Beckett aims to tame Tribe in Game 1  —  Boston ace opposes fellow Cy Young candidate Sabathia  —  BOSTON — When the stadium lights set Fenway Park aglow on Friday night, all eyes will be trained on the mound.  Boston will be graced with one of the premier pitching matchups of this season …

A SEAT AT THE TAMPA TABLE  —  JOE MIGHT MAKE MEETINGS; NEEDS TO PONDER A PAY CUT  —  If the Yankee brain trust can't agree on an alternative to Joe Torre next week in Tampa, and Torre wants to take a paycut, there is a chance Torre could return for a 13th year as the Yankees' manager.

Francis shuts down Arizona in Game 1  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Make it 18 out of 19 for the remarkable Rockies.  Neither a ruckus by the Arizona crowd nor a four-day layoff could slow them down.  —  Jeff Francis outpitched Brandon Webb, Brad Hawpe got the big hit and Colorado won …

Schuerholz stepping aside as GM  —  He'll become Braves' president; assistant Wren takes over as GM  —  An era is ending for the Braves.  John Schuerholz is stepping aside as general manager.  —  The team's venerable general manager will announce at a 3:30 p.m. press conference …

Scott Boras exaggerating A-Rod's value to YES  —  If Yankees brass wants to get Alex Rodriguez's signature on a contract, it better change its network's name from Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network to A-RodVision.  —  Scott Boras, Rodriguez's agent, believes his client's star power …

Q&A: Arroyo discusses 2007 season  —  Follow-up effort in Cincy, offseason plans part of chat  —  CINCINNATI — The results didn't come quite as easily in 2007 for Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo.  —  Trying to follow up his All-Star 2006 season — his first year in Cincinnati — Arroyo was 9-15 with a 4.23 ERA in 34 starts.

GM job of no interest to Stone  —  Steve Stone has confirmed his interest in becoming a significant voice in a new Cubs ownership group but said he would not want the duties or title of general manager.  —  "Probably from about a year ago, I have said to everyone who has asked me …

A-Rod, Rollins win Legacy Awards  —  Honor given to Most Valuable Player in both leagues  —  Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins have won the Oscar Charleston Legacy Award as the Most Valuable Player in their respective leagues for leading their teams into the postseason.

Phillies make three roster moves  —  The Phillies made three transactions today.  —  Righthander Kane Davis was designated for assignment.  Davis, 32, was signed as a minor league free agent last October.  He spent the season with triple-A Ottawa where he went 3-3 with four saves and a 3.06 ERA in 41 relief appearances.

Hill to undergo surgery on left shoulder  —  Procedure comes weeks after operation on right arm, elbow  —  WASHINGTON — Right-hander Shawn Hill will undergo surgery on his left shoulder in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday morning.  Dr. James Andrews will perform the procedure.

O's Flanagan stays home during Florida meetings  —  Executive vice president 'needed a little break'  —  The Orioles' front-office contingent began heading home today after wrapping up its four-day organizational meetings in Sarasota, Fla., but one high-ranking official didn't board a plane.

Baseball e-mails, I live for this  —  With the second round of the playoffs starting Thursday, I thought we'd rip through some baseball-related e-mails for a pseudo-mailbag.  As always, these are actual e-mails from actual readers.  —  I was pretty excited to watch "SportsCenter" on Oct. 9 …