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.

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.

Lester calls clubhouse backlash a ‘witch hunt’ … BOSTON — Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester took the highly unusual step Monday of placing calls to several Boston media outlets, including ESPNBoston.com, to forcefully dispute the way the team has been characterized in the aftermath of its September collapse.

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.

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.

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

Zack Greinke's Wife Was Not Happy with Her NLCS Seats in St. Louis  —  The dislike between the Cardinals and Brewers was evident throughout the season and it carried into the NLCS.  One of the off-field issues between the teams involved the location of the family section seats in St. Louis.

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.