MLB » Red Sox at Yankees, Thu. (7:05 p.m, MLB Network); Fri. (7:05); Sat. (4:10, FOX); Sun. (8:05, ESPN)

Yes, we know, it’s shocking that the Red Sox-Yankees series is on TV. However, there is a twist: the Yankees have surged to the top of the division, but are 0-8 against the Sawx. If they fail again at Yankee Stadium, could New York lose the division solely by not beating Boston?

Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Monday — Sunday, William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center

Washington’s yearly week in the tennis spotlight has to be better than the commercials that advertised it. But Andy Roddick’s unconvincing “It must be love,” notwithstanding, Juan Martin del Potro will be back to defend his title, and players like Lleyton Hewitt and James Blake are always entertaining.

World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Thu.-Fri. (TGC, 2-6 p.m.); Sat.-Sun. (CBS, 2-6 p.m.)

Is it okay to call this the Tire Tournament? Two weeks ahead of the PGA Championship, a veritable who’s who of golf converges on Firestone Country Club in Akron. Vijay Singh is the defending champion, but following knee surgery in January, he hasn’t ben the same. Last month, he finished sixth at the AT&T National.

BOLD PREDICTIONS

The Vikings will still win the NFC North »  Brett Favre decided he didn’t want to exchange his Wranglers for spandex. So what? Last year’s NFC North champs are going to repeat without him. Minnesota won 10 games last year by running the ball with newly crowned “Top Back in the NFL” Adrian Peterson and playing tough defense. The key to the success of the Vikings is not at quarterback but in the trenches where the Vikings’ offensive and defensive lines dominated teams. The Vikings’ top pick Percy Harvin will also add much-needed playmaking ability in special teams and in the passing game. With Peterson and Harvin, the Vikings’ offense has the ability to score at any time — no matter who is under center.

The Red Sox will miss the playoffs » It’s simple math in the American League East. Three teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Rays) are in the hunt for two playoff spots. The AL Wild Card has gone to a team from the East in five of the last six years, so lets operate under the belief that only one of these teams will be left out in the cold in October. Our guess is it will be the Boys from Beantown. All season the Sox have boasted the deepest starting pitching in the AL East. But now it’s August and that claim is falling apart. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are rock solid, but the rest of that staff is in shambles. Daisuke Matsuzaka is on the DL. So is Tim Wakefield. John Smoltz is getting shelled. New York and Tampa both have stronger offenses than Boston and the Red Sox rotation will be too thin to carry them down the stretch.

Funk will win the U.S. Senior Open » He’s got bad hips, a bad knee and can’t bend over to read his putts, but 53-year-old Fred Funk is hitting the ball as straight as ever and this weekend will win the biggest event on the Champions Tour, the U.S. Senior Open at Crooked Stick. Funk held the lead last week in the final round of the British Senior, but lost in a playoff to Loren Roberts. Funk, a High Point High graduate and former golf coach at the University of Maryland, has been runner up in three of his last five starts on the Senior Tour. Funk is sixth on the Champions Tour in driving accuracy (75.4 percent), 11th in putting (1.76 per hole), and second in scoring average (69.3), all the categories needed for success in a USGA event where a soft touch on the greens and accuracy off the tee is paramount.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Zack Greinke, SP, Kansas City Royals

They are still the Royals, a team that has had a chokehold on last place in the American League Central four of the last five years. But at least baseball fans in Kansas City have watched a true ace pitch this season. Right-hander Zack Greinke is a favorite for the Cy Young Award in the AL this season. He entered last week with a 10-6 record and a 2.06 ERA before a start at Camden Yards against the Orioles on Wednesday.

Greinke, 25, has overcome anxiety issues to post the best season of his career. He averages a smidge over one walk per start, but can consistently keep his velocity in the low-to-mid 90s — or even higher when he needs it — and ranks among the top five pitchers in strikeouts. Greinke’s next test will be a stiff one — Monday afternoon’s get-away day game at Tampa Bay, which has scored the fourth-most runs in Major League Baseball this season.

5 up and down

UP
1. Michael Vick »  Don’t let the suspension fool you. Simply being reinstated is a huge step forward.

2. Minnesota Vikings » Check us out! Without Brett Favre, you might notice the rest of the team.

3. Radio Shack » Sponsoring Lance Armstrong is a pretty sweet business move in a down economy.

4. Emeka Okafor » The double-double machine will reach new heights getting fed by Chris Paul.

5. MLS » Any exposure is good exposure: ESPN to broadcast games in the UK as part of its new rights package.

DOWN
1. Stephon Marbury » Watching his streaming video is a like falling down Alice’s rabbit hole.

2. Alberto Contador » It didn’t take him long to replace his yellow jersey with a target on his back.

3. FINA » Decision to ban high-tech bodysuits: smart. Not instituting the ban for the Rome championships: dumb.

4. Steve Blake » Former Terp and Wizard may have to move to the back seat with the Blazers adding Andre Miller.

5. Formula 1 » BMW’s decision to pull out another sign that world’s best racing circuit ain’t what it used to be.