RED SOX FANS UP AGAINST THE WALL IN WILD-CARD RACE  —  BOSTON - Things were looking dire for the Boston Red Sox when they dropped three of four to Tampa Bay and the opener of a doubleheader against last-place Baltimore on Monday.  —  Fans were booing.  Fans were panicking.  Fans were ready to give up.

Berkman talks hit a speed bump  —  • The Cardinals and pending free agent first baseman Lance Berkman remain engaged in talks regarding a one-year contract.  After the talks showed initial signs of promise, an agreement remains elusive because of a difference of opinion over its worth …

On the line  —  Making the playoffs is sometimes easy compared to setting a postseason rotation  —  A version of this story appears in the October 3 issue of ESPN The Magazine.  —  FOR MONTHS NOW, New York Yankees fans have been buzzing about October.  With the postseason clearly in reach …

2011 Gulf Coast League Top 20 Prospects  —  The Yankees have built one of the most productive international programs in the game, and they used that talent and the early signing of league MVP Dante Bichette to carry them to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League championship.

Glasses stolen off Ernie Harwell statue at Comerica Park in Detroit  —  Someone has stolen a pair of glasses off a statue of late Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell that stands at Comerica Park in Detroit.  —  Columnist Neal Rubin with The Detroit News reports that the team noticed the vandalism …

Lasorda to be Dodgers coach on Thursday  —  LOS ANGELES — Hall of Famer Tom Lasorda will serve as an honorary coach Thursday, his 84th birthday and the final home game of the season for the Dodgers.  —  Current manager Don Mattingly made the invitation to Lasorda, whose Dodgers managerial …

Mariano Rivera always a cutter above the rest, Yankees closer and class act basks in own glory  —  In the joyous aftermath of freezing a 23-year-old September call-up named Chris Parmelee for a called third strike to seal his record-breaking 602nd save, Mariano Rivera stood alone …

Free Agent Stock Watch: Jonathan Broxton  —  Jonathan Broxton made a name for himself as someone who could overpower just about any hitter with his upper-90s fastball.  He has been sidelined with right arm problems since May 3rd and when he returns there's a good chance we'll see a different kind of pitcher.

Diamondbacks president announces he has cancer  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks say team president and chief executive Derrick Hall has prostate cancer.  —  The team said Tuesday a prostate biopsy was performed on Sept. 14, which was diagnosed as positive and revealed tumors.

Guillen hopes to find out status with Sox before Spain trip  —  CLEVELAND — Manager Ozzie Guillen hopes to find out his status with the White Sox before leaving for a trip to Spain with his wife two days after the conclusion of the regular season.  —  “I hope I do,” Guillen said Tuesday.

190,000-plus register with Brewers for playoff tickets  —  The Milwaukee Brewers said Tuesday that they have received more than 190,000 entries from fans looking to buy single-game tickets for potential National League Division Series games.  —  Online registration for the so-called …

Video: Paul DePodesta talks about data & tech in baseball  —  Hat tip to Kerel Cooper from On the Black for the link.

Can Ruben Tejada replace Jose Reyes at SS?  —  According to David Lennon in a report for Newsday, ‘Jose Reyes and Ruben Tejada have developed a mentor-pupil type relationship,’ especially now that they share the same agent.  —  “I used to be 150 pounds (at his age),” Reyes said, according to Lennon, in regards to Tejada.

His pitchers decision: They shouldn't win MVP award  —  It's a “you wanna step outside?” issue in Detroit.  The Big Meanies out there in the Great Beyond are going to deprive Justin Verlander of his rightful American League Most Valuable Player award.  —  The Tigers righthander has been the best pitcher in baseball this year.