Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden was yet another chapter in the Bruins’ book of struggles to eliminate opponents. BC product Chris Kreider tipped in a perfect pass from Rick Nash at 7:03 in the extra session, forcing Game 5 Saturday night (5:30 p.m., NBCSN) at TD Garden. Boston missed out on a chance to get a sweep and earn some extra rest before the Eastern Conference Finals but most importantly, they gave a team that was truly dead a jolt of life for at least two more days. The Bruins fell to 1-3 in closeout games this postseason, 7-13 with Claude Julien in charge and perhaps most worrisome, 2-8 with Tuukka Rask in goal.

Boston was up 2-0 in the second period thanks to a pair of power-play goals by Nathan Horton and Torey Krug (third goal in four games, incredible) before they gave up two fluky goals to New York. Rask (28 saves) flat-out fell down on a dump in, giving Carl Hagelin the gift of his career, then early in the third Zdeno Chara was stripped behind the net so Derek Stepan was able to wrap around the goal and jam it in while Rask couldn’t react in time. The rest of the frame was equally unpredictable as Tyler Seguin scored his first goal of the playoffs on a rebound after Henrik Lundqvist (37 saves) initially robbed him. Naturally, New York tied it with a power-play goal, yes a power=play goal, by former BC star Brian Boyle. That snapped a 2-for-40 skid in the postseason for the Rangers power play and broke an 0-for-12 stretch vs. Boston.

Adding to the misery, the B’s had numerous wonderful opportunities to end it in overtime before Kreider finished the job. Brad Marchand, Jaromir Jagr and David Krejci, among others, could have ended the Rangers’ season but they didn’t. Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton was in position to stop Kreider but he wasn’t strong enough to get his stick out of the way. Don’t be shocked if Dennis Seidenberg or even Wade Redden return in Game 5 for the Bruins and Hamilton is a healthy scratch. New York sat Brad Richards – their highest paid player – in Game 4 and it seemed to work. Its new fourth line brought much more energy.

Follow Metro Boston Bruins beat writer Richard Slate on Twitter @RichSlate

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Terry Francona’s return to Fenway Park could not have gone any better for him and the Indians, but unfortunately for the Red Sox on the field, it could not have gone any worse. The Indians bats pounded Red Sox pitching in their 12-3 rout Thursday night. The Indians offense came into the game second in the AL with 5.02 runs scored per game.

Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster couldn’t make it into the fourth inning as the veteran was taken out of the game following the third inning after throwing 85 pitches. He allowed four runs on five hits, and walked four. This was the third consecutive bad outing for Dempster.

Things didn’t get much better for Red Sox pitching as Clayton Mortensen came in and allowed five runs on five hits in just two innings of work and Alex Wilson allowed three runs in just one inning. The Indians really blew the game open with a six-run sixth inning.

Craig Breslow, Junichi Tazawa and Andrew Miller followed by throwing scoreless innings each.

The only Red Sox offense came on one swing of the bat, a three-run massive home run from David Ortiz in the third inning. The Sox finished with just seven hits, two of which from Daniel Nava.

The teams will play Game 2 of their four-game set tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) as John Lackey will take to the mound for the Sox and be opposed by former Red Sox Justin Masterson.

What they’ll be saying: Obviously this wasn’t a good night for the Red Sox, especially the outing from Dempster, who has really struggled of late. In his first seven starts (43 innings) he allowed just 14 earned runs, and now in his last three starts (12 2/3 innings) he’s allowed 15 earned runs. The Sox need him to be better as Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz cannot carry the entire starting rotation … The Sox offensive has been very inconsistent of late. One night they will record double-digit hits and double-digit runs, and then the next they can only manage seven hits and three runs. If they want to be considered one of the better teams in the league better consistency will is a must.

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The Rangers have Chris Kreider to thank for not having to wake up Friday to the end of their season.

Kreider’s goal 7:03 into overtime allowed the Rangers to continue their 2013 campaign following a 4-3 win over to the Bruins in Game 4 of the conference semifinals.

“It was definitely a team effort, especially on [the game-winning] goal,” Kreider said.

The 22-year-old left wing has six goals and three assists in 24 career playoff games, dating back to the 2012 postseason. He finished this season with two goals and an assist in 23 NHL regular-season games while shutting between the Rangers and the organization’s AHL affiliate in Hartford.

“I couldn’t be happier for [Kreider],” head coach John Tortorella said. “You guys [in the media] have been kicking my ass all around, all year long, for [not playing him] and he ends up stepping up and making a big play for us.”

The Rangers trail the best-of-seven 3-1. Game 5 is Saturday in Boston.

“We are very positive in the room and we knew we just had to win one game,” Dan Girardi said. “Now we have to go to Boston and try to win another one. We worked so hard to get the win. It’s one game out of the way and now we just have to prepare to get the second one.”

Entering the do-or-die game, Tortorella made drastic changes to the lineup as Micheal Haley and Kris Newbury replaced Arron Asham and Brad Richards in an attempt to add physicality and energy.

“They gave us some good shifts,” Tortorella said of the newly constructed fourth line. “I just needed another line. I need to get four lines involved. This is the way it went.”

The Rangers outhit Boston, 34-31, and collectively played with more of an edge than they had in the first three games.

“We tried to. We tried to get a forecheck. [Newbury’s] line did a great job buzzing and creating some energy for us,” Brian Boyle said. “There were spurts where it wasn’t there but we just hung in there.”

Still, they never led until Kreider’s game-winner.

Nathan Horton opened the scoring 4:39 into the second period with a power-play goal. Michael Del Zotto attempted to clear a David Krejci rebound, but the puck landed on Horton’s stick and the right wing, stationed at the bottom of the left faceoff circle, ripped a shot past Henrik Lundqvist (37 saves) as he moved to the near post.

Torey Krug’s power-play goal nearly three minutes later increased the lead to 2-0. With Del Zotto in the box for interference, Krug hammered a slap shot from inside the blue line for his third goal in four career playoff games — all in this series.

Then the game began to get weird. Carl Hagelin halved the deficit a minute after Krug’s goal with a soft backhander that eluded Tuukka Rask, who had fallen down.

“It gave us life,” Tortorella said. “It’s funny how it works, huh?”

Derek Stepan tied the game at 2-2 1:15 into the third when he took the puck off of Zdeno Chara’s stick behind the Bruins’ net and tucked a wraparound into the cage.

Tyler Seguin gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead 8:06 into the third period with his first of the playoffs. As Ryan McDonagh’s penalty for goaltender interference ended, Seguin stuffed Dougie Hamilton’s rebound past Lundqvist.

The lead lasted for all of 1:54. Brian Boyle equalized with a power-play goal at the 10:00 mark of the third and the game remained tied until Kreider’s game-winner.

“We did show some character,” Lundqvist said. “It just turned around for us.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The good news is that there is no rib cage damage, according to an MRI. Freddy Galvis is expected to start at second base until Utley returns. Utley has missed 122 games over the past two seasons.

“We are being cautious with this injury as it is a trick one and want to make sure it isn’t an issue for him throughout the season,” Amaro said in a statement.

Chase Utley at the Six Annual Utley All-Stars Animal Casino Night benefiting the Pensylvania SPCA. Credit Paige Ozaroski

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The Phillies enjoyed a much-deserved off-day Thursday. Well, most of them did as Chase Utley awaited MRI results.

The team is back in action Friday night in D.C. against the rival Nationals. The Phillies will throw out surprising star right-hander Kyle Kendrick in the opener of a three-game set. Kendrick has been a revelation this season going 4-2 with a 2.82 ERA. He has 41 strikeouts against just 14 walks.

Kendrick, long known for his inconsistency, seems to have found his groove after seven seasons in Philadelphia. He was tied for the team-lead in victories before Cliff Lee picked up his fifth win Wednesday night.

So, what’s been the biggest change?

“People have gotten on me about being inconsistent,” Kendrick told reporters earlier this season. “I’ve had five good games and then three bad, so I’m trying to just be consistent every time out. Be me, be different.”

Consistency — and adding a dangerous changeup as his secondary pitch.

“[Earlier in my career], I didn’t want to throw it,” Kendrick said. “Now I’ll throw it [changeup] any count.”

If Kendrick can provide another consistent outing for the Phils, they’ll have a great shot at getting to the .500 mark, at 24-24. A win would tie them with the Nationals for second place in the NL East.

“I think we can beat them [Washington],” Lee said after Wednesday’s win. “If we execute and do what we can do, we can beat anyone.”

Extra bases
The Phillies made a minor roster move and provided an update on their newest pitcher on their off-day.

» Michael Stutes is back in the bullpen, some 13 months after recording his last out. The Phils recalled the reliever from the minors and optioned the struggling Phillippe Aumont.

» Carlos Zambrano threw an extended spring training game in Florida. He allowed one run (unearned) in four innings, while striking out four.

» The Phillies have partnered with the city’s tourism board for “Celebrate Tourism Event” on May 28. The Phanatic will dress in colonial garb and march around Old City. Phillies tickets will be on sale to visitors at the Independence
Visitor Center.

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Farmingdale State center A.J. Matthews grew up 10 minutes from the Barclays Center and has a sister working in concessions. If he can do enough to impress executives from teams around the NBA, Matthews might find himself stepping on the court to play.

The 7-foot-1 Matthews is not listed in many mock drafts but he has warranted some attention and took the first step toward possibly getting an opportunity by competing in the opening session of the second day of the NBA combine hosted by the Nets in conjunction with the Rockets and Clippers on Thursday.

The first step is showing he can compete against a higher level of competition than he faced in the Division III Skyline Conference. Matthews was not invited to last month’s Portsmouth Invitational, but earned an invite to Brooklyn after leading Division III in rebounding (16.3 per game) and double-doubles (26) while finishing third in blocks (3.67 per game) and 11th in scoring (22.4 points per game).

“When you’re playing 5-on-5, running up and down, it shows your stamina, your conditioning, your play against other big men,” Matthews said. “It shows your jumping ability as far as individuals you don’t really [get to] show what you can do against somebody else. I feel it helped me out a lot. It showed me I can [play] with these upper class guys as far as Division I, because I knew I could before I even got here. I wasn’t even worried about that. I just want to show everyone else that coming from D-3 I can play with other guys.”

It’s not the first time he has drawn attention from the NBA scouting community. During the season, scouts from the Nets, Knicks, Bobcats, Wizards, Pacers, Bulls, Magic and Lakers attended his games and watched as he generated offense mostly on high-percentage shots and put-backs.

To prepare for being on the court at the same time with 10 other players all from Division I, Matthews spent most of the past two months focusing on jump shooting in workouts.

He began to focus on the draft after his final college game, a 71-46 loss to Purchase in the conference tournament. In that game, Matthews scored 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including going 7-for-15 on jump shots.

“After the season, I really worked on it a lot as far as shooting jump shots,” Matthews said. “Guys are a much smaller than me [in Division III] and I feel like I didn’t need to shoot a jump shot or work on a 3-point shot because guys are smaller than me or out of shape maybe.

“So I feel like after the season when I come here, I know I have to work on a jump shot because I’m going to be playing against guys that’s much bigger than me, stronger, height wise and tall and whatever the case may be. So I tried to work on my overall game a lot but I felt like it got better, much better.”

Matthews did not start playing basketball until 11th grade at Harry Van Arsdale High School in Williamsburg. He caught some Division I attention from UMass, Rutgers and St. John’s, but it never materialized as he could not qualify academically. Instead, he went to prep school in Harrisburg, Pa. before going to Monroe Community College in New Rochelle, N.Y. and Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Matthews did enough in college to get invited to a workout with 43 other players looking for a chance. If he can succeed in the next stage, an individual workout with a team, he will become the fourth Division III player to be drafted and first since the Lakers took Devean George from Augsburg College (Minn.) in 1999.

Miami’s Scott works out for Lakers

Former Rice High School (Bronx, N.Y.) star, and close friend of Kemba Walker, Durand Scott was among those participating on Day 1 of the combine on Wednesday. The Miami (Fla.) product is currently not listed on any mock drafts but he is hoping that changes after playing point guard in the event.

“They bring me out here in the point and I just try and get my guys in the best possible position to get the basketball and just go out there and just try to be a leader on the court,” Scott said. “I think I did today and in the same vein I looked for my shot and hit a couple of 3s.”

Scott was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 13.1 points per game in leading the Hurricanes to the Regional semifinals along with Shane Larkin. It earned him an invite to Portsmouth where he scored 22 points in two games and earned a workout with the Lakers.

“It was great, different,” Scott said. “They were my first workout and I kind of got my feet wet and kind of see how hard it is and things like that. It went pretty well. All you can do is play as hard as you can and that’s what I tried to do.”

Nets begin draft prep without coach

Even though Nets general manager Billy King has yet to name a successor to fired head coach P.J. Carlesimo, their personnel department has spent the last year going to college games and other related events looking to see if anyone besides the obvious names might stand out when it comes time to find a player with the No. 22 selection in the first round.

“I think it’s always a little bit easier when you have a head coach in place,” said Nets director of player personnel Gregg Polinsky. “That being said, the one thing about Billy is that the personnel people have been out seeing these people all year long [and] we’ve done our homework. At the end of the day the decision will be made by Billy.

“The information will be supplied by personnel people on where we think this fits and how we’re going to list these guys in terms of order of preference. So the coach is always important but I think being here, knowing what the foundation is and knowing what our team looks like going forward puts us in position to do it without a coach at the present time.”

Polinsky did not get into specifics but among the players who impressed him were Louisville’s Peyton Siva, Baylor’s Pierre Jackson and Long Beach State’s James Ennis.

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher for news on the team leading up to the draft.

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This No. 15, unlike their last one, might actually be given the chance to make an impact for the Jets .

Zach Rogers, an undrafted rookie free agent who is trying to latch on with the Jets, is making a case to get a look at next month’s minicamp and perhaps beyond. Rogers comes to the Jets as an underappreciated wide receiver at Tennessee, where last year he was fourth on the Volunteers in receiving yards. But he’s a solid route runner with very quick feet and even faster hands and he comes to the Jets with a legitimate chance at making the roster.

And he inherits jersey No. 15, the same number worn last year by quarterback Tim Tebow, who was released shortly after the NFL Draft. Tebow, of course, is the much-talked-about and highly scrutinized quarterback who spent an underwhelming season with the Jets in 2012.

“When I got here, that was the number given to me. I literally just walked in and that was the number given to me,” Rogers said following OTAs earlier this week. “I knew it was his number, as I watched him last year, but I just wanted to roll with it.”

Before the NFL Draft, Rogers prepared for his Pro Day at the Volunteers’ facility at D1 Sports Training just outside of Nashville, Tenn. There he was joined in his workouts by none other than Tebow himself.

The Jets’ last No. 15 was throwing passes to the Jets’ current incarnation of that number.

“He was great to work with and a great guy,” Rogers said. “He was always very open with us and willing to give his time and share his thoughts on playing in the league. He was a great guy.”

Rogers was often overlooked in an offense which boasted wide receivers Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson. During his Pro Day at Tennessee earlier this spring, Rogers was clocked running a 4.49-second time in the 40-yard dash and he has drawn comparisons to Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola.

He always seems to be in the right spot and he said he worked hard in college on developing quick hands so he can show for the ball and get yards after the catch.

“That’s what I need to do to make a name for myself,” Rogers said. “I’m not big in stature, I’m not the fastest guy out there, but I have to work technique to open up leverage for me.”

Tebow’s time with the Jets was lackluster to say the least. He was used only in the Wildcat offense and on special teams as a personal punt protector. Not one of his eight passes thrown last year was in the conventional offense. He arrived in New York to a press conference with 150 media memebers and a dozen television cameras. He left with questions about his NFL future.

Rogers is hoping his future in the NFL is bright. He earned praise from head coach Rex Ryan two weeks ago during rookie minicamp.

Unlike Tebow, Rogers is hoping to stick around for a while.

“I know Tim made a name for himself here wearing that number and I want to do the same,” Rogers said. “I need to go out there and work hard and show the coaching staff what I can do so that No. 15 is my own.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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There were so many ups and downs in a roller coaster season for the Sixers.

Holiday earned his first All-Star berth and assumed a leadership role at the same time. He elevated his game higher than ever and literally carried the Sixers for much of the season. But he also watched his team struggle as center Andrew Bynum never was able to suit up because of lingering knee problems.

Coach Doug Collins eventually resigned after his third season.

Still, the ever-improving 22-year-old Holiday chose to look at the future in a positive way.

“I’m a humble person and I was raised that way,” Holiday said recently. “I think it’s important to be that way. I don’t get cocky ever. Am I a confident player? Of course. It’s all in how you carry yourself. We had some tough things happen to us this season, things you can’t control like injuries. How do you handle it all?

“I tried to maintain a good demeanor and come ready to play every day. If you’re not humble and down to earth, you’ll get humbled. I believe that. I know the future is bright for me and for the Sixers. There are decisions to be made. I look at every step as an experience and I’m a much more experienced player than when I first came into the league.”

Jrue Holiday was one of the lone bright spots for the Sixers in a disappointing season.

The Sixers have a plethora of roster decisions to make.

While new President/GM Sam Hinkie tweaks the roster, Holiday will be working out in California and preparing for next season.

He’ll also be busy off the court as he will marry longtime girlfriend, Lauren Cheney, a standout soccer player for the U.S. Women’s National Team. The ceremony is scheduled for July.

“She’s a great player and I don’t know how she does it with all that running and the training that goes into it,” Holiday said. “It’s going to be a great, great day and I’ll get to enjoy it with my family and friends.”

When it’s time for the 2013-14 season, there will be a new coach and a number of new players alongside Holiday.

“Every team in the league will alter their roster, even the one team that wins the championship,” Holiday said. “This organization is committed to winning and I’m committed to being here helping to get them to where they want to go in the long run.”

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On Monday, we got our first look at Wes Welker in a Broncos uniform catching passes from Peyton Manning.

What a way to start the workweek …

But shortly after, fans were reminded that while yes, New England did lose one of the greatest slot receivers in the history of the NFL, there’s still hope that the slot receiver they did sign, Danny Amendola, can be a real asset to the team this season.

But if Amendola is going to be held to the same standards as Welker on Day 1, there’s a good chance disappointment will set in early. It’s no easy task to replicate the success that Welker had here in New England, and Amendola isn’t getting caught up in that either way.

“That’s not something I need to worry about,” he told reporters Tuesday. “I’m worried about the playbook and getting the routes down and getting on the same page with my teammates.”

It’s probably best if Amendola doesn’t try to compare himself to Welker. In eight seasons, Welker has only missed three games. He’s caught 768 balls for 8,580 yards and 38 touchdowns. Amendola has four seasons under his belt, two of which were injury-plagued (he played just one game in 2011) and he’s hauled in 196 career receptions for 1,726 yards and seven touchdowns.

Still, there wasn’t anything too special about Welker before Tom Brady came along. While Brady probably would like to see his friend back with the team, he’s ready to work with the receivers he’s got, and he too isn’t much into comparisons.

And speaking of comparisons, it’s safe to say Amendola doesn’t have many for his new QB.

“I said it [Tuesday] — he darted me in the chest with one ball and inside my head I was just like, ‘Wow, this guy can really wing it,’” Amendola said. “And that’s why he’s Tom Brady.”

And that’s why, just maybe, the Patriots will be just fine.

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Tim Cahill had been through a scoring drought before. He also knows there are more important things in soccer than just scoring goals.

The captain of the Australian national team and one of the Red Bulls’ two designated players, much is expected of Cahill here in New York. Cahill signed with the team last summer and has the third-highest salary in MLS at $3.625 million. After signing with the Red Bulls last summer, he made an early splash and scored in his third match in mid-August.

He wouldn’t score again until late April of this year when he netted two goals in Toronto, ending a stretch of 19 games without a goal.

That drought, and a similar one at Everton where he once went 34 games without scoring, were never a concern for him, even in a league where big-money players are expected to score goals.

“I played 42 games [that season] and we finished top seven or six. I was a big part of that team. I played a different role and it isn’t always about scoring. Throughout my career I’ve scored important goals, a lot of winners and game changers. At the start of [this] season, I had chances that weren’t going in and it doesn’t faze me,” Cahill told Metro New York in an exclusive interview. “I actually feel that I probably played better at the start of the season than in some of the games where I scored goals but it doesn’t matter because it is all about assists and goals here. It makes no sense to me when someone says you haven’t scored in eight games. Now you see me still playing defensively and scoring goals.”

Counting the Toronto game, he now has four goals in the last five games including a last-gasp header this past Sunday in a 1-0 win over defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles. But all along, his merits were more than scoring goals.

To his teammates, he is a leader. To his head coach, he is instrumental to the team’s very fabric on and off the field.

“I never considered him a goal scorer,” head coach Mike Petke said. “Yes, he’s a midfielder who can score goals but his ball movement, his vision, his pressing, then his leadership in the locker room for the young guys, his role model status for the young guys who watch the work that he puts in [are as important].”

Spend some time with Cahill and it quickly becomes apparent he isn’t the prototypical, flashy designated player in this league. After training at the Red Bulls facility at Montclair State University earlier this week, Cahill sat for this interview in a simple white T-shirt and jean shorts. He is substance over style.

“That’s all I know how to do, is lead a team — to be the player that they turn to on and off the park [and] be the guy who basically takes the rap for anything,” Cahill said. “To be a DP is one thing but the other side of it as well as being that player, well, I don’t mind not being in the limelight. My game is all about getting three points and getting the result.”

Cahill boasted an impressive resume before coming to MLS and yet was still very much in his prime when he signed with the Red Bulls last summer. Fellow designated player Thierry Henry came to the Red Bulls in large part due to his affinity for New York City, where he has an apartment and enjoys engrossing himself in the culture and the lifestyle. But when he signed with the Red Bulls last summer, Cahill wasn’t drawn to New York City as much as a lifestyle change.

He lives in north Jersey with his wife and four children and the change from Liverpool-based Everton, his last club, is something he calls “priceless.” The pressure and lifestyle associated with the sport in England and here in the United States is night and day and as a family man Cahill is soaking up this new experience.

“My kids enjoy the New Jersey lifestyle of space and the sunshine. I didn’t buy into the bright lights. I’ve only been here once with Everton and I wasn’t a big fan of being a footballer and being in the bright lights. Concentration is the most important thing and taking my job seriously,” Cahill said. “Yes, I’ve had some amazing times watching basketball and ice skating in Central Park and Broadway shows. But for me at 33, the most important thing is enjoying the games on the weekend, watching my kids play and enjoy school activities. For me, in England I was a robot. Here I’ve sort of got my life back.”

Follow Red Bulls beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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Brad Richards will not play in Game 4 and he may never again play as a member of the Rangers.

Richards told reporters following the Rangers’ optional skate at the Garden Thursday morning that he was scratched for the win-or-go-home game.

“I’m just disappointed,” Richards said. “[I will] work harder and try my best to never let it happen again.”

Signed to a nine-year, $60 million free agent deal on July 2, 2011, Richards has not been the dynamic, top-line center the organization has long lusted after. In two years with the Rangers, Richards totaled 100 points (36 goals and 64 assists) in 128 games, and he finished the truncated 2013 season with 34 points (11 goals and 23 assists) in 46 games.

Following the trade deadline acquisition of Derick Brassard in April, Richards was ostensibly dropped to the third line. During the Capitals series, Richards was dropped to the fourth line with Arron Asham and Chris Kreider.

Richards recorded 147:10 of ice time, an average of 14:43 per game. In the first three games of the series against the Bruins, Richards had only been on the ice for 31:41.

“Yes,” Richards said, when asked if it was difficult to contribute offensively with the limited minutes. He has one goal and a minus-3 rating in 10 playoff games this spring.

Head coach John Tortorella, whom Richards won a Cup with in 2004 with the Lightning, has routinely said it is a mistake to judge the center solely by his stats. During the 2011-12 season, Tortorella pointed to Richards’s mentoring of the Rangers’ young players, most notably Michael Del Zotto, off the ice.

However, on the ice, Richards never quite meshed with Marian Gaborik in 2011-12 or Rick Nash this year. His lack of production coupled with his contract and the organization’s salary cap status has led to rumors the Rangers may amnesty his contract this summer as per the new collective bargaining agreement.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed in an email to Metro New York that the Rangers have one more amnesty buyout available to them to use either this summer or next. The Rangers amnestied Wade Redden following the end of the lockout, and he subsequently signed a one-year deal with St. Louis. The Blues traded Redden to Boston at the trade deadline.

Should the Rangers amnesty Richards, the Rangers would have $20.2 million in salary cap room this summer, with Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello all in line for restricted free agent contracts, while Ryane Clowe is an unrestricted free agent. Next summer, Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi and Henrik Lundqvist are all unrestricted free agents.

Injury updates …

» Clowe, Darroll Powe and Marc Staal all participated in the optional skate Thursday morning. Staal characterized himself as “status quo.” Roman Hamrlik replaced Anton Stralman in the lineup. Stralman left Game 3 after 12:25 of ice time spanning the first two periods following a thunderous check from Boston left wing Milan Lucic.

Game 4 will be Hamrlik’s first game action since the 4-2 win over Winnipeg on April 1.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The Giants’ offseason minicamp claimed its first victim just two plays into the first session.

Starting fullback Henry Hynoski underwent an MRI on Thursday, which discovered he’d torn his left MCL and suffered a chip fracture to his lateral plateau. The lateral plateau is the flat top of the tibia at the knee joint.

He will undergo surgery on Friday at The Hospital for Special Surgery performed by team doctor Russell Warren.

The team is hopeful Hynoski will be ready by the start of the regular season in September.

“I am going to set my mind to being ready for the first game of the regular season,” Hynoski said. “They said that is not an unrealistic goal, and I will do everything in my power to be ready for the start of the season.”

Hynoski crumpled to the ground on a running play on just the team’s second play of the organized team activities. He had to be carted off the field.

“He kind of got [his leg rolled up on] and so we are taking a look at that,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “I said a few prayers and I’ll continue until I hear what it is.”

Hynoski is an old school fullback, but plays an important role in blocking on running plays. He rarely received any handoffs, with just five in his two years with the team. He did have 11 catches and a touchdown last season. He had 12 receptions as a rookie in 2011.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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Cliff Lee had nearly as many hits as he allowed to the Miami Marlins.

The Marlins won the head-to-head hits battle against Lee, 3-2, but barely topping the opposing team’s pitcher in hits isn’t going to win many games at the big-league level. That held true Wednesday night in Miami.

The Phillies pulled to within one game of the .500 mark with their series-ending 3-0 win over the lowly Marlins (13-34).

Lee picked up the complete game shutout. He struck out five and walked just two Miami batters in improving his record to 5-2 on the season. He also saw his batting average jump to .316 with his two-hit performance at the plate.

It wasn’t just Lee getting hits, though, as the Phillies pounded out 12 hits against Marlins starting pitcher Kevin Slowey and a cast of relievers.

Delmon Young continues to swing a hot bat for the Phils. He hit a home run for the second straight game to get the Phillies’ offense going.

Domonic Brown added a two-out RBI triple in the sixth inning and Freddy Galvis drove home Brown to round out the Phillies’ scoring.

Chase Utley missed his second consecutive game with sore ribs. He is scheduled for an MRI.

The Phillies (23-24) now head to Washington for a three-game set with their division rivals. The series begins Friday  night.

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After dropping the first two games of the series, the Red Sox sent stopper Clay Buchholz to the mound and he delivered, leading the Red Sox to a 6-2 win over the White Sox Wednesday night in Chicago. The Red Sox finished their nine-game road trip with a 6-3 record.

What more is there to say about Buchholz, who has been outstanding thus far this season and that continued Wednesday night. The right-hander went seven innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking three and striking out four throwing 113 pitches. The only blemish came in the third inning on an Alex Rios RBI ground out.

The offensive got things going early in the first inning on a two-RBI single from David Ortiz and then they added two insurance runs in the eighth on an sacrifice fly from Will Middlebrooks and then Mike Napoli scored on a passed ball. The Sox added another two in the ninth on a two-RBI single from Daniel Nava.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless eighth and Andrew Bailey, making his first appearance after coming off the disabled list Monday, allowed a home run to Paul Konerko to account for the second White Sox run in the ninth.

Ortiz led the nine-hit Red Sox attack with two hits and an RBI. Jacoby Ellsbury had a good night as well going 2-for-3 with two walks. Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia, Napoli, Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all hit safely for the Sox in the win.

The Red Sox will return home Thursday night (7:10, NESN) to welcome Terry Francona and the Indians to Fenway Park. Ryan Dempster will start for the Red Sox and be opposed by Zach McAllister.

What they’ll be saying: This was a much needed win for the Sox after dropping the first two games of the series. All in all it was a successful road trip as they went 6-3, highlighted by their weekend sweep of the Twins last weekend. The starting pitching showed signs of improvement after a rough go around the past few times through the rotation … Buchholz improved to 7-0 with the win and joined Tampa’s Matt Moore and Arizona’s Patrick Corbin as the only undefeated pitchers with at least seven wins this season. His ERA dropped to 1.73 on the year.

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On the surface, the similarities are eerie: the Bruins lead an Eastern Conference semifinal series 3-0 with Tuukka Rask (7-3, 2.19 GAA, .930 save percentage) in net.

Yes, three long years ago Boston became only the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead when they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers. Who could ever forget that? However, the franchise was able to pick up the pieces quickly as it won its first Stanley Cup in 39 years the very next season, which included a sweep of Philadelphia in the Eastern semis.

Rask would never say it publicly, but Thursday’s Game 4 (7 p.m., CNBC) at Madison Square Garden represents a big moment in his promising young career. He has the chance to further bury the painful memories of 2010 with a sweep of the Rangers and the B’s can reach their second Eastern Conference Finals in three years with a victory Thursday.

Rask and the club obviously have big goals in mind (namely a Stanley Cup) but for a guy that had to toil in Tim Thomas’ long shadow all season and answer numerous questions about that whole situation, one would think that winning Game 4 would certainly provide a big lift mentally and emotionally going forward.

Follow Metro Boston Bruins beat writer Richard Slate on Twitter @RichSlate

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Some of the more cynical NFL fans out there will say that it “pays to cheat.”

According to Forbes, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and New Orleans Saints boss Sean Payton are the two highest paid coaches in sports. Belichick routinely draws the ire of opposing fan bases for his role in the 2007 “SpyGate” scandal and Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season for his role in the Saints’ “BountyGate” saga.

Payton has actually surpassed Belichick on the list as he makes, roughly, $8 million per year while Belichick is reportedly tied for second with new Chiefs coach Andy Reid at $7.5 million per. Belichick has not publically discussed his contract status in years, last addressing the issue in 2007.
“I don’t talk about contracts but I would say I like working here, I like the organization; ownership, coaches, scouts, players and the guys I work with,” Belichick said in July of that year. “I appreciate the opportunity to work here and it’s a good situation. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers was also on the list, in the top 10, as he makes $7 million per year.

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Chase Utley is the latest Phillie bitten by the injury bug.

The second baseman was scratched from Tuesday night’s lineup after experiencing pain in his right rib cage during batting practice. He’ll undergo an MRI Thursday in Philadelphia.

Utley spoke briefly with reporters Wednesday and admitted to feeling “scared.” Some are speculating he could be headed to the DL.

“It definitely scared me a little bit,” Utley told reporters. “My first swing, I felt something. My second swing, I felt it again. My third swing, I felt it again. After the fourth swing, I realized something wasn’t right.”

Freddy Galvis has been filling in at second base as the team awaits Utley’s test results. Utley, who has been known to hide injuries in the past, was open and honest about it with skipper Charlie Manuel. Both player and coach are preaching patience.

“You want to be careful with these things because they could linger and get worse if you try to play through it,” Utley said. “I think we caught it early enough, but it’s hard to know until we have some imaging on it.”

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Darroll Powe sat at his stall yesterday and regaled the media with memories of the Flyers’ 2010 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Philadelphia trailed the Bruins 0-3 after the first three games of their second-round series and were down 3-0 after the first 14:10 of the first period of Game 7 before rallying to win the deciding game 4-3. Powe compared the task to climbing a mountain.

The symbolism could not be more appropriate for the Rangers, who enter tonight’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals best-of-seven-series in a similar 0-3 hole.

The Rangers have trailed 0-3 in a best-of-seven series nine times in their history. Six times they have been swept.

The 2010 Flyers, 1975 Islanders and 1942 Maple Leafs are the only three teams in NHL history to win a playoff series after falling behind 0-3.

“You win that one game and things start to change,” Powe said. “After that you worry about the next game, and you realize as you keep going that your confidence builds and grows, and you see the other side kind of go the other way. You can’t do any of that without a big next game.”

But the overriding question is whether the Rangers, facing an opponent that is bigger, stronger, faster and deeper than the Capitals, is able to generate the kind of complete game effort needed to win Game 4.

Boston has more shots on goal (114-96), won more faceoffs (99-81), more hits (115-114) and one more power-play goal (1-0) than the Rangers.

At even strength, the Bruins have outscored the Rangers 9-5. Eleven Bruins have recorded at least one point in the series. Boston’s top line of Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Milan Lucic has combined for four points (a goal and three assists) and a plus-4 rating in the three games. Their fourth line of Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille has six points (two goals and four assists) and a plus-9 rating.

In comparison, only three Rangers — Brian Boyle, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan — have a plus rating in the series. All three are plus-1. Nine Rangers have recorded a point in the series, led by the trio of Ryan Callahan, McDonagh and Rick Nash, who have two points (a goal and an assist for all three) apiece in the series.

“I think having the puck more starts with getting the puck from the other team — that’s where we have struggled a little bit with our coverages, in our end zone as far as them sustaining battles there,” head coach John Tortorella said. “Again, not to enhance Boston but they’re a pretty good team, too. That’s a big part of their game. So at times we’re good at it but we’re just not consistent enough.

“We’re trying to forecheck. But you have to play good defense to get anywhere in [the] playoffs and to even think of winning a championship, you have to play good defense. It’s not being this defensive-oriented team; it’s playing good, strong defense and I don’t think we’ve done that consistently enough.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Four of the biggest names in Philly sports — or at least four of the biggest wallets — gathered Wednesday morning to speak on a panel discussing “The Impact of Sports.” The panel included Eagles GM Howie Roseman, Flyers president Peter Luukko, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and Sixers CEO Adam Aron.

They talked on a variety of topics, most notably how sick of losing they are, and they seemed to answer questions as if they cared about the fans. Aron joked that they have the most enjoyable jobs on the planet “when our teams are winning.”

Luukko drew criticism from 94 WIP’s Angelo Cataldi when he admitted that giving out detailed, up-to-date medical updates to the public isn’t a top priority. Remember, the NHL is the only league that doesn’t require teams to disclose the exact locations of injuries on a player’s body.

“I know it frustrates the media,” Luukko said, “but we really don’t care.”

The sports executives were joined on stage by various media personalities, team physicians and Gov. Tom Corbett.

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Paine’s Park, a public skate park adjacent to the art museum, officially opened to the public on Wednesday. Wedged between the Schuylkill River and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the park stretches across about three acres set on the Schuylkill Trail. The park is intended for pedestrians and not just skaters with the inclusion of green space, benches and cobblestone paths.

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Cole Hamels had an easy out last season. He could have passed on $144 million last July and opted to test the waters of free agency.

It wasn’t just cash Hamels left behind. He also might have passed on a life preserver that would have brought him to a winning team.

Hamels could have said that he loved his time in Philadelphia during his departing press conference, but it was time to leave an aging core. But Hamels has always enjoyed playing for the Phillies, just like Jimmy Rollins. King Cole and J-Roll are a pair of native Californians that reside in the Delaware Valley year round.

Philadelphia is home to Hamels but, after posting a 1-7 record with little run support, does the proud lefty have any regrets about staying?

Will Hamels become the first major leaguer since Mike Maroth in 2003 to lose 20 games? If the Phillies’ offense doesn’t find an elixir, which somehow enables the team to become more selective and find a way to get on base more often, Hamels could hit 20 losses. It would be ironic since many pundits thought he could win 20 games.

Hamels failed to answer questions after an inexplicable loss to the wretched Marlins, who only have nine wins against teams not named the Phillies. Hamels was exceptional Monday night in a 2-1 defeat. Great fastball, outstanding changeup.

What could Hamels say?

“I’ll be fine this season if I pitch like I’m capable,” Hamels said during spring training. “Our offense will be better now that Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will start the season and we have Michael Young.”

The offense is somehow worse this season making it harder on the starters.

“Hamels has been uneven, but he doesn’t deserve this record,” a NL scout said. “How can they be that bad in games he starts [1-9]? You have to wonder if he wishes he went elsewhere in the offseason.”

Can Hamels lose 20 in 2013?

“Absolutely,” the NL scout said. “If he doesn’t get injured. They’ll continue to throw him out there and if the offense doesn’t get better, I don’t know why it would get better, he should continue to lose since he gets no support.”

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The Giants officially kicked off the 2013-14 season with organized team activities (OTAs) Wednesday as veterans joined the minicamp participants who were lucky enough to earn a spot on the camp roster.

Conspicuous by their absences, however, was the Giants’ starting pair of wideouts, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. Cruz’s contract saga is well-publicized, so it wasn’t a huge surprise he didn’t attend. But Nicks’s absence was met with a testy response from head coach Tom Coughlin, who expected his veteran receiver to be front and center when the first unit was on the field.

“He should be here,” Coughlin said when asked about Nicks’s no-show.

It’s unknown the reason for Nicks’s absence, but perhaps it had to do with safety precautions, since the former first-round pick endured an injury-riddled 2012-13 season. Nicks broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot during last year’s OTAs, and judging by the many slips on the slick outdoor practice field and an apparent knee injury to fullback Henry Hynoski, perhaps Nicks was clairvoyant in avoiding the session.

Coughlin wouldn’t allow for Nicks perhaps using last season’s foot injury as a reason to skip the workouts, saying that even if that was the case, the Giants would’ve taken the necessary precautions with their prized wideout.

“He would have some kind of limitations, I’m sure,” said Coughlin. “But that’s not the reason [he's not here].”

Eli Manning, ever one to shy away from controversy, wanted no part of the sagas that currently plague his wideouts, but did allow he was shocked to find out Nicks no-showed.

“I had no reason to think he wasn’t going to be here,” Manning said.

Ever the optimist, though, Manning used Cruz’s and Nicks’s absences as a teachable moment for the other wideouts in attendance and said he still used the session as a way to bond with them and get them important repetitions.

“Right now, I’m just worrying about myself, and executing. The guys that are here, we’re just trying to make sure that everybody gets better and up to speed, especially the young guys getting involved,” Manning said. “It was good getting everybody who was here a lot of reps and involved, and having time with them. So whoever is on the field, we expect them to play and perform at a high level. … The more guys you have who are experienced and ready to go and play different positions, the better off you’re going to be.”

About the only thing Manning said about Nicks’s absence that hinted at disappointed was when he was asked if he could understand guys missing time for health reasons – should that ultimately be the case for Nicks.

“You want to make sure guys are healthy at the start of the year, but there’s also a time to get work in also and improve,” Manning allowed. “You have to rep things and make sure you’re playing at our best. That involves being healthy, but also involves practicing and getting reps.”

One guy who certainly doesn’t mind the extra reps is third-year wideout Jerrel Jernigan. The former Troy star has been mostly used as a return specialist, but with the absences of the star wideouts, Jernigan ran with the first unit, alongside newcomer Louis Murphy.

Jernigan has taken incremental steps during his time in New York, so he’s looking forward to really taking advantage of the newfound playing time.

“It’s wide open and we’re all competing. I’m putting in a lot of work,” said Jernigan. “This year, going into my third season, it’s time to go out there and make plays and prove myself. Until [Cruz] comes back I’ll be the ‘Z’ [the wideout closest to the tight end] and try to make plays.”

Jernigan has only registered three catches for 22 yards in his career — all coming last season — so he’s a longshot to steal any playing time from the veterans when they finally report. But the speedy 5-foot-9 wideout doesn’t lack confidence when expressing his desire to do more on the offensive end, so he doesn’t get typecast as merely a return specialist.

“My confidence is always high. I never get down on myself. I know what I can do, and been playing this game since I was 7 years old. I go out there every day and put in work, no matter if I’m a starter or whatever,” Jernigan said. “The first year was the playbook, because [in college] we were running four-wides [four wide receiver offense], and then I came here into a pro-style offense. Last year I learned a little bit more, and now this year, my third year, I know the whole offense. … There’s no excuses now. I just need to go out and perform.”

Big Blue notes …

» Hynoski was carted off the field on the second play from scrimmage with an apparent knee injury and will undergo an MRI to see the extent of the damage.

» Former first-round pick Aaron Curry was very enthusiastic during Wednesday’s session. The former No. 4 pick rotated with the second unit and had a “just happy to be here” view on being a part of Big Blue. Curry noted that as a blue-chip middle linebacker, who was selected by the Seahawks in the 2009 draft, he took things for granted, but has rededicated himself with a new lease on his football life.

“In Seattle, football wasn’t a priority and I just lacked maturity,” Curry said. “[Being labeled a bust] was definitely about the mental aspect. The physical part about football is all NFL guys got [ability], but the guys that separate themselves do it because of the mental, and that all starts on the Monday after the previous Sunday game. I’m looking forward to applying my new way of studying and attention to detail, and challenging myself to emptying the tank every day.”

Curry also credited former Cowboys linebacker and current linebacker coach for the Seahawks, Ken Norton, Jr., for setting him straight.

“Ken Norton challenged me every day. He’s a great coach who said a lot of things that made me change the way I did a lot of stuff about the NFL, about life and about the business,” Curry said. “Every now and then I’ll text him and thank him for all the wisdom and knowledge he passed down to me. … When I got to Oakland, I wore No. 51 because he once wore No. 51. A lot of days I still think about how he taught me how to handle things on the field or off the field.”

» Don’t count defensive end Justin Tuck as someone who’s particularly concerned about the absence of his starting wideouts.

“No matter how much time they miss, if they come out on Sunday and ball, this will be forgotten,” he said, adding about Cruz, “We’ve got a lot of things to worry about, but I don’t think Victor Cruz is one of them.”

» Guard Chris Snee was not participating, as he’s still recovering from an offseason procedure to his hip. James Brewer filled in for him.

» Mathias Kiwanuka, who was the starting strongside linebacker last season, was seen working with the defensive linemen in drills.

» Mark Herzlich was seen calling the shots at middle linebacker for the first unit, in between outside linebackers Spencer Paysinger and Keith Rivers.

» Cornerback Terrell Thomas said he hopes to start individual drills soon, adding he’s “not scared” of competing despite tearing his ACL for the third time last season.

“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” Thomas said.

Thomas then quipped he’ll play wherever the coaching staff needs him, as it’s rumored that he may move from cornerback to safety.

“If they tell me I’m going to play kicker, I’ll play kicker,” Thomas said.

Follow Giants beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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If Mark Sanchez is a better quarterback this year, it might be because he doesn’t have Tony Sparano to kick around any longer.

Sparano, the Jets’ offensive coordinator for last year’s 6-10 season, oversaw Sanchez’s nosedive in performance. The quarterback had his worst statistical season since his rookie year, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.

Now with Marty Mornhinweg calling the plays, Sanchez is hopeful he can bounce back. The experienced offensive coordinator has a reputation for maximizing a quarterback’s potential and he will be charged with rebuilding a fledgling career now at an all-time low.

“I just feel like this coaching staff is going to get the best out of me — just rededicating yourself to the game, rededicating yourself to your preparation and just being excited about this system and what it can do for a quarterback,” Sanchez said. “I think just in these early stages we strung together a couple good days of OTAs. We just got to keep it rolling, stay positive and keep on improving. But I like our attitude and I like the coaching we’ve received so far. I think it’s only going to continue to grow and get better.”

A season ago, the Jets were going to return to the ground game under Sparano and the acquisition of quarterback Tim Tebow to run the Wildcat only underscored that Sanchez’s arm was on the outs in a run-heavy offense. But the ground game sputtered and was inconsistent and injuries beset the wide receivers, leaving Sanchez without a running game or bona fide targets.

It also didn’t help that Sanchez struggled with his progression and regressed to a one-read quarterback as a result of an unimaginative offense lacking playmakers.

Sanchez wouldn’t blame an offense that under Sparano was No. 30 in total offense last season or last year’s coaching staff.

“I don’t know about that. Each system has its own pros and cons. A lot of that stuff is timing and there’s a million things that come into play,” Sanchez said. “At the end of the day, I just have to worry about what I can control.”

What may not be a good sign is that he continues to lose the turnover battle. On Wednesday, Sanchez threw three interceptions, one of which was picked off by nose tackle Damon Harrison.

Sanchez laughed off being intercepted by a player who has been nicknamed by the coaching staff as “Big Snacks” due to his size, but Ryan sounded concerned even if it is only May.

“Yeah it is, absolutely [concerning]. It was a good thing the defense made some plays but I’d rather him not turn the ball over once,” Ryan said. “He did some great things but at the end of the day those are the things that get you beat.”

There is, of course, extra pressure on Sanchez this year as he not only has to improve but he’s engaged in the first true quarterback competition of his professional career.

Geno Smith took the second-most reps in practice after Sanchez and felt he showed “subtle improvement” this week. After a strong rookie minicamp two weeks ago, he struggled with his accuracy and timing.

Part of it is the adjustment to an offense where he is under center, unlike last year at West Virginia where he operated primarily out of the shotgun.

“It just takes reps. Overall, I feel that I’ve been able to pick up on my reads, figure out my depth and drops and how it should be done,” Smith said. “As I said, there’s a total difference in the systems and it’s just a process I have to go through.”

Jets notes …

» The Jets lined up first round pick Sheldon Richardson in the 3-technique today, which he told Metro during rookie minicamp was their ideal spot for him. In college, Richardson primarily played on the edge.

» Smith announced he will be represented by Roc Nation Sports, the agency started by rapper Jay-Z. Head coach Rex Ryan didn’t seem too concerned about his second-round pick going with such a high-profile agency.

“He knows he has to focus on the job at hand here. I’m confident that will happen,” Ryan said. “I don’t even think about who he hired.”

» Second-year wide receiver Stephen Hill was held out of OTAs on Wednesday due to swelling in his knee. He rode the stationary bicycle along with wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who did not practice as he continues to recover from last year’s foot surgery that ended his season.

A team source told Metro New York on Wednesday morning that Holmes “is not expected to be able to run till training camp. His injury is coming along fine but don’t expect him for OTAs or minicamp next month.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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There has been a perception with the Red Sox this season that they have only beat average-to-bad teams and not any of the top teams that baseball has to offer. In reality, this is a misconception as 10 of the first 15 series’ Boston has played this season have been against teams with winning records. In fact, in those games against teams with below-.500 records they are only 10-7, compared to 17-12 against teams with above-.500 records.

In 12 games against first or second place teams in the American League, the Red Sox are 6-6, being outscored 55-58 in those games, but those numbers include a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers, in which they were outscored 16-4. Things haven’t been much different at the plate for the Sox against top competition when compared to cellar-dwellars as in those 12 games they are hitting .256, compared to .262 overall this year.

Boston has a chance to further its campaign as an AL buzz saw beginning Thursday when it welcomes the AL Central leading Cleveland Indians to Fenway Park for a four-game set. Although much of the talk will be surrounding the return of Indians manager Terry Francona to Boston, this is a big series for the teams on the field. With the start of the Red Sox series the Indians begin a brutal stretch with eight of their next nine series’ against first or second place teams.

The series will provide Sox hurlers with a chance to prove themselves against one of the best hitting teams in the American League. Going into Wednesday the Indians are second in the AL in runs per game with 4.98 and lead all of baseball with 60 home runs. It will be a good test for the backend of the Sox’ rotation as aside from Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz starters have a combined 5.40 ERA in their last six outings.

Follow Metro Red Sox writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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Considering the numbers and his stature, it was surprising witnessing the short lines to collect Michael Young’s autograph at the Phillies’ ALS festival last week.

Young’s 44 hits lead the team and he is on pace to finish the season with more than 2,300 career hits.

“I can’t believe we don’t have to wait long for a Michael Young [signature],” a young fan said. “He could get in the Hall of Fame.”

Indeed. The classy third baseman has a chance for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame if his 36-year old body remains intact and he continues to be productive.

However, there’s not as much love as you would expect for Young in Philly. Could it have something to do with his lack of extra-base hits? Could it have something to do with Young grounding into 11 double plays by mid-May?

“I don’t think people in Philadelphia understand and appreciate Michael Young yet,” a NL scout said. “He’s a solid player, who hits everything on the nose.”

Young hits the ball so hard that double plays are part of the deal, just like strikeouts for Ryan Howard.

In 2006, Young grounded into a career-high 27 double plays with the Texas Rangers. But there were no complaints from Rangers fans since Young hit. 314 with 103 RBIs and an .814 OPS.

The guy who appreciates Young the most is arguably the most popular athlete in Philadelphia.

“I can’t tell you how much I love it that Michael Young is on this team,” Cliff Lee said. “The guy is the epitome of what you want in a ballplayer. He plays hard. He hits the ball hard. He’s smart and he understands the game as well as anybody. I don’t know how you can’t appreciate a guy like that.”

Especially when you compare Young’s stats to last season’s third baseman, Placido Polanco, who was oft-injured and ineffective.

“That’s a huge upgrade at third for Philly,” the NL scout said. “Polanco killed them last year and now you have a guy, who very well could hit .300 and have 200 hits. He might not hit a lot of homers and he may ground into double plays but he is a helluva player, who is a winner. You want guys like that on your team.”

By the numbers

Michael Young: .294 average, .392 OBP Phillies 2013

Placido Polanco: .257 average, .302 OBP Phillies 2012

Pedro Feliz: .266 average .308 OBP, Phillies 2009

David Bell: .278 average, .345 OBP Phillies 2006

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The Phillies have announced the inductees to their annual Wall of Fame ceremony. It will take place Aug. 1-4 at Citizens Bank Park during Toyota Alumni Weekend.

Curt Schilling is the lone inductee into the 2013 Wall of Fame class. Schilling is scheduled to attend the event on Aug. 2 as the Phillies will add a 14×20 cast bronze plaque of the retired pitcher to the Memory Lane section of Ashburn Alley. All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative print of Schilling.

The Phillies will also honor the 1993 National League championship team on Aug. 4. Jim Fregosi, the skipper of that rambunctious crew, will be at the ballpark, along with a handful of players.

The team also announced that former closer Brad Lidge will ceremoniously retire as a Philadelphia Phillie on Aug. 1 and will throw out the first pitch. You may recall Lidge was the one that struck out Eric Hinske, with his trademark slider, to clinch the 2008 World Series title.

“I had my greatest moment at Citizens Bank Park and I would like to officially retire as a member of the Phillies organization,” said Lidge.

Lidge joins Doug Glanville, Mike Lieberthal and Pat Burrell as alumni who have chosen to retire as a Phillie.

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There will be no treetop adventure coming to Wissahickon Valley Park, officials said.

The city terminated the project after community resistance became too big an obstacle to overcome.

Bob Allen, director of property and concessions management for the city’s parks and recreation department, said the city didn’t want to ruin any partnerships with community organizations.

“There was actually a small but vocal group that I think misrepresented the project to the community and got the community to sign petitions against it, and we’re not about getting into adversarial relationships with folks from the community and park users, so we withdrew the project,” Allen said.

In late March, city officials discussed the proposal to build an outdoor adventure course, which included a zip line, on five acres in the Roxborough park.

Neighbors and community groups voiced concerns at a public meeting, pointing to environmental, traffic and vandalism concerns.

He “doubts very much” the project could be resurrected.

Friends of the Wissahickon were not immediately available for comment.

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You never want to see a peer get laid off. Unless, of course, you can’t stand the sumbitch. In that case, watching a professional nemesis pack their bags can be one of the more joyful days in any person’s life.

It’s highly unlikely, however, that there will be any wry grins in Bristol, Conn. today. Yes, ESPN is picking on the “little people” today. Instead of wiping Chris Berman’s Chris Berman in 1992-sized contract from its sheets, the Worldwide Leader is dumping 300-400 of its “non-talent.”

“We are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs,” ESPN said in a statement Tuesday. “While difficult, we are confident that it will make us more competitive, innovative and productive.”

As of noon Tuesday, no “big names” were let go and it’s doubtful that that certain SportsCenter host you despise (ahem, Stan Verett) will be dumped this afternoon. Nope, expect the tech guys, the guys that run the cameras and the guys that talk NHL on SportsCenter (oh, sorry, they were let go four years ago?) to be let go today. All in time to make a big push to bring back Keith Olbermann this summer.

If you’re wondering, last fall Forbes called ESPN the most valuable media property on earth and estimated its worth at $40 billion.

Sergio Garcia wishes he ate the bones, so he would just shutup

Sergio Garcia pulled a Fuzzy Zoeller (boy, that’s fun to say) this week. The Spanish golf star was on stage at the European Tour’s gala players awards dinner when he was asked if he would have Tiger Woods “round” for dinner during the upcoming U.S. Open.

“We will have him round every night,” Garcia said. “We will serve fried chicken.”

For those unfamiliar with that latter phrase, it is, indeed, racist.

Garcia later half-heartedly apologized for the comment.

“I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during the European Tour players awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

Garcia and Woods had a much-discussed public spat just a couple of weeks ago and, shockingly enough, the much-maligned Woods seems to be winning this feud by basically doing nothing. Just another obvious step on the road to recovery for Tiger: “let peer golfer make moronic comments about you in the media while you sit back and act classy.” Check.

By the way, for those unaware of the “Fuzzy Zoeller” reference above, here is all you need to know. This is golfing veteran Fuzzy Zoeller talking about how well a young Tiger Woods is playing at the 1997 Masters. WARNING: It’s blatantly racist:

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  VIDEO: Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller’s racist comments about Tiger Woods in 1997

Follow Metro Boston sports editor and columnist Matt Burke on Twitter @BurkeMetroBOS

The post Playing the Field: ESPN layoffs and Sergio Garcia racism appeared first on Metro.us.

Lanier Coleman is a 26-year-old rookie trying to make the Jets after more than three years out of football. It is a second chance for the massive defensive lineman after he thought his playing days were done.

Coleman was invited to Vikings minicamp in 2009 after a solid career at Louisiana-Lafayette. He did well in minicamp but not enough to earn an invite to their training camp a month later so Coleman packed his bags and returned to Louisiana to coach high school football. The following spring he played in the Arena Football League, but figured he had hung up the helmet and pads for good when he took an intern position at Louisiana-Lafayette in their weight room.

He stocked protein, racked the weights and cleaned the weight benches. In short, he did the grunt work around the weight room, but he ended up falling in love with the job. He always pictured himself as a coach “but I really got into the intensity and passion of the weight room.”

His thankless efforts did not go unnoticed and in the spring of 2010, Coleman went to Rice University in Houston where he served as assistant strength coach for baseball, football, golf, tennis and swimming. He began to learn more about handling athletes and training them in addition to the administrative side of things. When an opportunity came along a year later to take a similar position at Cal, Coleman hopped on board.

It was there that Chris DiSanto, the Golden Bears’ assistant strength and conditioning coach who is now with the Browns, noticed Coleman’s passion for the game.

“I was at practice, getting excited about practice, jumping around and one of my coworkers, Mr. DiSanto, said that ‘I can tell you still have a fire for this game.’ My thing was, I didn’t have any connections,” Coleman said.

It had been three years since Coleman had played in the Arena Football League and four years since he stepped foot on a football field at the NFL level in Minnesota’s minicamp. His defensive line coach at the Vikings was Karl Dunbar, who became the Jets’ defensive line coach last year. DiSanto pushed Coleman to reach out and see if any opportunities existed.

Coleman felt if he had made an impression on Dunbar four years ago he would have heard from the respected position coach already. He hadn’t, so he assumed Dunbar wouldn’t be interested.

“I felt like if coach Dunbar wanted me, he’d seek me out. But Mr. DiSanto said that I should reach out, show him that I want it,” Coleman said. “So I reached out to him and he reached out to me and we talked. I was shocked because I figured he’d be swamped with people wanting to get to him and he wouldn’t have the time for me. He told me he might have an opportunity for me but that I’d have to bring my A game.

“He was very honest with me. That’s the great thing about him. He’s not only a great coach, he’s a great man as well.”

So Coleman packed his bags and headed to New Jersey as a tryout player in the Jets’ rookie minicamp. Nothing was guaranteed but it was an opportunity he had to take.

It was a worthwhile gamble as he impressed the Jets, especially on the second and third day of minicamp. He played inside at the 3-technique but showed great pursuit and chased down the ball from sideline-to-sideline. Not surprisingly, conditioning wasn’t an issue for him. After the morning workout he looked like he wanted to go out for an afternoon session as well.

That Sunday, the Jets called Coleman up to their office and based off his performance he was offered a contract. It was the contract that had eluded him four years earlier and had led him down this path, from high school football coach to college intern to assistant strength coach.

And now, maybe he will have a spot as an NFL player.

“The huge thing was my effort, my effort and learning the defense as quick as I did; that’s what they liked. The first day was a struggle but the thing was my effort. It stuck out. That’s one thing I’ve always hung my hat on is my work ethic,” Coleman said. “Now I need to make them believe that I’m a great football player as well. It’s been a long way to get here. I just want to help them win games however I can.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer for live updates and photos from Jets minicamp this week.

The post Lanier Coleman aiming for Jets roster after four-year journey appeared first on Metro.us.