Francona expected to leave Red Sox  —  Terry Francona will meet with Red Sox management on Friday morning, and the expected resolution is that he no longer will be the team's manager, major league sources say.  —  While Francona's departure is not certain, it is the likely outcome …

Unlikable Red Sox flunked chemistry  —  Somehow the team became what it once abhorred — arrogant, complacent and entitled  —  You can wring your hands all you want over whether Jonathan Papelbon served up the wrong pitch to Robert Andino or why Marco Scutaro hesitated just long enough …

Cards broadcaster McLaughlin cited for drunk driving  —  Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin has been cited for drunken driving for the second time after a stop by Chesterfield police on Sunday.  Police said McLaughlin, 37, was stopped at 10:13 p.m. on Baxter Road and Isleview Drive after he crashed his vehicle.

Tampa Bay Rays pick rookie Matt Moore to start Game 1 of AL Division Series  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Of course they are.  —  In picking among three potential starters for today's opening game of the best-of-five AL Division Series, the Rays made the most unconventional and boldest choice …

Dodgers need to swing for the fences on new deal with Matt Kemp  —  The Dodgers will probably need to pay close to $200 million to keep the star center fielder in Los Angeles.  And they'll need to move quickly.  The question is, do they have the resources?

Offense drops to two-decade low  —  NEW YORK — If you thought the 2011 season seemed like a throwback, you were right.  —  Offense dropped to a level not seen since Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling were dominating on the mound.  —  Nearly two decades later, Justin Verlander …

Analysis: 2011 MLB Playoff Teams By Player Payroll  —  Baseball is broken.  That's what they say.  It's only teams with high payrolls that have a shot.  Well...  With heart-stopping excitement that the baseball gods gave us on the final day of the 2011 MLB season now in the books, the postseason is now set.

The Photos Of Yankees GM Brian Cashman That Broke Up A Marriage  —  No, there are no photos of Cashman's actual dong to show you—not that we know of—but now the story of Cash's dong's wayward habits is news.  The Yankees general manager's relationship with the woman in these photos …

NLDS Preview: Phillies vs. Cardinals  —  Why the Phillies Will Win: The Phillies boast the best pitching staff in baseball and can throw three of the NL's top 10 starters in four of five possible games.  Should they fail to sweep, they'll be forced to hold their nose, avert their eyes, and hand the ball to... Roy Oswalt.

Baseball Night in America  —  Baseball, like life, revolves around anticlimax.  That in many ways is the beauty of it.  I realize that's a hard thing to explain to someone who doesn't love baseball, no, more than hard, it's an impossible thing to explain because many people want sports to be more than life …