SOX

Good morning -- Schilling controversy -- Red Sox Nation probably is also upset no one here pronounces it "sawx."

Quote: "When you lose Albert Belle and Robin Ventura, it makes it a little tough. It's a learning experience, but, hopefully, we can make some adjustments instead of just learning." -- White Sox manager Jerry Manuel, whose team has scored 13 runs in its past five games.It's a fact: Wade Boggs is 73 hits away from 3,000.Who's hot: The Red Sox's Jose Offerman is batting .469 (15-for-32) with six doubles, three triples, hitting in all seven games.Who's not: The Tigers have been blanked three times this season and have scored only 13 runs during their six-game losing streak.

Yankees: Have allowed only one unearned run all year, the fewest in the majors.Blue Jays: Have made 10 errors in their past seven games. They've played three straight extra-inning games, winning one.Indians: A magnetic resonance imaging test revealed that Kenny Lofton only had a strained tendon in the back of his leg that caused swelling in a nerve.White Sox: Are expected to call up Wil Cordero from Double-A Birmingham soon, but they're not saying when.Red Sox: Nomar Garciaparra also had five RBIs on April 14 against the Athletics.

MONTREAL -- May was a complete disaster and June has often resembled a sleepwalk. Now comes July and the stop-and-start Orioles are nearing a crossroad not only for this season but also for next.In the next four weeks, the Orioles must determine if they are players or spectators in October. That ruling will come from a combination of pitchers' health, position in the standings and ownership's willingness to concede a lost season. Right now, there is unanimity within the dugout and the front office that this club will not be taken apart until July 20 at the earliest.

BaseballThe 13-14 Harford Sox split a doubleheader with EDRECO last Saturday, losing the first game, 6-5, but winning the second game, 10-0.In the first game, EDRECO held the Sox to four hits through five innings. A late rally fell short, and EDRECO held on for the win.In the second game, Sox pitcher Danny Green took his record to 3-0 with a one-hit shutout. He struck out seven and walked two.The Sox showed early they were not going to crumble. In the first inning, a strong defensive play occurred with a man on third and one out. A fly ball was hit to center fielder Eric Shank who made the play and rifled the ball to catcher Josh Mawhinney, who made the tag at home for the inning-ending double play.

Baseball13-14 -- The Harford Sox defeated Bel Air, 3-1, Wednesday in Metro League action on its home field at C. Milton Wright.Danny Green went the distance for the Sox, striking out nine, walking three and scattering five hits.The Sox took a two-run lead in the first inning. A Bel Air throwing error allowed Chad Blevins to score from third, and a single by Adam Rafalski drove in Paul Isbell.Brad Glascock drove in the Sox's third run on a RBI groundout in the third inning. Eric Shank was 2-for-3 (two doubles)

TORONTO -- And last night the American League playoffs got weird.Not to mention good.The White Sox's pole-thin Lance Johnson hit a home run -- his first in 411 days, and only the fifth of his major-league career spanning more than 2,600 at-bats.The Blue Jays' Tony Fernandez completed a stand-up steal of second while Sox pitcher Jason Bere was standing on the mound with the ball, then had to return to first when the batter hit a foul ball.The Sox's Tim Raines slid safely into second with a double, then was called out for stepping off the base while Fernandez continued to apply a tag.That kind of weird.

BOSTON -- This was the night when neither starting pitcher could afford to blink. The night when both managers dreaded having to call their bullpens for help. Because there wasn't much help out there.The Red Sox had pretty much exhausted their useful arms in the bullpen while rallying to beat the Orioles the night before. And the Orioles' bullpen, well, let's just say that its last few outings had been somewhat less than suitable for family viewing. A night off was badly needed.It made for a particularly easy game to handicap.

BOSTON -- When it comes to role players, you usually think of the Boston Celtics. But if there is an award for the "Super Sub" in the American League, the honor has to go to Carlos Quintana.No further proof of his credentials is necessary after an amazing performance yesterday in which The Q made his debut in leftfield in flawless fashion and spiced the day by driving in six runs -- all in the same inning -- in an 11-6 victory that ended the worst Red Sox victory drought at Fenway Park since 1927.

It was a game with nooks and crannies and all sorts of sweet morals, a sweaty, 188-minute piece of ever-changing theater that left 47,000 fans with sunburns to doctor, a win to celebrate and much to discuss. Down at the bottom line, however, was this one little pearl: The Orioles won because, for a change, they let the other team hand over the game.Of course, the Orioles have usually been the ones doing the handing this season, employing numerous variations on the theme. You don't land 11 1/2 games out in major-league baseball's worst division without -- and please pardon the scratchy English -- blowing a passel of games.

A Marylander who helped shape Oriole Park at Camden Yards and later guided the preservation and expansion of Boston's Fenway Park is looking for a new challenge. Roland Park resident Janet Marie Smith stepped down this summer as senior vice president in charge of planning and development for the Boston Red Sox, a position she has held for the past eight years. Smith said she left the Red Sox last month because her work in Boston was winding down and, after commuting between Baltimore and New England on a weekly basis for years, she is looking for planning opportunities closer to home.

1 The couch is yours: It's your right as an American to sit there and watch college football all day. The first game kicks off at noon. If you have the cable channels, there are 13 live games available today. 2 Different voices: Get Fox's perspective on the Orioles. Their game against the Rays is a rare non-MASN telecast (3:30 p.m., Channel 45). 3 Sox-y matchup: It could be a postseason preview. The American League Central-leading White Sox play the wild-card-leading Red Sox at 7 p.m. on WGN. 4 Horse flies: Curlin is nearly at $10 million in career earnings, and the 2007 Horse of the Year looks to pad his total as the 3-5 favorite in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga.

Today, N.Y. Yankees 7:05 p.m., MASN Tomorrow, Angels 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Saturday, Angels 7:05 p.m., MASN Sunday, Angels 1:35 p.m., MASN Monday, @White Sox 8:11 p.m., MASN2 [Radio: All games on 105.7 FM]

Good morning -- Schilling controversy -- Red Sox Nation probably is also upset no one here pronounces it "sawx."

Spend an hour or so in a big league clubhouse and you?re sure to hear how baseball is a team sport and how all 25 players must contribute for success. Sounds reasonable. But there are some players on each roster who are a whole lotmore important than the rest. Don?t think so? Ask the Boston Red Sox howthey did last yearwhen David Ortiz was sidelined. Here are a dozen individuals in a team game who have the best chances of affecting their club?s legitimate postseason hopes in 2007. 1. J.D. Drew, OF, Boston Red Sox Drew, 31, says not only that he is healthy, but that he has been so for the past few years - not including a freak wrist injury in July 2005.

Now that Enron CEO Jeffrey K. Skilling has been sentenced (and thus fallen out of the news), the rumblings of discontent over Sarbanes-Oxley are getting louder. Much of corporate America detests SOX, as it's often called, because the law's accounting requirements are extensive and costly. They argue that it was an overreaction to the recent accounting and governance scandals and that Washington needs to amp down the reforms. At least the language of protest is cautious - so far. President Bush says he wants the law fine-tuned.

AMERICAN LEAGUE Twins 8, Orioles 5 Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 3 Devil Rays 8, Yankees 0 Tigers 15, Royals 4 White Sox 11, Mariners 7 Angels 6, Athletics 2 Indians 6, Rangers 3 NATIONAL LEAGUE Mets 12, Nationals 6 Phillies 8, Marlins 6 Cubs 11, Reds 4 Astros 7, Cardinals 4 Brewers 10, Giants 8 Rockies 10, Braves 9 Padres 2, Pirates 1 Diamondbacks@Dodgers PGS 14-17D

Today YANKEES 7:05 p.m., CSN Tomorrow YANKEES 4:35 p.m., Ch. 54 Sunday YANKEES 1:35 p.m., Ch. 54 Monday YANKEES 7:05 p.m., Ch. 54 Tuesday RED SOX 7:05 p.m., CSN

Kahne closes in on last spot in Chase Fifth victory of season puts winner on doorstep of 10th place in Nextel Cup championship standings. Pg 5D Index Scoreboard AMERICAN LEAGUE Athletics 10, Orioles 1 Yankees 10, Twins 1 Devil Rays 7, Mariners 6 Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1 Rangers 5, Indians 2 Royals 7, White Sox 3 Angels 2, Tigers 1 NATIONAL LEAGUE Nationals 5, Diamondbacks 3 Phillies 8, Braves 7, Game 1 Braves 3, Phils 1, 11 inn., Game 2...

AMERICAN LEAGUE Orioles 6, Athletics 5 Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1 Twins 6, Yankees 1 Angels 7, Tigers 2 Mariners 4, Devil Rays 3 White Sox 5, Royals 3 Indians 6, Rangers 5 NATIONAL LEAGUE Giants 4, Cubs 2 Braves 4, Phillies 3, Game 1 Phillies 16, Braves 4, Game 2 Nationals 7, Diamondbacks 6, Game 1 Nationals 4, Diamondbacks 3, Game 2 Marlins 9, Brewers 6 Mets 4, Astros 2 Pirates 1, Cardinals 0 Padres 7, Reds 1 Dodgers 14, Rockies 5 ...