Too much home advantage?  —  Angels notes.  —  Recommend  —  BOSTONA packed house of baseball's most rabid fans and the quirkiest playing field in the majors are intimidating home-field advantages for the Boston Red Sox.  —  But just who is intimidated by that environment is apparently open for debate.

Surfing The Mets  —  Omir Santos' tiebreaking pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning on Wednesday off lefthander Mike Gonzalez looked like it would lift the Mets to a victory.  However, first baseman Daniel Murphy (right) misplayed two balls in the ninth inning, costing Francisco Rodriguez …

So, here's a little news for you  —  I was hoping to keep this quiet another day or two so I could compose my thoughts.  But that's not possible these days.  —  So here it is: I'm leaving The Journal News after nearly 10 years and going to work for The Boston Globe.

Royals' Greinke cuts Tigers division lead with win  —  DETROIT (AP) — Jim Leyland was unhappy.  —  Leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on top of his desk, the Detroit manager didn't relish discussing his team's latest loss to last-place Kansas City.  —  “There's no excuses,” he said.

Kansas City Royals close to signing top pick Aaron Crow, sources say  —  The Kansas City Royals are on the verge of an agreement with their No. 1 draft pick, pitcher Aaron Crow, for a major league deal that will pay him between $3 million and $4.5 million, sources said.

Tampa, Staten Island win championships  —  Affiliates take Florida State, New York-Penn League titles  —  Trent Lare ended the season in Tampa, nearly three months after starting it on Staten Island.  He proved a good luck charm for both teams as the Yankees captured championships …

Yankees hit the road for key trip  —  New York (94-53) at Seattle (75-71), 10:10 p.m. ET  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees zipped up their travel bags after completing their second-to-last homestand by celebrating their 14th walk-off victory of the season on Wednesday, joyously spilling …

Braves icon Jones hints at retirement after 2010 … ATLANTA (AP) — A drop of almost 100 points from his 2008 NL-leading batting average has Chipper Jones wondering if the end of his career is near.  —  Jones, 37, hit a career-best .364 last year, his third straight season over .320.

A Free Country  —  I'm a big fan of Ken Rosenthal.  To me, he is everything I want in a baseball writer.  He loves the game, he works like crazy (Robo-thal), he is passionate about things, he breaks stories left and right, and he is open to new ideas.  He is also one of the good guys in the business …

Unraveling the Batter's Brain  —  [Editor's Note: Dave Baldwin is a former MLB pitcher.  He pitched for the Washington Senators (1966-1969), Milwaukee Brewers (1970), and Chicago White Sox (1973).  His best season was 1967 when he posted an ERA of 1.70 with 12 saves.

Reds asst. GM Miller chats with fans  —  Addresses questions from faithful on a variety of topics  —  Bob Miller: Hello everyone.  Thanks for stopping by.  Let's get to the Q & A.  —  ChangeUp: I think it's great to see Eric Davis working within the Reds organization again.