Does Crawford's deal impact Jose Reyes?  —  This past weekend, Red Sox owner John Henry told 98.5 FM radio in Boston that he ‘personally opposed signing Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $140 million deal last winter,’ but he deferred to his baseball operations department.

An important start  —  Until last week, there was only well-deserved praise for Jon Lester.  The quiet lefthander beat cancer and helped the Red Sox win the 2007 World Series, starting down a career path that includes a no-hitter and two All-Star selections.

Bradley on the World Series: Texas Rangers' Michael Young shows Derek Jeter-like qualities  —  The comparison was first introduced by Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long.  In an examination of Derek Jeter's unorthodox, inside-out swing, Long was asked if any other hitters reminded him of Jeter.

Game 1 falls on Carpenter's turn to start … Dave Duncan retired the trophy for Understatement of the Year on Monday when he described the Cardinals' blueprint for success in the NL championship series as “a little unorthodox.”  —  Next thing you know, the Cardinals pitching coach may suggest Nyjer Morgan is a bit talkative.

Cashman expects new deal by end of October  —  NEW YORK — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believes that he will have a new contract in place by the time his current deal expires on Halloween, remaining in the position he has held since 1998.  —  “It'll get done between now and Oct. 31st, I'm sure,” Cashman said.

Another one bites the dust  —  I'll be honest with you.  —  Had I known from the beginning that the idea of designing a model to estimate the difficulty of blocking every major league pitch is not a new one—let alone a groundbreaking one—I might have spent significant portions of my free …

Divorce settlement solves one problem for Frank McCourt  —  Without the $130-million settlement with ex-wife Jamie, he would not have been able to maintain ownership of Dodgers without beating Bud Selig in Bankruptcy Court, then winning in divorce court.  —  Two years and three days after Frank …

If Reyes bolts, Mets set to turn to Tejada  —  Ex-infield coach Chip Hale says skipper Terry Collins is ready to give role to Ruben … After the New York Mets completed their 77-85 season, infielder Ruben Tejada reiterated his plan to travel in November from his native Panama to Long Island …

Senators urge baseball to ban tobacco  —  WASHINGTON — Four U.S. senators and health officials from the cities hosting the World Series are urging the baseball players union to agree to a ban on chewing tobacco at games and on camera.  —  The senators, including No. 2 Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois …

Ozzie Guillen fires on White Sox  —  Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen waves to fans following the Sox 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday September 26, 2011 at U.S. Cellular Field.  It was Guillen's final game as manager of the White Sox.  Tom Cruze~Sun-Times

Rosenthal On CBA Talks  —  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the latest on the talks between the players' union and owners as they aim to strike a new collective bargaining agreement...  - It's a coin flip that an agreement will occur during the World Series, a source with knowledge of the discussions tells Rosenthal.