Could the Fenway Sports Group add a race track to it’s arensal? According to published reports, the Fenway Sports Group has had preliminary discussions with the owner of New Hampshire International Speedway, Bob Bahre, about selling the track. Nothing has really come out of the talks other than that FSG is interested in buying NHIS.

Before the NASCAR season got underway, FSG bought 1/2 of Roush Racing, now known as Roush/Fenway Racing. Members of FSG would like to make the team New England’s home team of NASCAR.

The Roush/Fenway NASCAR drivers are Carl Edwards, David Ragan, Matt Kenseth, Jaime McMurray, and Greg Biffle.

Things would be a lot different for FSG in operating the race track located in Loudon, NH. NHIS only hosts two events a year, while over 81 events are held at Fenway Park. But with FSG being pretty good at what they do, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them buy the track and turn a profit quickly.

Bloggers Anthony of the Oriole Post and Jason of My Baseball Bias and I produce an hour long baseball show every week called, “The Hits Keep Coming” on Blog Talk Radio and on MVN Radio.Every week at 7PM Eastern Time (6PM Central/ 5PM Mountain/ 4PM Western/Pacific) we chat, analyze and comment about the world of Major League Baseball.

Joining us tonight will be Kenrick Thomas from Sports Fan.

If you’d like to call in, the phone number is 718-664-6564 or you can send us an instant message if you use AOL IM at hitskeepcoming20. Join us at: http://blogtalkradio.com/oriolepost or http://mvn.com/radio/ at 7PM Eastern Time tonight!

Topics we’ll discuss tonight:

• Jay Gibbons, Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus and their alleged receipt of performance enhancing drugs
• What should MLB do about the drug problem?
• Roger Clemens pitching with ligament damage in his elbow/Is he all done after this year?
• American League best record gets to pick their schedule for the division series
• Red Sox/Yankees series this weekend. Pitching matchups and the like. Will their be retaliation for throwing at Youk’s head?
• The division and wild card races.

You can listen to last week’s show by going over to the sidebar on the right and looking for the Blog Talk Radio section.

If you are the Boston Red Sox, you want to finish the regular season with the best record in the American League. Why you ask? The team with the best record gets to choose their playoff schedule for the Division Series. Their choices would be a 7 day or 8 day schedule.

The 8 day schedule provides the best advantage. It would allow you to throw your top 2 starters twice and on regular rest. Although that can be disadvantage if the team you are playing has good pitching.

Here is a look at both schedules:

If the records hold as they are now, the Red Sox would host the Indians and the Yankees would head to Anaheim. So if you’re the Red Sox, which one do you choose?

Once the team clinches the best record, they will have one hour to choose which schedule they want.

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In a game that was as ugly as the weather all day Tuesday, the Red Sox outlasted the Devil Rays 16-10. The game featured 26 runs scored, 38 hits, and 13 pitches. The man pictured above, Dustin Pedroia, hit a home run to tie the game at 9 and and after that, the Sox never looked back. Jacoby Ellsbury gave himself a nice birthday present as he hit home run as well as Big Papi and J.D. Drew (homers that is). Tim Wakefield struggled again in his second outing back after missing a start and said it might be something mechanical. I didn’t know that you could have something mechanically wrong throwing a knuckleball. The good thing to come out of this game was th fact that no matter how many runs the Sox were down, they never quit. Jon Lester will step onto the hill for the Sox tonight and hopes to continue his recent good fortunes but before he does, let’s take a look at the headlines from the Boston and Tampa area media on this fall-like morning in New England.

It’s raining runs at Fenway bash [Boston Globe]

Devil Rays Unable To Seal Deal [Tampa Tribune]

No time to panic [Boston Herald]

Like old times, regrettably [St. Petersburg Times]

Super-Sized Comeback [Hartford Courant]

An offensive explosion [Pro Jo]

Rays To Be Cautious With Aces [Tampa Tribune]

Knuckleballer needs to straighten it out [Boston Globe]

Catcher arrives to relieve ailing duo [St. Petersburg Times]

Lugo has yen for Japan [Boston Herald]

Sox proving to be resilient down the stretch [Pro Jo]

Red Sox clued in to game of spy warfare [Boston Herald]

Catcher cashed in with bat [Boston Globe]

For more headlines and stories, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant, Providence Journal, St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

In a game that was a polar opposite of last night’s pitcher’s duel, the Red Sox battled back from deficits of 8-1 and 9-5 to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 16-10 on a dreary night at the Fens. Besides the 26 runs scored, the game featured 38 hits, 20 by the Red Sox and 18 by the D’Rays.

The only hitter on the Red Sox who didn’t have two hits was Kevin Cash while Mike Lowell added 4 hits. The only player who started the game for the Devil Rays without a hit was Carl Crawford. Pinch-hitter Greg Norton also didn’t record a hit. Neither starter lasted that long as Sox starter Tim Wakefield exited after 3+ innings and D’Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine went 3 1/3 innings. The two teams used 13 pitchers in all, 7 by the Sox.

The Devil Rays got the scoring going in the 2nd. After Wake got Delmon Young to strikeout, Brendan Harris planted a hanging knuckler into the Green Monstah seats for a 1-0 lead. Jonny Gomes followed that up with a single and he stole second base Dioner Navarro at the plate. Navarro brought in Gomes with a single for a 2-0 lead. Josh Wilson then doubled moving Navarro to third. Akinori Iwamura brought in the third run of the inning with a single scoring Navarro and moving Wilson to third. Crawford then hit a grounder that forced Iwamura at second as Crawford’s speed didn’t allow the Sox to turn the double play. Wilson scored on the fielder’s choice to make it 4-0 D’Rays. Wakefield finished off the inning by getting Carlos Peña on a comebacker to the mound.

The birthday boy Jacoby Ellsbury got the Sox on the board with a home run in the 3rd inning after Sonnanstine got a strikeout of Cash. Dustin Pedroia followed the homer with a single but was retired when David Ortiz grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Wakefield lasted just three batters in the 4th inning as the D’Rays broke the game open. Navarro led off with double and went to third on a Wilson single. Iwamura chased Wakefield with a double scoring Navarro making it 5-1. Kyle Synder came in and retired Crawford but then he gave up a three-run blast to Peña putting the D’Rays up comfortably 8-1 or so they thought. Synder settled down after the homer getting B.J. Upton and Young to strikeout.

The local nine battled their way back into this potential laugher in their half of the 4th. Lowell led off with a single and went to second on a J.D. Drew single. Sonnanstine retired Kevin Youkilis on a fly out for the first out of the inning. Crisp then singled to load up the sacks full of Sox for Julio Lugo. Lugo brought in Lowell with the Sox second run and left the bags full for Cash. Cash, who was 2 for 21 since being called up, delivered the knockout blow to Sonnanstine with a 2-run single, cutting the lead to 8-4 D’Rays. Scott Dohmann came in and walked Ellsbury. Pedroia delivered a sacrifice fly as Lugo beat the throw home and knocked over Navarro. The error allowed Crisp and Lugo to move up a base. It was all for naught though as Big Papi flew out on the first pitch to end the inning.

Synder started the 5th inning by getting the first two batters out he faced. He then had some control issues as he walked Navarro and Wilson. Terry Francona went to the bullpen for the lefty Javier Lopez to face Iwamura. Lopez gave up a single to him as Navarro scored putting the D’Rays up by four at 9-5. Lopez ended the 5th with a strikeout of Crawford.

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According to sources NFL Security confiscated a video camera and tape used by a New England Patriots employee after Sunday’s game with the New York Jets because he was suspected of stealing signals from the Jets defensive coaches.

The NFL as well as the Jets and Patriots had no comment.

According to the source the camera and tape were placed in a sealed box and taken to NFL heaquarters for review. The incident is a violation of league regulations and if the Patriots were found by the NFL Competition Commitee to have stolen the Jets signals the league could strip them of a draft pick or picks.

This isn’t the first rodeo in these allegations for the Patriots either. Last season, the same employee was removed and escorted from the sideline in Green Bay in a game against the Packers by Green Bay security. The Packers had heard from others that the Patriots were inclined to try to steal signs and were watching for it. No disciplinary action ever stemmed from the incident.

“From what I can remember, he had quite a fit when we took him out,” Packers President Bob Harlan said on Monday.

If the Patriots did this they deserve whatever penalty they get but you also have to realize they just played the Jets and kicked their ass all over the field. The two teams are heated rivals and have been for nearly 50 years. There is also more than a little bit of drama between the two franchises. Former Patriots coach Bill Parcells resigned to coach the Jets and took pretty much the entire staff with him after Super Bowl XXXI. Then a few years later Bill Belichick resigned after one day as Jets head coach to take the Patriots job. Last year the Jets hired defensive coordinator Eric Mangini from the Patriots to be their head coach despite attempts by New England to keep him from taking the job. The two teams frequently battle over free agents as well and one or the other will always call in a recent cut to try to get information on their rival for the next game.

So is this a case of the videographer turned spy or the Jets trying to stick one to the Patriots?

UPDATE Tuesday, September 11 6:30 p.m.

According to sources within the league, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella did indeed tape Jets coaches on Sunday in the Meadowlands breaking NFL rules. Goodell is expected to rule on the sanctions the Patriots will receive after hearing from the team. The sanctions could be known by Friday. Reports are Goodell will strip the team of mulitple draft choices.

The Patriots are also under fire for apparently using too many radio frequencies during Sundays game as well. According to sources the team did not have a satisfactory explanation when asked about possible irregularities in its communication setup during the game.

Boston College football fans can now hope on a charter plane to some away games courtesy of Eagle Destinations. Eagle Destinations is the new brainchild of Red Sox owner John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group. A 200-seat Boeing 757 will be chartered to bring B.C. Eagles fans to games against Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Clemson. Packages for 2 games start about $2,700 and a 1-game package is around $1,100.

Michigan suffered another devastating loss on Saturday as Oregon beat them 39-7. And the news doesn’t get any better for them. Quarterback Chad Henne suffered a leg injury and will miss this Saturday’s game versus Notre Dame. Both squads are 0-2 and will be looking for their first wins of the season.

Another big matchup on Saturday between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers is affected by injuries as well. Florida will be without one of it’s top receivers, Andre Caldwell. He is expected to be out at least two weeks with a knee injury. Tennesse will be without the services of one of their top defensive backs, Antonio Gaines. He will miss the game with an undisclosed injury.

Former University of New Hampshire backup quarterback Hank Hendricks pleaded not guilty in the murder of Hawaiian surfer in San Diego. Hendricks was suspended from the team last week when he was charged with murder, assault and other charges. Hendricks played a allegedly played a role in the beating of the surfer.

Despite being penalized for doing their pregame Maori war dance aptly named a “Haka”, Hawai’i football coach June Jones said his team will continue to do it.

“We were 75 yards removed from the field, doing what we do — something that’s special to Hawaii and special to our fans,” he said. “It was just an unfortunate situation I thought.”

While some people may find it offensive, I don’t see the problem with it. It’s a respected tradition for the team and they shouldn’t be penalized for it.

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Retired Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell has dropped his plan to save Tiger Stadium in order to join forces with a different group who offers a more scaled back version of saving the historic stadium.

Harwell has joined the board of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy whose plan calls for about 3,000 seats being saved with the playing field. This plan is considered a more modest preservation plan for the 95 year old stadium. The group was designated by the city as having the first shot at raising cash to save the field and some of the stadium for public use. The city is eager for some development on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

The announcement removes one obstacle in Mayor Kwame Fitzpatrick’s effort to begin demolishing the aging structure.

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