Yanks faked Crawford interest to cost Red Sox  —  They really will do whatever it takes to win in this epic rivalry.  —  New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted on Thursday that he feigned interest in Carl Crawford this offseason to drive up the price for the Boston Red Sox to sign the free agent.

Martin: ‘I hate the Red Sox’  —  NEW YORK — Russell Martin's views on the American League Wild Card chase won't win him any buddies in Boston, but his sentiments should gather plenty of support in the Bronx.  —  Martin said on Thursday that he'd love to see the Yankees play spoiler …

NY Mets deal St. Louis Cardinals crushing defeat in NL wild card chase, come back to win 8-6  —  ST. LOUIS - It was a Mets game rife with playoff implications - not, though, for the Mets.  —  In defeating St. Louis 8-6, the Mets gave Atlanta a two-game wild-card lead over the Cardinals.

Lincecum prefers short-term deals  —  Los Angeles — Contract talks with Tim Lincecum might be Job One for the Giants this winter, and though Lincecum said he would listen to whatever the team has to say, he told The Chronicle on Thursday he is not keen on locking himself into a long-term deal that would buy out future free-agent years.

Numbers tell tale of sickening month  —  Historically bad September starting pitching is at the root of epic Red Sox collapse  —  The Boston Red Sox took another step toward collapse with Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.  —  The Red Sox dropped to 5-16 this month …

Tigers Justin Verlander undoubtedly most ‘valuable’ player … Go on.  Get out your scale.  —  Forget that we are from Detroit.  Forget that we love the Tigers.  Put your guys on one side and Justin Verlander on the other.  —  And let's see who's MVP.  —  Forget that Verlander is the best theater in baseball right now.

Danny Litwhiler dies at 95  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Danny Litwhiler, who followed an 11-year major league career in the 1940s with a lifetime of coaching college players and work on inventions intended to improve the game he loved, died Friday at the age of 95.

NY Mets brass begins to look at 2012 season, decisions to be made on Terry Collins, coaching staff  —  ST. LOUIS - The Mets returned to New York Thursday night for one final home stand, ready to intensify planning for 2012.  According to team insiders, the front office will soon solidify decisions about next year's on-field leadership.

Which free agent holds the most value?  —  Agent Scott Boras could become the biggest challenge the St. Louis Cardinals face in re-signing Albert Pujols.  —  No, Boras does not represent Pujols.  Dan Lozano is Pujols' representative.  —  Boras does, however, represent Prince Fielder …

2002 ‘Moneyball’ draft class in review  —  A's had some success stories, but they also had an unwitting victim — Jeremy Brown  —  If Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane is the engine that drives “Moneyball” — the book and movie versions — Jeremy Brown plays the role of the caboose.

Newberg Report: Perez has bright future  —  Eighteen-year-old righty aims to rebound after tough campaign  —  Part 25 in a season-long series projecting a hypothetical 25-man roster made up solely of prospects from the Texas Rangers' Minor League system.  —  When Johan Santana was 18 years old …

Diamondbacks Acquire Zagurski; Designate Vasquez  —  The Diamondbacks have acquired left-handed reliever Mike Zagurski from the Phillies in exchange for a player to be named, Zagurski's agent tells Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).  Arizona announced it designated reliever …