has a chance to break a few more.

10 a.m.: Here’s a rundown of who’s playing today:

12:15 p.m.: No. 15 Albany vs. No. 2 Duke, CBS

12:40 p.m.: No. 12 Ole Miss vs. No. 5 Wisconsin, truTV

1:40 p.m.: No. 9 Temple vs. No. 8 N.C. State, TBS

2:10 p.m.: No. 15 Pacific vs. No. 2 Miami, TNT

2:45 p.m.: No. 10 Cincinnati vs. No. 7 Creighton, CBS

3:10 p.m.: No. 13 La Salle vs. No. 4 Kansas State, truTV

4:10 p.m.: No. 16 James Madison vs. No. 1 Indiana, TBS

4:40 p.m.: No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 7 Illinois, TNT

6:50 p.m.: No. 15 FGCU vs. No. 2 Georgetown, TBS

7:15 p.m.: No. 15 Iona vs. No. 2 Ohio State, CBS

7:20 p.m.: No. 9 Villanova vs. No. 8 North Carolina, TNT

7:27 p.m.: No. 14 Northwestern State vs. No. 3 Florida, truTV

9:20 p.m.: No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 San Diego State, TBS

9:45 p.m.: No. 10 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, CBS

9:50 p.m.: No. 16 Western Kentucky vs. No. 1 Kansas, TNT

9:57 p.m.: No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 6 UCLA, truTV

8 a.m. ET: March Madness this time around is a little different than it has been in years past, with no clear-cut No. 1 team and few big-name players ready to etch themselves into NCAA Tournament lore. What’s so great about March Madness, though, is that even when the odds are stacked in one direction, anything can happen.

Two players who have already grabbed some headlines before this tournament will look to continue their runs today: Marshall Henderson of Ole Miss and Doug McDermott of Creighton. Henderson has been known to taunt a team or two (Florida and Kentucky, for example), and he turned heads when he and Ole Miss went on a run to win the SEC over Florida. As far as upsets go, the Rebels are a favorite.

Creighton’s Doug McDermott, meanwhile, may be the best scorer March Madness fans have seen since the likes of Stephen Curry or Jimmer Fredette. The junior, who could be NBA-bound next season, has seen his numbers notch up each year while playing for his dad, Greg McDermott. He spent considerable time this offseason polishing his game to make it pro-ready, and his scoring average this year — 23.1 points a game on 56.1 percent shooting and 49.7 percent 3-point shooting — shows how hard he has become to stop.

Those are just two of the big stories heading into Friday, which has another 16 games on tap. It starts with No. 2 Duke facing No. 15 Albany, with the Great Danes surely knowing that Duke was upset by No. 15 Lehigh in last year’s tournament (albeit without Ryan Kelly, who is now healthy for the Blue Devils).

Henderson and Ole Miss, a No. 12 seed, face Wisconsin next, with Bo Ryan’s Badgers looking to make a run in the bracket that also features No. 1 Gonzaga. McDermott and Creighton (No. 7) play Cincinnati at 2:45 p.m.

After an opening day that featured wild finishes from Marquette and Memphis, as well as what may be the upset of the tournament in Harvard taking down New Mexico, the second day looks primed for even better action.

Check back here throughout the day to see how the games unfold. We’ll provide news and updates as the day goes on.

NESN.com’s college basketball coverage is presented by Bovada.net. Download a bracket here.

The final game of the night ended in very non-dramatic fashion as Syracuse crushed No. 13 Montana 81-34 to move on to the Round of 32.

There were a lot of other blowouts on the day, including wins by Arizona, VCU, Michigan, Louisville and St. Louis.

No.3 Marquette avoided a thrilling upset attempt from Davidson earlier in the day with a last-second layup to move on, but another 14 seed did pull the upset as Harvard dropped New Mexico with consistent play throughout the night.

Overall, it wasn’t the most exciting day of college basketball, but the tournament will surely pick up with plenty of excitement on Day 2. Check back in for our tournament live blog on Friday, too, to keep up with all the scores, upset alerts and more.

12:22 a.m.: It’s all over, folks. The smartest guys in the tournament – arguably, of course — have just pulled the biggest upset of the tournament thus far.

A big win for the boys at Harvard and a tough loss for No. 3 New Mexico. That was a totally unexpected turn of events on an otherwise uneventful day of basketball, and if you stayed up late enough to watch then you just witnessed maybe the game of the opening weekend.

Big props to Laurent Rivard (17 points), Wesley Saunders (18) and especially coach Tommy Amaker for a great job with this group. Now, the attention turns to No. 6 Arizona and Saturday night’s showdown in Salt Lake City.

12:16 a.m.: Saunders is cool as the other side of the pillow usually, but just had a big miss on that free throw.

Luckily, a good defensive stand gave the Crimson the ball back and a pair of free throws upcoming could extend that lead to seven. Only 24 seconds left, this could be it.

12:13 a.m.: How many timeouts can you have in one minute of play, seriously?

There have been about five timeouts in the past 1:00 of play. Let’s just let the kids get up and down the court and see who wins.

In the meantime, The Lobos cut the lead to four and there are about 48 ticks left on the clock. Let’s do this, Crimson.

12:10 a.m.: Harvard is still in the lead, but don’t start counting the Lobos out just yet.

Even up five with under 1:30 left in the game, New Mexico is starting to lock down on defense and just nailed a big three. Don’t be surprised if this comes down to one big, final possession from Harvard.

12:04 a.m.: What’s most impressive about Harvard’s potential upset over No. 3 New Mexico? They lost their two senior captains before the season even started.

This was supposed to be a down year for Harvard. Instead, they won the Ivy again and are up four points and three minutes away from a berth in the Round of 32.

11:59 p.m.: The lead is growing and the time is ticking away for New Mexico.

Harvard is deep in the midst of a potential upset, and they’ve extended their lead out to six with just over four minutes to play.

Rivard continues to make plays, scoring 17 points on the night, and Wesley Saunders is complementing him perfectly as the No. 14 Crimson are making a big push.

Can we say Roll Crimson? Yeah, let’s do that.

11:55 p.m.: If you’re a fan of underdogs, then you’ll love what’s going on over on TNT.

Harvard is in the middle of a dogfight with No. 3 New Mexico, leading them 55-53 with just over six minutes remaining. This one looks like it will be going down to the final minute, if not the final possession.

I’ll have all your updates as the game continues to progress, so be sure to keep it locked here for all your Crimson info.

11:52 p.m.: Another one is in the books down in Lexington, Kent.

Colorado State’s size finally proved too much for Frank Haith and Missouri, as the Rams outrebounded the Tigers 42-19 in what turned out to be an 84-72 win.

Dorian Green put on maybe the best individual performance of the tournament thus far with a 26-point showing to lead the Rams. He’ll be one to watch when they take on No. 1 Louisville on Saturday night.

11:49 p.m.: Harvard is still fighting the good fight for the Ivy League, but New Mexico has finally taken its first lead of the night.

The Lobos put together a nice run midway through the second half and have finally taken a two-point lead off the strong interior play of center Alex Kirk.

Laurent Rivard is still jacking up threes for the Crimson, but Harvard will need to reestablish its interior presence if they hope to stay in this down to the wire.

11:40 p.m.: It’s all over down South with VCU laying a shellacking on Akron with an 88-42 victory.

Daniels and Reddic combined for 44 points — more than Akron’s entire output, embarrassingly – and VCU took no prisoners in doubling up the Zips.

If Michigan wasn’t worried about VCU before, they better be locking down on some film and preparing for this full-court press all the way until the tip on Saturday night.

As for Cuse, they’re up 23 points on Montana at the half and look to have a win all but locked up.

11:31 p.m.: And just like that, Missouri has clawed their way back into this game.

Phil Pressey isn’t giving up on the Tigers’ NCAA hopes, and he’s led them on a 10-2 run to get them back within seven points of the Rams.

There’s still five minutes to play, but if Mizzou continues to stick on defense like this then Colorado State will be in some trouble.

11:25 p.m.: Harvard went into the half with a lead over New Mexico, and they’re holding firm with their defense-first philosophy.

The Lobos clearly have the talent advantage on the floor, but right now the Crimson are playing with a lot more determination and heart, even in the early going of this second half.

The lead isn’t enough to feel comfortable, especially against the Mountain West champs, but Harvard should at least be confident in they way they’ve shut down Tony Snell and the rest of the Lobos’ attack.

11:12 p.m : This just isn’t fair for either Akron or Montana right now.

For a pair of teams considered to be potential Cinderella sleepers, both are getting absolutely worked by their power conference counterparts tonight.

Syracuse has Montana down by double digits just 10 minutes into the game, and VCU has already doubled up the Zips and there’s still more than 10 minutes to play.

At least there’s some hope for Montana, but you’ve got to feel for Akron. At this point, what do you even have to play for? Devastating deficit.

11:00 p.m.: Mizzou is sticking around with Colorado State, Syracuse is up big on Montana early and VCU has all but wiped it’s hands of Akron already.

The big game right now is going on over in Salt Lake City, Utah where Harvard still has a four-point lead over New Mexico, 31-27, at the half.

Laurent Rivard is leading the way with nine points and Wesley Saunders and Christian Webster have combined for 12 points to help provide some assistance. But the defense has been the big key, holding the Lobos to just 35-percent shooting and just 1-for-6 from three.

10:52 p.m.: Missouri got off to a slow start in the first half, which was partially responsible for their nine-point deficit at the half. But they’ve exploded onto the scene in the second.

Phil Pressey has really taken advantage of the Rams’ defensive lapse and led the Tigers to a 5-0 run to start the half. Now, Mizzou is down just four and they look to be in good position to make a solid game of this heading down the stretch.

10:38 p.m.: Shaka Smart had his guys prepared for the tournament yet again, because VCU isn’t joking around with Akron.

The Rams head into the half with a 50-25 lead and are shooting a lights out 61 percent from the field. Their aggressive defense has also forced nine turnovers, which hasn’t made things any better for the Zips.

Unless something drastic happens, we are pretty safe to say this five seed won’t be packing up and heading home.

10:29 p.m.: Colorado State held firm through much of the first half and takes a nine-point lead over Mizzou into the half.

Green’s 17 points is arguably the best individual single-half performance in the tournament so far. We’ll see if Frank Haith has anything up his sleeve to slow Green down and get this offense going in the second.

Over on TNT, Harvard put on an early show against No. 3 New Mexico and holds an 11-6 lead over the Lobos with just over 10 minutes left in the half. It’s not quite “upset alert” worthy just yet, but it’s definitely something to keep track of.

10:18 p.m.: VCU isn’t messing around, they’re just taking it right to Akron.

Troy Daniels and Juvonte Redic have combined for 21 points so far and the Rams extended their lead out to 39-22, which should instill some fear in the 12th-seeded Zips.

As for out in the East, Mizzou has climbed back within reasonable striking distance and are slowly cutting into Colorado State’s lead ahead of the half. But Rams star guard Dorian Green is leading a highlight show with 15 points already on the night.

10:08 p.m.: It wasn’t pretty, but Cal pulled it out by the whiskers on their chin.

Both sides missed key free throws down the stretch, but in the end UNLV just made too many costly errors, as well as some bad luck from a terrible no-call from the officials, and the day’s second No. 12 seed advances on.

In other action, VCU is crushing Akron by double digits and Colorado State has extended a 13-point lead on Mizzou. Jumping in on that noise now.

10:00 p.m.: Cal is puking on themselves, and UNLV is running like the Rebels should.

Anything can happen. It is March after all.

9:54 p.m.: The flagrant-1 call benefited Cal in the first half, giving them a three-point play and giving them momentum heading into the half. But UNLV didn’t take advantage quite as well.

Now, the Rebels are down five with under a minute to go and it looks like Cal might pull this one off after all.

9:43 p.m.: Down in Salt Lake City, Arizona has put Belmont away for good.

The Wildcats broke the game open late in the first half and pummelled the Bruins in the second half en route to a 81-64 win. Mark Lyons led the way and the Cats followed.

Now, Zona will wait for the winner of the winner of the New Mexico/Harvard tilt for a showdown on Saturday.

But while the final set of Thursday’s games get underway, all eyes are still focused on a four-point game over in San Jose between Cal and UNLV.

9:41 p.m.: UNLV went an ice cold 0-for-15 from the field in the middle of the second half, but somehow they’re only down six with four minutes to go.

Mike Moser’s energy has helped power the Rebels’ attack, but the power of Cal’s Robert Thurman (eight points) has been too much on the interior to counter.

9:27 p.m.: When Mike Moser injured his elbow around midseason, there was doubt about his potential return. But even since his return, he hasn’t been quite the same.

Even with a little less firepower on offense, the Runnin’ Rebels are a different team when Moser is out there on both ends of the floor. He adds a defensive presence in the paint alongside Bennett and is a great distributor even if he can’t score quite as prolifically.

Moser needs to stay out there and steady things as Cal looks to extend their lead back out to a more comfortable spot.

9:15 p.m.: With two more games in the books and Arizona laying the smack down on Belmont, the best of the early night games is the showdown between Cal and UNLV.

A stalemate at the break, Cal has taken charge in the second half building a lead as big as eight. But the Anthonys, both Marshall and Bennett, have helped guide the Runnin’ Rebels back and are now within just a few points of the lead.

With Alan Crabbe in foul trouble (three), the Bears might need to be a little more conservative the rest of the way, too.

9:09 p.m.: It’s all over for the jumpin’ Jackrabbits of South Dakota State.

They kept pace with Michigan for the first half, but ultimately the B1G powerhouses turned on the jets behind Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway Jr. and cruised to a 71-56 win.

Over in the Midwest, No. 1 Louisville cruised to an easy rout of 16th-seeded NC A&T with a 79-48 victory. Russ Smith led the way with 23 points and the Cardinals’ frisky defense forced 25 turnovers on the evening.

Next up for Michigan will be a meeting with the winner of the VCU/Akron game, while Louisville gets the winner of the Missouri/Colorado State showdown.

8:58 p.m.: Belmont kept things pretty close for much of the first half, but Arizona has really opened things up in the second.

The Wildcats have extended their lead out to 17 points (43-26) behind the solid play of Mark Lyons (12 points) and Kaleb Tarczewski (eight points, four rebounds).

Belmont is not a great three-point shooting team, either, so this one could be in the books soon if Zona doesn’t have a serious mental letdown.

8:45 p.m.: So, that didn’t last long.

Burke went off the court briefly and was deemed healthy enough to return.  Now, he’s back on the floor and the Wolverines have jumped on top of the Jackrabbits, leading 57-45 with just over eight minutes left to play.

8:43 p.m.: Scary moment over in the Michigan-SDSU game.

Big Ten Player of the Year Trey Burke fell hard to the floor and seems to be in some serious pain after a tough rebound attempt.

Burke has been ice cold from the floor tonight, shooting just 1-for-10 from the field with four points, but he has been dishing out the assists (six) and playing solid defense to help guide the Wolverines.

If he is done for the game, or even out for a significant period, the Jackrabbits could be primed for a comeback and SDSU star guard Nate Wolters would be open for a major breakout.

8:37 p.m.: UNLV charged back offensively after a stagnant start to the game that included an 8-0 deficit, but at the half they’re locked into a slugfest with No. 12 Cal.

Richard Solomon and Pac-12 Player of the Year Alan Crabbe have steadied the attack for Cal, combining for 16 points. But the Runnin’ Rebels are using their own star power behind Bryce Dejean-Jones and Katin Reinhardt, totalling 18 points, to counter the Golden Bears.

If UNLV is expecting to pull out the victory, they’ll need some help from freshman phenom Anthony Bennett, who currently has just two points and four assists.

8:33 p.m.: That Arizona-Belmont tilt is officially at the halfway mark, and the Pac-12 powerhouse has bullied the Bruins into a bit of a hole.

The Wildcats extended their lead to 32-20 heading into the locker rooms and if you’re pulling for the No. 11 seed then you better be hoping for a major Zona letdown. If they keep playing anything like they did in the first half, this one will be over far before the final buzzer sounds.

8:28 p.m.: Michigan went into the half clinging to a four-point lead and is one bad run away from playing catchup. But the second half has been a very different story.

Glenn Robinson III has taken over on offense with the Wolverines’ first 11 points of the second half, prompting them out to a double-digit lead five minutes into the half.

Michigan is also playing better defense on the streaking Carlson, holding him scoreless so far in the second half and keeping the Jackrabbits at bay.

8:11 p.m.: One game we haven’t touched on just yet is the No.12 vs. No. 5 matchup out East.

Cal jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on UNLV, but the Runnin’ Rebels did exactly as their name would indicate nd charged back to take a one-point lead, 15-14, about halfway through the half.

Cal has as close to a home game as they could with them posted up in San Jose for the opening weekend, so they have a clear advantage. But the fifth-seeded Rebels aren’t at a grave disadvantage either with only about a five-hour drive separating them from their home court in Las Vegas.

So, home court shouldn’t be as much of a factor as it might seem, but there are definitely more Cal fans in the stands than UNLV faithful.

8:04 p.m.: South Dakota State was running all over the Wolverines early, but Tim Hardaway Jr. said “not in my state.”

Hardaway hit a few big threes and ended the first half with a team-high 12 points as Michigan hit the locker room with a 30-26 lead.

As for SDSU, Brayden Carlson has been lights out, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and leading the way with 16 of their 26 points.

If Michigan has any chance at holding off the Jackrabbits, Big Ten Player of the Year Trey Burke will have to be a little more effective than the two points and three assists he managed in the first half.

7:47 p.m.: Over on TNT, one of the tournament’s underdog favorites, Belmont, isn’t playing like the upset specialists they were billed to be.

The much more veteran Arizona squad has been bullying them early and often, and are building a good lead (11-4 at the 14:00 mark) which could force Belmont into a more wide-open game.

The Belmont Bruins may not be doing so hot just yet, but watch out because they’re tough and relentless. Oh, and speaking of Bruins, feel free to check in on the Boston Bruins here, seeing as they just dropped the puck up in Ottawa.

7:33 p.m.: The third slate of games on this lovely Thursday are underway and, as expected, No. 1-seed Louisville is off to a hot start against North Carolina A&T.

The Cardinals are up 25-7 with just under 10 minutes left to play in the first half.

Meanwhile, over on CBS, No. 4 Michigan is having a tough time with those pesky Jackrabbits from South Dakota State. Many experts pegged this one as a dangerous 4/13 matchup, and dynamic point guard Nate Wolters and Co. haven’t disappointed yet.

7:07 p.m.: A No. 16 may not have made history over No. 1 just yet, but we have found our annual No. 12 upsetting a No. 5 seed.

Oregon set the pace against Oklahoma State early on in San Jose, Calif., and they eventually pulled off the upset with a 68-55 win.

Damyean Dotson scored 17 points to lead the Ducks, but it was Arsalan Kazemi, who scored 11 and pulled down 17 rebounds, that really steadied the pace in the win.

Travis Ford, in his fifth season as Oklahoma State head coach, makes an early exit in the tournament for the third time with the Cowboys and could be feeling the pressure to break through next year.

The Ducks will move on to face St. Louis on Saturday afternoon, which should be a great defensive battle between two of the quickest growing programs in the nation.

6:50 p.m.: Southern had Gonzaga on the ropes right up until the end of their second-round matchup, but the No.16 seed just couldn’t pull it off.

The Zags pulled away in the final two minutes, hitting a deep three from the corner to extend the lead to four, and adding a pair of free throws to clinch the 64-58 win.

People across the county, maybe aside from the Great Northwest, were rooting for the first ever No. 16 seed to pull the upset, but in the end the Zags were just a little too tough for those pesky Jaguars.

Even without the win, you’ve got to love the effort from Southern and their drive all game long to make history. If you’re Mark Few, though, you’ve got to feel pretty silly for not doing a better job of scouting Southern. Teams are in the tournament for a reason, even if they are seeded so low.

6:10 p.m.: Gonzaga is better than Southern. There is no doubting that. However, the Zags have had some problems with Southern this afternoon, but it looks like the No. 1 seed is about to pull away.

Southern hasn’t scored in almost three minutes, and Gonzaga has pushed its lead to six midway through the second half. Unsurprisingly, Kelly Olynyk is having himself a nice game with 14 points and seven rebounds.

In the other game going on right now, Oregon isn’t showing any signs of letting Oklahoma State back into the game, and we could be looking at our seemingly annual 12-5 upset there.

5:55 p.m.: There were plenty of analysts who thought Oregon was a little underseeded as a No. 12 seed. Those people are looking pretty smart right about now.

The Ducks are all over No. 5 Oklahoma State right now, and Oregon has a 37-26 lead over the Cowboys at halftime.

5:40 p.m: Wow. March Madness is officially upon us.

Marquette scored 13 points in the final 1:33, and they have somehow come back to beat Davidson. Give Davidson credit for making it such a game, but in the end, it was Marquette who hit some big, big shots in the final minute. The fact that Davidson turned it over with just 5.6 seconds to play didn’t help, and that set the stage for Vander Blue to hit a layup with 1.0 second remaining.

5:35 p.m.: We’re still a long way from saying that Gonzaga is in real danger, but Southern has given them a game through 20 minutes. Gonzaga only leads 34-31 at the half, and they made a late run in the half to take the lead.

Marquette, however, may really be in trouble. They’re down by three with a minute to play. Jamil Wilson just hit a 3-pointer to pull the Golden Eagles to within three and make it a one-possession game.

5:05 p.m.: The 4:30-4:45ish games have tipped off, and we’re on upset alert already.

Granted it’s really, really early, but No. 16 Southern is already giving top-seeded Gonzaga some trouble early on. The Zags jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but Southern weathered the storm, and they actually lead 19-16 in the early going.

Meanwhile, Davidson continues to give Marquette fits down at Rupp Arena. The No. 14 Wildcats just pushed their lead to four, which is enough to put Marquette on upset alert. They have struggled all day with Davidson, and it looks like that one is going to go down to the wire.

4:50 p.m.: For a while in the second half, it looked like Memphis was going to be in trouble. However, they were able to hold on and defeat a scrappy St. Mary’s team that showed no quit.

Saint Mary’s actually had a chance to win it at the buzzer. Eividas Petrulis hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds, and the Gaels then forced a turnover on the ensuing inbound pass. However, Matthew Dellavedova wasn’t able to convert what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer.

The Tigers won 54-52, and their two-point win means that game was the closest of the day so far. Five games have been completed, and the four games prior to Memphis-St. Mary’s were won by an average of 15.25 points.

4:35 p.m.: Memphis hasn’t made a shot in more than three minutes, and that has allowed St. Mary’s to get back into the game.

The No. 11 seed in the Midwest region trails 44-40 with a little more than four minutes, and they’re still very much in this game.

We’re still waiting on a couple of games to tip as well. Gonzaga and Southern will tip off in a few, as will Oregon and Oklahoma State.

Marquette trails Davidson by two at halftime.

4:15 p.m.: Pittsburgh couldn’t make shots. Because of that, their season is over.

The Panthers were rolled 73-55 by Wichita State in the tournament’s first “upset” with Pitt ranked No. 8 and the Shockers seeded No. 9.

4 p.m.: We’ve decided to move over to the Memphis-St. Mary’s game, the 6-11 matchup in the Midwest regional. It was all Memphis in the early going, but the Gaels narrowed the gap before halftime and opened the second half on a mini-run. You have to think, however, that the whole playing two days ago thing comes back to get them at some point.

Elsewhere, Saint Louis is all over New Mexico State (up 20 with 5:08 to play) while Pitt is just 2:07 from being put of its misery by Wichita State.

Marquette, who was having some problems early against Davidson, has battled back to take a one-point lead with about five minutes to play in the first half.

3:50 p.m.: You can go ahead and stick a dagger in Pitt.

The Panthers trail by 15 with 5:00 to play. If there was still 25 minutes to play they might not score 15 points with how their offense is playing right now. This is simply putrid.

In other Big East news, Marquette is struggling early on. They’re a trendy darkhorse pick, and the No. 3 seed in the East region trails by five a little more than 11 minutes into their game with Davidson.

Meanwhile, Memphis leads St. Mary’s by 10 at halftime.

3:40 p.m.: Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said coming out of halftime that his team just needed to start making some shots.

They’re starting to do that maybe just a little bit more, but there’s still plenty of work to do. They just hit the 8-minute TV timeout, and they’re trailing 47-39.

The Panthers are shooting just 30 percent from the floor. That includes a real rough day from Tray Woodall, as the senior guard is just 1-for-9 from the floor with five turnovers. That’s not going to get it done.

3:29 p.m.: Davidson is revving things up against Marquette in Lexington, where the No. 14 Wildcats are spoiling for an upset.

St. Louis still has a comfortable lead in its opening game.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile has some work to do if it wants to avoid another early tournament exit. Jamie Dixon’s Panthers just haven’t been able to catch the Shockers despite the two teams having equally bad shooting numbers, turnovers and total rebounds.

The Shockers are up 41-31.

What Dixon can provide is one of those stellar coaching action shots that make us all remember why we love March. Keep it real, sir:

3:15 p.m.: Joe Jackson is just swatting shots out of the air over in the Memphis-St. Mary’s game. The Tiger got a nice piece of that ball, and Memphis is up 19-13.

Wichita State is still edging out Pittsburgh, 33-28, with 14:41 left in that game. It’s that time of the afternoon where you just have to pace yourself and know that the wild finishes are just around the corner. In the meantime, there’s always pickle rolls. Thanks, AT&T.

3 p.m.: Saint Louis is making good on the lofty expectations. The Bulldogs are up 29-16 going into the half. New Mexico will have to do the damage in this tournament, because New Mexico State does not appear to be up to the task.

Also, did you hear that Saint Louis got stuck in traffic on the way to watching the Selection Show on Sunday? The team watched its name get called from a Best Buy in New Jersey.

Memphis has an early 7-5 lead over St. Mary’s.

2:48 p.m.: The state of Indiana can breathe a sign of relief, and Bucknell fans can hope they don’t have to wait another seven years before returning to the Big Dance. Butler took care of things down the stretch and was just more stable when it counted. The Bulldogs win 68-56.

So, there won’t be an upset here to start the day, but a few good matchups are coming up right now. St. Mary’s could be due against Memphis, and Davidson tips off against Marquette in just 20 minutes.

Wichita State is at halftime right now with a 26-21 lead over Pittsburgh.

2:42 p.m.: There are 39.3 seconds left in this game, with Butler up 62-53. It will require a miracle for Bucknell to prevail, but it is that time of the year in college basketball.

Another game is set to tip off shortly on CBS. At 2:45, St. Mary’s, which got in via a play-in win, takes on 30-win Memphis in Auburn Hills, Mich.

2:36 p.m.: The Bison are going to have to start fouling. Rotnei Clarke just canned a huge 3 to put Butler up 56-45 with less than two minutes to go.

2:35 p.m.: It’s the 2:14 mark, and Butler is up 53-45. Bryson Johnson just nailed a 3 for Bucknell, but it may be too little, too late. He usually averages 11.1 a game.

Bucknell is putting on a press, but Butler’s guards are one of the team’s strengths. They’ve been solid handling the ball today and had just four turnovers to Bucknell’s nine.

In other action, Wichita State is up 22-21 on Pitt with the end of the first half nearing, and Saint Louis has an early 11-4 lead.

2:27 p.m.: Butler is getting a little bit of breathing room. After Bucknell challenged and took the lead for a bit, the Bulldogs’ defense has pulled Butler back into the game. Bucknell has missed its last six shots, and Butler leads 49-42.

Butler has been able to space the ball on offense and get some key rebounds. With just 2:59 left in this one, Bucknell has to get it within a couple of buckets if it wants to get back into upset mode.

2:15 p.m.: This Butler-Bucknell game is as good as advertised. Bucknell was relentless in its attack and has been getting big shots, but Butler won’t let them get away. The Bulldogs have stepped up on defense and hit some long-range shots to keep this game close.

Butler leads 43-42 with 6:08 to go. Joe Willman continues to be huge for Bucknell.

2:10 p.m.: Michigan State has just about finished off Valparaiso, but it’s true channel-changing time now. New Mexico State and Saint Louis are due to tip off in San Jose, and, as we detailed below, this could be a good one. New Mexico State has the 7-foot-5 Sim Bhullar, and Saint Louis is a team a lot of pundits (OK, couch fans) like heading into this year’s tourney.

The Bucknell-Butler game has been great, and Wichita State and Pitt are in a low-scoring contest early.

2:05 p.m.: Here come the Bison. Bucknell had trailed since eight seconds into the game, but the Bison just went ahead of Butler 32-31. Cameron Ayers nailed a 3-pointer right after that to put Bucknell up 35-31 with 10:56 left in the game.

Joe Willman is shooting a torrid 8-for-12 for Bucknell for 16 points. He also has four rebounds.

1:55 p.m: Butler is getting a challenge from Bucknell in the second half. The Bulldogs are 0-for-10 on 3-pointers, and Bucknell has chipped within 29-26 at the 15:10 mark. The Bison went on an 8-0 run.

Butler is 12-for-34 (35.3 percent) from the field overall.

1:50 p.m.: Carl Hall is, indeed, dreadlock-less. He just popped in a free throw, and it’s a different look for the player who’s become synonymous with his one-of-a-kind ‘do.

Meanwhile, game-action-wise, Wichita State and Pittsburgh are playing even early. The Shockers are up 7-5 at the first commercial break.

Michigan State is up 52-31 and should have no problem polishing this one off and gearing up for the next round.

1:42 p.m.: Wichita State and Pittsburgh have tipped off, and Wichita State, which has one of the best monikers in the sport — the “Shockers” — was told to “have fun” today. All right, then.

1:25 p.m.: Halftime. Michigan State and Valparaiso are coming out for the second half, and it’s perfect timing for the channel-flippers. Butler leads 21-14 going into the break, and Michigan State is still up 35-18.

In just 15 minutes, the third game will tip off between Wichita State and Pittsburgh. The biggest pregame news coming from there is that Wichita State senior Carl Hall has apparently cut his famous dreadlocks. Could this be the Shockers’ downfall, a la Samson?

1:18 p.m.: Nice! We have our first ball getting stuck on the hoop!

This was not your standard stuck-ball (which the commentators are calling a “net ball” — but, um, there’s no net involved).

This was a pretty solid way to get stuck — it wasn’t the usual wedge right in the corner between the rim and the hoop, but was rather a couple of inches up — more above the hoop than next to it.

Butler leads 18-14.

1:05 p.m.: OK, so when are we going to get to the point in the day when there’s no commercials — just every time you switch the channel, basketball is on? Two games isn’t enough to do it so far.

Michigan State is running away from Valpo, up 35-18 with 28 seconds in the half. We’ll probably keep our eyes in Lexington, where Butler leads Bucknell 13-10 with 7:12 to go.

1 p.m.: It’s been a long time — 2005, in fact — since Bucknell upset No. 3 Kansas as a No. 14 seed. The Bison would love another upset today, as a No. 11 seed to Butler’s No. 6.

But no one needs to be reminded that Butler knows a little about upsets, and, you know, going all the way to the title game two years in a row as a mid-major that no one knew about.

These upset specials unfortunately have to face each other in the first round this year.

12:50 p.m.: Butler and Bucknell have started over on truTV, and Butler’s up early. This should be a far more entertaining game than Michigan State-Valparaiso, and not just because Butler and Bucknell are such great March Madness teams. The 12:15er is just a slow defensive struggle right now.

Michigan State is starting to get some separation, going up 21-7 after a 13-4 run. It’s still a sloppy game, though (what else would you call that back-and-forth that ended with a Spartan slam — and had Verne Lundquist beside himself?).

Gary Harris leads Michigan State with six points, but Michigan State is shooting just 8-for-23 (34.8 percent). Valpo isn’t much better (4-fo4-16).

And yes, for those wondering, Valparaiso did make our Top 10 buzzer-beaters gallery. We’re going to make you click on it to figure out where Bryce Drew’s moment ranks.

12:31 p.m.: What do we think of Valpo’s mustard uniforms? We’ll accept any shade at this point, as long as it’s not Zubaz (those may be rearing their heads any minute now).

Valpo is staying even in this game so far, which is at 11:24 in the first half. On a few plays, the Spartans looked downright dominating, but the Crusaders have held them to an 8-8 tie in a game full of shoves and airballs.

12:15 p.m.: Tip-off! Valpo-Michigan State, here we go.

11:30 a.m.: Excited yet? Check out our Top 10 gallery of buzzer-beaters to get in the March Madness spirit.

11 a.m.: We’re just about an hour from tip-off, so let’s get looking at some matchups.

A few teams should have no problems with their opponent today, especially the top overall seed in the tournament, Louisville, and No. 1 Gonzaga. The Zags, in fact, could be the first mid-major to take the championship since UNLV in 1990, and the road to that hope starts today.

But here are a couple of games where things could get interesting. In the Midwest region, No. 11 St. Mary’s has been protesting about not getting a better berth. The Gaels made it in thanks to a Thursday night play-in win, and they may be due for an upset over No. 6 Memphis — although the under-the-radar 30-win Tigers could be as good as their record.

Another matchup to watch is No. 12 Oregon against No. 5 Oklahoma State. Some people think the Ducks should have had a better seed, and this will be their chance to prove it.

One upset to expect that really isn’t an upset, as it’s a No. 9 seed taking on a No. 8, is Wichita State vs. Pittsburgh. Pitt has a tendency to flame out early in the tournament, and Wichita State should be able to get the job done.

The other seeds should be expected to go down in order, even for the Massachusetts faithful hoping to see No. 14 Harvard topple No. 3 New Mexico. The Lobos are a great team this year.

While we’re talking New Mexico, let’s not forget New Mexico State. The Aggies are facing Saint Louis, a trendy pick, in the first round, but they’ve got 7 feet and 5 inches of a not-so-secret weapon in Sim Bhullar. The folks at Yahoo! Sports have an excellent story about Bhullar, so they can take it from here, but know this — he’s the kind of 7-foot-5 that can play, too.

He certainly looks 7-foot-5:

10 a.m.: Looking for some March Madness primers before settling into your couch for the next 12 hours? Check out our podcast.

9:30 a.m.: Here’s a complete rundown of today’s games. As usual, you’re going to have to bust out the channel guide and find truTV to see some of the games this afternoon.

12:15 p.m.: No. 14 Valparaiso vs. No. 3 Michigan State, CBS

12:40 p.m.: No. 11 Bucknell vs. No. 6 Butler, truTV

1:40 p.m.: No. 9 Wichita State vs. No. 8 Pittsburgh, TBS

2:10 p.m.: No. 13 New Mexico State vs. No. 4 Saint Louis, TNT

2:45 p.m.: No. 11 St. Mary’s vs. No. 6 Memphis, CBS

3:10 p.m.: No. 14 Davidson vs. No. 3 Marquette, truTV

4:10 p.m.: No. 16 Southern University vs. No. 1 Gonzaga, TBS

4:40 p.m.: No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State, TNT

6:50 p.m.: No. 16 North Carolina A&T vs. No. 1 Louisville, TBS

7:15 p.m.: No. 13 South Dakota State vs. No. 4 Michigan, CBS

7:20 p.m.: No. 11 Belmont vs. No. 6 Arizona, TNT

7:27 p.m.: No. 12 California vs. No. 5 UNLV, truTV

9:20 p.m.: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 8 Colorado State, TBS

9:45 p.m.: No. 12 Akron vs. No. 5 VCU, CBS

9:50 p.m.: No. 14 Harvard vs. No. 3 New Mexico, TNT

9:57 p.m.: No. 13 Montana vs. No. 4 Syracuse, truTV

8 a.m. ET: For sports fans, basketball enthusiasts and the common office worker alike, the most wonderful time of the year has come.

At 12:15 p.m., Valparaiso and Michigan State will leap after a jump ball at center court, and the best four days of sports TV will commence as the (real) NCAA Tournament begins. While North Carolina A&T took care of Liberty and St. Mary’s knocked off Middle Tennessee on Tuesday night to get those teams into the pool of 64, the action that most people are interested in begins when No. 14 Valpo tries to take down the No. 3 Spartans at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan on Thursday afternoon.

The opening day of tourney action has plenty to get excited about. Butler, which has gone from a Cinderella mid-major to appearing in the title game in 2010 and 2011, is back in the tournament and facing bracket-buster favorite Bucknell. Davidson, which has had some skill in March Madness dating back to the days of Stephen Curry, plays Marquette, and the 12th-seeded Oregon Ducks will try to prove that they were overlooked when they take on Oklahoma State.

California and UNLV wage a West Coast battle, Shaka Smart’s VCU looks to hold off Akron, and the Ivy League’s Harvard will try to make it out of the first round against a New Mexico team that some are predicting will go to the Final Four. The night wraps up with the always-good-in-March Syracuse Orange playing Montana.

But, aside from the actual games, the NCAA Tournament has much more to offer. Thursday also marks the beginning of bracket fun, where diehard fans try to out-perform their mother-in-law’s choices of mascots and team colors. Every year has its upsets and Cinderellas, and with no clear-cut favorites among the No. 1 seeds (Louisville, Gonzaga, Kansas, Indiana), a surprising team or two could make a run.

March Madness also means that college basketball fans will get to reunite with some of their favorite friends from this time of year. Rick Pitino will be stomping the sidelines and hoping not to flame out in the first round. Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams will be trying to keep their vaunted but shaky ACC teams from early exits. In the Big 10, coaches that resemble their mascots (here’s looking at you, Bo Ryan) are some of the most entertaining in all of sports. And, as annoying as Bill Raftery’s “little kiss” can be, it means March is here.

We’ll be back to break down more of the matchups as the morning goes on. Until then, power up the Internet, get your bracket ready and prepare to enjoy the best days that basketball has to offer. We’ll keep you in the loop here with news and updates as the day goes on.

NESN.com’s college basketball coverage is presented by Bovada.net. Download a bracket here.

Buchholz pitched five innings, walked two and struck out four. Designated hitter Ryan Lavarnway went 1-for-3 with a walk and drove in two of the Red Sox’ runs.

Jeremy Hazelbaker drove in the Red Sox’ third run in the top of the ninth on a single to right. He drove in Keury De La Cruz, who had doubled in the previous at bat.

The Red Sox take on Orioles at 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday.

End 8th, Pirates 4-2: The Pirates gained an insurance run as Michael McKenry hit a solo homer off Villarreal. After Villarreal walked Jordy Mercer and allowed singles to Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison, he got out of the inning by striking out Jared Goedert and Mel Rojas, then forcing Carlos Paulino to ground out to short.

Bryan Morris is now in to close for the Pirates. He’ll face Ryan Dent, Jonathan Hee and Keury De La Cruz.

Mid 8th, Pirates 3-2: New Pirates pitcher Chris Leroux retired Lavarnway, Shaw and Meneses 1, 2, 3 in the top of the 8th. Lavarnway flew out to left, Shaw struck out for the fourth time on the afternoon and Meneses flew out to right.

Oscar Villarreal has come in for Chris Carpenter. Villarreal has a 9.00 ERA on the spring.

End 7th, Pirates 3-2: The Red Sox lost the lead on a two-run home run from Gaby Sanchez. Carpenter let up the bomb.

Ryan Lavarnway, Travis Shaw and Heiker Meneses are due up for the Red Sox in the top of the 8th.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 2-1: The Red Sox got two runners on, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia stranded both as the Red Sox still lead 2-1.

Daniel Nava singled to right. Then he was replaced by pinch-runner Jeremy Hazelbaker. The next batter, Jackie Bradley Jr., walked and Ronald Bermudez pinch ran.

Chris Carpenter has replaced Koji Uehara on the mound for the Red Sox.

End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Things got scary there for a second, but Koji Uehara pulled it together and didn’t allow a run. The Sox reliever let up a leadoff double to Starling Marte, but then retired Felix Pie, Russell Martin and Jose Tabata (pinch hitting for Jason Grilli) in order.

Old friend Mark Melancon is now pitching for the Pirates. The former Sox has pitched six innings in spring training with a 1.50 ERA and three strikeouts. Melancon had a 6.20 ERA in 2012 with Boston.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: This game is flying by all of a sudden. The Red Sox, too, went down in order. Travis Shaw struck out for the third time on the afternoon. He had a strong season in Single-A last season before moving up to Portland. SoxProspects.com ranks him as the No. 28 prospect in Boston.

Heiker Meneses popped out to second and Ryan Dent grounded out to the pitcher, Jason Grilli, who had been pitching for the US in the World Baseball Classic.

Koji Uehara has taken over for Buchholz. Buchholz’s final line is five innings, one hit, one earned run, two walks and four strikeouts. His ERA stands at 0.68 in spring training.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: The Pirates went down in order for the third consecutive innning. Buchholz struck out Brad Hawpe, Ivan De Jesus grounded out to third on a diving stop by Jonathan Hee and Brandon Inge, pinch hitting for pitcher James McDonald, flew out to Bradley on the first pitch he saw.

It was an odd decision by the Pirates to go without the designated hitter. McDonald struck out in his lone at bat. Jason Grilli will come in for McDonald now.

McDonald pitched five innings, allowed two runs — both earned — struck out six and walked two. His ERA now stands at 4.19 in spring training. He’s expected to be Pittsburgh’s No. 2 starter.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: The Red Sox only managed one hit in the top of the 5th inning. Daniel Nava led off the inning with a single to right. That raised his average to .303 in spring training.

Bradley hit into a fielder’s choice, Saltalamacchia struck out and Lavarnway flew out to center. Let’s see if Buchholz can continue his dominant outing. He’s only surrendered a home run to Neil Walker.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Hey guys, Doug Kyed taking over the live blog now. Buchholz retired the side in order. He got Pedro Alvarez to fly out and Neil Walker and Gaby Sanchez to ground out.

Buchholz has now allowed just one hit and one earned run in four innings. He has three strikeouts and two walks. His spring training ERA now sits at 0.73. Lets hope this keeps up throughout the season.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Ryan Dent, Jonathan Hee and Shane Victorino did not follow through on our encouragement to hit, but perhaps that’s because James McDonald is buttoning up his pitches a bit better.

McDonald whiffed both Dent and Victorino. He’s suddenly become economical, and the early offensive outburst is fading into memory as this becomes a pitchers’ duel.

End 3rd, Red Sox 2-1: Clay Buchholz is back in the groove.

He had no trouble blowing through the Pirates in that inning, retiring Starling Marte (groundout), Felix Pie (flyout) and Russell Martin (strikeout). Martin was considered a boon signing for Pittsburgh, who snatched him from the Yankees, but he continues to struggle with offense, especially with his strikeouts. The Yankees have been heavily faulted for letting him go as a cost-cutting measure, but they’re hoping to find catching defense elsewhere.

Buchholz has thrown 24 pitches so far, a clean eight per inning, with three strikeouts as well.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-1: Ryan Lavarnway was pining for another hit, but James McDonald would have none of it. He pitched away from Lavarnway a couple of times before working the count back to 3-2. Lavarnway hung in there, though, and drew a walk on a curveball that just missed.

That’s all the Red Sox could muster in this inning, though. Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out, Travis Shaw struck out on a foul tip, and Heiker Meneses popped out.

The Red Sox didn’t exactly bring out the big guns for today’s matchup, but they can hopefully get a little more offense out of the order the next time through. McDonald has shown a propensity for location problems, and the Sox should take advantage.

End 2nd, Red Sox 2-1: Clay Buchholz’s scoreless streak to start spring training has ended.

Buchholz gave up a homer on a long fly to Neil Walker, the No. 5 hitter, to start the inning. Buchholz had gone 9 1/3 innings without a run, and the blustery conditions at the field helped end the feat.

Buchholz continued to be less than sharp throughout the frame. He got Gaby Sanchez on a flyout to left but walked Brad Hawpe.

Ryan Dent, filling in for Dustin Pedroia at second base, took care of an Ivan DeJesus popup for the second out. Buchholz then wrapped up the inning by retiring McDonald, who — in true spring training form — was batting even though the Red Sox are sending out a designated hitter today.

Buchholz got McDonald on a high fastball.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: James McDonald handed out a couple of free bases that inning, but the Red Sox could not capitalize.

Ryan Dent walked, and Daniel Nava was hit by a pitch, but a Jonathan Hee groundout, Shane Victorino strikeout and Jackie Bradley Jr. groundout spoiled any hopes of a rally.

Victorino didn’t do any damage that inning, but it’s nice to see him in action with the Sox now that the World Baseball Classic is over. He and Jacoby Ellsbury are looking to build up a quick rapport in the outfield, and Victorino said he’s looking forward to getting more at-bats in spring training now that his time with Team USA is over.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Clay Buchholz may not have been his sharpest in the first inning, but he got the job done, and quickly, too.

Buchholz induced a couple of groundouts, walked Felix Pie and struck out Russell Martin to send the Pirates back onto the field.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 2-0: The rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the Red Sox’ bats, but Pirates pitcher James McDonald likely wouldn’t mind the sprinkles returning.

MacDonald had a rough first go at the Boston batting order. He gave up a leadoff triple to Shane Victorino, then Jackie Bradley Jr. and Jarrod Saltalamacchia got on base via a popup and walk, respectively, after Daniel Nava flied out. With the bases loaded and just one out, Ryan Lavarnway ripped a liner to left field that scored two runners.

The Red Sox looked ready to get the other two runners home, too, but the Pirates pulled through to end the shaky inning. Travis Shaw went down looking with a strikeout, and the Pirates escaped a Gaby Sanchez misplay in foul territory to get Heiker Meneses out on a fly ball with a diving catch from Brad Hawpe in right.

That gives Boston three hits and two runs for the inning, with a nice little cushion to get this one started.

2 p.m.: We’ve got a game! Let’s get rid of those clouds and get down to baseball.

1:05 p.m.: It appears we have a rain delay in sunny Florida. We could make weather jokes, but then again, we’re expected to get another half-foot of snow here tonight and tomorrow morning. So, enjoy your rain, Red Sox.

We’ll let you know when they’re ready to play.

1 p.m.: This is what John Farrell had to say about the pitching before the game:

“It’s spring training. Overall it’s been consistent. Individual guys have taken the adjustments they’ve worked on, taken them into the games, and that’s has been encouraging. There’s been some reverting back at times to old habits. With each successive appearances they’re starting to solidify those changes, which is why we’ve seen the consistency.”

He also talked about the Red Sox speeding up their time between pitches, which some have noted has been a nice byproduct of Josh Beckett’s slow setup time making its home in Los Angeles.

“We’ve tried to get back to a basic formula,” Farrell said. “Attack the zone, throw more strikes. Work quick. Dictate the tone or tempo of the game. Guys are realizing if they’re in control it takes away the downtime where other thoughts might creep in. The defense likes it and umpires have made some candid comments.”

12:10 p.m.: Here are your lineups, with the Pirates going with the ol’ pitcher at the DH spot (spring training!):

Red Sox

Shane Victorino, RF
Daniel Nava, LF
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Travis Shaw, 1B
Heiker Meneses, SS
Ryan Dent, 2B
Jonathan Hee, 3B

Clay Buchholz, P

Pirates

Starling Marte, CF
Felix Pie, LF
Russell Martin, C
Pedro Alvarez, 3B
Neil Walker, 2B
Gaby Sanchez, 1B
Brad Hawpe, RF
Ivan DeJesus, SS
James McDonald, P

12 p.m. ET: It’s only spring training, right? Well, this has been exactly the kind of spring training Boston wants to see from its rotation.

A year after using spring training to determine its fifth starter (which ended up being Daniel Bard) only to see Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett never really come out of the gate firing, Boston is clipping along this spring. The presumed starting five of Lester, Buchholz, John Lackey, Ryan Dempster and Felix Doubront are about the best they could look with Opening Day just two weeks away. Lester went a perfect six innings on Sunday, and the rotation has combined for 53 1/3 innings pitched, just 13 earned runs (that’s a 2.19 ERA), 43 strikeouts and 15 walks so far.

One of the strongest of the starters has been Buchholz, who at times last season was the Red Sox’ best. Buchholz has made four starts with 8 1/3 scoreless innings this spring. He has struck out seven, allowed six hits and walked two. He’ll lead the way today, with Kori Uehara, Oscar Villareal and Chris Carpenter also expected to pitch.

The Red Sox have had success against the Pirates before this spring. Boston beat Pittsburgh 16-6 and 5-2 when the calendar turned to March then dropped a 9-3 game on March 6.

First pitch is marked down for 1:05 p.m. Keep it here for updates and analysis as the Sox continue to tune up against the Pirates.

So, what can you take away from today’s game?

Well, as is the case with all early-spring games, the most important thing is that nobody was injured. Beyond that, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes and Stephen Drew — who all figure to be regulars in 2013 — each got three at-bats before giving way to the minor leaguers. Pedroia, in particular, looked locked in, hitting his first home run of the spring in the first inning. Victorino looked sharp, as well, working a couple three-ball counts and seeing the ball well.

On the mount, Alfredo Aceves settled down in the second inning after an erratic first frame, so seeing him make some early adjustments (and not doing anything noteworthy off the diamond) is a plus. Terry Doyle looked good, as well, and may well provide some rotation depth for the Red Sox and start the year in Triple-A Pawtucket. Conversely, we’ve already talked about Daniel Bard.

Well folks, that’s it for today’s split-squad version of your Red Sox live blog. But be sure to join us tomorrow, as the St. Louis Cardinals travel to Fort Myers to take on Boston. That game is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

End 8th, Rays 6-3: Since this live blog is swiftly running out of real estate, let’s revisit Bard’s one-inning outing from earlier this game.

The plain fact of the matter is that the Red Sox don’t need Bard. The team already had a number of good pieces returning to its bullpen from last season, and they further fortified the back end by adding Joel Hanrahan and Koji Uehara. So, any contributions that Bard makes are going to effectively be a bonus. Of course, having an arm like his in the bullpen could potentially give the Red Sox an absolute shutdown unit, but the team isn’t counting on him.

All that being said, Bard is going to have to show that he has real, immediate value to the team to get another chance. And today Bard looked tentative, and clearly wasn’t comfortable out on the mound, throwing around 93 miles per hour. In short, this isn’t the Bard the team hoped to see, because the team has better options than the version of Bard that lacks confidence.

Mid 8th, Rays 6-3: Well, credit Jose Iglesias for showing something with the bat this spring.

The questions about Iglesias’ ability to hit enough to be a major league regular are legitimate. However, he’s taken the first steps to quieting those critics this spring, hitting a home run during his first game and now getting an infield single up the middle to knock in Peter Hissey. Nothing too spectacular, but it does show that Iglesias can have better at-bats and handle himself better at the plate.

End 7th, Rays 6-2: Smart baseball for the Rays in that last half inning.

The team executes a perfect hit-and-run very early in the spring, putting Anderson in motion to avoid the double play with Jose Lobaton at the plate and Cole Figueroa at third. In fact, it’s that smart play that keeps Doyle from enjoying his second consecutive scoreless inning.

Typically this is the part of the spring where teams are still integrating running plays that rely on timing, such as the hit-and-run, so the fact that the Rays are already executing it in a game speaks to the team’s fundamentals. But then again, what else would you expect of a Joe Maddon-managed ballclub?

Mid 7th, Rays 5-2: Nothing doing there for the Red Sox, who work a walk for one baserunner but can’t do anything else.

We’re thoroughly at the point in the game where, early in the spring especially, the names become very unfamiliar and the numbers on the back of jerseys start heading north of 70. But just remember, baseball fans, these are the players who will either someday be up with Boston for depth, or may even play a role later in the 2013 season. Know your team, fans.

End 6th, Rays 5-2: Good stuff there from Boston College product Terry Doyle, who gives up a hit to Mike Fontenot but nothing else, striking out a couple in the process.

Doyle actually took part in the pregame ceremony before the Red Sox played BC a couple days ago. Doyle wheeled friend and former teammate Pete Frates — who is battling ALS — out to the mount to deliver the game ball to John Farrell.

Check out a video of Frates’ courageous story by following this link.

Mid 6th, Rays 5-2: Victorino works a walk, but otherwise nothing doing for the Red Sox against Jake McGee. That’s the second three-ball count that Victorino has had on the day, so it’s nice to see him seeing the ball so well so early in camp. He’ll be playing for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, so he looks to be in good shape for the tournament.

Aside from that, it’s the Red Sox down by three runs, and McGee (who has the awesome nickname of “Clockhands” per his delivery) the latest pitcher to confound Boston. With the starters now having three at-bats under their belts, it’s now safe to say we’ll soon see some wholesale defensive changes for the Sox.

End 5th, Rays 5-2: Well, that was certainly not an encouraging development.

Daniel Bard absolutely looked more like the 2012 edition than his old self in that last half inning. Not only did he hit Leslie Anderson with a pitch around the feet, but the pitch he walked Luke Scott on went to the backstop. Then Sean Rodriguez tatooed one that just happened to be right at third baseman Drew Sutton for a tag-up double play. So, Bard was very, very lucky to get out of the inning without giving up a run.

We’ll analyze more on Bard a bit latter, but suffice to say that was not what the Red Sox were hoping to see from the right-hander.

Mid 5th, Rays 5-2: Once again it’s a perfect inning for Cesar Ramos, who is certainly showing the Rays something against a lineup full of major league talent for the Red Sox.

A little background on the 28-year-old Ramos: He was drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft. His career seemed to stall in the low minors, but he eventually came up with the Padres in 2009. The Rays signed him for the 2011 season, and he’s been up and down with them since — throwing 30 innings with a 2.10 ERA and 29 strikeouts last year.

End 4th, Rays 5-2: Well, that’s the thing about spring training. With lots of young pitching around, you’re going to have some big innings, and the Rays just put up three against Hernandez there.

Actually, credit Hernandez with limiting the damage. After giving up consecutive hits to Loney, Roberts and Ben Zobrist, the youngster got Desmond Jennings to line out and picked off Zobrist to get out of the inning. So, things certainly could have been worse, and Perez showed some good resiliency to limit the damage.

Mid 4th, 2-2: Cesar Ramos will soon be joining Mexico during their World Baseball Classic campaign, but for now he throws a perfect inning against the Red Sox.

Ryan Sweeney’s been hitting the ball with some authority on Monday, and the only reason he didn’t end up with a second hit on the day was thanks to some nifty glovework on the part of Loney. Nonetheless, if he can earn a spot on the bench he can be a valuable player as a backup outfielder, thanks to his pitch recognition and on-base skills.

End 3rd, 2-2: Good inning there for southpaw prospect Chris Perez, who gives up a double to Matt Joyce but nothing else.

Going back to an earlier point, Aceves threw 29 pitches in his two innings of work, which is probably right in line with what the Red Sox wanted him to do. The fact that the team is stretching him out as a starter is probably significant insofar as it tips their hand in what they think his role might be. So, could he be the sixth starter? Or is it Franklin Morales?

Mid 3rd, 2-2: The veteran Jamey Wright gets the Red Sox in order in the top of the third there.

With a couple at-bats already, that may be it for the Red Sox’ top four batters, who figure to be in the Opening Day lineup. They may get another defensive inning or two, but keep in mind that this is still very early in the spring.

End 2nd, 2-2: Former Red Sox first baseman James Loney singles, but otherwise it’s a much easier inning for Aceves. Ryan Roberts hit one a fair distance that Jacoby Ellsbury had to reel in, but that was definitely a ball that was aided a bit by the wind.

All in all, it’s a fair outing for Aceves. His first inning was erratic, but he seemed to settle down in the second, so it’s good to see him making adjustments this early in the spring.

Mid 2nd, 2-2: Most of the position battles are set for the Red Sox. While there will certainly be some moving pieces — particularly at first base and left field — the rest of the order is relatively set.

But that’s why the battle between Mike Carp and Lyle Overbay is so interesting. Both players likely won’t leave camp on the active roster, so they’re really fighting for a job this spring. While Overbay has never played left field and Carp has been less than adequate in his brief time there, Carp probably has the advantage. For one, he’s younger. For another, his bat may have some upside, yet.

So, score a point for Carp there in the second inning, as he gets an RBI double in his first at-bat with the Red Sox.

End 1st, Rays 2-1: Well that lead was certainly short-lived.

Alfredo Aceves seemed like he had a hard time getting on the same page as catcher David Ross, and was likewise erratic. Aceves is definitely a guy who’s under some scrutiny due to his lack of a clear role and his sometimes-bizarre personal conduct. So, as good of an arm as he has, results are going to be a little more important with him than some of the other players.

The Red Sox are stretching Aceves out as a starter during the spring, so it stands to figure he’ll be out there for another inning. But, we’ll see what happens.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Well, that’s what you like to see if you’re the Red Sox. Dustin Pedroia hits his first home run of the spring batting in the No. 2 hole off of Alex Cobb, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 advantage.

Some over-aggressive baserunning on the part of Shane Victorino may have run the Sox out of an even bigger inning, but Boston will certainly take the early offense from their second baseman.

10:41 a.m.: The Rays will be dealing with the majority of Red Sox regulars on Monday as Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia head to Tampa’s spring training complex in Port Charlotte with some firepower.

Check out the Sox lineup below:

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Shane Victorino, RF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Ryan Sweeney, DH
Drew Sutton, 3B
Mike Carp, 1B
David Ross, C

Tampa Bay is throwing Alex Cobb, Jamey Wright, Cesar Ramos and Jake McGee while the Sox are sending out Alfredo Aceves, Chris Hernandez, Daniel Bard and Terry Doyle.

Bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the squad while John Farrell handles duties up in his old stomping grounds in Dunedin. Both games are scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Check out the Red Sox-Blue Jays live blog by clicking here.

Latimer walked Mike Nickeas to open the inning, but he was able to bear down and get the next three batters in order on his way to getting Adam Loewen to ground out to Deven Marrero at short to end the game.

Good stuff in this one from the Red Sox youngsters. Steven Wright had a sharp couple of innings to start the game, and that was followed by Allen Webster who was able to strike out four big leaguers in two innings of work.

Jackie Bradley Jr. had a very nice day offensively, reaching base five times with three hits and an RBI to pace the offensive effort.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 4-2: Jackie Bradley Jr. is having himself a day for the Red Sox in Dunedin.

The young outfielder has reached base five times, and he capped that with an RBI single in the ninth inning to give the Sox an insurance run. They now lead 4-2 heading into the ninth.

Bradley Jr. has two singles, a double, a walk and he’s been hit by a pitch in what’s been a pretty successful day thus far.

Jeremy Hazelbaker led off the inning with a single and came around on Bradley’s two-out single.

End 8th, Red Sox 3-2: Mark DeRosa has found yet another club, as he’ll start the season with the Blue Jays. The 38-year-old has bounced around the bigs for much of his career, and he’s coming off of a 2012 season with the Washington Nationals in which he only played in 48 big league games.

He’s trying to catch on with a young Blue Jays team where he could add a veteran presence to the clubhouse. He helped himself in the bottom of the eighth by lining a single off of Will Latimer.

Latimer allowed just the harmless single, however, and gets out of the inning unscathed.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-2: The Red Sox are always going to make the pitcher work, and that extends throughout the organization. It’s a philosophy that the organization preaches top to bottom.

Boston did that in the eighth inning against young Toronto right-hander Tyson Brummett, but the former UCLA hurler was up to the task. While he was forced to work for it, Brummett works a perfect inning with a pair of strikeouts.

Brummett made his major league debut last season with the Philadelphia Phillies. He got into one game and he worked just 2/3 of an inning — with two strikeouts. The more you know, right?

End 7th, Red Sox 3-2: Does the name Adam Loewen ring a bell?

The 28-year-old hasn’t played in the majors since 2008 when he was a pitcher. He’s now an outfielder in the Toronto organization, looking for a Rick Ankiel-like comeback as a position player.

He had a rough go of it in the seventh inning, however. Red Sox reliever J.D. Durbin struck out Loewen on three pitches as part of a perfect seventh for the former Phillies hurler.

That’s obviously a much better inning for Durbin after giving up a home run one inning earlier.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-2: Third-round pick John Stinson, who’s averaged about a strikeout per inning in the minor leagues since entering professional baseball, just survived a rocky start to the seventh inning.

The Toronto prospect, who can hit the mid-90s on the radar gun, was victimized by an error to open the inning before walking Jackie Bradley Jr. to put runners on first and second with no outs.

However, he was able to bear down and make a pitch, getting Ryan Dent to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. He followed that up by getting catcher Daniel Butler to fly out to right field to end the inning.

Stinson, who worked 104 1/3 innings in his first pro season last year, is believed by some to have bright things in his future.

End 6th, Red Sox 3-2: There are way too many changes to keep track of at this point, especially given MLB.com’s inability to update its Gameday app in a timely manner.

We do know a couple of things, though. J.D. Durbin came on to pitch the sixth for the Red Sox. After getting leadoff batter, Durbin was hurt by one of the game’s premier power hitters from a year ago, Edwin Encarnacion. He hit a bomb over the left-field fence to get the Blue Jays within one.

Also of note: Red Sox first-round pick Deven Marrero has entered the game for the Red Sox at shortstop, so we’ll be keeping an eye on that for the rest of the afternoon.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 3-1: Sean Nolin looked to be ready to cruise to a 1-2-3 inning, but he struggled to close out the inning, and the Red Sox were able to get to the young southpaw.

Mauro Gomez got things going with a two-out double, and he came around to score when Mitch Maier lined an RBI single to give Boston the insurance run in the sixth.

By the way, we’ve just about hit the fog of spring training. The Blue Jays have made wholesale changes across the diamond, while the Red Sox’ lineup was full of minor leaguers and Four-A players to begin with.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Chris Carpenter, who is looking to find his place in the Red Sox organization after coming over as compensation for Theo Epstein last year, just made his spring training debut.

He looked to be in some trouble after a walk and a Jose Reyes single, but Carpenter got some help from the Red Sox defense. Carpenter was able to induce a 3-6-3 double play that was started by slick-fielding first baseman Lyle Overbay.

Overbay is fighting for a roster spot this spring, and the addition of Mike Carp, who hit an RBI double in his Red Sox debut, will make that even more difficult for the veteran Overbay.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Darren Oliver just keeps on keeping on, and he looks to keep going strong with Toronto this season.

The veteran left-hander, who is 41 years of age, just made his spring debut for the Blue Jays.

However, the “Treat your elders with respect” mantra was lost on some young Red Sox players. Despite a single from Brock Holt and a double from Jackie Bradley Jr., Oliver was able to escape the inning unscathed.

The southpaw was able to pick off Holt, and while the Bradley double followed that, Oliver was able to get out of the inning by striking out another young Red Sox, Will Middlebrooks, to end the frame.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Allen Webster, who is the 49th-ranked prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, has been impressive in his spring debut.

According to the Blue Jays radio broadcast, the young right-hander touched 99 mph on the radar gun in the fourth inning.

The Blue Jays must have been pretty impressed by the youngster. Webster struck out Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to end the third inning, and he opened the fourth inning by punching out J.P. Arencibia and Brett Lawrie. All four strikeouts were of the swinging variety.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-1: It’s been an impressive Toronto debut for Josh Johnson, who has a relatively harmless second inning of work in the fourth.

The big right-hander worked around an error from second baseman Lance Zawadski (which could have just as easily been a Mauro Gomez base hit) to toss another scoreless inning.

Johnson has two strikeouts in his two innings of work thus far and just the one single from Will Middlebrooks in the top of the third.

End 3rd, Red Sox 2-1: Red Sox prospect Allen Webster, who came over to the club in the megadeal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, was touched up in his first inning of work in the third.

Melky Cabrera lined a dougle to left field, and Jose Reyes (reached on a fielder’s choice) scored from first.

However, give Webster credit. The young right-hander settled in nicely after that to work out of the jam. He was able to strike out both Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion swinging to get out of the jam. Impressive stuff, given those two combined to hit 69 home runs last season.

Also worth noting: Toronto just claimed former Red Sox first baseman Lars Anderson off of waivers from the Chicago White Sox.

1:55 p.m.: Allen Webster is in for the Red Sox.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: That’s a quick inning for the Red Sox, but not without intrigue. Jackie Bradley got a free base after he was hit by a pitch, and a broken bat by Jarrod Saltalamacchia had the Blue Jays’ dugout looking lively.

Ultimately, though, Saltalamacchia, Brock Holt and Will Middlebrooks all recorded outs, leaving the Red Sox with their small margin.

1:45 p.m.: Josh Johnson is in to pitch for the Blue Jays.

End 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Steven Wright is in a great organization for knuckleball familiarity, and he’s done some solid work today. He struck out J.P. Arencibia, Brett Lawrie and Moises Sierra to put up a tidy inning, with a Colby Rasmus single also in there.

Saltalamacchia had trouble with the last pitch from Wright, but Sierra failed to run to first, and the Sox got the easy out. Spring training is the time for brownie points and hustle plays, though, so that doesn’t look good on Sierra.

John Farrell took the road less traveled today to watch this part of the team pitch, so maybe he wanted to see what Wright had to offer.

Here’s some background on Steven Wright: He came over to the Sox last year after being traded from the Indians on July 31 and worked in Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket. He held opponents to one earned run or less in 17 of his 25 starts last season (with both organizations) on the way to a 10-7 record with a 2.54 ERA and 119 strikeouts.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Juan Carlos Linares was hoping for a homer, but Colby Rasmus decided to get his fielding work in today, and he came up with the out.

Mitch Maier got on base with a single to left, but he was erased as Pedro Ciriaco grounded into a double play.

For you Red Sox trivia buffs, he’s a nugget to carry you into the next inning: On this date in 1946, Ted Williams hit a home run on the first pitch he saw at spring training after missing three seasons due to military service.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: It’s one thing to think about the changes the Blue Jays have made this offseason. It’s another thing to see them. The Red Sox got a good taste of Toronto’s new pieces this inning but were able to sneak out of the inning with some timely outs.

Melky Cabrera showed he’s still got a nice swing, pounding a double, but Jackie Bradley gobbled up a long Jose Bautista fly to keep him from scoring on what looked like a sure home run. (The wind may have helped.)

The Sox also took care of Jose Reyes, who has brought the best wheels in the game to the American League East. Boston kept Reyes off the basepaths out of the leadoff spot thanks to a quick throw to first from Pedro Ciriaco, but the Red Sox’ infield defense is going to have to be at its best this season to keep Reyes from causing damage. He’s one of the best in the game when he can smell an extra base.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 2-0: The Red Sox have a good handle on the knuckleball early, and R.A. Dickey’s big debut with the Jays is off to a wobbly start.

Brock Holt and Jackie Bradley both punched pitches from Dickey through, then Jarrod Saltalamacchia, batting in the cleanup spot, hit a liner. He couldn’t get more than one base out of it, but Holt came around to score and give the Red Sox the edge early.

Bradley then scored all the way from second on a loose knuckler from Dickey that went through.

Dickey, who had yet to throw a ball, then walked Lyle Overbay on four pitches.

But Dickey got a little help to end the inning from outfielder Moises Sierra, who showed off his arm in right. Mauro Gomez lofted a fly ball, and Saltalamacchia, thinking he could reach third on the tag (and it being spring training and all), took off. Sierra had other thoughts, though, and cut down Saltalamacchia to end the inning.

The Sox have struck first, though.

1:05 p.m.: First pitch!

1 p.m.: We’re pretty excited about the bounty of knuckleballers out here today. We hear Tim Wakefield is on the premises, fresh off his hosting of a knuckleball competition that included Doug Flutie. Alas, Flutie did not win, but you can still see him try the throw here.

We’d love to give you a Top 10 knuckleballers, but there haven’t been that many in the history of baseball altogether. Two of the most well known are here today (Wakefield and R.A. Dickey), and maybe Steven Wright can find some similar magic.

12:35 p.m.: Get your lawn chairs out, folks. We’re ready to get this one under way.

The Blue Jays have put themselves in position for some much more competitive games in the American League East, and that all starts today with their first content against the Red Sox since switching their manager and much of their roster. What we see today could have implications for how these two teams match up this season.

10:35 a.m.: And here’s who we have for the Blue Jays. The Red Sox will be getting a good taste of their American League East foes in this one — these are the big guns.

Jose Reyes, SS
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, DH
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B
J.P. Arencibia, C
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
Moises Sierra, RF
Lance Zawadzki, 2B

R.A. Dickey, P

Further pitching: Josh Johnson, John Stilson, Mickey Storey, Chad Beck, Sean Nolin, Tyson Brummett.

10:05 a.m.: Here’s who the Red Sox have going today against Toronto:

Brock Holt, 2B
Jackie Bradley, CF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Mauro Gomez, DH
Mitch Maier, RF
Juan Carlos Linares, LF
Pedro Ciriaco, SS

Steven Wright, P

9:15  a.m. ET: The Red Sox will be answering to voices from the recent past Monday afternoon when they split the squad for two more spring training games.

The half of the team that heads to Dunedin, Fla., will be facing the Toronto Blue Jays. That’s the former team of new manager John Farrell, of course, meaning the Red Sox skipper will be handling flak from the Toronto media as well as managing his team Monday afternoon. Many people in Toronto are still sore that Farrell left after just two seasons, even though Blue Jays management gave Farrell the green light to go when he told them his heart was still with Boston.

Farrell was 154-170 in two seasons with the Jays, who did just fine in the offseason. Toronto may have had the best offseason of any American League East team, in fact. The Blue Jays flipped a huge deal with the Marlins that poached the rest of Miami’s already shrinking roster, adding Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle to the northern crew. The Jays have also signed Melky Cabrera, who was one of the best hitters in the National League last year until his suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. They also traded for R.A. Dickey, who resuscitated his career via the knuckleball — a familiar pitch for Red Sox fans — in the last few years with the Mets.

While the Red Sox and Blue Jays haven’t said which marquee players will be making the start in Dunedin this afternoon, early reports indicate that Dickey will be on the mound, followed by Johnson, and at least Will Middlebrooks and Farrell will be there for the Sox. (Middlebrooks seems a little nervous about the knuckleballs already.)

Boston is expected to pitch righties Steven Wright, Allen Webster and Chris Carpenter, as well as minor league call-ups, according to The Boston Globe. Webster was a big piece in last season’s August deal with the Dodgers.

Wright, coincidentally or not, is also a knuckleball pitcher. Longtime Sox knuckler Tim Wakefield, not coincidentally, “is expected to be in attendance,” according to the Red Sox.

Check back here later for the lineups and more information, then be sure to stay here once first pitch lands at 1:05 p.m.

End of Game, BC Wins 6-3: Well, BC just outclassed Northeastern in this one. Give the Huskies a huge amount of credit for making it a close contest early in the third period, but ultimately BC was just a more talented squad, and they proved it over 60 minutes.

Good choice on giving the tournament MVP to Kevin Roy and his five goals, even if it was in a losing effort. However, BC’s depth trumped Roy’s stellar play on Monday, and they’re the ones lifting the Beanpot right now. Perhaps most impressively, BC has never lost a Beanpot final that they’ve been a part of.

Well, thanks for sticking around our live blog, folks. Hope we were able to shed a little light on what’s going on on the ice.

3rd Period, 5:15, BC 5-3: Once again, we said Gaudreau would have to figure into this game, and with two goals he has in a big way. That was a more vintage effort from him, being the trailer and finding himself in the right place at the right time.

Now, with time quickly running out, Northeastern’s going to have to really bear down and make something happen to catch the Eagles. Otherwise it will be BC raising the Beanpot for the fourth consecutive year.

3rd Period, 15:00, BC 4-3: Well, it would be an improbable comeback, but it’s certainly in the works.

After BC takes an ill-advised penalty, Northeastern makes them pay, cutting the Eagles’ lead to just one goal with a lot of time left to play. NU looks completely renewed early in the period, keeping their legs moving and skating well, while BC looks to be back on its heels a little bit.

3rd Period, 19:45, 4-2 BC: Well, the Huskies needed a quick goal to open the period, and Roy stepped up. In the process, he becomes the first player to score at least five goals in a Beanpot tournament since 1973.

In actuality, that’s a pick that should probably be stopped by Milner. It was just a long-range wrist shot that beat him, without even the benefit of a screen. But, somehow, the seeing-eye shot found its way over Milner’s right shoulder and into the short right corner of the net.

Second Intermission, BC 4-1: Well, we’re going to let this tweet speak for itself. For the record, Northeastern’s president is Dr. Joseph E. Aoun, and apparently he has an awesome sense of humor.

Enjoy:

Northeastern's president just showed up and is posing with an enormous photo of his own head. http://t.co/0zdo4AeY

—
Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 12, 2013

End of 2nd Period, BC 4-1: And here’s where the pace of the game becomes important.

For a while it’s seemed like the high-tempo pace of the game was not well-suited for Northeastern. And that finally catches up with them at the end of the second period, as the Eagles score another two goals in rapid succession. The second (their fourth of the night) came off a bad misplay by Rawlings, who tried to hand the puck off rather than just covering it.

So, that may have taken some of the wind out of the sails of the Huskies and the third period in general, as BC now has a commanding lead to go with its dominant puck-possession play heading into the game’s final third.

2nd Period, 1:08, BC 3-1: Well, that was certainly an innocent-looking play, but it leads to a goal and another two-score lead for BC.

Not much Northeastern goaltender Chris Rawlings could do about that one. It looked like the puck, which was already knuckling, was tipped twice on its way to the goal.

2nd Period, 4:40, BC 2-1: Well, Roy made it happen last week with a hat trick, and now he’s picking up right where he left off.

Roy flat out beats BC goaltender Parker Milner with his wrist shot, waiting for a little screen to develop before beating Milner over his left shoulder.

2nd Period, 5:46, BC 2-0: For the record, that second goal was indeed credited to Gaudreau as an unassisted tally.

So, just like we said pregame, Gaudreau ends up playing a big role in the game. And, despite the best efforts of the Huskies’ defense to blanket No. 13 and keep him off the puck, he still makes it happen all by himself.

2nd period, 7:52, BC 2-0: No sooner had we mentioned the conspicuous absence of Gaudreau than he makes something happen for BC, setting up (possibly scoring) a goal to put BC up 2-0.

First, Bill Arnold takes advantage of a turnover and some subsequently sloppy defense on the part of Northeastern, putting home a one-timer to draw first blood for the Eagles. Then, Gaudreau makes it happen the old fashioned way, putting puck into the Northeastern crease before taking a couple whacks at the goaltender’s pads to tap one over the line.

So, for all their dominant play, BC finally have a lead to show for it with just under eight minutes left in the second period.

2nd Period, 9:54: Although he’s done a good job on the forecheck today, it’s hard to notice that we haven’t taken notice of Johnny Gaudreau much.

The talented offensive player has mostly been kept quiet in the offensive zone, so that’s something of a surprise. Give some credit to the Huskies defense for keeping him blanketed, and giving him the extra bump every opportunity they’ve had.

2nd Period, 11:48: The period began with some furious back-and-forth play, including a golden opportunity from point-blank range for Northeastern’s Garrett Vermeersch.

However, Northeaster has also been very, very lucky. First, Colton Saucerman drew a tripping penalty against BC when the real culprit seemed to be his own shoelaces. Then, the Huskies got away with a clear penalty after having six men on the ice for several seconds.

Overall, BC’s gotten the better of play, but it’s been slightly more even. However, the tempo would seem to favor BC, who’s better suited to play an up-and-down, shootout style of hockey.

End of 1st Period: Tempers flare as the whistle sounds due to a late shot on goal, but at the end of a period we’re still tied with no scoring.

That being said, BC has clearly, undeniably had the better of play so far. They’ve simply had the puck in the Northeastern zone for most of the game thus far, as the Huskies are lucky to still be even with the Eagles. After a couple goal-mouth scrums, BC could easily be up by at least a couple goals.

For BC, no one player looks particularly dangerous, but Gaudreau looks like he’s really trying hard to find open space, to no avail. Northeastern, meanwhile, needs to find a way to slow the pace of the game and hold on to the puck a little bit. Saponari has given them an occasional threat, but the rest of the team hasn’t looked up to the task so far.

However, despite BC’s dominance, we’re still tied and Northeastern still very much has life if they can get it together.

1st Period, 2:55: Looks like someone on the Huskies is going to go to the box for a hooking call, but more on that later.

Northeastern is finally getting some opportunistic offense together, but it’s mostly just from picking off errant pucks in BC’s zone. Likewise, their defense has had trouble standing up the Eagles at the red line, but is doing a good job of backchecking and getting sticks and bodies in front of passes.

Vinny Saponari has really been Northeastern’s standout so far. A couple times already he’s turned on the jets, showing some impressive speed up the boards and putting BC on their heels. Roy needs to be looking for the front of the net to find a rebound or pass from Saponari.

1st Period, 9:36: Halfway through the first period and Northeastern has yet to get a shot on goal, while BC has already had a couple opportunities to poke at loose pucks in front of the goal mouth.

In short, right now BC is just outclassing Northeastern, as the latter wasn’t able to get set up at all in the offensive zone on their first power play chance. Northeastern probably needs to simplify its play a little bit and just look to play some puck possession games to try and get the puck into the BC zone.

1st Period, 13:38: Roy gets booked early for a well-deserved penalty, as he just rolled right over the BC player.

On the ensuing power play, both teams can probably take positives away. For the first minute or so BC did well to set up in the offensive zone, nearly getting a goal on a tip that went just wide of the net. On Northeastern’s end, they were able to disrupt BC during the second half of the power play, using an effective forecheck to waste some extra ticks in the BC end of the ice.

7:30 p.m.: Alright folks, we’re almost ready to drop the puck here, as the BC Eagles will try to win their fourth consecutive Beanpot.

During the pregame Kevin Roy of Northeastern was profiled, and he did indeed look dangerous a week ago, netting a hat trick. However, Johnny Gaudreau is not only one of the best players in Hockey East, but in the entire country. He was kept relatively quiet during the semifinal, having at least one golden opportunity stopped at the goal, so it would be a safe bet that he won’t be shut down again.

12:45 p.m. ET: The Beanpot will wrap up on Monday night as Boston College takes on Northeastern at TD Garden at 7:30 p.m.

The Eagles will be going for their fourth straight Beanpot championship. Only two teams have accomplished that feat before — Boston University rallied off six straight from 1995 to 2000 and four straight from 1970 to 1973. BC matched its best streak in 2012 with three straight, which the Eagles had also done from 1963 to 1965.

The Eagles and Huskies come into the Beanpot championship game on different ends of the Hockey East landscape. BC is in first place with 25 points, while Northeastern is dead last with 11.

In the first round of the Beanpot, BC took down Harvard 4-1, while the Huskies shocked BU 3-2.

Stay here for all the action, and tune in to NESN for coverage starting at 7 p.m.

Photo via Facebook/Boston College Athletics/Northeastern Men’s Ice Hockey

End of game, 4-1 BC: Boston College has won the Beanpot three years in a row, and anyone watching their effort in this one has to figure they’re poised to capture a fourth consecutive, and 18th overall.

In next week’s championship game, BC will take on Northeastern, which beat Boston University 3-2 earlier in the day.

So, thanks for sticking with us on this Monday, and we’ll be back next week to live blog the rest of the Beanpot.

Third period, 4:54, 4-1 BC: That was an absolutely wicked wrist shot from Steven Whitney, who uses the Harvard defender as a screen before beating Girard.

So, with just five minutes left, Harvard’s chances are on life support, and BC looks like the power team they’re supposed to be despite their recent troubles.

Third period, 9:43, 3-1 BC: After having some difficulty getting pucks to the BC net, captain Danny Biega puts Harvard on the board. It’s Biega’s first goal of the season.

The goal cuts BC’s lead, and if Harvard can add another one in relatively short order we could have a hockey game.

Third period, 12:16, 3-0 BC: If not for Raphael Girard, this game would be even more of a blowout.

Girard’s made a number of solid saves against the BC offense to keep Harvard even as close as three goals. Moreover, he’s done well in terms of rebound control, either holding onto the puck or steering it into the corners.

End of second period, 3-0 BC: If you’re going to win hockey games, these are the types of goals you just can’t let in. Sloppy defense in front of the Harvard net allowed Quinn Smith to knock in his second tally of the game and defenseman Michael Matheson sent a slap shot from the top of the right circle past Girard for what could prove to be the nail in the coffin. Again, the Crimson allow a solid period of hockey slip away at the end.

Second period, 4:23, 1-0 BC: Harvard has played tough and physical in the defensive end, but the Crimson offense has not been able to find any sort of momentum. Eagles goalie Parker Milner has hardly been tested, needing to make just 13 saves so far. Girard has more than double that on the other end, turning away 27 of the first 28 BC shots.

Second period, 12:00, 1-0 BC: Patrick Wey (not to be confused with former NHL goalie Patrick Roy) is whistled for interference and the Crimson will go on the power play. That may not be a very uplifting thought for Harvard fans, however, as their team’s extra-skater unit makes the Bruins’ power play look like a well-oiled machine. The Crimson have converted on just 9.9 percent of their power-play opportunities, good for dead last in the ECAC.

This comes just one year after Harvard’s power-play unit operated at an outstanding 27.0 percent efficiency, leading the nation in the category.

Second period, 14:11, 1-0 BC: Another huge stop by Girard, who denies Pat Mullane from point-blank range with a kick save. The junior has taken at least a pair of would-be goals away from the Eagles thus far.

Second period, 17:31, 1-0 BC: The puck has been living at Harvard’s doorstep, it seems, as every Crimson clear is taken right back down by BC’s forwards. Harvard’s blueliners have been game so far, but they are getting worked very hard. How their stamina holds up may be a key to the rest of this game.

End of first period, 1-0 BC: Girard withstood the Eagles’ onslaught during the power play, but could not escape the first period unscathed. BC’s Quinn Smith slapped in a rebound with just over 20 seconds remaining to give his team a 1-0 lead heading into the locker room.

Tough way to end the frame for the Crimson, but they are playing much better hockey than their 5-14-1 record would indicate, keeping up even as BC’s offense started clicking on all cylinders late in the period. A quick Eagles goal in the second could change that in a hurry, though.

First period, 3:13, 0-0: Brendan Rempel plants Bill Arnold to the ice, but the referees spotted a bit extra in Rempel’s hit and BC will have the game’s first power play.

First period, 5:50, 0-0: Girard foils BC’s first serious chance of the game and is seriously fired up about it. Harvard responded by taking the puck right down for a scoring chance of its own, but a rocket from senior Luke Greiner rang off the inside of the left post. Still scoreless at the Garden.

First period, 13:07, 0-0: This first period has been swift and physical, with few whistles and heavy checking provided by both sides. BC has yet to test the junior Girard, who is in his second year as the Crimson’s starter between the pipes.

Harvard will need to stiffen defensively if they are to have a chance against the Eagles. The Crimson have dropped 11 of their last 12 games, allowing 3.92 goals per contest over that span.

Start of first period, Boston College-Harvard: BC and Harvard take the ice for the nightcap, with Parker Milner starting in goal for the Eagles and Raphael Girard backstopping the Crimson. The boys from Cambridge are the last team other than BC or BU to take home a Beanpot title, but that was way back in 1993. We’ll see if they can work some magic against coach Jerry York’s No. 5 Eagles tonight.

Final, 3-2 Northeastern: The clock hits triple zeros and the Huskies will play for the the Beanpot championship. The win marks Northeastern’s first win over BU in this tournament since the 1988 title game, which gave the Huskies their most recent Beanpot championship. They’ll look to break that streak, as well, next Monday against the winner of tonight’s Boston College-Harvard semifinal.

Third period, 1:11, 3-2 Northeastern: And just as I say that, BU pulls within one. With O’Connor on the bench, Sahir Gill sent a rebound past Rawlings to cut the deficit to 3-2. This game is not over yet.

Third period, 2:00, 3-1 Northeastern: Terrific defense being played in the Northeastern end. Rawlings has been a rock in net but his teammates have given him tremendous help in front, continuously disrupting the rhythm of the Terriers with great stick movement and body checking.

Third period, 4:38, 3-1 Northeastern: Kevin Roy strikes again. The freshman phenom continued his stellar effort with his third goal of the contest, giving the Huskies a two-goal lead with just over four minutes remaining.

A Josh Manson slap shot from the blue line was deflected into the pads of O’Connor by Garrett Vermeersch, but the BU goalie couldn’t corral the puck and Roy pounded home the off-angle shot for his first career hat trick.

Third period, 7:54, 2-1 Northeastern: It seems that this entire period has been played in the Northeastern zone, as BU owns a 10-5 shot advantage in the frame, including a couple of rockets from the slot that Rawlings turned aside.

Third period, 12:32, 2-1 Northeastern: You can sense the urgency on the ice right now, as both teams come up with solid scoring chances. Rawlings and O’Connor have held strong, though, keeping the third period scoreless thus far.

Start of third period, 2-1 Northeastern: Just 20 minutes separate one of these squads from next Monday’s Beanpot championship. A key for Jack Parker’s squad will be capitalizing on power-play opportunities, as the Terriers have been unsuccessful on all six of their extra-skater chances tonight.

Second Period, 3:15, 2-1 Northeastern: Roy hasn’t looked as quite as dangerous as O’Regan, but he created his own opportunity there on an unassisted lead, giving Northeastern the 2-1 edge.

Boston University has looked to be the better team overall in terms of puck possession, but Northeastern’s been far more opportunistic.

Second period, 7:35, 1-1: Nothing doing for BU there on the power play, as they couldn’t even really get set up in the offensive zone.

Though BU’s had the better of puck possession tonight, Northeastern’s been opportunistic. In fact, Colton Saucerman (what a great name) nearly put a nifty move on the BU defense for a shorthanded bid.

Second period, 9:47, 1-1: BU looked dangerous in a power-play opportunity, nearly slotting a goal home as the penalty expired. going the other way, Northeastern’s Braden Primm just roped a BU player going back into the defensive zone, and so he gets two minutes for hooking.

On another note, O’Regan continues to look dangerous. Every time BU takes the puck into the offensive zone, O’Regan just gravitates towards the net.

Second period, 16:16, 1-1: Both squads trade a couple of Grade A scoring opportunities. First, Northeastern gets a clear-cut two-on-one opportunity, but credit BU defenseman Alexx Privitera with sliding to break up the feeding pass.

Going the other way, O’Regan is just a force to be reckoned in this one. Once again he finds himself in front of the goal on the receiving end of a pass. He couldn’t quite tip it on net, though, as a Northeastern defenseman got just enough stick on it.

End of first period, 1-1: BU’s thought process in the offensive zone isn’t difficult to determine. They try to control the puck back at the points or above the circles, have one guy break towards the front of the net to look for a rebound or a tip.

Going into the end of the period, BU got a couple more swipes at Rawlings and the Northeastern goal, but were kept off the score sheet. O’Regan, in particular, nearly got on the end of another pass right outside of the crease.

So, we go to the first intermission tied at one, with Northeastern putting up quite a fight despite their place in the Hockey East standings.

First period, 10:05, 1-1: Northeastern netminder Chris Rawlings makes a few sprawling saves to foil a BU scoring chance. Rawlings, who is listed at 6-foot-5, is starting his 115th game in net for the Huskies, having served as the team’s starter since his freshman season in 2009-10.

First period, 14:07, 1-1: Danny O’Regan isn’t about to let Roy steal the spotlight. The San Jose draftee — who ranks second to Roy in scoring among HE freshmen — completes a nifty give-and-go to knot the game at one goal apiece less than six minutes in. We may have a high-scoring affair on our hands.

First period, 17:51, 1-0 Northeastern: We are barely under way at the Garden and freshman sensation Kevin Roy has already given the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Roy, the leading freshman scorer in the nation, beat BU’s Matt O’Connor for his 13th goal of the season.

8 a.m. ET: It’s the first Monday of February, and Boston knows it’s time for the Beanpot.

This year’s tournament will mark the 61st time that the four Boston-area colleges have met on the ice for bragging rights, beginning all the way back in 1952. Now, of course, the first two Mondays in February are reserved for the Beanpot, with all but the inaugural event taking place at an arena named “Garden.”

For the last three years the Boston College eagles have won the tournament, so that means they’re the top dog going in. That’s also kind of true of Hockey East in general, as the Eagles have been the top team in conference play, earning 25 points. However, they’re also second to New Hampshire, who has one more win, in NCAA competition.

That only means everyone else will be gunning for Jerry York’s crew, and Jack Parker and the Boston University Terriers are certainly one of those teams. BU opens the tournament against Northeastern, and while the Terriers have remained in the high-middle of the pack on Hockey East, Northeastern is dead last in the conference with a mark of 4-11-3 (7-13-3 overall).

So, follow along here for all of today’s Beanpot action. The first game between BU and Northeastern begins at 5 p.m. ET.

Photo via Twitter/@BCHockey

This is what we want to know: Did Te’o see Couric dismantle Sarah Palin?

10:10 a.m.: Can we just say Saturday Night Live nailed it on their Manti Te’o sketch?

Sunday, 9 a.m.: While several parts of Manti Te’o's story have been disproven, perhaps this one part is true: He did appear to send white roses to someone after he thought Lennay Kekua died.

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, however, was once again at the receiving end of the gesture, although a Kekua family did live on the same street.

9:17 p.m.: ESPN.com has released highlights of the interview Jeremy Schaap conducted with Manti Te’o on Friday night. If you have a lot of time on your hands, it’s worth a read, and it seems to document Te’o and “Lennay Kekua’s” entire relationship. Of course, we don’t entirely know if the former Notre Dame linebacker is telling the truth yet, but it’s a lot easier to imagine than before we got all the details.

Some of the highlights of the highlights are: Te’o claims he didn’t tell the South Bend Tribune that he and “Kekua” met at the Stanford game, Te’o legitimately did not know that “Kekua” was fake until Jan. 16 when Ronaiah Tuiasosopo contacted him via Twitter, there was an entire month of communication between Te’o and “Kekua” from Dec. 6 until Jan. 16, Te’o tried to move on, and when he got a new girlfriend the “Kekua family” started communicating with him again and Te’o said the relationship and aftermath did not affect his play in the National Championship Game.

From the transcript, Te’o comes across as a very trusting person, and if he is indeed telling the truth, it was his downfall through this situation. Fortunately, Te’o did not lose any money in the process, as “Kekua” never asked him for any. “Kekua” once asked for Te’o and his roommate’s bank account numbers to try to transfer money to them, but Te’o declined to give the information and told him roommate not to either. Te’o went to his bank on campus to see if someone could take money from him with his account number and they told him no.

Another part of this story that really came out in this interview were the dates and details of the relationship. Te’o had contact with Kekua from winter 2009-10 all the way until Jan. 2013, but it was off and on until April when “Kekua got into a car accident.”

Then he started taking the relationship more seriously and they became “exclusive.” Te’o told his parents they met, but it was only so his father wouldn’t demand Te’o to call off the relationship. He relayed the same story to the press because he knew it would make him look crazy to be in an online relationship.

Finally, something that really stands out in the transcript is that Te’o refers to “Kekua” as if she actually existed and still does. Take from that what you want, but it’s strange to read him relaying events as if they actually happened to a real person.

If you want all the details, read the transcript posted at the top of this update. It’s an interesting read, but until Tuiasosopo speaks, we won’t know if Te’o is telling the complete truth, or what the motivation for the hoax was.

3:45 p.m.: What are the odds that this would happen? Well, let’s ask Malcolm Gladwell.

3p.m.: In talking about media coverage of the hoax, Poynter does a solid job of surveying the landscape.

The journalism site has a list of the main stories behind the hoax, a probe into why the media didn’t catch on sooner and a chat with the Deadspin-ers who broke it.

One item of particular note is how Poynter asks Deadspin’s Tommy Craggs about how The Boston Globe characterized Deadspin. In its Thursday story on the hoax, the Globe called Deadspin “a website that has broken some high-profile stories but not an outlet regarded for journalistic standards,” a description that had some people squirming, especially considered Deadspin did its homework and kicked news outlets’ butts on this one.

Craggs, understandably, blew the Globe off and bragged about his site’s work.

2:45 p.m.: It’s been hinted that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo had perpetuated hoaxes before, but this ESPN story gives perhaps the best synopsis of what he was up to.

A few people who had been duped by Tuiasosopo before were apparently behind the tweets that set the whole Deadspin investigation in motion, in fact.

This begs the question: If Tuiasosopo hadn’t tried to do a similar hoax with the same name (Lennay Kekua) before, would he have been caught this time?

1:30 p.m.: One of the bigger questions in all of this is what role the sports media has played in advancing the hoax.

Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated, who certainly got the ball rolling with his cover story, talks about his reporting here. Thamel was in the unenviable position of having to whip his article around in a short time frame, and of Te’o giving him what sounded like an incredible story when he interviewed him.

While many fingers can be pointed throughout the entire hoax, Thamel probably can take a little less blame than the rest of the sports media. He, after all, was one of the first on the story and got it straight from Te’o, while others repeated erroneous facts, filled in the blanks on their own or regurgitated the story in ways where the information didn’t add up. As a whole, sports journalism gets a black eye in this one.

It started with Thamel, though. While he may not have had time to do extensive background checks before filing, he — and the rest of sports media — should have followed up and not taken “no” for an answer when asking to talk to a member of Lennay Kekua’s family.

Thamel’s account will show how a bad slip in reporting can sometimes come from the perfect storm, but it also shows how something like this can be avoided in the future.

1 p.m.: Bill Simmons gives us a Simmons-like approach on the situation, and by far the best part is when he schemes that Bill Belichick is behind it all.

12:35 p.m.: Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick continues to put the support of the school and himself behind Manti Te’o, and Swarbrick also said that he encouraged Te’o to speak up and give his side of the story. Swarbrick said the family was planning on revealing the hoax Monday and that ”the family lost the opportunity in some ways to control the story” by waiting.

Notre Dame has to be lauded for supporting Te’o throughout this mess, especially since he’s essentially moved on from the school by hiring an agent and getting ready for the NFL Draft. On the other hand, though, the school has plenty to lose in this situation. Notre Dame banks heavily on lore for its legacy and image, and such a huge lie and what could be called a coverup is exactly what makes people hate college football powers.

If Te’o is being truthful in saying that he wasn’t part of the hoax, and that he told Notre Dame once he knew, the school is largely in the clear. Sure, it could have revealed the information before the national title game, but it’s justifiable that the school thought Te’o should be the one to take care of it. (It’s also justifiable that the school let the rest of the team’s players enjoy their moment in the sun rather than letting the scandal break, especially after they were stuck in Te’o's exhaust all year.)

But the bottom line is that no part of this is good for Notre Dame or Te’o. The school was in a no-win situation in some regards, and if it turns out that more could have been done to stop the hoax — or that Te’o was more involved — Notre Dame’s actions should get a huge second look. The school says it’s playing catchup at this point, but it fostered the environment where it now has to choose whether to support a player in such a situation.

Notre Dame should be supporting Te’o, but it’s as much to blame as Te’o or anyone else involved at this point.

Whether Notre Dame’s actions after the hoax was revealed are reputable or not, this doesn’t help the argument against college football being a god of its own, and able to create uncontrollable evils due to lax oversight.

12 p.m.: Deadspin broke the Manti Te’o hoax story largely with the help of some basic photo sleuthing, with the writers quickly finding out that Lennay Kekua was not the person in the photos on her Twitter account.

While Deadspin hid the identity of the real person in those photos, calling her “Reba,” the New York Post has revealed she is Diane O’Meara and chatted with her family.

O’Meara and Ronaiah Tuiasosopo were friends in high school, with Tuiasosopo using some guile to get the photos. It’s one of just many stories Tuiasosopo has told, and here’s guessing that he’ll be short on friends for a few years — at least when he starts asking these kind of favors.

11:30 a.m.: One of the main questions behind the Manti Te’o hoax situation is why anyone would go to such lengths to do something like this.

Not surprisingly, one of the answers surfacing is none other than what the Bible calls the root of all evil: Money.

Te’o's uncle reportedly had several run-ins with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo that had him thinking that Te’o's friend was not to be trusted. Near the end of the hoax, Tuiasosopo was reportedly asking for money to help with leukemia research — which sounds like a good way to get a lot of money and not necessarily spend it on a good cause.

In the ESPN story we just cited, Lennay Kekua (or whoever was behind her) reportedly asked Te’o for his checking account information once. He didn’t give it out.

If this was just a long-winded way to extort money from someone who would soon be rich, it makes a little more sense — a little.

Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: Manti Te’o has given his most in-depth interview since news of the hoax broke, but — as with most things Te’o has said — it has not made the situation much clearer.

Te’o gave ESPN an audio interview on Friday night, and he did not sound sure at all as he fought his way around a story that increasingly hasn’t stacked up.

Te’o said he wasn’t sure the hoax wasn’t real until Wednesday night, when his friend, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, contacted him and confirmed that he was indeed the person behind the hoax, as Deadspin had reported. Te’o and Tuiasosopo talked over Twitter and then by phone, with Tuiasosopo confirming that he had perpetuated the hoax.

That could be why Te’o kept talking about his girlfriend even after that fateful phone call when she told him she was, indeed, alive — he may just not have known what to believe, and maybe thought that there was a chance that some of it was true (and, if she was being chased by drug dealers, maybe he’s trying to protect her?).

The story has a lot of details about how the hoax could have gone on so long, and how Te’o defends his involvement. He talks about lying to his family and how he met and sustained the relationship with Lennay Kekua. Some of it is quite helpful in seeing things from his perspective, but the question continues to be how he could have been duped for so long.

One telling portion explains why Te’o was so careful about people knowing it was an online relationship. He knew it wasn’t ordinary:

“That goes back to what I did with my dad. I knew that — I even knew, that it was crazy that I was with somebody that I didn’t meet, and that alone — people find out that this girl who died, I was so invested in, I didn’t meet her, as well. So I kind of tailored my stories to have people think that, yeah, he met her before she passed away, so that people wouldn’t think that I was some crazy dude.”

The ESPN story also said Te’o has not been reading any media reports of the hoax and its aftermath. So, he’s probably less confused than the rest of us.

8:45 p.m.: So, while it’s clear that Deadspin did some amazing work in uncovering this story, it’s a valid question whether they went to far in implicating Te’o, himself.

One thing is undeniable: Te’o lied on some level. As we posted earlier, The Associated Press has clearly documented instances in which Te’o talked about his girlfriend in interviews after he supposedly learned the whole thing was a hoax.

But did he actually play a part in said hoax? This is where Deadspin may have taken a few too many liberties.

The Washington Post asks this question in a straightforward way, pointing out that while most of Deadpsin’s reporting on the story was “unimpeachable,” the site certainly relaxed those standards when it came to speculating about Te’o's potential complicity.

What do you think?

6:55 p.m.: More details are emerging about what exactly happened once the person purporting to be Kekua tried to reconnect with Te’o in December.

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the woman on the other end of the phone told Te’o she had faked her death to evade drug dealers. Te’o reportedly asked for a time-stamped picture of Kekua, which she provided, but apparently this did not allay his suspicions, and he went to Notre Dame officials. It is not clear if this phone call was the same one mentioned by Swarbrick that occurred Dec. 6.

6:20 p.m.: What’s the appropriate grieving time for a girlfriend you never met? Is two months OK?

TMZ is reporting that’s exactly the case for Te’o, saying that he dated another woman just two months — in November — after the supposed death of Kekua. And, yes, there is good evidence that this one is, in fact, a real person. However, according to the report, the two aren’t together anymore.

5:35 p.m.: At least some thing are becoming increasingly clear in this story — and most of those things have to do with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.

According to an ESPN report, Tuiasosopo told a friend back in December that he had played a hoax on Te’o, and that Te’o was exclusively a victim in this charade. He also admitted that he had played similar tricks on others before.

So, at this moment, it certainly looks like Te’o was not in on the original hoax. But did he continue to play on the story after he knew it to be fraudulent? The evidence, which we’ll be examining in coming posts in this live blog, varies.

Friday, 5:18 p.m: Well howdy, folks.

So, this story has clearly taken on a life of its own and refuses to die. So, with that in mind, we’re reopening our live blog to bring you all the updates and angles to this story that we can.

Stay tuned as we bring you more Manti Te’o details that you can probably stomach.

11:25 p.m.: To utterly beat a dead horse, this whole thing keeps getting stranger and stranger.

US Weekly is reporting that Tuiasosopo auditioned for the TV show The Voice recently, trying out for episodes for the upcoming season. What’s perhaps more relevant is the fact that, while he was there, apparently Tuiasosopo told quite a story about getting into a car accident while on the road with his Christian rock band. Sound familiar?

Reportedly Tuiasosopo had to pass a background check and psychological evaluation — standard procedure for a reality show — to get to audition. No judges turned their chairs around.

11:00 p.m.: More evidence is emerging that Te’o knew more about the hoax — or knew about it sooner — than the official story currently lets on.

According to The Associated Press, Te’o has perpetuated the myth of his girlfriend, mentioning the story at least twice publicly since the date he gave as knowing it was a hoax.

So, it’s almost unequivocal now that Te’o is involved in at least some level of deception. He may still have been the victim of a hoax, but at the bare minimum he was not forthright about that after learning Kekua wasn’t real.

10:20 p.m.: As of right now, we have little more to offer you in terms of the real people behind Kekua or Te’o's potential knowledge of the hoax. However, we do have some interesting news from the world of journalism to share.

According to sources of The Big Lead, ESPN knew that Te’o's girlfriend was some sort of hoax 10 days ago and actually learned about the story a day before the national championship game. So, why would they not run the story? Well, the article implies that the powers that be in Bristol squashed it because it could negatively affect the game — which ESPN itself was televising.

ESPN, for its part, has issued a firm denial of this report, stating that it only learned of and began investigating the story three days after the championship game.

9:30 p.m.: So, a little of this is speculation, but the timing is undoubtedly quite a coincidence.

At last night’s news conference, Notre Dame announced that it doesn’t handle the press availability for Te’o anymore. Te’o has actually signed with an agent, which, as Deadspin points out, allows him to take money for giving an interview. Te’o made the switch last week, so while it’s certainly possible it was just with the NFL Draft in mind, it’s hard not to read into the decision a little bit.

7:30 p.m.: The father of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo just so happens to be a pastor at a Southern California church — so that makes for an interesting moral angle in all of this. In any case, the elder Tuiasosopo, Titus, made a post on Facebook addressing the situation and thanking unnamed people for their support of his family:

“There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe the overwhelming love & support me & my Aiga have received today. Feels like I’ve been drinking from a fire hydrant. lol. Your texts, calls, emails, prayers & messages are received with a sincerely humble heart. I know so much has been splattered all over the media about my son & my family. I also know that many who were born in a manger in Bethlehem & continue to walk on water will undoubtedly express their opinions. Those of you who know us the best still love us the most. It my hope & prayer that we allow the truth to take its course, wherever that may lead. My heart goes out to Manti & the Te’o Aiga. Please allow this young man to pursue his dream without judgement. He’s an amazing role model for our youth and Samoan community. I love U all from the bottom of my heart.”

6:25 p.m.: Sorry for the slow updates, folks, but we do (finally) have some major news to share with you. And leave it to TMZ to make a break in a case like this.

According to the (normally) celebrity gossip site, a woman who TMZ refers to as “Jan” claims to have met Ronaiah Tuiasosopo at a USC football game. Jan is a student at Notre Dame and reached out to Kekua on Twitter while she was still “dating” Te’o, striking up a friendship with her. After Kekua supposedly died, Jan connected with a woman over Twitter she thought was Kekua’s sister.

The two agreed to meet, but instead of Kekua’s sister showing up, Tuiasosopo did — and TMZ has the photographic evidence. We’ll let you read their report, but suffice to say Tuiasosopo’s behavior was odd, and their meeting was shortly followed by more (now very unbelievable) social media drama.

So, while it remains to be seen if Te’o at any point figured out what was going on and concealed information, it’s looking more and more concrete that Tuiasosopo did pull some kind of hoax.

1:38 p.m.: It was only a matter of time before the Next Media Animation crew got a hold of this story, and they certainly did not disappoint.

Check out the Taiwanese animation of the Te’o situation, but be warned: Things get a little crazy.

12:32 p.m.: According to one Notre Dame student, the football team knew something fishy was going on. Check out this excerpt, reported by Big Lead Sports:

“The debate among teammates wasn’t whether or not Manti actually knew this girl — it was clear that they had been in contact. No, players just didn’t think that it was fair to call Lennay Kekua Manti’s girlfriend, period [it is well-known on campus that he has had relations with other girls during his time at Notre Dame]. They recognized what was going on for what it was — a terrible publicity stunt used to fuel Manti Te’o’s Heisman campaign. In fact, many of the players privately commented that they didn’t want the students to wear leis in support of Manti and wouldn’t participate themselves — they cited that the team never responded so publicly to tragic events for other players. But there was also the feeling that Manti didn’t deserve to benefit from publicity from the death of somebody he barely knew.”

12:30 p.m.: ESPN canceled its interview with Te’o on Thursday, according to Brian Hamilton. Te’o was supposed to sit down with Jeremy Schaap before it got “scrapped.”

12:22 p.m.: One of Outsports.com’s writers wonders if Te’o is gay, as brought to our attention by Larry Brown Sports.

11:34 a.m.: Have you Te’oed yet? What’s that — you’re not familiar with Te’oing? Check it out here — it’s all the rage. 

10:36 a.m.: Talk about a wild way to wrap up Notre Dame’s wild ride this season. And if anyone (or anything) is good at wrapping things up (in big, bold puns), it’s the New York Post.

Check out the Post’s headline on Thursday.

Thursday, 9:42 a.m. ET: Some folks are saying that this will affect Te’o's draft grade. Check out that story here.

8:58 p.m.: So, since you’re tuning in, would you like my opinion? Of course you would.

In short, something still smells fishy here — and that’s not a Catfish pun. Not coincidentally, ESPNews showed a multitude of interviews with Te’o leading up to its coverage of the news conference. Likewise, it’s far too difficult to believe that the apparent discrepancies in Notre Dame’s version of events aren’t due to some form of deception on Te’o's part. The interviews are just far too straightforward to chalk it up to a matter of word choice — Te’o clearly intended for his audience to believe he had met this girl in person.

Nonetheless, that’s probably something that will never be revealed, so all we can look forward to now are forthcoming details about the perpetrators and what their motivations were. However, we can be sure that journalists will follow this story with far more aplomb than they did when they failed to fact check Kekua’s existence in the first place.

Anyway, the above is just one man’s opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

But that’s it for us in this brief live blog. Hope you took something out of this bizarre tale.

And, if you’re so inclined, here’s a link to buy the movie Catfish on Amazon.

8:49 p.m.: Swarbrick closes the news conference by reiterating that, according to him, some of the inconsistencies in this case seem to be due to diction.

He says that although it wasn’t the word he would have used, when Te’o said he “met” Kekua, he was referring to online interaction.

8:45: Swarbrick becomes very emotional during the conference at one point, saying that the most trusting person he ever knew (Te’o) won’t be able to do so in the same way again. Swarbrick’s eyes appeared to well up and he had to take a moment to compose himself before continuing.

8:37 p.m.: Perhaps unsurprisingly, news is already emerging that this incident could perhaps hurt Te’o's draft status, as the linebacker was expected to be a first-round talent in the upcoming NFL draft.

8:33 p.m.: Swarbrick reveals that at one point, after revealing that she had not died, Kekua attempted to re-start the relationship with Te’o. He did not reply to contact at this point, believing the incident to be a hoax.

8:28 p.m.: Clarifying one earlier point, Swarbrick explains that the relationship between Te’o and Kekua was not only online, but over the phone, as well.

This could explain some of the interactions that Te’o later related to the media. However, upon viewing these interviews, he certainly seems to be implying he had in-person contact with Kekua.

8:20 p.m.: Without directly saying so, journalists asking questions during the news conference are tip-toeing around the fact that some stories provided by Te’o himself appear to be inconsistent with Notre Dame’s insistence that he was only a victim of a hoax. One journalist specifically mentions an instance where Teo’s father actually told him about a meeting with Kekua.

Swarbrick attempts to phrase this as a matter of semantics, pointing out that a “meeting” initially described to him by Te’o was actually an online meeting.

8:16 p.m.: Swarbrick, in attempting to provide evidence that Te’o was not complicit in the hoax, references the movie and television show based on Catfish, another story of faking an identity online.

8:15 p.m.: Swarbrick says that on Dec. 26 the university received a call from Te’o in which he informed them he believed he was the victim of an elaborate hoax. According to him, some time earlier he had received a phone call from the same voice he recognized as his girlfriend’s, Lennay Kekua, who said she was not dead.

8:10 p.m.: Swarbrick insists that Te’o is a victim in this case, despite some unresolved questions. Swarbrick says that nothing he’s learned from this incident shakes his faith in Te’o as a human being and honest student athlete.

8:06 p.m.: Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick takes the podium, opening with some comments about student privacy.

8 p.m. ET: For those who aren’t in the loop yet, the ongoing story of Manti Te’o's girlfriend has been revealed as a hoax by Deadspin, unraveling a whole year’s worth of lies on the part of … someone.

Catch up on the story by reading our summary article on the events.

Some of the popular names circulating as possible head coach candidates are Bill O’Brien, Dirk Koetter, Josh McDaniels and Chip Kelly. Reid is expected to find another job, as is Smith. Check out our Top 10 list to see who all could get some consideration.

8:41 p.m.: The Eagles have narrowed their head coaching search to five candidates — all offensive-minded coaches. Those five potential head coaches are Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, according to Howard Eskin of WIP radio.

8:33 p.m.: Chip Kelly has been tied to numerous teams this offseason, but we may have a frontrunner now. The Oregon head coach is the Browns’ No. 1 choice to fill their vacancy, according to Eagles broadcaster Adam Caplan.

Cleveland’s quarterback, Brandon Weeden, doesn’t fit the typical Kelly passer, so it’s unclear what would happen to the No. 22 pick in the 2012 draft if the Oregon coach were to take the job.

8:17 p.m.: The Eagles have asked permission to interview three Atlanta coaches. They’re planning on interviewing defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong on Wednesday, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

7:25 p.m.: The Panthers are interested in two Giants executives, Dave Gettleman and Marc Ross, to fill their GM vacancy. The Jets are also interested in Ross.

7:15 p.m.: Lovie Smith is already getting garnering a lot of interest on the open market. Four teams have contacted the former Bears coach, according to ESPN.

Chicago could fill the void left by Smith with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, according to the USA Today. The Bears will interview Sullivan soon for their head coaching vacancy.

The Cardinals are already looking for replacements for Ken Whisenhunt. Among the names they will interview are their defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Andy Reid and Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, according to AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban.

It’s not a surprise that Bill O’Brien’s name is being thrown around as a possible head coaching candidate. Multiple teams will be checking in on the Penn State head coach, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora.

4:15 p.m.: Josh McDaniels was quick to bat away interest in him becoming another team’s head coach today, but he appears to have taken that a step further.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that McDaniels has notified teams that he will not take interviews for other team’s head coaching jobs now, and that he will remain in New England. Schefter also says that McDaniels would like to be a head coach one day.

What’s interesting about the way Schefter phrased his report is that he’s not clear whether that means that McDaniels is open to interviewing for head coaching jobs after the season — or even after the Patriots’ next game. (What does “now” mean?) Hmm.

3:35 p.m.: The Titans will be hanging on to coach Mike Munchak and general manager Ruston Webster. But senior executive vice president Mike Reinfeldt, who used to be the general manager, is being shown the door.

“He has two more years to go on his contract, but I think we’d be better off without him,” owner Bud Adams told The Tennessean. “I don’t think he was getting the job done. Mike Reinfeldt is out.”

3:30 p.m.: Mike Ditka still has quite a bit of clout in the Windy City, so listen up when he says he doesn’t like something.

Ditka is irked about Lovie Smith being let go, calling the move “stupid.”

“I think Lovie is a very good coach,” Ditka said Monday on The Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000. “Everybody is a little bit different in their manner. I think that’s a 10-win season. They started 7-1. This team, there’s a reason they lost some games in between. A lot of the wins they got in the 7-1 run were because of turnovers by the defense were turned into points. The offense didn’t score enough points in those other games. That’s the bottom line.”

Ditka also bemoaned the injuries that afflicted the team throughout the season, but he saved his harshest criticism for Smith being fired despite the Bears being in the playoff conversation until the last game. If the Vikings hadn’t won Sunday night, Chicago would have played again, likely saving Smith’s job.

“If Minnesota would have lost last night and the Bears were in the playoffs, this wouldn’t have happened,” he said. “That’s a fact. So how stupid is it then? It really is stupid. If they would have made the playoffs, this would not have happened. They did what they did. They took care of their business, and Minnesota played a great game against Green Bay.”

Ditka also seemed to say the front office didn’t set Smith up with the tools to succeed.

“The organization doesn’t need turning around like a lot of the other ones,” Ditka said. “If they want to get back to the Super Bowl, you’re going to have to have the right players.”

It’s hard to argue with that.

3 p.m.: You’ve got to feel bad for some of the NFL coaches losing their jobs today, and it looks like Kurt Warner does.

Warner, who led the Cardinals to within a few plays of the Super Bowl under Ken Whisenhunt, gave his former coach a shout-out on Twitter as the carnage continued Monday.

Whisenhunt was 45-51 as the Cardinals’ head coach, including a Super Bowl appearance with Warner at quarterback in 2008. That year was followed by another playoff appearance, but since then, the Cards have posted two 5-11 seasons and failed to make the playoffs.

Check out Warner’s tweet below.

Something's I hate about NFL: great ppl & great coaches being fired (Lovie, AReid, & KWhisenhunt)! Too many think "Grass is Greener"!

—
Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) December 31, 2012

2:40 p.m.: Bears fans may have been united in wanting Lovie Smith to go, but his players certainly weren’t.

Devin Hester is suddenly talking about retirement after Chicago fired Smith on Monday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“We already knew what the news was,” Hester said. “Just hearing it from him. The media, the false fans, you all got what you all wanted. Majority of you all wanted him out. As players, we wanted him in. I guess the false fans out-ruled us. I thought he was a great coach, probably one of the best coaches I have ever been around. He brought me in.”

Hester, 30, said he’s been thinking about not playing for two years, and now he’s seriously considering leaving the game.

Jay Cutler, meanwhile, seems to have found a way to drum up controversy shortly after Smith’s firing. While he said he was “surprised” and “shocked,” he also dropped one of those “change isn’t always a bad thing” quotes today, too, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Thanks, Jay.

2:30 p.m.: We can’t forget the many college coaches who are out there when it comes to who will fill those seven suddenly empty head coaching spots.

Chip Kelly of Oregon has received a lot of attention, and Bill O’Brien’s name is now popping up again, too. O’Brien did a great job at Penn State this past year, leading the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 finish and getting himself the Big Ten Coach of the Year award, but the next half-decade or so are going to be no picnic in State College. O’Brien faces a mounting pile of limitations thanks to NCAA sanctions, and an NFL job may be his next move.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the Eagles and Browns are most likely to go after O’Brien.

2:20 p.m.: Ron Rivera is on the hot seat, and that hasn’t ended well for many coaches today.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Rivera is meeting with owner Jerry Richardson “to discuss his future,” and we don’t think he means Richardson’s future. Rivera has been under some heat after the Panthers had a rough start to the season, but the team’s general manager getting sacked seemed to keep him safe for a bit.

So far, coaches who have sat down for chit-chats today are seven-for-eight, as far as we know. Rex Ryan is the only one who hasn’t been let go.

1:25 p.m.: Offensive coordinators are expected to be in high demand with all these coaching jobs opening up. We’ve already mentioned that Denver’s Mike McCoy and New England’s Josh McDaniels are getting attention.

Now Atlanta’s offensive guru, Dirk Koetter, is reportedly the hot hire. Koetter is already lined up for interviews with the Eagles, Browns and Chiefs, and possibly others, according to FOX Sports.

With the Falcons having a bye this week, Koetter should still have his plate full.

1:17 p.m.: Hold that thought. It looks like Ken Whisenhunt is gone, too, also per Adam Schefter. The Cardinals never looked good under Whisenhunt this year, but Arizona now has to eat about $5 million in that leftover contract.

Coach count is at seven.

1:16 p.m.: Most people suspected that Ken Whisenhunt would be the first to go in Arizona, but it appears general manager Rod Graves got the axe first.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Graves is out.

1:10 p.m.: Norv Turner’s time in San Diego is officially over, and general manager A.J. Smith will be following him out the door, the team has announced.

Smith has been the general manager since 2003, and Turner has been the coach since 2007. Turner went 59-43 in San Diego, including three AFC West titles and a trip to the AFC Championship game.

Turner took over for Marty Schottenheimer, whose time in San Diego ended despite a strong record amidst news that Schottenheimer wasn’t working as fluently with the personnel department as the team would have liked. Turner, who enjoyed success with Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers, never got the Chargers to the next level, either, though.

Now, with the head coach gone and the longtime general manager ousted as well, the Chargers are really starting from scratch.

That’s the sixth coach fired today, by the way.

12:45 p.m.: Mark Sanchez is awfully optimistic for being — well, Mark Sanchez.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan is sticking around. That bodes well for Sanchez, who has always had Ryan’s backing — for better or much, much worse.

Sanchez told reporters today that he and Ryan talked, and confidence appears to be high in New York.

“I had a good talk with Rex, and I know we’re destined for great stuff here,” Sanchez said, according to Pro Football Talk. “I know we can be successful here. So that’s what I’m focused on. I’m excited to come back here and do my very best.”

Sanchez admitted he wasn’t great this year and said he was going to come back stronger next season. But, while some people can understand Ryan staying at the helm after general manager Mike Tannenbaum was fired, not many people would support Sanchez ever taking a snap for the Jets again. It’s pretty much the consensus right now that Sanchez should not be in the Jets’ future, no matter how much money is guaranteed in his contract.

So, on a day when the Jets looked to be taking one big step forward, they may also be ready to just take another one back.

12:40 p.m.: Start the Norv Turner watch. The NFL Network reports that the team CEO is meeting with him right now.

12:35 p.m.: If you want a rundown of the coaches who have already been fired, check out our photo gallery.

No, it doesn’t have photos of them right after they were fired (although that would have been more fun).

12:10 p.m.: At least one coach is getting some good news today.

Titans head coach Mike Munchak has been informed by his owner that he will be back next year, according to The Tennessean. General manager Ruston Webster, however, will not.

Contrast that to the Bills, where Chan Gailey told reporters that the entire coaching staff has been fired, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of all the ups and downs going on in the NFL.

11:45 a.m.: Well, this is a little strange.

While most teams go general manager shopping first and then have the new GM pick other hires, such as the head coach, the Browns are apparently going to get a head coach first. Considering that a decent number of today’s firings have been because head coaches weren’t getting it done under general managers who hadn’t hired them (think Lovie Smith), this seems a bit backwards.

Nonetheless, that is the news out of Cleveland, from an organization that hasn’t seen any of its great ideas turn out well in a decade or so.

Jimmy Haslam: "We are going to look for a new head coach first, and then a GM - player personnel type second."

—
Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) December 31, 2012

11:25 a.m.: Among the many coordinators who will be getting attention as the head coach vacancies open up is Mike McCoy in Denver. Jay Glazer reports that the Broncos’ offensive coordinator is on the radar for the Bears already.

Glazer also said he talked to Smith and confirmed that the longtime Bears coach had been fired.

11 a.m.: In a move that was not too unexpected, the Bills have fired head coach Chan Gailey, according to several reports.

Gailey went 16-32 with the Bills over three seasons, including this season’s 6-10 mark. While Buffalo appeared to be on the upswing at points behind quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and a stash of defensive playmakers, Gailey could never get the pieces working together for sustained success in the AFC East.

In other news, the Chiefs have made an official announcement that they fired Romeo Crennel.

10:55 a.m.: Josh McDaniels is going to get a lot of attention for another head coaching job after returning to New England this year and picking up where he left off as the offensive coordinator.

But teams have good reason to be wary about McDaniels’ last time at the helm. A promising start in Denver, where he was given a lot of control over personnel decisions, devolved into a poor record and lack of control over his team. When he was fired from the Broncos, many wondered whether he could ever be a head coach again after the carnage.

McDaniels’ name has been mentioned in connection with the Browns vacancy due to his roots in the Cleveland area, but plenty of other teams could be looking at him as well, considering the need for coaches across the NFL. These openings, however, depend on the premise that McDaniels would want to return to head coaching. After a year in which he’s jumped right back into New England’s offense, a group that led the NFL in several categories this season, McDaniels may not be eager to leave the Pats and coach Bill Belichick behind.

McDaniels seemed to say as much to The Boston Globe’s Shalise Manza Young.

Josh McDaniels asked about HC opps, said he's "thrilled to be back" in NE, he's happy here, his family is happy here (more)

—
shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) December 31, 2012

McDaniels: and to him talking about other opps at this point is irrelevant bc he's focused on doing best job he can in his current position

—
shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) December 31, 2012

A lot could change after New England’s season ends, of course. The Patriots are looking ahead to the playoffs now, but once the dust settles from that and other head coaching jobs have been filled, McDaniels could get another look.

In an offseason where many coordinators will likely be hired to fill out the head coaching ranks, McDaniels would be among the best on the offensive side — even if the question of whether he’s a suitable head coach remains.

10:46 a.m.: There it is. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Bears have fired coach Lovie Smith.

BREAKING: #Bears have fired coach Lovie Smith, I'm told #BlackMonday

—
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2012

10:45 a.m.: The focus has swung in Lovie Smith’s direction, and it’s not looking good. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says Bears coaches are “freaking out” inside the team building, and Adam Schefter of ESPN says the Bears have sent out consent forms to start interviewing head coaching candidates. This could be it.

10:20 a.m.: The Bears have been good for several seasons but not quite good enough. And now that Chicago has missed the playoffs after a 7-1 start, head coach Lovie Smith has likely run out of favors with the organization.

Smith, who has been the head coach in Chicago since 2004, has never been able to get his team over the hump despite a stellar defense. Even the addition of quarterback Jay Cutler, who has been the best passer the city has had in years, hasn’t lifted the Bears from their often-middling record to true NFC contention on a consistent basis. Smith has gone 81-63 in Chicago, his only head coaching stint, including three division titles, two appearances in the NFC Championship game and a Super Bowl loss to the Colts. But he also has three losing seasons and missed the playoffs this year despite a 10-6 record.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that Smith’s fate doesn’t look good.

Talked to a source with knowledge of the the #Bears process. On coach Lovie Smith: "It's not looking good." #Staytuned

—
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2012

10:10 a.m.: Mike Mularkey appears to be safe in Jacksonville, according to Jay Glazer, although the same can’t be said for general manager Gene Smith, who was already sacked this morning. Mularkey’s fate may rest with the new general manager.

10:05 a.m.: The Eagles have officially parted ways with Andy Reid. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie will hold a press conference at noon to talk about the organization’s new direction.

This is what Lurie said in a statement on the team’s website:

“Andy Reid won the most games of any head coach in Eagles history, and he is someone I respect greatly and will remain friends with for many years to come. But it is time for the Eagles to move in a new direction. Coach Reid leaves us with a winning tradition that we can build upon. And we are very excited about the future.”

Reid, the Eagles’ coach since 1999, led the Eagles to the playoffs nine times, including five trips to the NFC Championship game and one Super Bowl appearance. He had a franchise-record 140 victories, good for 22nd on the all-time NFL list.

The Eagles were 4-12 this season, one year after going 8-8 despite several big signings.

10 a.m.: While Black Monday is certainly going to be a lot of fun, the competition for head coaches and general managers should be pretty spirited, too. As noted before, if a bunch of NFL coaches are fired, many teams may be stuck with their second or third choices — or something much worse — when the dust settles.

The Eagles and Browns, who made their moves early, are expected to tussle over many of the same candidates, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

With Browns and Eagles having similar coaching targets, many intrigued to see ex-Eagles pres Joe Banner, now in CLE, jostle vs. old team

—
Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 31, 2012

The Browns and Eagles will both pursue Chip Kelly aggressively. Eagles also high on Jay Gruden. Both like Bill O'Brien as well ...

—
Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 31, 2012

9:45 a.m.: The Browns have made it official. Let the hirings begin.

9:30 a.m.: This is the statement that Jets owner Woody Johnson issued Monday morning, courtesy of Pro Football Talk:

“This morning, I informed Mike Tannenbaum that he will not return for the 2013 season. Mike devoted 15 years of service to the Jets, and I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication.  Although he helped guide us to two consecutive AFC Championship games, we are not where we want to be, and a new general manager will be critical to getting this team back on the right track.”

While Tannenbaum provided many of the pieces that helped fuel the Jets’ early success under head coach Rex Ryan, his inability to sustain team strength across the board, as well as his doing a poor job managing cap space by giving large contracts to a few players, has hamstrung the team over the past couple of seasons.

9:25 a.m.: The Browns have also fired general manager Tom Heckert, according to Jay Glazer.

The organization is expected to move quickly to fill its vacancies, and it’s certainly had a head start. Early names mentioned for a new head coach were Alabama’s Nick Saban or Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, both linked to Michael Lombardi as the new general manager.

But the Browns already have a narrow list of candidates they are interested in bringing in, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Since they want to move quickly, Saban (who coaches the college football national championship game on Jan. 7) and McDaniels (whose Patriots are headed to the playoffs) may be out of the question since they wouldn’t be available to interview too soon.

9:20 a.m.: The Jets have made their move.

After heavy speculation that both general manager Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Rex Ryan would be fired, the Jets have fired Tannenbaum and decided to keep Rex Ryan, according to various reports.

The Jets reportedly considered keeping Tannenbaum in some capacity due to his personnel ability in working with Ryan, but the Jets announced Monday that he will not return to the organization.

Owner Woody Johnson and the Jets also announced that Ryan will be back.

The question now is what happens with the Jets’ many other problematic pieces, such as quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow. The team is already getting rid of offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, according to reports.

9:05 a.m.: While some teams are already making hay in turning over their coaching staffs, a few are only going so far as to say they’re “talking” this morning. Talking about what?

In Arizona, Ken Whisenhunt will have to do a lot of creative talking to escape losing his job. He and general manager Rod Graves are expected to meet with the team president Monday morning, according to NFL.com. Whisenhunt is owed somewhere around $5 million for next year, but the Cards went just 5-11 this season.

Elsewhere in the West, the Raiders are reportedly starting their housecleaning with the offensive coaching staff, with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and others expected to be laid off soon, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

In San Diego, where Norv Turner has escaped the pink slip several times, the coach of the 7-9 Chargers seemed to have accepted his fate after Sunday’s game.

“Obviously, we’re going to meet with the team, and I’m sure they’ll start looking for a new coach,” he said after the Chargers won Sunday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

9 a.m.: And there we go: Pat Shurmur is out in Cleveland, as predicted. The Browns are expected to get rid of just about everybody now that they have new ownership in place, and Shurmur is the first to get his walking papers, according to Jay Glazer.

8:55 a.m.: Jon Gruden is the No. 1 coaching candidate on just about everybody’s wish list, and with the regular season finally over, his courting can officially begin.

While Gruden has said he plans to remain in the booth for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, Mike Freeman of CBS Sports says Gruden and his cohorts have been drumming up interest in the former Raiders and Buccaneers coach in recent days. Gruden will reportedly interview for head coaching jobs as soon as today.

Gruden will most likely end up with a team like the Eagles, with whom he was a coordinator, or the Chargers, according to reports.

8:45 a.m. ET: While Sunday was possibly the best day of the entire NFL season, Monday brings a different kind of action. After a day full of soaring victories, playoff clinching and record pursuits, coaches around the NFL are expected to get their pink slips on what has become known as Black Monday.

No fewer than 20 coaches have been named as possibilities to lose their jobs, and as morning dawns, a few have already been fired, according to reports. Romeo Crennel is out in Kansas City (leading to a possible return to New England?), and Andy Reid has been given the news that everyone expected since early this year.

The Jaguars are also starting to clean house, with general manager Gene Smith getting the hook early this morning.

Shahid Khan today announced that the team is parting ways with general manager Gene Smith. #Jaguars

—
Jacksonville Jaguars (@jaguars) December 31, 2012

Those moves were among the expected, and it’s surprising at this point that other teams, like the Browns, haven’t dismantled their leadership teams already. The Bears are also expected to part with Lovie Smith after missing the playoffs, and although Jason Garett is reportedly safe in Dallas after the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs, that loss could sting hard enough that owner Jerry Jones could get moving again.

Other coaches expected to get the hook sooner rather than later are the Bills’ Chan Gailey and the Chargers’ Norv Turner. Jim Schwartz is also reportedly feeling the heat in Detroit despite a contract extension that was supposed to keep him around until 2015.

One thing that may keep owners from cutting their coaches loose too quickly this year, though, is the huge number of coaches expected to be fired. By simple math, if too many quality coaches get fired, there won’t be enough to fill the ranks, even if a bunch of coordinators get promoted. So some teams that are sort of OK with their coaching situations may keep their top man just a bit longer.

Check back here to see how Black Monday continues to shake out. We’ll keep you updated on all the front office and coaching moves as the day goes on.

According to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, Correia is mulling multiple multiyear options, including one from Japan.

3:59 p.m.: A deal involving Justin Upton might not come to fruition in Nashville, but we’d be naive to rule it out completely.

FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that, according to an official involved in the talks, a deal isn’t dead, although it also doesn’t have any more legs than it did two weeks ago.

3:32 p.m.: FOXSports.com’s Jon Morosi reports that the Red Sox’ one-year deal with Koji Uehara has a $4.25 million base salary.

CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam reported earlier that the deal was believed to be in the neighborhood of $4.5 million. We’d say that’s “in the neighborhood.”

3:31 p.m.: The Royals — like most teams — appear to be in the market for starting pitching. According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Kansas City is exploring a group of free-agent starters that includes Jair Jurrjens, Brett Myers and Kevin Correia.

3:20 p.m.: There’s still plenty of talk surrounding the the rumored three- and four-team blockbusters involving Justin Upton. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels left the winter meetings without any such deal in place, though.

Daniels also leaves Nashville without inking either Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke, both of whom Texas has been linked to since the meetings began. All of this somewhat surprises the Rangers GM.

“I would have guessed something would have happened here,” Daniels told the media before departing. “And I would have been wrong. It hasn’t gotten to the point where something had fallen through that I thought was going to get done.”

3:14 p.m.: The Rays have made their James Loney signing official. The deal is for one year and $2 million, plus another $1 million in incentives.

Loney was sent to Boston in the August megadeal involving Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto. Known mostly for his defense, Loney hit .230 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 30 games with the Red Sox.

3:11 p.m.: It’s worth noting that the Braves have signed Reed Johnson to a one-year deal, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat.

Johnson hit .290 with three home runs and 20 RBIs in 269 at-bats splits between the Cubs and Braves last season.

3:07 p.m.: The Orioles are still pursuing free-agent starter Joe Saunders, according to Jon Morosi. The two sides reportedly weren’t close to a deal as of this morning, though.

Saunders made 28 starts in 2012, including seven with the O’s. Overall, he went 9-13 with a 4.07 ERA split between Baltimore and Arizona.

2:59 p.m.: We’re still waiting to see how much Koji Uehara’s one-year deal with the Red Sox is worth, but according to CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam, a baseball source said that it’s in the neighborhood of $4.5 million.

As FOXSports.com’s Jon Morosi points out, the Red Sox have committed around $120 million for 2013, even when including projected arbitration salaries. That’s a stark contrast from the $175 million 2012 Opening Day payroll.

In other words, the Red Sox have money to spend. (But I didn’t need to tell you that.)

2:25 p.m.: Mets GM Sandy Alderson may have left the winter meetings without a resolution to the R.A. Dickey situation, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the team exhausted a number of options.

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets talked to the Yankees about Dickey, but that the Yanks don’t have the pieces to pull off such a deal. The Mets reportedly talked to the Nationals as well — before Washington signed Dan Haren to a one-year deal — but according to Martino, Alderson wouldn’t trade within the division.

This isn’t to say the Mets won’t eventually trade the reigning Cy Young award winner, but there’s still a good chance he stays in Queens. According to FOXSports.com’s Jon Morosi, an executive with a club that tried to trade for Dickey said, “I think the Mets are going to sign him.”

1:58 p.m.: The Twins might not be seen as contenders at this point, but they’ve been busy at the winter meetings, dealing away both Denard Span and Ben Revere. Could more trades be on the horizon?

Well, according to general manager Terry Ryan, the Twins will continue to listen to offers for Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau if the club can get more starting pitching in return.

1:53 p.m.: The Yankees could very well land Kevin Youkilis with their reported one-year, $12 million offer, but that hasn’t stopped other teams from pursuing the corner infielder.

According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, the Mariners are among the teams interested in Youkilis.

1:51 p.m.: The Rangers have been tossed around in relation to a number of different big name players, including Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke and Justin Upton. But while none of those dominoes have fallen yet, Texas did make a few more minor moves on Thursday.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Rangers have signed reliever Evan Meek, starter Randy Wells, first baseman Brandon Allen and starter Jake Brigham to minor league deals with invites.

1:46 p.m.: Some minor Red Sox news to announce. The club has acquired pitcher Kyle Kaminska from the Pirates to complete last week’s Zach Stewart trade.

Kaminska, who pitched in the Pirates and Marlins organizations last season, finished the year with a 9-4 record and a 4.19 ERA split between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. The right-hander has been assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

1:42 p.m.: Ladies and gentlemen, Sandy Alderson has left the building.

The Mets GM has left the winter meetings down in Nashville without a resolution on the R.A. Dickey situation, according to FOXSports.com’s Jon Morosi.

Dickey, of course, has been the subject of plenty of speculation throughout this week, but it appears Alderson is departing with neither a contract extension for the right-hander nor a trade. Both are reportedly still possibilities, though.

The Mets did get one thing accomplished, though. They signed David Wright to a big contract extension, solidifying him as the club’s cornerstone.

1:10 p.m.: The Red Sox need starting pitching. And according to ESPN.com’s Gordon Edes, they approached the Phillies about Vance Worley before Worley was dealt to the Twins in a deal that reportedly landed Philadelphia outfielder Ben Revere.

Worley, who is still only 25, has plenty of upside, but apparently whatever the Red Sox were willing to offer didn’t compare to Revere, who will likely be Philly’s Opening Day center fielder.

1:05 p.m.: It didn’t take long for the Red Sox’ interest to turn into a deal. According to Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News, the Sox have agreed to a one-year deal with Uehara, contingent upon Uehara passing a physical.

This is a nice deal for the Red Sox, as it adds to their bullpen depth. Uehara first arrived to the majors as a starter, and went 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 12 starts with the Orioles in 2009. The O’s then shifted him to the bullpen, where he’s flourished ever since.

Uehara was actually one of the more coveted relievers on the trade market in 2011, and the Rangers were able to pluck him away during a deadline haul that also included them landing Mike Adams from the Padres. Both relievers pitched well in the Lone Star state, but Uehara was particularly good in 2012.

There’s still no word on the financial particulars of the deal, but it’s a signing that should help a Red Sox bullpen that could end up playing a big role in 2012, especially if the team fails to further bolster its rotation. Uehara even saved 13 games for the Orioles in 2010.

12:38 p.m.: All has been relatively quiet surrounding the Red Sox today. Until now.

The Sox are interested in reliever Koji Uehara, according to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.

Uehara, 37, appeared in 37 games with the Rangers in 2012, and had a 1.75 ERA and a 0.639 WHIP in 36 innings. The right-hander was traded to Texas from Baltimore in exchange for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter prior to the 2011 trade deadline.

12:28 p.m.: Annnnd it looks like outfielder Ben Revere is, in fact, heading to Philadelphia.

MLB.com first reported the news, and according to Danny Knobler, pitcher Vance Worley and pitching prospect Trevor May will be shipped to Minnesota.

Worley went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 25 games (21 starts) in 2011 but regressed in 2012, going 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA in 23 starts. He battled a bone chip in his elbow for much of last season and underwent surgery in September.

May, a fourth-round pick in 2008, is a highly regarded pitching prospect.

12:16 p.m.: Looking for a dark horse team in the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes? Perhaps it’s the Brewers.

According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, one executive thinks Milwaukee is still “laying in the weeds” on Hamilton. Such a move would likely be contingent on the Brew Crew finding a way to move some money.

12:12 p.m.: The Twins could end up dealing with the National League East again.

Reports are surfacing stating that Minnesota could trade outfielder Ben Revere, which comes on the heels of the Twins having already traded Denard Span to the Nationals.

According to CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler, it’s looking like Revere could be the Phillies’ top choice for center field. The Twins are reportedly interested in Vance Worley plus a pitching prospect in exchange for Revere.

Knobler also noted that the Braves have been pursuing Revere, which could lead to an interesting NL East battle before the games even begin.

Revere, who turns 25 in May, hit .294 and swiped 40 bags last season in 124 games.

12:05 p.m.: The Mariners have to be one team sitting there anxiously rooting for a blockbuster deal in which Upton lands with the Rangers, as that would open the door for Seattle to bring in Josh Hamilton. Perhaps that’s why the M’s might get involved in a four-way Upton trade in the first place.

11:54 a.m.: The talks of a blockbuster involving Justin Upton just aren’t going away.

According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, two Upton blockbusters are in play. The first would involve three teams; Diamondbacks, Rangers and Rays. The second would also include the Mariners.

In one possible outcome detailed by Rosenthal, Upton would head to the Rangers, a Rays starter would go to the D-Backs, and Mike Olt and other prospects would join the Rays.

11:09 a.m.: Kevin Youkilis could be inclined to take the reported one-year offer from the Yankees worth $12 million — who wouldn’t? — but it apparently isn’t the only offer the versatile corner infielder has received.

According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, Youkilis also has two-year offers from others in the $16-18 million range.

10:57 a.m.: While it appears the Yankees’ sights are set on Kevin Youkilis at the moment, one has to wonder why Michael Young wasn’t considered in a potential trade, since it appears the longtime Texas Ranger is available.

Well, maybe he was considered. According to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Yankees don’t think Young can handle third base.

New York, of course, is seeking help at third base after learning that Alex Rodriguez will be shelved at least 4-6 months because of hip surgery.

10:43 a.m.: The Dodgers have long been linked to Zack Greinke, but according to general manager Ned Colletti, the team is not “paralyzed” by the talented right-hander. If other opportunities present themselves, Los Angeles could go in that direction.

If the Dodgers did go down a different route, the Rangers would likely be in line to sign the righty. In fact, according to CBSSports.com’s Scott Miller, there’s a growing feeling amongst Dodgers people that Greinke may wind up signing with the Rangers. Those sources reportedly think that Greinke could have signed with Los Angeles by now if he had really wanted to.

We shall see.

10:39 a.m.: The biggest news coming out of Nashville right now is the potential Michael Young-to-Philadelphia trade.

While Young’s no-trade clause remains an issue, many are speculating that the Rangers could simply tell the veteran that he’d receive limited playing time in Texas if he opts to stay, thus encouraging a deal.

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports that a Phillies source said that the team never considered Young’s veto power to be a “restriction.”

10:31 a.m.: Kevin Youkilis reportedly has a pretty juicy $12 million offer on the table from the Yankees. But that doesn’t mean him landing in the Bronx is a given.

According to CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler, the Indians are still pushing for Youkilis, and the Terry Francona connection could help. Francona, of course, managed Youkilis for eight seasons in Boston.

We might have to wait for a decision from Youkilis, though. He’s attending a charity event in Boston today.

10:25 a.m.: Those hoping for a huge free agency splash might have to wait.

ESPN’s Jim Bowden — citing sources involved in the negotiations — reports that Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke will not sign today in Nashville.

10:21 a.m.: The ball is in Michael Young’s court.

Reports surfaced stating that the Rangers and Phillies were discussing a deal for Young, and according to CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury, it’s now in Young’s hands whether or not he wants to join Philadelphia. He’s reportedly deciding whether to waive his no-trade clause.

If Young does waive his no-trade clause, he would become Philadelphia’s starting third baseman. If he remains in Texas, he’ll likely be a backup at a number of different positions.

10:19 a.m.: Kobernus’ Boston tenure was short-lived. According to WEEI.com’s Alex Speier, the Red Sox will trade him to the Tigers in exchange for a non-roster player.

So there’s that.

10:08 a.m.: It’s also worth noting that the MLB Rule 5 draft is going on right now.

For all you Red Sox fans, Boston has selected Jeff Kobernus, who was previously in the Washington organization.

10:05 a.m.: Well, Mariners fans shouldn’t get too excited just yet. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, team president Chuck Armstrong has said that Seattle is not close to signing Josh Hamilton — which contradicts a previous report.

Armstrong’s statement shouldn’t come as much of a shock, though. The popular thought right now is that the Rangers hold the key to the entire offseason. If Texas signs Zack Greinke, Hamilton would likely sign elsewhere. If Greinke signs with the Dodgers or some other club, however, then Hamilton could end up back with the Rangers.

9:58 a.m.: Stephen Drew has been a hot commodity for those looking to dive into the shortstop market. If the A’s do lose Drew, they might already have their sights set on a replacement.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland would move to acquire Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta if Drew signs elsewhere.

9:47 a.m.: In reliever-related news, Jason Grilli could be nearing a decision.

Grilli, who compiled a 2.76 ERA in 92 games over the last two seasons in Pittsburgh, is deciding between the Pirates, Blue Jays, Cubs and Giants, according to Peter Gammons.

FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the 36-year-old right-hander has two-year offers from each of those teams, and will stay with the Pirates unless another team ups their offer to three years.

9:05 a.m.: Kevin Youkilis in pinstripes? Don’t laugh.

The Yankees have reportedly made Youk a one-year, $12 million offer, according to MLB.com. Considering that New York expects Alex Rodriguez to return at some point next season after undergoing hip surgery, the Yankees might only expect Youk to be a full-time player for the first half of the season. Still, that’s a pretty serious chunk of cash for the former Red Sox third baseman to consider.

Also, as an added note to the Michael Young rumblings — the 36-year-old third baseman does have a no-trade clause, which he does not seem interested in waiving (yet).

8:45 a.m.: The Rangers are certainly going to be busy here on Day 4.

In addition to pursuing Greinke — and perhaps re-signing Hamilton as a fallback plan — Texas is also involved in “advanced talks” with the Phillies for Michael Young, according to the Dallas Morning News. Of course, that’s also on top of the team’s involvement in a rumored blockbuster to acquire Justin Upton.

According to the report, the Rangers would eat more than half of Young’s remaining salary ($16 million for 2013), and in return receive a young major-league reliever and a low-end prospect from Philadelphia.

Young, the team’s all-time hits leader, hit just .277 with eight home runs and 66 RBIs last season, and the Rangers might be ready to move on.

8:25 a.m.: Where Josh Hamilton ends up could hinge first on where Zack Greinke lands.

The Mariners are “very close” to signing Hamilton, according to the Seattle Times, but their ability to sign the free-agent slugger seems to depend on the Rangers inking Greinke first.

That’s because the Rangers are in a bidding war for the pitcher’s services with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and if they win, they likely won’t have enough resources for both Greinke and Hamilton.

Hamilton’s agent has reportedly given the Rangers a chance to match any offer the 31-year-old slugger receives, but it’s looking like it’s lined up for Hamilton to head to Seattle once the Greinke-to-Texas domino falls.

8 a.m. ET: Day 3 of the MLB winter meetings was a little slower than Day 2, especially in Boston, but that just means we could be seeing a busier Day 4.

Already in the works is a four-team trade that would send Justin Upton to the Rangers — meaning Texas would not re-sign their star outfielder Josh Hamilton — according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The fourth team seems to constantly be changing, but for now, the Mariners would be involved, grabbing Derek Holland in the process.

Whether that deal goes down or not, there are plenty of exciting free agents still out there, including the biggest names of the offseason — Hamilton and Zack Greinke. Cody Ross, Brandon McCarthy, Nick Swisher and Brian Wilson are also still available and there’s some names being thrown around as trade bait, like Asdrubal Cabrera, Wil Myers and James Shields.

To follow all the action, tune in to NESN.com’s winter meetings Day 4  live blog to keep up with all the moves of the day.

Check out NESN.com’s Day 3 live blog >>

New York is “open to offers” for Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com.

Hughes had a 4.23 ERA last season with 165 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched. Nova had a 5.02 ERA and a 12-8 record in 28 starts.

12:40 a.m.: There could be a blockbuster deal in the works.

A four-team trade is brewing, and the latest team rumored to be in on the Rangers, Indians and Diamondbacks deal is the Mariners, according to Ken Rosenthal.

The deal would send Justin Upton to the Rangers, Asdrubal Cabrera to the Diamondbacks, Derek Holland to the Mariners and prospect going to the Indians. Rumored players going to Cleveland are the Diamondbacks’ Trevor Bauer and Patrick Corbin and the Rangers’ Mike Olt.

12:05 a.m.: The Red Sox are looking at some starting pitching talent.

The Red Sox have reportedly considered adding Brandon McCarthy, Francisco Liriano and Ryan Dempster, according to Sean McAdam of Comcast Sports Net.

10:42 p.m.: The Royals are going to need to decide if they want to concentrate on winning now or later.

Kansas City is in a “critical stage” in their decision over whether to trade their outfield prospect Wil Myers, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Myers was previously linked to the Red Sox for Jon Lester.

Rosenthal mentioned James Shields of the Rays as a potential trade target for Myers. The Rays were reportedly shopping starters to the Dodgers as well.

10:37 p.m.: The Rangers may not be interested in Josh Hamilton.

Texas would rather sign Zack Greinke and trade for Justin Upton than sign Josh Hamilton, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Greinke’s future deal is rumored to be even larger than C.C. Sabathia’s, so it would make sense that the Rangers have to choose between the two players.

10:20 p.m.: The Dodgers are very active in the starting pitching market.

Los Angeles is not only looking at free agent starting pitchers, but they’ve also talked to the Mets about R.A. Dickey and the Rays about their starters, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

James Shields may be the obvious choice for the Rays to move, but they’ve also got David Price, Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb in their rotation.

10:15 p.m.: The Yankees missed out on one of their outfield targets.

The Cubs added Nate Schierholtz on a one-year, $2.25 million contract, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

Schierholtz was with the Giants and Phillies last season, where he posted a .728 OPS, with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 241 at bats.

8:15 p.m.: Updating an earlier item, the contract that Joe Blanton will sign with the Angels is reportedly for two years ant $15 million — less than a tenth of what some team is expected to commit to Zack Greinke. Blanton’s deal does reportedly contain some sort of option on a third year.

That update on Blanton is via Jon Heyman.

8:02 p.m.: We’re beginning to learn more about the Josh Hamilton negotiations.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Rangers are perfectly willing to go four years on Hamilton, but a fifth year is out of the question.

This shouldn’t be all that surprising, as most everyone agrees that Hamilton is a premium talent, but beyond his history of addiction his recent injury history has teams wondering how well he’ll hold up as he enters his mid-30s.

7:50 p.m.: The Rockies always need pitching, and in this case they’ve brought in a blast from the past.

According to Jerry Crasnick, Colorado has agreed to a one-year deal with Jeff Francis, the former 2002 first-round draft pick by the club. Francis has pitched his entire career in the thin air of Coors Field except for a one-year sting with the Royals in 2011.

7:40 p.m.: We have no idea if this is an admission they’re out of the Zack Greinke sweepstakes, but the Angels have added more pitching.

According to the L.A. Times’ Mike DiGiovanna, the Angels are close to signing former Dodgers, Phillies and Athletics starter Joe Blanton.

Throughout his career Blanton has been mostly an innings-eater, never starting less than 28 games since 2004. His overall numbers are middling, however, with a career ERA of 4.37 and WHIP of 1.34.

7:10 p.m.: A few more Red Sox notes to pass along, via ESPN’s Gordon Edes.

According to Edes, one can all but rule out the Red Sox trading Jacoby Ellsbury. From Ben Cherington, the team is looking to still add to the roster, not subtract from it.

On top of that, the Sox have probably met personally with Josh Hamilton. Cherington confirmed to Edes that he met with a player, but didn’t confirm who. This may well just be due diligence on the part of the Red Sox (Edes identifies the Mariners as a more likely spot for Hamilton if Texas falls through), but it does mean the team has seriously considered the enigmatic outfielder.

7 p.m.: We’ve already heard some of the rumors, and yes, the Yankees do have interest in Kevin Youkilis.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees did meet with Youkilis’ agent, possibly identifying him as someone to replace Alex Rodriguez while the latter is out with recovering from hip surgery to begin the season.

Rosenthal warns that the meeting was just part of business as usual (“kicking the tires” if you will), but it does confirm that there’s been contact between the two parties.

6:37 p.m.: So ESPN’s Pedro Gomez caught up with Dustin Pedroia (who is apparently also in Nashville?), and Sox fans should like what he has to say.

“I love [the Red Sox' acquisitions],” Pedroia told Gomez. “We’re getting baseball players. They’ll fit right in. Those guys love to get after it.”

6:20 p.m.: And left-handed pitchers continue to change hands.

As a relatively minor note, according to Jon Heyman the Pirates just acquired lefty Andrew Oliver from the Tigers — we’re not sure what Detroit received in return.

Oliver is 25 and hasn’t really established himself in the big leagues, yet, but pitched well in the low minor leagues before running into some trouble the last couple years at Triple-A Toledo.

6:15 p.m.: Suffice to say, the numbers being floated around Zack Greinke’s name are getting out of hand.

The most-cited report has Greinke potentially bringing in more money over the course of his deal than CC Sabathia’s seven-year, $161 contract.

Well, one NESN scribe believes that not only is this prospective Greinke contract bad, but it’s one of the worst in the history of baseball, artificially inflated by a free-agent market missing top-tier starting pitching. Even for deep-pocketed teams like the Dodgers and Rangers, signing Greinke for the kind of money being proposed isn’t good business.

Check out the opinion by following the link above.

5:21 p.m.: Conventional wisdom says that the Zack Greinke sweepstakes is down to the Dodgers and Rangers — but apparently that is not the case.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia has confirmed to ESPN’s Jim Bowden that the team is still right in the middle of the negotiations.

Although the Angels may well have serious financial restrictions after last winter’s spending spree of C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols, they have much incentive to avoid seeing Greinke land in Texas or the other side of Southern California. If Greinke went to the Dodgers they’d be losing him to their territorial rival, while Greinke to Texas would make things that much more difficult in the AL West.

5:10 p.m.: They may not be sexy signings, but bullpens are important, and adding arms at this time of the year could play a big role later on. On that note, there are a couple imminent relief-pitching signings to note.

The first is that, according to Jon Morosi, the Cardinals have inked left-handed reliever Randy Choate. Choate has appeared in more than 80 games in two of the last three seasons, so he’s a rubber arm coming out of the pen.

In continuing news on southpaw relievers, the Angels are close with Sean Burnett, according to Ken Rosenthal. Burnett has pitched for the Washington Nationals the last four seasons, posting a 2.38 ERA in 70 games in 2012.

4:50 p.m.: Could a Kevin Youkilis-Terry Francona reunion be in the cards?

According to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, the Indians are stepping up their intensity in talks with Youkilis. The Tribe would reportedly love to land him for first base.

4:47 p.m.: Many assumed the Red Sox would be out on Nick Swisher, but Ken Rosenthal still lists them as a potential suitor.

According to Rosenthal, five teams have interest — or potential interest — in Swisher. Those teams are the Red Sox, Indians, Mariners, Orioles and Giants.

As Rosenthal points out, however, the Red Sox would have to move Jacoby Ellsbury before signing Swisher.

4:42 p.m.: The Yankees have not only been relatively quiet thus far, but they’ve lost out on some guys. Now, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Yanks may have trouble bringing back Raul Ibanez.

Ibanez, who came up big in the postseason for New York, is drawing interest from the Mariners, Rangers and Phillies.

3:23 p.m.: We mentioned an earlier report by Danny Knobler stating that the Brewers have considered trading Corey Hart. According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Brewers are not actively looking to trade him, though, and would have to be overwhelmed in order to do so.

3:18 p.m.: Ken Rosenthal notes that the Royals, Brewers and Red Sox have all showed interest in Ryan Dempster, but the Angels’ current level of interest remains unclear.

The Royals previously offered Dempster a two-year deal worth $26 million but balked at offering a third year, according to Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. There’s reportedly no indication that either side has changed its stance.

3:06 p.m.: There have been a lot of rumors concerning R.A. Dickey throughout the winter meetings. And while he could end up staying put in New York, there also exists the possibility that he gets dealt.

According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Mets are sitting on a number of potential deals for Dickey, and if a team caves and adds a piece, a trade could get done quickly. We shall see.

3:01 p.m.: The Royals would love to add some pitching, but as Danny Knobler points out, they’ll likely have to shed some salary in order to sign a big name free agent. Kansas City has reportedly stayed in touch with both Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse, though.

2:47 p.m.: Those looking for a power bat via trade might be in luck.

CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler reports that the Brewers have considered trading Corey Hart to free up money for their pitching search. As of right now, the Brew Crew simply don’t have the cash flow to become major players in the pitching market.

Hart, who will turn 31 before Opening Day, smacked 30 home runs in 149 games last season. The two-time All-Star had a career-high 31 home runs and 102 RBIs in 2010.

2:35 p.m.: Another third base option is off the market.

Eric Chavez, who reportedly drew interest from both the Red Sox and Yankees, has signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Diamondbacks, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com.

Chavez played well in a bench role with the Yankees last season. With the Bronx Bombers still in need of a third baseman now that Alex Rodriguez is on the shelf, keeping Chavez around seemed like a good idea. However, just as they lost out on Jeff Keppinger earlier today, they’ve lost out on the soon-to-be 35-year-old Chavez.

We’ll see if the Yankees now ramp up their effort to sign Kevin Youkilis, who has also been linked to New York.

2:12 p.m.: Earlier we mentioned a report indicating that the Indians are interested in Nick Swisher. Apparently, their new skipper has been proactive in the recruiting process.

Terry Francona called Swisher to pitch the Tribe to the outfielder/first baseman, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Orioles and Mariners are also believed to be in on Swisher, although Seattle is reportedly also nearing a deal with Jason Bay.

2:08 p.m.: Jason Bay might be switching coasts very soon. According to FOXSports.com’s Jon Morosi, Bay is “close” to a deal with the Mariners.

2:04 p.m.: Curt Schilling may have just caused some serious Twitter buzz with a recent tweet.

Schilling tweeted, “Phillies call Boston, Lee for Ellsbury.” The former big league hurler quickly clarified, however, that he was simply asking for it to happen, rather than reporting such.

2:01 p.m.: According to Jon Heyman, there’s still a gap when it comes to R.A. Dickey’s contract talks with the Mets. The veteran is reportedly seeking a two-year deal worth $30 million, while the Mets are offering two years and $20 million.

1:56 p.m.: Nate McLouth has really fallen off in recent years, but he was a respectable outfielder down the stretch for the Orioles in 2012. Apparently, he showed enough to warrant another year in Baltimore.

According to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, McLouth has agreed to a one-year deal with the O’s. The 31-year-old will reportedly receive $2 million, plus $500,000 in bonuses.

1:36 p.m.: It seems fairly obvious, but CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler reports that the Red Sox are likely now out on Nick Swisher and Cody Ross unless they trade Jacoby Ellsbury.

1:27 p.m.: Buster Olney reports that the Yankees have been exchanging trade proposals with other teams about players, including Curtis Granderson. As Olney points it,  though, this is simply “standard operating procedure.”

The Yankees may now be forced to get more aggressive in their pursuit of a third baseman. According to Jon Heyman, Jeff Keppinger — who the Yankees reportedly wanted — has signed a three-year deal with the White Sox.

1:23 p.m.: Ryan Dempster continues to be an intriguing pitcher throughout all of this. According to Ken Rosenthal, the 35-year-old — who pitched well at the beginning of 2012 before sputtering down the stretch — is seeking a three-year deal.

1:19 p.m.: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Rangers are confident in their pursuit of Justin Upton, but that there’s still a “ways to go” before a deal. It’s also reportedly unclear how many teams would be involved in any such trade.

1:15 p.m.: Quick side note: The Mets formally announced today that they have signed David Wright to a contract extension.

12:40 p.m.: The Rangers continue to be very active down in Nashville. They’ve been linked to a number of names, and according to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, it appears Texas is “working hard” to obtain Justin Upton.

Heyman reports that three- and four-team deals are being discussed at the moment. Stay tuned.

12:38 p.m.: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Indians, who missed out on Shane Victorino, are one of the teams involved in the Nick Swisher talks.

12:35 p.m.: R.A. Dickey’s name continues to come up, although now it’s in talks about him remaining with the Mets.

ESPN’s Jim Bowden reports that he ran into Dickey, and the veteran knuckleballer said that he’s “inching along” toward a deal with the Mets.

12:33 p.m.: The Mariners like speedy outfielder Michael Bourn very much, according to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman.

The Phillies and Rangers are also believed to be interested, although as Heyman points out, the Rangers have a lot going on right now. Texas has also been linked to Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke.

12:24 p.m.: The Red Sox’ shortstop position remains unclear, as there are some who are skeptical about whether or not Jose Iglesias is ready offensively. That could be why the Sox reportedly have their sights set on a certain free agent.

The Red Sox continue to show interest in Stephen Drew, according to WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. This isn’t the first time Boston has been linked to Drew — brother of former Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew — but the continued speculation shows that Ben Cherington and Co. might not be 100 percent ready to hand the everyday reins over to Iglesias.

MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports that Drew figures to land a two-year deal, which could rule out the Tigers as potential suitors.

11:53 a.m.: The D-Backs, Rangers, Indians and Rays have reopened talks of a potential four-way deal involving the likes of Justin Upton, James Shields and Asdrubal Cabrera, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

11:46 a.m.: It’s been more than 15 years since the Red Sox traded Carl Pavano to the Montreal Expos in a deal that brought Pedro Martinez to Boston. Perhaps they’re ready to revisit a reunion.

According to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, five teams are interested in Pavano, and the Red Sox have “checked in” on the 36-year-old right-hander.

Pavano, drafted by Boston in 1994, has spent the past three-plus seasons in Minnesota. He went 2-5 with a 6.00 ERA in just 11 starts in 2012.

11:37 a.m.: Olney also reports that the price for Shin-Soo Choo is “high,” and that the price for Asdrubal Cabrera is “even higher.”

11:35 a.m.: ESPN’s Buster Olney is now also reporting that the Red Sox are listening to offers for both Ellsbury and Lester. However, he reports that the Sox are not looking to move them unless teams overpay.

11:22 a.m.: As mentioned, it looks like the Dodgers and Rangers are considered the big players in the Zack Greinke sweepstakes. According to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, the “big buzz” down in Nashville today is to watch out for the Rangers in that bidding war.

11:13 a.m.: The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo has apparently been asking around about the Jacoby Ellsbury trade rumors, and he reports that there is a feeling down in Nashville that Ellsbury will be tough to deal because teams have no idea if they can sign him.

11:08 a.m.: An interesting report surfaced Tuesday that linked Kevin Youkilis to the Yankees. Well, apparently the Bronx Bombers aren’t the only ones intrigued by Youk.

Youkilis has multiple contract offers on the table, according to WEEI.com’s Alex Speier.

11:03 a.m.: What will be the next domino to fall for the Red Sox? That’s a burning question throughout Boston this morning.

The Sox are apparently remaining very active down in Nashville. According to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, Boston is willing to discuss just about anyone, including Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester.

The Ellsbury rumor is one that floated around on Tuesday, but the inclusion of Lester in any deal remains surprising, especially considering the question marks surrounding the Red Sox’ rotation.

10:56 a.m.: Jason Bay could present a low-risk, high-reward option for a team seeking outfield help, and according to Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown, the 34-year-old slugger is nearing a decision.

Brown lists the Indians, Mariners and a couple of other teams as possibilities. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Indians may be ahead for Bay, while the Mariners are still a factor and the Cubs are on the periphery.

10:52 a.m.: Meanwhile, one of the Mets’ NL East rivals, the Atlanta Braves, continue to explore a number of options.

According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Braves have inquired about some fairly big names via trade, including Justin Upton, Dexter Fowler, Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Gordon.

10:48 a.m.: Here’s a new pitching name for you: Johan Santana.

According to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, the Mets would be willing to eat some money in order to deal the veteran left-hander. However, to this point, they’ve apparently received no inquiries.

10:43 a.m.: We mentioned earlier that Asdrubal Cabrera’s name has reportedly come up in trade talks, with the Indians looking to move him in exchange for less expensive pieces. Now, it appears there could be something in the works between Cleveland and Arizona.

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince reports that the Indians and D-Backs have discussed the framework of a deal centering around Cabrera and pitcher Trevor Bauer. The two teams have reportedly discussed such a deal for two weeks, and talks have apparently escalated.

According to CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler, one executive revealed that the discussions have “some legs,” although a deal is still considered a “long shot.”

10:24 a.m.: Outfielder Nate Schierholtz was recently nontendered by the Phillies, but according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the 28-year-old is making “good progress” toward his next deal.

Olney reports that the Yankees are the early front-runners in the Schierholtz talks.

Schierholtz hit .257 with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 241 at-bats split between San Francisco and Philadelphia in 2012.

10:17 a.m.: The Twins have already traded away Denard Span, but they might not be done wheeling and dealing.

Minnesota is currently gauging interest in four-time All-Star first baseman Justin Morneau, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.

The Orioles are reportedly one of the teams contacted by the Twins, who are seeking young pitching in return for the 31-year-old.

10:02 a.m.: Another interesting tidbit from Edes’ article is the Red Sox’ stance on Josh Hamilton, who remains the most prized position player on the open market.

Edes wrote that, according to a Sox source, the club shouldn’t be counted out of the running for Hamilton, even in the wake of the Shane Victorino signing. Of course, signing Hamilton would likely spell the end of Jacoby Ellsbury’s tenure in Boston.

9:59 a.m.: ESPN.com’s Gordon Edes on Wednesday morning wrote about the Red Sox’ need for starting pitching, and he speculated how they could go about obtaining such.

Edes wrote that the Sox won’t engage in a bidding war for the top pitching prizes on the market (Greinke, Sanchez, Lohse), but he wonders if the Rangers could deal a hurler if they land Greinke and fail to re-sign Josh Hamilton. Edes also wonders if the Dodgers could part ways with a pitcher if they win the Greinke sweepstakes.

9:52 a.m.: Buster Olney touched on Jacoby Ellsbury in an ESPN Insider column this morning, and he said that “because of circumstances, there would appear to be an extremely limited market for him if the Red Sox decide to trade him for pitching this winter.”

One team that we might be able to write off as a potential suitor for Ellsbury is Philadelphia. According to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox and Phillies have not engaged in any talks regarding Ellsbury.

9:45 a.m.: Zack Greinke is going to get paid. It’s just a matter of which team is going to throw the most cash in his direction.

Right now, it looks like the Greinke sweepstakes could come down to the Dodgers and Rangers. According to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, there is a belief that one of those two teams will sign the coveted right-hander.

The Dodgers have long been considered the favorites to land Greinke, but according to Heyman, the Rangers are showing signs of determination.

9:41 a.m.: If the Yankees really do want Jeff Keppinger, they’ll have some competition. According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox are also in on the free-agent infielder.

9:39 a.m.: There’s been a lot of talk that the Rays could deal pitching in an effort to bolster their suspect lineup. If they do, it looks like they could trade James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson, while hanging on to David Price.

CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler reports that teams who have had discussions with the Rays have come away thinking that Tampa is much more open to trading away Shields or Hellickson than Price. That makes sense in that Price is not only one of the game’s premier young hurlers (and left-handed, to boot), but he’s also three years away from free agency.

9:21 a.m.: R.A. Dickey’s name will likely continue to be trotted out in trade rumors over the next couple of days, but don’t expect the Mets to rush into anything.

“Most of these types of decisions you lose sleep over,” one Mets executive reportedly told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. “This is one of those where you don’t. We have only good options.”

The Mets have reportedly told Dickey what they are willing to do in a contract extension, and have told teams interested in acquiring the 38-year-old what types of players it will take.

Currently, Dickey is under contract with the Mets for $5 million in 2013 — a bargain for a reigning Cy Young award winner.

9:13 a.m.: It’s worth pointing out that Josh Hamilton sent out a tweet on Tuesday night that said, “heading home!!” Perhaps this means we won’t see the prized outfielder sign with a team during the next two days.

If that’s the case, all eyes will be on Zack Greinke, who is reportedly drawing interest from the Rangers and Dodgers, and is expected to net a record-setting contract.

9:06 a.m.: The Yankees have an obvious need at third base now that Alex Rodriguez will be out for an extended period of time because of hip surgery. The name that keeps coming up is Jeff Keppinger.

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports that the Yankees “really want” Keppinger, and that the free-agent infielder seems to have become popular. Keppinger reportedly could fetch a three-year deal worth $13 million or more.

9:02 a.m.: It’ll be interesting to see if the Red Sox address their pitching needs at some point during the next two days.

The Sox have been linked to Ryan Dempster, Kyle Lohse and Anibal Sanchez, all of whom are free agents, but there’s also a juicy rumor floating around that Boston could deal away Jacoby Ellsbury. The assumption is that if the Red Sox were to deal Ellsbury, it would be done to net them pitching.

It must be noted, however, that dealing Ellsbury seems like pure speculation at this point. Still, it’s worth monitoring.

8:45 a.m.: Will this year’s winter meetings product a blockbuster trade? Well, according to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, one could be in the works.

According to Rosenthal, a variety of three-, four- and even five-team trades are possible during the next two days in Nashville. At the forefront of those rumors are the Diamondbacks, Indians, Rangers and Rays.

The same principal players are reportedly being tossed around in the negotiations, and the list includes Justin Upton, Asdrubal Cabrera, James Shields and possible some Rangers prospects.

Those are some big time names, and while Rosenthal notes that no deal is close, it’s apparent what each team is looking to accomplish with such a megadeal. The Rangers reportedly want Upton, while the Diamondbacks want a shortstop, the Indians want younger pieces and the Rays want to trade pitching for offense.

8 a.m. ET: Day 1 of the winter meetings in Nashville was a little slow, but the action began in earnest on Day 2.

The Red Sox continued to be the most active team on the free-agent market so far this offseason. They had already hauled in Mike Napoli, and on Tuesday, they agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract — mirroring that of Napoli — with outfielder Shane Victorino. The former Phillie and Dodger figures to slot into right field for the Sox.

But then again, Cody Ross is still out there, and Boston hasn’t ruled him out yet. Likewise, word also got out that the Sox are at least open to the idea of trading Jacoby Ellsbury. So Victorino’s versatility could come into play, and all the pieces of the Red Sox’ offseason are still very much fluid.

Elsewhere, Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke — the two prizes of this year’s free-agent class — are still out there. On Tuesday, the Dodgers emerged as the clear front-runners for Greinke, but the Rangers are apparently still in on both players.

Marco Scutaro reportedly signed a three-year, $20 million deal with the Giants, giving them stability at shortstop moving forward. Dan Haren signed with the Washington Nationals on a one-year agreement, bolstering their starting rotation. And, at the very end of Tuesday, the Marlins flipped the recently acquired Yunel Escobar to Florida’s other team, the Tampa Bay Rays.

What does Wednesday have in store? Well, stick with us here at NESN.com for your Winter Meetings Day 3 Live Blog. We’ll have it all covered for you.

Click here to check out NESN.com’s Day 2 live blog >>

Everything's coming up roses (or, since it's Maryland, Black-eyed Susans) for the Orioles. The O's will clinch a playoff spot if the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lose to the Texas Rangers of Arlington. We'll provide a separate update if the O's clinch today.

Tune into NESN at 5:30 p.m. on Monday for the Red Sox' final series of the season. The Sox face the New York Yankees in the Bronx, where they'll get to have a say in the AL East race. Clay Buchholz will start for the Sox tomorrow night. We'll see you then.

End 8th, Orioles 6-3: Vicente Padilla relieves Chris Carpenter (the Red Sox version), then promptly gives up a walk to the gun show that is Matt Wieters. Padilla gets out of the jam after striking out Jim Thome and getting Mark Reynolds to hit into an inning-ending double play.

O's closer Jim Johnson is coming on in the ninth inning. Can the Sox rally in the ninth?

Mid 8th, Orioles 6-3: Joe Saunders strikes out Jacoby Ellsbury, then is taken out of the game. Saunders had a good day for the O's and leaves with a three-run cushion.

Dustin Pedroia gets on first against O's reliever Darren O'Day, but then gets caught stealing by O's catcher Matt Wieters. Cody Ross strikes out to end the inning.

End 7th, Orioles 6-3: Chris Carpenter (the Red Sox version) comes on in relief of Clayton Mortensen and gets into early trouble, giving up a single to Nate McLouth. The O's eventually place men on first and third with one out. Carpenter saves the day for the Sox, however, by getting Adam Jones to ground into an inning-ending double play. Joe Saunders is coming back on the mound for the O's in the eighth inning, where he'll face Jacoby Ellsbury.

Mid 7th, Orioles 6-3: Joe Saunders looks vulnerable in the top of the seventh, but gets out of the inning. By "vulnerable," we mean that he looks tired, not emotionally vulnerable.

Daniel Nava hits a one-out, two-run homer off Saunders, scoring himself and Yale's own Ryan Lavarnway. Saunders then gives up a single to Pedro Ciriaco, but Ciriaco gets caught between first and second in what appears to be a failed hit-and-run. Jose Iglesias then grounds out to first to end the inning.

End 6th, Orioles 6-1: Clayton Mortensen returns for the Sox in the sixth and shuts down the O's in order. Two fly balls from Mark Reynolds and Manny Machado looked like they had a shot to leave the yard, but that evil Baltimore wind just came in and snapped them back. Anyway, it's a good inning by Mortensen. Danny Valencia is up first for the Sox in the seventh.

Mid 6th, Orioles 6-1: The Red Sox' 2-3-4 hitters go down 1-2-3 in the sixth. O's pitcher Joe Saunders forces Dustin Pedroia, Mauro Gomez, and Cody Ross into consecutive fly-outs. Saunders has thrown only 71 pitches and looks calm on the mound, which doesn't bode well for the Sox. Mark Reynolds is up first for the O's in the bottom of the sixth.

End 5th, Orioles 6-1: Chris Davis starts the inning by taking Clayton Mortensen deep to right field. Clayton Mortensen sets the remaining O's down to end the inning. The Sox have a tall task at Camden Yards, and their best hope may be Dustin Pedroia, who bats first in the sixth.

Mid 5th, Orioles 5-1: J.J. Hardy proved worthy of his bobblehead day already with a third inning home run, and he's just done it again. The O's shortstop makes a diving stop of Jacoby Ellsbury's grounder to prevent the Sox from scoring in the fifth. Chris Davis is up first for the O's in the bottom of the fifth.

End 4th, Orioles 5-1: Clayton Mortensen stays in to pitch the fourth inning. He induces Manny Machado to foul out to Yale's own Ryan Lavarnway, who graduated from Yale prior to making the catch. Mortensen then strikes out Nate McLouth and gets J.J. Hardy to ground out. Daniel Nava bats first for the Sox in the fifth.

Mid 4th, Orioles 5-1: Cody Ross gets the Sox back into the game with a leadoff home run to left. NESN's Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy both called Ross the Sox' MVP this season, and Ross demonstrated why he deserves the title. O's rookie Manny Machado, the hero of last night's game, is up first for Baltimore in the bottom of the fourth.

End 3rd, Orioles 5-0: Zach Stewart is going to be special in this league one day, but today is not that day. J.J. Hardy hits a home run to left field, right after barely missing a deep shot to left off Stewart. Adam Jones then gets on with one out and steals second on an errant throw by Yale's own Ryan Lavarnway. Jones comes around to score on a single by Jim Thome. Zach Stewart is done after 2 2/3 innings. Clayton Mortensen come on in relief and gets the Sox out of the inning, but the Sox face a five-run hole heading into the fourth.

Mid 3rd, Orioles 3-0: Jose Iglesias legs out a double with one out, but both Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia ground out to third. Not simultaneously, of course. J.J. Hardy bats first for the O's in the bottom of the third.

End 2nd, Orioles 3-0: Zach Stewart calms down in the second inning. The O's hit three consecutive infield groundouts. The inning's highlight is a nice stab by Mauro Gomez for the first out of Ryan Flaherty. The Sox send Pedro Ciriaco up first in the third.

2:05 p.m.: Programming note: Tonight's Charlie Moore Outdoors will feature Sen. Scott Brown. Tune to NESN at 6 p.m. for Messrs. Brown and Moore.

Mid 2nd, Orioles 3-0: Yale's own Ryan Lavarnway, an alumnus of Yale, gives the Sox life in the second with a two-out double to left. Joe Saunders keeps the Sox scoreless, however, after striking out Daniel Nava, who did not attend Yale. Zach Stewart is back on the mound for the Sox in the second inning.

End 1st, Orioles 3-0: We asked how Zach Stewart would fare in the bottom of the first. Zach Stewart does not fare well in the bottom of the first. Zach Stewart gives up a homer in his first at-bat to Nate McLouth. Zach Stewart follows by giving up two base hits. Zach Stewart then hits Adam Jones with a pitch. Zach Stewart gets some help after a groundout with the bases loaded only scores one run, but then Zach Stewart gives up a hit by Jim Thome to score another run. It's O's 3, Sox 0.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Joe Saunders takes approximately 37 seconds to shut down the Red Sox in order. He's looking as strong as ever. How will Zach Stewart fare in to bottom of the first for the Sox?

1:41 p.m. ET: We're underway in Baltimore. Joe Saunders is a giant.

11:20 a.m.: Lineups!

Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Danny Valencia, 3B
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Daniel Nava, LF
Pedro Ciriaco, DH
Jose Iglesias, SS

Zach Stewart, P

Orioles

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

Joe Saunders, P

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox are one game away from losing 90 games for the first time since 1966, and the red-hot Orioles are looking to make that nightmare a reality. 

Boston will send right-hander Zach Stewart to the mound for just his second appearance for the club since he came over from the White Sox in the trade that sent Kevin Youkilis to Chicago. In Stewart's lone start with the Red Sox this season, he couldn't have been worse, allowing nine earned runs on 10 hits in three innings of work against the Angels. Stewart will have to watch out for J.J. Hardy, who is 3-for-4 against him with a home run in his career.

Baltimore will also be starting a pitcher who was acquired mid-season, Joe Saunders. The Orioles picked up Saunders from the Diamondbacks in mid-August to provide more depth in the starting rotation. He is 2-3 in six starts with the O's, allowing 15 earned runs in 37 1/3 innings.

Saunders has owned several Red Sox hitters in the past, including Jacoby Ellsbury (3-for-13) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (1-for-11). If the 31-year-old left-hander can sustain success against those two, he could be the guy who helps the Orioles claim sole possession of first place in the American League East.

Entering Sunday's series finale, the Orioles and Yankees are tied atop the AL East with just a handful of games remaining. The Red Sox will close out their season with a three-game series at Yankee Stadium starting Monday, with those games possibly determining which of Boston's division rivals wins the AL East, and who could be watching the postseason at home.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, but you can turn to NESN at 12:30 for Red Sox First Pitch. Or just stick around on NESN.com, as our Red Sox Live Blog will keep you updated with everything you need to know leading up to the game.

It's a mixed result for the Red Sox. Felix Doubront (11-10) strikes out ten batters, but gets the loss after giving up a home run to O's rookie Manny Machado. O's reliever Tommy Hunter (7-8) gets the win for the O's. Hunter settled down the Sox after five up-and-down innings by Steve Johnson.

We'll see you bright and early on Sunday for the Sox' final game this season in Baltimore.

End 8th, Orioles 4-3: Junichi Tazawa excels in relief of Felix Doubront. Tazawa faces the heart of the O's order and takes them down in order. It's crunch time for the Sox in the ninth. Cody Ross, Mauro Gomez, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia will bat for Boston.

Mid 8th, Orioles 4-3: The O's bullpen comes through in the eighth inning. Brian Matusz gets Jacoby Ellsbury and pinch hitter Daniel Nava to ground out. Darren O'Day then relieves Matusz and gets Dustin Pedroia to line out to third base. The Sox look to keep the O's at bay in the eighth. Junichi Tazawa relieves Felix Doubront.

End 7th, Orioles 4-3: Doubront is likely done for the night after this inning, and while he's given up the lead, he's also kept the Sox in the game. Doubront gives up a home run to Manny Machado to start the inning, then follows up with a walk to Lew Ford, then gives up a one-out single to Nate McLouth. To his credit, however, Doubront closes down the O's with strikeouts of J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones. The Sox are in striking distance of the O's, with Jacoby Ellsbury leading it off in the eighth.

Mid 7th, 3-3: O's reliever Tommy Hunter stays strong through the seventh inning, limiting the Sox to a Pedro Ciriaco single. Felix Doubront returns for the Sox in the bottom of the seventh.

End 6th, 3-3: The middle of the O's lineup was middling in the sixth inning. Felix Doubront strikes out Adam Jones and Matt Wieters. After allowing a single to Chris Davis, Doubront gets Mark Reynolds to hit into a fielder's choice to second. Home run hero Jarrod Saltalamacchia leads it off for the Sox in the seventh.

Mid 6th, 3-3: The Red Sox get back in the game thanks to some bad pitching and an O's error. Steve Johnson is done for the night. The O's pitcher was solid through four innings, but gave up Jarrod Saltalamacchia's 2-run homer in the fifth inning and gave up a hit to and a walk to start the sixth. After O's reliever Tommy Hunter came in, O's right fielder Chris Davis bobbled a Cody Ross fly ball, allowing Jacoby Ellsbury to score. The O's have the heart of their order coming up.

End 5th, Orioles 3-2: O's DH Lew Ford reaches on a single and makes it to third base with two outs, but Felix Doubront gets J.J. Hardy to ground out to the pitcher's mound to end the inning. The Sox are threatening the O's heading into the sixth inning, and Jacoby Ellsbury kicks it off for Boston next.

Mid 5th, Orioles 3-2: Jarrod Saltalamacchia gets the Red Sox back in the game with a two-run home run to right field, scoring himself and Mauro Gomez. Don Orsillo notes that O's pitcher Steve Johnson hadn't given up runs in a month until Salty's homer.

O's first baseman Mark Reynolds will make it onto SportsCenter tonight after making an incredible diving catch over the tarp roll on a Mike Aviles foul ball.

End 4th, Orioles 3-0: Adam Jones reaches first for the O's on an error by Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles. One out later, Chris Davis takes Felix Doubront deep for his 30th home run of the season. The O's have a three-run lead. OK, then. Mauro Gomez is up first for the Sox in the fifth.

Mid 4th, Orioles 1-0: Steve Johnson gets dinged on Dustin Johnson's grounder up the middle, but he's all smiles afterward. Who wouldn't be happy after that? Following the ding, Johnson gets behind to Cody Ross, but gets Ross to hit into an inning-ending double play. Credit goes to Orioles 3B Manny Machado for a good globe stab on the Ross shot. The heart of the O's order is up in the bottom of the fourth.

End 3rd, Orioles 1-0: Felix Doubront recovers in style in the bottom of the third inning. Doubront gets Robert Andino and Nate McLouth to strike out, then induces a flyout from J.J. Hardy. J.J. is an odd name for an adult man. Anyway, the Sox are still close with the fourth inning coming up.

Mid 3rd, Orioles 1-0: It's more nada for the Sox in the top of the third. Steve Johnson shuts down the Sox in order. Felix Doubront looks to recover from a shaky second inning with Robert Andino coming up for the O's.

End 2nd, Orioles 1-0: Jacoby Ellsbury may not be known for his arm, but he did a nice job throwing Mark Reynolds out at second on a Manny Machado single.

Chris Davis got about as good of a jump as you're ever going to see from a 6-foot-3, 232-pound baseball player. Davis isn't otherwise fleet-footed, he has just six career stolen bases.

Doubront has been known to have a rough inning during an otherwise solid outing, so hopefully that's what we saw here in the 2nd. Doubront is up to 36 pitches through two innings.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Cody Ross gets the first hit of the game, but gets thrown out stealing by a mile in what Don and Jerry are suspecting was a missed signal on Ross' part.

Johnson continues to look sharp for the Orioles, grabbing his second strikeout of the night on Mauro Gomez.

Excitement was abound in Baltimore over the Yankees losing. The O's are now just 1/2 game back in the AL East.

End 1st, 0-0: Not to be outdone by his counterpart, Doubront also goes 1-2-3 with a strikeout.

After a brutal August and start to September, Doubront has been great in his last three starts. A lot of people expected Doubront's struggles to be tied to his arm tiring, that appears to not be the case.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Steve Johnson — no not the wide receiver the Patriots will be facing off against on Sunday — is off to a fast start against the Sox. The righty made quick work of the Sox going 1-2-3 on 13 pitches.

Johnson struck out Ellsbury in his return to the lineup. Expect a lot more out of that from Johnson. He's now struck out 44 in 34.1 innings.

7:18 p.m. The first pitch is underway to the returning Jacoby Ellsbury.

7:14 p.m.: The game's getting underway a little late tonight due to the festivities surrounding Brooks Robinson Day at Camden Yards.

Robinson is widely considered the best defensive third baseman in MLB history. Fangraphs has Adrian Beltre as the best active fielding third baseman in MLB history with Scott Rolen trailing right behind him.

For the 2012 season alone, Mike Moustakas and David Wright have been the best according to Fangraphs.

6:18 p.m.: Bobby Valentine had some interesting things to say on Michael Kay's radio show on Friday. He said that he could have followed some of his friend Al Leiter's advice a bit more this season.

Leiter said that he told the Red Sox manager that Josh Beckett was the key to keeping the clubhouse together.

6:07 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury makes his long-waited return. Here are your lineups for Saturday night:

Red Sox (69-88)

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Scott Podsednik, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Mike Aviles, SS

Felix Doubront, LHP

Orioles (98-67)

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

Steve Johnson, RHP

8:00 a.m. ET: It's been a long, long season for the Boston Red Sox, but, perhaps mercifully, it's finally winding down.

That being said, the Sox have five more games to go in the season, and they could still play a major role in determining how the American League East unfolds. Entering play Saturday, Boston's opponent for the weekend, the Baltimore Orioles, find themselves just a single game back of the Yankees for division sumpremacy, so anything can happen. The Red Sox close out their 2012 campaign against the Orioles and Yankees, so Boston baseball still has a lot of importance.

To play spoiler, the Red Sox turn to one of the bright spots from this lost season, left-handed rookie Felix Doubront. The 24-year-old has been a mixed bag this year, showing almost limitless potential but consistently having trouble keeping his pitch counts downs and working deep into games. However, Doubront had one of his best games of the season last time out, throwing seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball that featured a career-high 11 strikeouts.

Opposing Doubront will be Steve Johnson, who only has 33 1/3 career innings pitched but is the go-to guy as Baltimore tries to catch New York in the East. Johnson has appeared in 11 games this year, but he has mostly worked as a long reliever, seeing just three starts in his rookie season. The 25-year-old has been impressive in his limited work, though, limiting opponents to a .165 batting average and a 1.02 WHIP.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 6 p.m. with Red Sox First Pitch. Or just stick around NESN.com, as our Red Sox Live Blog will have everything you need to know leading up to the game.

Bobby Valentine's decision to pinch-hit for Jose Iglesias in the seventh will be a hot post-game topic. Valentine replaced Iglesias in the middle of his at-bat, then watched pinch-hitter Daniel Nava ground out to end the inning. What do you think of Bobby V's decision? Watch NESN's postgame coverage and NESN Daily tonight for discussion.

End 8th, Blue Jays 5-0: Daniel Bard takes over for Jon Lester, then promptly gives up a ground-rule double to Brett Lawrie. Colby Rasmus hits a single to left, which takes a spinning bounce away from Red Sox left field Ryan Kalish. By the time Kalish recovers, Lawrie reaches home.

Andrew Bailey then relieves Bard, gets a groundout, and promptly leaves the game.

Scott Atchison then relieves Bailey and gives up a single to Moises Sierra, scoring Colby Rasmus. Atchison closes out the Blue Jays after that, but the Sox have a mountain to climb in the ninth.

Mid 8th, Blue Jays 3-0: Darren Oliver relieves Brandon Lyon for the Blue Jays. Dustin Pedroia legs out an infield single with one out. Jacoby Ellsbury hits another single and Pedroia advances to third. Cody Ross then hits into an inning-ending double play, ending the Sox' threat in the top of the eighth.

3:20 p.m.: Jon Lester comes off the field after giving up three runs to the Blue Jays, and he's displeased. A fan taunts Lester near the Red Sox' dugout, and Lester exchanges words with the fan.

End 7th, Blue Jays 3-0: Omar Vizquel singles in the first run of the game for the Blue Jays, scoring Rajai Davis. Adeiny Hechavarria then hits a home run just to the right of the left field foul pole, and the Blue Jays take a 3-0 lead over Jon Lester and the Red Sox.

Meanwhile, fans are still talking on social media about Bobby V's decision to pinch-hit for Jose Iglesias in the middle of his at-bat. What do you think? Send in your comment at the bottom of our live blog.

3:13 p.m.: What do you think of Bobby Valentine's decision to pinch-hit in the middle of an at-bat? Daniel Nava's day is done after pinch-hitting for Jose Iglesias mid-count. Mike Aviles is now at shortstop for the Sox.

Mid 7th, 0-0: Brett Cecil relieves Brandon Morrow, who threw six scoreless innings for the Blue Jays. Cecil strikes out Jarrod Saltalamacchia and is relieved by Brandon Lyon, who conveniently spells his first name exactly the same as Brandon Morrow, which makes spellchecking much easier. Lyon gets Yale's own Ryan Lavarnway to fly out to center, but then gives up a single to Pedro Ciriaco.

With Jose Iglesias batting with two outs, Ciriaco steals second base. Manager Bobby Valentine then replaces Iglesias, at bat with a 2-2 count, with Daniel Nava. Nava promptly grounds out, ending the inning for the Sox.

End 6th, 0-0: Jon Lester matches Brandon Morrow's top of the sixth with his own gem in the bottom of the sixth. Lester throws two strikeouts, giving him five on the day. The Blue Jays have only managed one hit off Lester through sixth innings.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia will attempt to break the game open against Morrow in the top of the seventh.

Mid 6th, 0-0: Brandon Morrow shuts down the heart of the Red Sox' lineup in the top of the sixth. Down go Ellsbury, Ross, and Loney. Just like that.

End 5th, 0-0: Weirdness abounds when the roof's opened in Toronto. Jon Lester picks up a bunt by Yan Gomes with time to start a double play. His throw to second goes offline and into right field, however, and the Blue Jays have two men on with no one out. Lester calms down Toronto, however with two successive Ks to contain the threat. Jose Iglesias then fields a bullet at shortshop and throws to second for the force-out. Jacoby Ellsbury is up next for the Sox in the sixth.

Mid 5th, 0-0: Brandon Morrow shuts down the Red Sox in order in the top of the fifth inning. Morrow attended the University of California at Berkeley, which everyone in the universe calls "Berkeley" or "Cal-Berkeley," except for the Berkeley athletic department, which refers to the Berkeley teams as "California." There are many, many people in California who would reject that label, especially in Palo Alto and Westwood. Anyway, on to the bottom of the fifth.

End 4th, 0-0: Jon Lester catches an Adam Lind liner headed right at him, then throws to first to shut the Blue Jays down in order. In other news, according to Don Orsillo's in-game report, Don Orsillo will eat a Reese's candy bar in between innings.

Mid 4th, 0-0: Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia both single, giving the Red Sox men on first and second with one out. Yale's own Ryan Lavarnway, who went to Yale, flies out to Sierra in right field. Adam Lind then catches a foul pop-up by Pedro Ciriaco to shut the Sox down in the fourth. Colby Rasmus is up first for the Jays in the bottom of the fourth.

End 3rd, 0-0: Omar Vizquel doubles to left and reaches third base, but Jon Lester induces Brett Lawrie into a foul pop-out to first. Cody Ross is up first for the Sox in the fourth inning.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: The Sox go down in order, as Moises Sierra comes to terms with the sunlight and catches Jacoby Ellsbury's shot to end the inning.

Jerry Remy eagerly announces the upcoming bridal festival promotion, so let's replicate it here for engaged couples everywhere. Would you like to get married at Fenway Park? Visit http://redsox.com/bridal for more details.

End 2nd, 0-0: Jon Lester sets down the Jays in order for the second straight inning. On to the third, where Scott Podsednik will bat first for the Sox.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Yale alumnus Ryan Lavarnway, who attended Yale and graduated from Yale with a Yale degree from Yale, receives a gift from Blue Jays right fielder Moises Sierra. The rarity of sunlight in Toronto confused Sierra and caused him to lose track of a lazy fly ball, missing the catch by about three meters. Lavarnway reached second on the play. Pedro Ciriaco and Jose Iglesias both go down quickly, however, stranding Lavarnway at second base.

End 1st, 0-0: The Blue Jays issued three lineup changes before the game. Maybe they should have issued another one. Jon Lester sets down the Jays in order. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is up first in the top of the second.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Dustin Pedroia, drawing inspiration from Don and Jerry's chat about copyright law, hits a single to left. Toronto pitcher Brandon Morrow then walks Jacoby Ellsbury, but recovers and strikes out Cody Ross. James Loney then bloops to left-center to end the inning for the Sox.

The copyright discussion concerned the "express written consent" portion of NESN's on-air copyright statement. In life, always get it in writing.

1:07 p.m.: First pitch! It's blue skies and blue jerseys in Toronto.

12:56 p.m.: Red Sox fandom is a lifelong passion, as evidenced by a fan featured on the Red Sox's Twitter feed. The Sox' intrepid fan is 90 years old (young?), and celebrated by visiting the Sox today at Rogers Centre.

12:40 p.m.: NESN's Jenny Dell reports that the Blue Jays have changed their lineup after catcher Jeff Mathis experienced "flu-like symptoms." J.P. Arencibia replaces Mathis at catcher, while Yan Gomes takes Arencibia's spot at designated hitter. The Jays' new lineup is as follows:

Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
J.P. Arencibia, C
Adam Lind, 1B
Moises Sierra, RF
Yan Gomes, DH
Omar Vizquel, 2B
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS
Anthony Gose, LF

10 a.m.: Lineups!

Red Sox

Scott Podsednik, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DH
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS

Jon Lester, P

Blue Jays

Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
J.P. Arencibia, DH
Adam Lind, 1B
Moises Sierra, RF
Jeff Mathis, C
Omar Vizquel, 2B
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS
Anthony Gose, LF

Brandon Morrow, P

8 a.m. ET: It's been a long time since the Boston Red Sox (66-80) came away from a series with a sweep, but they're poised to break that trend after taking the first two contests of a three-game weekend set against the Toronto Blue Jays (65-79). If they can get the sweep, the Sox will pull into a tie with the Jays to leave the American League East cellar.

Just how long has it been since the Red Sox broke out the brooms? The last time was during a June 19-21 series at Fenway, when the Sox welcomed Ozzie Guillen's lowly Miami Marlins. To find the last time Boston completed a sweep on the road, go back even further — April 23-25 against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

To help sweep aside the Jays, the Sox turn to left-hander Jon Lester, who's had an up-and-down season, to say the least. The last time Lester took the mound in Rogers Centre was the clear low point of the 28-year-old's season, and quite possibly his career. In that July 22 outing, the southpaw yielded 11 earned runs — including four home runs and five walks — and was more or less hung out to dry on a day the bullpen badly needed a rest. Lester has rebounded since, but despite going 4-1 with a 3.66 ERA over his past six starts, he issued a career-high seven free passes Tuesday against the Yankees, so his control will be something to keep an eye on.

Opposing Lester will be right-hander Brandon Morrow, who is enjoying a breakout campaign if not for the long stretch he spent on the disabled list battling an oblique injury. In his 17 appearances, though, the 28-year-old has held opponents to a 1.12 WHIP over 99 2/3 innings pitched. Morrow's career history against Boston doesn't match his success in 2012, though, as in 15 games (seven starts) the Red Sox have beat him up (9.53 ERA).

First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at high noon with Red Sox First Pitch. Or just stick right here with NESN.com, as this Red Sox Live Blog will have the starting lineups and more leading up to the game.

The Red Sox remain winless on their West Coast trip after a rough outing by Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-4). Matsuzaka pitched 3 2/3 erratic innings for the Sox, yielding all six of Oakland's runs. A's starter Brett Anderson (3-0) countered with six strong innings of work. Oakland remains on top of the AL wild card standings, while Boston falls to 11 games below .500.

The Sox finish their West Coast trip against the Seattle Mariners tomorrow. Tune into NESN at 2:30 p.m. on Labor Day for the game, then visit NESN.com for more Red Sox news.

End 8th, A's 6-1: Stephen Drew gets a leadoff double for the A's, but Mark Melancon sets down the next three A's for the Red Sox. The A's send in closer Grant Balfour to face the Red Sox in the ninth inning.

Mid 8th, A's 6-1: Doolittle does a lot and sets the Red Sox down in order. Coco Crisp helped Doolittle out with an athletic running catch on a Pedro Ciriaco fly ball. The Red Sox send Mark Melancon to the mound in relief of Junichi Tazawa.

End 7th, A's 6-1: Dustin Pedroia and James Loney team up for a neat inning-ending out. Pedroia raced back to field a hit up the middle by A's third baseman Josh Donaldson, then threw a looping throw to first base, where Loney reached high to make the catch. A's reliever Sean Doolittle is on in relief heading into the eighth inning.

Mid 7th, A's 6-1: Cook sets down the Red Sox in order. Junichi Tazawa is relieving Craig Breslow heading into the bottom of the seventh.

6:15 p.m.: A's pitcher Brett Anderson is done for the day after six strong innings. Former A's reliever Ryan Cook is on for Oakland in the top of the seventh.

End 6th, A's 6-1: When in doubt, ask a Yale man. Craig Breslow sets down the A's in order in the sixth, keeping the margin within reach for the Red Sox.

6:08 p.m.: Manager Bobby Valentine puts out a Yale battery for the Red Sox, as Craig Breslow relieves Andrew Miller.

Mid 6th, A's 6-1: Boston breaks through with a run in the top of the sixth. The Red Sox loaded the bases on a infield single by Dustin Pedroia. Cody Ross then put the Red Sox on the board with an RBI single, but Scott Podsednik made an ill-fated attempt to score on the play and was thrown out at home with room to spare.

End 5th, A's 6-0: Andrew Miller calms down the A's bats in the fifth inning, holding Oakland scoreless in an inning for the first time today.

Mid 5th, A's 6-0: Brett Anderson keeps his shutout going with a 1-2-3 inning against the Red Sox. Anderson strikes out Yale graduate Ryan Lavarnway, who will still have a Yale degree regardless of his performance today.

End 4th, A's 6-0: Daisuke Matsuzaka's day is done after 3 2/3 rough innings in Oakland. The A's started off in the fourth with a stolen base from Cliff Pennington, who then scored on a bases-loaded infield groundout. Andrew Miller takes over for Matsuzaka and closes out the inning with a strikeout.

Mid 4th, A's 5-0: The Red Sox go down in order in the top of the fourth. Daisuke Matsuzaka will apparently come back out for the bottom of the frame, as NESN's team in Oakland notes that Andrew Miller is taking a seat in the bullpen.

End 3rd, A's 5-0: Oakland builds its lead on the backs of former Red Sox players. Coco Crisp scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Reddick. Stephen Drew adds an RBI single to boost the A's lead to five runs.

NESN's Jerry Remy notes that Matsuzaka's frustration is mounting with today's strike zone. Don Orsillo's earlier stat is now updated: The Sox have been outscored 31-3 during the first three innings of the Sox' West Coast games.

Mid 3rd, A's 3-0: Pedro Ciriaco singles to right, but that's it for the Sox in the top of the third inning. Former Red Sox player Coco Crisp is up first for the A's.

End 2nd, A's 3-0: Stephen Drew hits a home run off Matsuzaka, increasing the A's lead to three runs. A stat from NESN's Don Orsillo: In the first three innings of their West Coast games, the Red Sox have been outscored 29-3.

Mid 2nd, A's 2-0: Brett Anderson has an efficient 1-2-3 inning for the A's. Oakland looks to add to its lead in the bottom of the second.

End 1st, A's 2-0: The Sox are behind in the first inning again. A two-run homer by Oakland designated hitter Seth Smith has given the A's the early lead. Matsuzaka responded with three quick outs, but yet again, the Sox will be playing from behind.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 13 games, but that's all the damage the A's give up in the top of the first inning. Matsuzaka is heading out to the mound for the Sox.

4:08 p.m.: It's first pitch in suburban San Francisco, as A's pitcher Brett Anderson faces down the Red Sox. Stay with NESN's Red Sox live blog all game for updates from today's game in Oakland.

4:03 p.m.: Boston expatriates are storming the O.co Coliseum to see their beloved Sox try to stave off an Oakland sweep. For those unfamiliar with Oakland, it's best to stay that way. The team in Oakland is hot, however, and it's going to be a challenge for the Red Sox to avoid their sixth straight loss out West. First pitch is moments away.

3:55 p.m.: The West Coast malaise is affecting more than just the Red Sox. Adrian Gonzalez is underperforming in Los Angeles since his move to the Dodgers, hitting .182 with a three-game hitless streak. Gonzalez attributes part of his batting struggles to his time in Boston, of course.

3:35 p.m.: Today's Red Sox pregame shows on NESN are recapping last night's squabble between Alfredo Aceves and Dustin Pedroia. The argument symbolized the West Coast swing for the Sox, who have dropped to 10 games below .500. 

Daisuke Matsusaka faces the task of cooling off a red-hot Oakland A's team. Oakland leads the AL wild card race and sits just three games out of the AL West lead.

1:50 p.m.: First pitch is just a couple of hours away, so we've got some lineups for you:

Red Sox

Pedro Ciriaco, LF
Scott Podsednik, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Mauro Gomez, 3B
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Mike Aviles, DH
James Loney, 1B
Jose Iglesias, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka, P

Athletics

Coco Crisp, CF
Seth Smith, DH
Josh Reddick, RF
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Brandon Moss, 1B
Josh Donaldson, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Derek Norris, C
Cliff Pennington, 2B

Brett Anderson, P

8a.m. ET: Daisuke Matsuzaka was a revelation in his most recent return from the disabled list, zipping through seven innings of scoreless ball for the Red Sox on Monday as Boston rolled past Kansas City 5-1.

It was an encouraging outing for Matsuzaka (1-3, 5.10 ERA) and the Sox (62-72), who both looked to be ready to turn a page on a dismal season and get back to winning. But, while Matsuzaka was great in that start (five hits, six strikeouts), the Red Sox haven't done a thing in the win column since he last took the mound. Boston and soon-to-be free agent Matsuzaka will look to change that Sunday against the A's in the final matchup of a three-game series.

Lefty Brett Anderson (2-0, 0.64) gets the call for Oakland (65-57). Anderson, who has pitched just twice this season after coming back from Tommy John surgery, has been sterling for the A's. He went seven innings in both of his starts this month, allowing six hits overall and just one earned run. Anderson is in his fourth year with Oakland, going 23-23 over his career with a 3.55 ERA.

The tilt begins at 4:07, but NESN will have pregame shows and the Ultimate Red Sox Show coming your way sooner. Be sure to check back here for more info and analysis as the game goes on.

Hannover plays Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their quarter-final showdown in the Europa League on Thursday.

Madrid won the first leg of the home-and-home series in a 2-1 final last Thursday. The team continues to perform well under new coach Diego Simeone, taking advantage of some spectacular play by its explosive forward Radamel Falcao.

Hannover, on the other hand, is looking to exact some revenge on their home soil in Germany. They will need some help from leading goal scorer, Mohammed Abdellaoue, to take down the Spanish side and move on to the semi-final stages of the tournament.

Keep up with all the action in the match on Terra.com's live blog.

Hannover Vs. Atletico Madrid Live Blog >>>

Photo via Terra.com

4:12 p.m.: Elway's goal is to find Tebow a place where he can be most successful, although he doesn't yet know what they plan on doing with him.

4:10 p.m.: Yes, John Elway is still holding court.

"Any time you have a guy like Peyton Manning on your team, you've got a chance to win, and players in the NFL know that.

"We believe [Manning] can play as long as he wants."

4 p.m.: Manning told Elway that it was a rough Monday morning only because he felt bad having to tell the other teams his decision.

3:55 p.m.: Elway: "The toughest thing about this whole thing is Tim Tebow and what I think of Tim Tebow… the toughest part of this business is the personal side."

3:53 p.m.: Elway told Peyton to take his time and that the Broncos had a plan. They wanted him to be comfortable in making his decision.

3:52 p.m.: Elway on the deal: "We want to do something that's very fair for both sides … there has a to be a happy medium for both sides.

"The basis of the contract and what Peyton wanted … putting that contract together was easy… he understood the risk the Broncos were taking… Peyton was very good with the whole thing and that process was rather seamless."

3:50 p.m.: Elway is back at the mic now, discussing the workouts and discussions with the doctors and trainers.

"We really felt that he'd be ready to go … I don't consider him much of a risk."

3:49 p.m.: "This process was hard and difficult but I tried to embrace it.

"I was waiting for that gut feeling and I was glad when it hit me."

3:47 p.m.: Manning got into detail about his workouts and explained that he was wide open and was willing to do and show whatever it took.

3:46 p.m.: "This is a now situation and we're doing everything we can do to win now."

3:45 p.m.: On last year and how hard it was not playing: "It was hard seeing our team not winning games."

3:43 p.m.: On being able to play this Sunday? "I don't know if I would play as well as I would like, but I could play."

"It's March and I have a hard time reminding myself of that"

3:40 p.m.: "I know what kind of challenge I'm in for. In some ways I feel my body is going to be rested."

3:38 p.m.: On the draft: "Sure, I love when they draft offensive players, I'm not going to lie about that, but it's what's best for the team."

3:36 p.m.: "I know what kind of player Tim Tebow is and what kind of person he is. If Tim Tebow is here next year than im going to be the best teammate I can be."

"I'm looking forward to getting to know all Broncos teammates … Champ Bailey has been blowing up my phone for the last week and a half."

3:35 p.m.: "It's hard to give a timetable or prediction… I want to be out there every single snap and every single play.

"The doctors and the trainers feel very encouraged about the progress that I've made."

3:32 p.m.: "There's no question I have work to do and I've been open about my medical history and I let them tell me … working out for three teams and going through my entire medical history … I had to let them tell me that this is something they had to do… I'm not where I want to be, I want to be where I was before I got injured."

3:30 p.m.: Manning: "It's certainly very different — there's no question about it. This is all new to me. The Colts are the only team I've known."

Manning commented on the process he went through and even said he hated putting the other teams through it.

3:29 p.m.: Manning: "There wasn't really one deciding factor.

"It's up to me and the people here around me to make this the right decision. It will be debated for months to come as to whether it was the right decision or not.

"I can tell that Denver was committed to winning and I'm glad they wanted me to be a part of it."

3:26 p.m.: Manning is "humbled" and "honored" to be able to wear the retired No. 18, which was Frank Tripucka's.

3:25 p.m.: Here's Manning.

"I can tell this organization is committed to winning. They do have incredible fans who love this team.

"I thought the Broncos were just a great fit."

3:23 p.m.: Elway: "We're thrilled that he's elected to play for the Broncos, we think it's a great situation.

"My goal is the make Peyton Manning het best quarterback to ever play the game."

3:21 p.m.: Elway on the mic now — looks like he could still play, to be honest.

Anyways, Elway admits that "we're also fortunate to work for a guy like Pat Bowlen.

"Without the commitment from Mr Bowlen we wouldn't have Peyton here today."

3:20 p.m.: Pat Bowlen at the podium first and he's pretty emotional … or just really nervous that he dropped close to a $100 million on some guy fresh off of a handful of neck surgeries.

3:11 p.m.: According to Bovada, the Broncos are now 6-1 odds to with the AFC title.

And those with a lot of faith in Manning bouncing back this year, if he's named 2012 MVP, that wager is a yes-only prop at plus-700.

12:46 p.m. ET: So long, Tebow-mania, Denver is now home to Manning-Mania, and will be for the next five years.

The Broncos are set to announce the signing of Peyton Manning at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon. The Associated Press reported earlier on Tuesday that the deal was for five years, $96 million.

Manning was picked first overall in the 1998 draft by the Colts and spent his entire 14-year career in Indianapolis. Manning has 54,828 yards and 399 touchdowns in 208 career regular-season games.