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 …

Harwell says thanks to baseball friends  —  Fans, players show admiration for broadcaster in cheers  —  DETROIT — Ernie Harwell said thank you to thousands of his friends at Comerica Park on Wednesday night, and many more watching on television.  Fans, players, baseball people, media and officials thanked him back with their cheers.

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 …

Phillies dad a hit with parents all over  —  Family receives gifts from team during appearance on ‘Today’  —  Steve Monforto has been coming to Phillies games since he was three years old, and after all that time, he finally caught his first foul ball on Tuesday night.

Francoeur a fan of ex-teammate Hanson  —  Mets outfielder has high opinion of Braves' rookie righty  —  ATLANTA — When Tommy Hanson made the first seven starts of his career, Jeff Francoeur served as his right fielder.  —  While Hanson was limiting the Mets to seven scoreless innings …

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 …

Yanks rally, walk off with win over Jays  —  Matsui's homer in eighth ties it, Cervelli's hit in ninth wins it  —  NEW YORK — A.J. Burnett could have started mixing his whipped cream cocktail the moment Hideki Matsui's game-tying home run cleared the fence, and he certainly should have been ready …

Chipper Jones of Atlanta Braves, frustrated by slump, injuries, considers retiring in 2010  —  ATLANTA — A drop of almost 100 points from his 2008 NL-leading batting average has Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones wondering if the end of his career is near.

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.

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.

Should admitted cocaine users enter the Hall?  —  As a Hall of Fame voter, Midweek Insider has wrestled  —  greatly with the issue of illegal performance-enhancing drugs like steroids and human growth hormone.  Should it be a disqualifying factor for candidates, even if no legitimate ban against these drugs existed at the time?

Cubs' Harden will miss next start in rotation  —  Cubs right-hander Rich Harden will not take his next turn in the starting rotation, but the team is denying an online report that he has been shut down for the rest of the season.  —  Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said he's not sure that Harden will miss even two starts.