LEADING OFF: Kershaw, Sale set for Game 1 of World Series  —  A look at what's happening around the major leagues today:  —  FENWAY FRESHMAN  —  Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will pitch at Fenway Park for the first time when he starts Game 1 of the World Series against the Red Sox.

Machado vs. The Haters and 9 other World Series matchups we can't wait to see  —  The 10 most important matchups in the World Series:  —  1. Dodgers Outfielders vs. the Weirdness of Fenway Park  —  The pivotal catch Chris Taylor made in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series …

The manager gets the spotlight, but the front office runs the show now  —  The Washington Post  —  It's worth noting that the World Series, which opens Tuesday night at Fenway Park in Boston, features two managers who had never held the position until they accepted the jobs they currently have.

Red Sox vs. Dodgers: A World Series clash with historic possibilities  —  BOSTON — The 114th World Series is upon us, and if you can stick your personal team proclivities in the vault for a moment, you have to admit that the Red Sox-Dodgers pairing has all the ingredients of a great matchup.

Staff picks for the World Series between the Dodgers and Red Sox  —  Grounds crew members paint the World Series logo behind home plate at Fenway Park in Boston.  (Elise Amendola / AP)  —  Two of the most relentless offenses in the game will test each other's top-heavy pitching staffs, but Boston's just a little deeper on all fronts.

Leaving ‘the steal’ behind in Boston, Dave Roberts took path that led to Dodgers  —  Dave Roberts found the note after his flight home to San Diego.  In the fall of 2004, Roberts and the rest of the Boston Red Sox had paraded down the banks of the Charles River to christen an improbable championship.

A history of Manny Machado's beef with the Red Sox: ‘Coward stuff’  —  After a grueling series that turned Manny Machado into Public Enemy No. 1 in Milwaukee, don't expect the Dodgers star to get much better treatment in Boston.  —  Machado, who spent seven seasons with the Orioles …

Dodgers tap Clayton Kershaw as World Series Game 1 starter  —  BOSTON — Clayton Kershaw was officially announced as the Los Angeles Dodgers' Game 1 starter Monday, but the reality of that became clear Sunday night, when an MLB Network camera caught Kershaw acting out his delivery …

Brodie Van Wagenen, candidate for Mets GM, releases odd statement in midst of club's search  —  In an odd press release sent out by the team's public relations department Monday night, player agent Brodie Van Wagenen confirmed that he had interviewed for the Mets' GM job.

Column: Cubs have followed Red Sox blueprint for success, but they still have work to do  —  Photos of Theo Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  When the new Cubs regime began interviewing managerial candidates in the fall of 2011 …