Nick Neville

Red Sox fans have come to expect greatness from newly acquired ace Chris Sale, so on Saturday night when the lefty’s line wasn’t so sparkling, it may have appeared underwhelming to some. Make no mistake, Sale was it again in the Red Sox’ 11-3 victory.

Tanner Houck has spent his entire life overcoming obstacles. He recalls when he first discovered his passion for baseball at three years old. His parents, Darrin and Jennifer, would toss him tennis balls in the family’s front yard in Collinsville, Illinois, but young Tanner still had much to learn.

Tom Brady addressed a number of topics in his 15-minute conversation with the media after Friday’s scrimmage, among them the fact that the other quarterbacks gave him a birthday cake that said “old,” the recent CTE study findings and an offseason acquisition who’s quickly becoming one of his favorite targets: Brandin Cooks.

If Friday morning’s intrasquad scrimmage were a regular season game, chances are Jimmy Garoppolo would have had a more frustrated demeanor when he spoke to reporters afterwards. Instead, after he completed just 14 of his 36 passes, the fourth-year quarterback downplayed his struggles.

As the dust settles on the draft and trade rumors continue to swirl across the NBA, The Vertical’s Chris Mannix joined Ordway, Merloni & Fauria on Friday to discuss the Celtics’ offseason plans. Reports came out last night that the Celtics were engaged in conversations with the Pacers about potentially acquiring Paul George, but Mannix said that while a George deal is not out of the question, it’s not Boston’s main focus.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred stopped by the Red Sox broadcast booth Wednesday to discuss a new partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the ever-controversial topic of pace of play.

While the Celtics have 17 NBA championships and are the most decorated basketball franchise of all-time, that does not mean their drafting record is flawless. In fact, it’s far from it.