Ignore that spin from the brass - he was fired  —  Terry Francona was fired yesterday.  The longtime manager and the Red Sox brass used a lot of polite words and tried to make it sound mutual, but Francona turns out to be the first victim of the greatest collapse in baseball history.

Tigers-Yankees playoff opener suspended by rain  —  NEW YORK—The playoff opener between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees was suspended because of rain in the second inning Friday night, probably wiping out the ace of each pitching staff for a few days.

Parker in Diamondbacks Bullpen vs Brewers  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jarrod Parker made the team's roster for the NL division series against Milwaukee.  —  Manager Kirk Gibson made the announcement before Game 1 on Saturday.  —  The Diamondbacks top pitching prospect …

Rays shell Rangers in ALDS opener  —  Matt Moore dominated in his second major league start, pitching seven innings of two-hit ball as the improbable Tampa Bay Rays opened the real playoffs with a 9-0 victory over the defending AL champion Texas Rangers on Friday.

Mystical pull of magical numbers … Last Wednesday night may have provided the most gripping and bizarre interval in baseball history.  The Boston Red Sox couldn't close out the Baltimore Orioles ?and instead closed out one of the great collapses in modern memory.

‘Incognito’ Diamondbacks prepare for Brewers  —  When it comes to star power, even the Arizona Diamondbacks acknowledge they're no match for the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  Milwaukee has a pair of MVP candidates in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, and pulled the surprise of the off-season when they traded for standout starter Zack Greinke.

Tony Reagins resigns as Angels general manager  —  A day after saying the Angels would have to be creative this off-season to address their roster deficiencies, General Manager Tony Reagins abruptly resigned Friday.  —  He will remain with the ballclub as a special assistant to club chairman Dennis Kuhl.

Greinke to start Game 2, Marcum in Game 3  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  The Brewers just announced that right-hander Zack Greinke will start Game 2 of the NLDS on Saturday against Arizona and right-hander Shaun Marcum will go in Game 3 on Tuesday in Phoenix.

My award picks for 2011 season … The wild card races aren't the only ones that went right down to the wire this season.  The MVP races in the National and American Leagues, which will be announced on Nov. 22 and 23, respectively, had great suspense.  Three players have a real shot at it in the NL and four in the AL.