Brady Goes for Ring #4

Put aside Deflate Gate which has been examined & cross-examined from every angle ad nauseum. Tomorrow's Super Bowl features the 2 best teams in the NFL. And if Tom Brady & his offense can find a way to crack the Seattle defense & score points, then the Patriots will avenge their 2 previous Super Bowl losses to the Giants & win their 4th ring. For Brady it's a chance to catch Joe Montana. And it may be his last chance to do so. Age has a way of creeping up on you, just ask Peyton Manning. So let's hope Brady, Wilfork, Revis & company can play a great 60 minutes & bring home the Lombardi trophy to New England.

Sox Sign Ogando, Britton Assigned

Alexi Ogando was signed by the Red Sox to a 1-year contract to add bullpen depth. After an injury-plagued 2014 the former all-star Ogando is looking to rebound as a late-innings option for John Farrell. Good depth move by Ben. To make room for Ogando Drake Britton was designated for assignment. Lefty Britton just never had a steady run of success at the big league level. I'm sure another team will pick him up - if for no other reason than he's a lefty. A change of scenery might do him well. Good luck Drake!

Nava Finally Gets Paid

In arbitration Daniel Nava & the Red Sox agreed to $1,850,000. Good for the guy that the Red Sox signed years ago for $1. A left-handed bat is something the Red Sox really need this year in their lineup as Panda & Big Papi are the only 2 everyday lefties in there now. Nava & Brock Holt will get playing time as subs here & there, so the Sox could get 3 or 4 lefties in there on occasion. But a crowded outfield with Ramirez, Castillo, Victorino, Betts & Craig will limit Nava & Holt cracking the lineup. Because of his lefty bat & reasonable salary I would look for the Sox to move Betts, Craig or Victorino in a trade before Nava. Congrats to Nava for finally getting paid!

Super Bowl Over Yet?

It's too much. Day after day. Blah, blah, blah from every sports network. Same old stuff. Marshawn Lynch - why put him out there? At least one QB Phil Simms says let's wait until all the info is in on Deflate Gate before casting stones like Mark Brunell. Drew Bledsoe publically scolded other QB's who opened their yap against Tom Brady before the facts were in. And everyone has an opinion about everything. Ray Lewis, who should have been in jail for a homicide that occurred at his limo during a Super Bowl years ago, & Brandon Marshall, a notorious wife beater, are now analysts which doesn't seem right. no one is talking about NCCA violations racked up by Pete Carroll at USC before he escaped to Seattle. It's just too long a week of talk & partying. Let's get it over with & let's start getting ready for pitchers & catchers to report on February 19th. We've all had enough. 18 days of peace & quiet sounds good.

Baseball America Picks Sox #1

MLB Now discussed the Pecota predictions from Baseball America yesterday. In the AL East the Red Sox & Rays are expected to finish tied for 1st with 86 wins each. The panelists cited their exceptions to this prediction by saying that the Red Sox still need a true #1 ace to be considered a front-runner in the division & they didn't see how Tampa Bay would score enough runs to win that many games, even with a good pitching staff. Toronto was 3rd, followed by the Yankees & Orioles. It's hard to imagine the O's finishing last, but they have lost a lot of thump from their lineup & they need big comeback years from Witers, Davis & Machado. Interesting thoughts as Pecota picked 7 of the 10 playoff teams last year. Let's hope that they are right about the Sox.

Ranaudo Traded for Ross

Anthony Ranaudo. Robby Ross. The Red Sox & Rangers exchanged pitchers yesterday. The Rangers get Ranaudo who can add depth to their rotation as a starting pitcher. The Red Sox get a lefty bullpen arm who can get righties out. Neither had a particularly good year in 2014. Ranaudo was inconsistent at the big league level & Ross was wild, giving up a bunch of walks. So you might say the trade was for potential on both sides. Giving up on Ranaudo was do-able since the Sox have a plethora of young arms waiting to develop. Ross had good years out of the pen for Texas in 2012 & 2013, but he just couldn't find the plate in 2014. A change of scenery may make for a fresh start for both.

Bob Kraft: Truth or Dare

If the New England Patriots are found not guilty by the NFL, then owner Bob Kraft wants an apology to Bill & Tom by the league officials. If, however, the Pats are found in violation, Mr. Kraft has now sunk himself into the fray. Big gamble to come out with such a bold statement. In light of the last press conference by Bill Belichick where Bill played Mr. Wizard conducting a science class the coach was very passionate & posirtive about his statements. Inside the NFL on HBO quotes a "source" that said the ball manager took the approved balls into the men's room with him before bringing them onto the field. Deflate Gate just won't go away. Lots of rumors - some are lies, but maybe some are truth. It will be interesting to see if the NFL investigation turns up "undeniable proof" to use Mr. Kraft's words.

Strasburg for Mookie

MLB Now had a segment last night about a potential trade between the Red Sox & Nationals involving Stephen Strasburg & Mookie Betts. I'd do that deal in a heartbeat! For the Red Sox they get a proven big league starter on the upside of his career, a true #1, & he is under team control for 2 complete seasons. For the Nationals they get an excellent 2B to replace Asdrubal Cabrera & to give them a little punch at the top of their order. 2 years of Strasburg gives the Red Sox farm pitchers 2 more years to develop. After 2 years, if the Sox like Strasburg & want to sign him long term, they open the bank & do it. If he costs too much & guys like Owens & Barnes are ready to step in, they let him walk. This would be a great deal if it can get done. On Betts' side you never know if he will have a sophomore year jinx like Xander Bogaerts. Mookie's sale price may never be higher than now. With Pedroia at 2B for several more years & a crowded outfield a move like this for Betts is worth it. Win-win for both teams.

Top 20 Prospects

With the big snow storm coming, I thought Red Sox fans could use some thought about warm weather, spring training & baseball in general. My brother sent me a copy of the New England Baseball Journal, a publication that I never heard of before. They included the top 20 Red Sox prospects. Some I knew, some I didn't. Here's the list for you to think about since you may hear these names in upcoming trades. 1 - LHP Henry Owens. 2 - C Blake Swihart. 3 - OF Manuel Margot. 4 - 3B Garin Cecchini. 5 - 3B Rafael Devers. 6 - LHP Brian Johnson. 7 - LHP Eduardo Rodriguez. 8 - SS/3B Michael Chavis. 9 - SS Deven Marrero. 10 - LHP Trey Ball. 11 - RHP Anthony Ranaudo. 12 - 2B Sean Coyle. 13 - RHP Matt Barnes. 14 - 1B Travis Shaw. 15 - LHP Edwin Escobar. 16 - 2B Wendell Rijo. 17 - RHP Michael Kopech. 18 - RHP Keith Couch. 19 - OF Nick Longhi. 20 - SS Mauricio Dubon. 9 of the top 20 prospects are pitchers, so you can see why we could package several pitching prospects in a trade for Hamels or Zimmermann. You can also see why Ben may wait it out another year for 1 or 2 of these prospects to develop into big league starters at a much cheaper rate than spending $30 mil a year on just 1 proven arm. Ben has always said that he balances the need to win now with a long-term approach to be good every year. all of these kids have a chance to keep the Red Sox young 20-somethings for the next several years while bringing in a few big names to compliment the roster. Guys like Bogaerts & Betts are the future.

What To Do With Allen Craig?

Allen Craig is a mystery. His 2014 season between St. Louis & Boston was the worst of his professional career. Prior to 2014, Craig had a 3-year stint of hitting over .300. In 2012 & 2013 he had over 90 RBI each year. During the 2013 World Series he was a guy that we did not want to see come up with a bat as he scared you. Good thing he had a foot injury which limited his ability. That foot injury impeded his continued progress of above-average offense in 2014. At age 30 Craig is under control for 3 more years, not including a team option in 2018. His salary in 2015 is $5.5 million, much less than fellow outfielders Shane Victorino, Rusney Castillo or Hanley Ramirez. For that reason I think the Sox would like to keep Craig, although Daniel Nava brings a left-handed bat to the outfield. Both Craig & Nava can play OF & 1B. As spring training develops, either Victorino, Nava or Craig will have to go since Mookie Betts will get playing time in the outfield as well. Victorino has the biggest target on his back due to his age & his $13 million salary. Betts gives you a younger option to the Flyin' Hawaiian without the big salary. Sometimes it's a numbers game. I'd like to see what Allen Craig can do for another year. If he gets traded, it better be for a #1 pitcher like Hamels or Zimmermann. Otherwise, let's see what a healthy Craig can do in 2015.

Belichick Strikes Back

An empassioned Bill Belichick gave an impromptu press conference about the deflate gate controversy that has been surrounding his Patriots team for the past week. I must say that Belichick was like Johnny Cochran in his defense of the assertion on Thursday that neither he nor Tom Brady had anything to do with the pressure of footballs in the Colts game. Texture, atmospheric conditions, his own test of footballs in & out of a controlled environment this week, inflation by referees, his QB's testing of balls with differing pressures -- all plausible explanations of why footballs can become deflated. I must say that Belichick's speech gave me reasonable doubt if I was a juror. In addition, Belichick talked about the rigors that he puts his players through, the toughness both physically & mentally that they have shown throughout the season as reasons why they have earned a berth in this year's Super Bowl. It was a lot of praise from a coach not known for giving it. In the Q&A Belichick responded to a question about Spy Gate, saying that that was completely different & had no bearing on this incident. I must say that this is what I was looking for on Thursday, someone to step up. Bill did today. Unless the league says differently, I'm changing my vote to not guilty.

Deflate Gate Finally Losing Air

It may have finally run its course. With the pro bowl this Sunday in Arizona all NFL players asked to comment about deflate gate are refusing & they are moving on. There is an article in the USA Today that says if the balls were inflated in a warm room, they could have lost pressure in the cold weather. Other than a petition to suspend Bill Belichick for a year, the focus is finally returning to football. Even Chuckie, aka Jon Gruden, says it's time to move on. So maybe the noise will die down in time to see if Seattle can repeat as Super Bowl champs or if Belichick & Brady can earn a 4th ring. It should be a great game, assuming the deflate distraction looses air!

Cherington Happy With Rotation

Ben Cherington gave an interview to MLB Network saying he was happy with the starting rotation of Porcello, Miley, Buchholz, Kelly & Masterson. Part of the reason is Ben's belief that the Sox minor league system has several major league arms ready to make the big team during this season & the next 2 or 3. Faith in home-grown talent is always nice, & it's certainly economical, but a proven #1 starter is even nicer. Several pitchers on the last year of their contacts like Fister, Zimmermann, Price, Cueto, Greinke will cost a fortune once they hit free agency in 2016. Why not trade for one now - like we did with Porcello - & see if he can function in the AL East? Then there is the looming trade for Cole Hamels as well. Maybe Ben knows more about the makeups of Henry Owens, Matt Barnes & others that we don't. We still have too many outfielders & we do have too many prospective pitchers. I would think we could trade several without hurting the future of the team. Personally, I would take a shot at any of the 3 Nationals pitchers - Strasburg, Zimmermann, Fister in that order. The Nats need a SS if they trade Ian Desmond & Deven Marrero could fill that gap along with a few extra Cox prospect pitchers. I hope Ben kicks the tires really well on all the Nats pitchers. Spring training is less than a month away.

Jonny Gomes A Brave

Old friend Jonny Gomes is employed for another year or two as a new member of the Atlanta Braves. Gomes just goes from one team to another, seemingly to the playoffs every year no matter where he is. The Braves are retooling for 2016, so his playoff run may end this year. Jonny certainly provided Red Sox fans with lots of excitement in 2013, both during the regular season & in the post season. He will always be connected as part of a duo with Salty who brought the Boston marathon bombing victims into focus throughout the season & a contributing player to a World Series ring. Thanks, Jonny, we enjoyed your time here.

Deflate Gate Continues

After the Belichick & Brady press conferences yesterday, the debate over Deflate Gate continues. And, as Tom Brady said, everyone has an opinion. The football guys on ESPN all blamed Brady as a liar, saying any quarterback knows when a football is deflated. A sports anchor out here in AZ interviewed the linebacker from the Colts who intercepted Brady & he said he had no idea that the ball was underinflated. Opinions vary from suspend Belichick for a year to calling this issue much to do about nothing. Let me give you my 2 cents by going back to a personal business situation from several years ago. I represented my company at a meeting of trustees. The accountant on my team was delinquent in getting up-to-date financials to the trustees & he was not at the meeting. When angry trustees asked about the reason for late financials I said it was my fault as team leader & I would fix it. It was not fun to take one for the team, especially when it was someone else's fault, but I did it to put the matter to rest. No one wants to hear "it's not me or I don't know." Those are very unsatisfying answers. Personally, I expected Belichick or Brady to say "I apologize, it's on me to know something was wrong & we will be more diligent in the future." By going with the "not me" defense, even if both men are telling the truth, everyone leaves the room thinking cover-up. Something happened - 11 out of 12 footballs were deflated. That's not due to weather or human error. That's an intentional act by someone on the Pats staff. My own suspicions are that McDaniels may have run the idea by Belichick & they both agreed to do it with or without Brady's consent. Now a lowly equipment manager will probably get fired as the fall guy. The Pats will be booed out of Arizona, labeled cheaters & a potential 4th Super Bowl ring will be tarnished forever. Don't expect the NFL to come out with a ruling until after the Super Bowl is over. Goddell & company are not going to put any claritry to this issue since it is impossible for them to follow a chain of custody for the footballs. And the Pats know it. So we remain deaf, dumb & blind instead of manning up & putting an end to this controversy, overblown or not. I think this was a sad day for the Patriot players who worked so hard to get here & also a sad day for Pats fans who will not enjoy a possible SB XLIX victory.

Pats Fans Deflated

Even though it was just the first half before footballs were properly inflated in the 2nd half, & even though the Patriots scored 28 points in the 2nd half, Bill Belichick has once again tried to prove that he is the master of cheating minutia & he got his hand caught in the cookie jar - again. Many Pats fans are sick over the cloud that our team will play under during next Sunday's Super Bowl. As one Arizona paper wrote today, the Patriots will play next Sunday, but they can't win no matter what happens on the field. Deflating balls was a stupid & unnecessary trick to gain an unnecessary advantage. No Brady has to answer questions, along with his teammates, over something stupid that his coach decided to do. Maybe the Belichick era has run its course.

Let's Make A Deal for Strasburg

With Max Scherzer now a Nationals pitcher other rotation mates like Fister, Zimmermann & Strasburg are all up for trade. Of that group I'd take Stephen Strasburg who is only 26 & he is under contract for 2 more years, not just one like Fister or Zimmermann. Strasburg will make $7.5 mil next year, a pitance given the price of starting pitching these days. Last year Strasburg proved that he was past his Tommy John surgery from his age 22 year. Stras threw 215 innings, had 242 K's & posted an ERA of 3.14. Even adding 0.50 to his ERA for crossing into the AL, here's a 6'4" guy coming into his own. If he is available, I'll send any combination of Henry Owens, Anthony Ranaudo, Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, Deven Marrero, Garin Cecchini & Brock Holt to the Nats in return. I'd keep Joe Kelly if I could, but I would still add him into the deal if necessary. (Instead of Kelly, I'd seriously consider adding Buchholz to the deal.) I would make my best pitch to get Strasburg who could anchor the Red Sox rotation with Porcello for years to come. It would be great to have 2 young guns.

Deflate Gate - Overinflated Topic

The game was a rout, 45-7. Whether a ball or a number of balls were underinflated or not, I think everyone realizes that the outcome of the game was not in question. The Pats steamrolled over the Colts during the entire game. Now - if footballs were deflated, it could have been due to the cold & wet weather. Think of your car's tire pressure gauge going off in the winter. It happens to me all the time. One sports reporter in AZ made a good point. He asked if the refs checked the balls that were supplied by the Colts. If they were deflated as well, one could logically assume that the weather deflated balls for both teams. If, however, the same weather conditions did not effect footballs coming in from the Colts, then you have to summize that the Patriots did something to their balls intentionally. If that's the case, then shame on the Pats for doing such a stupid thing. It's like Nixon breaking into Watergate when he won the election by a landslide. The Pats didn't need to do it. And it's too bad that this will be the topic of discussion surrounding the Pats 6th Super Bowl appearance in 15 years, a remarkable record. Just another reason for people around the country to hate the Patriots. Our team has become the Yankees of football.

Daniel Bard - Still Trying

Theo & the Cubs signed Daniel Bard to a minor league deal in 2015. Bard has not been an effective reliever for thge past several years now. Yet, that glimmer or small chance of returning to a premiere set-up man is enough to keep the Cubs interested. Theo & Jed remember the Bard of old who set down 8th inning batters with ease, kind of like Tazawa did in 2013. Then the Sox messed with him as a closer & a starter. That change for Bard started him down the path to ineffectiveness. One of his last outings in a Red Sox uniform was in Toronto where he hit & walked multiple batters in a row. Bard was just plain scary. However, hope sperings eternal when the boys of summer take the field in February. Maybe Bard will work his way back. It's a long shot!

Nationals Get Scherzer

It costs the Nats $210,000,000 to acquire free agent Max Scherzer. His 7-year contract should loosen up the asking price for other Nationals pitchers Jordan Zimmermann &/or Doug Fister. The money is ridiculous, just ridiculous, especially since Scherzer turned down $144 million earlier last year from the Tigers. The Nationals will be favorites in the NL East & Washington will look to go further in the playoffs in 2015 & beyond. Look at it this way - at least he didn't go to the Yankees or another AL team. This makes the Lester deal look like nothing!

Will Ben Get A #1 Before April 6th?

Blake Swihart. Xander Bogaerts. Mookie Betts. Henry Owens. Brock Holt. Those are the types of players that the Red Sox would have to give up if they were to trade for a #1 pitcher right now. Ruben Amaro is asking way too much for Cole Hamels. And Washington continues to dangle Jordan Zimmermann & Doug Fister. If we only knew... Will Porcello emerge as a #1? Will Buchholz regain his dominating form & hold up for an entire season? Will Wade Miley rebound to his earlier form? Can Joe Kelly emerge as a consistent starter? Can Justin Masterson revert to form after an injury-plagued year? Can Renaudo, Workman & Barnes take a step forward? Lots of questions. We certainly have strength of numbers, but can quantity yield quality? Maybe Ben wants to see if this staff can hold the fort for 3 months until the trade deadline in July when a Zimmermann or Price or Greinke may cost a lot less to pick up. I guess time will tell.

Pats Onto Super Bowl XLIX

45-7. A deceive win at Foxborough puts the Pats into the Super Bowl against defending champs Seattle. It will be a game of #1 versus #1. No doubt these 2 teams are the best in football & they get set to collide in 2 weeks in Arizona. Can the Pats defense contain Russell Wilson? Can the Pats offense run & pass the ball against the Seahawks D? Wilson overcame 4 INT's, thanks to a complete Packers meltdown at the end of the regulation. Cheeseheads left that game shaking their heads after a bungled catch of an on-side kick. Catch the ball & it's game over. But it wasn't meant to be. Let's hope that the Pats D can force as many turnovers in 2 weeks. It should be a great game with 2 great teams.

Rick Porcello - Future Ace?

Age 20 - 170 innings. Age 21 - 162 innings. Age 22 - 182 innings. Age 23 - 176 innings. Age 24 - 177 innings. Age 25 - 204 innings. Rick Porcello has thrown over 1,000 big league innings as a "baby" growing up in the major leagues. His 2014 season saw him take a major step forward by pitching a career high 204 innings & a having a career best 3.43 ERA, although his efforts were dwarfed on a Tigers staff that featured Verlander, Scherzer & Sanchez. At 26 years old Rick Porcello is ready to explode, I think, as a true #1 starter. Just compare the likes of our Kelly, Renaudo, Workman, Webster & de la Rosa as touted young guys - still trying to find their consistency in their 20's. This guy has already done that & much more. Porcello's best years are still ahead & I hope the Red Sox lock him up to a long term deal after this year.

Brady Time: Part 2

Tom Brady played a great game against the Ravens. He will need another one against the up & coming Andrew Luck & the Colts on Sunday. Throw out the Pats win earlier in the year. The Colts don't look like a team that will give up 100+ yards rushing again. And Jonas Gray who had 4 rushing TD's was inactive last week. It will be a different game for both teams. But - Brady has the most to play for as he saw the effects of father time on friend Peyton Manning. Brady knows the window is closing on his NFL career & he is up to the task in this year's playoffs, having all of his weapons healthy. And with Danny Amendola coming off his greatest game as a Patriot, he becomes another threat for the Colts to mark besides Gronk, Edelman & LaFell. I expect another great game & another Pats win.

Billy Beane: Smart or Dumb?

Who's dumb now? Reporters were lashing out a Billy Beane's fire sale of veteran players earlier in this off-season. Me too! Maybe we all have egg on our face now as the A's acquire Yunel Escobar & Ben Zobrist from the Rays to shore up their middle infield. These last 2 players via trade give the A's flexibility with super-sub Zobrist & a needed SS in Escobar who is looking to re-establish his value. The roster can platoon left vs. right hitters &, as always, the A's have a talented young pitching staff to lead the team. Billy may be smarter than we think. Time will tell.

Don't Trade Betts

MLB Now says don't trade Mookie Betts in a deal to get Cole Hamels. He is the one guy the Red Sox have to hold on to. Nick Carfardo thinks Betts will start the year in center with Rusney on his right & Hanley on his left. Betts is also backup for injury-prone Dustin Pedroia at 2B. The MLB Now panel suggested sending a bunch of young pitchers, including Henry Owens, along with Blake Swihart to the Phillies for Hamels. Ruben Amaro is holding out for his best deal & the Sox have the prospects to do it. Same holds true for acquiring Jordan Zimmermann. We have the players to make that deal too. Cafardo thought that a trade for a top-of-the-rotation pitcher would go down before end of January. But don't trade Mookie. I agree.

Peyton Looking Old

The Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys on a disputed call. And Peyton Manning could not throw the ball effectively once the Indy Colts took away the run game. Manning has been less than Manning-like in his last several starts. Rumors are swirling that this may be it for the guy who seems to have a commercial on every 20 seconds during football games. Nationwide, Papa John's - you name it. I don't think that Peyton would be hurting for money if he retired. But his career, like his arm, is coming to an end.

Monkey Off Their Backs

New England Patriots 35, Baltimore Ravens 31. There were good & bad plays, but don't over-analyze it. What a game! It was one of those that kept you on the edge of your seat until the final play was over. Brady to Edelman to Amendola sounds like a 6-4-3 double play. But a trick play for a TD tied the game. Then a beautifully thrown pass to LaFell won the game. Let's not forget the defense holding the Ravens to a field goal instead of touchdown on their last scoring possession before Flacco threw a game-ending interception. It was a head-scratcher when Bill had Brady take 3 knees without running out the clock. But the final Hail Mary pass was knocked out of the end zone by McCourtey. In the post-game interview Harbaugh had nothing but praise for his team's effort - which I get. And Flacco seemed to indicate that his offense scored enough points to win, meaning what - that the defense lost the game. You will never see Brady throw any teammate under the bus like that. The 300 pound gorilla that was the Baltimore Ravens with trash-talkers Suggs & Smith is now put to bed. The Pats move onto the AFC Championship against Denver or Indianapolis.

It's Brady Time!

The time is now for the New England Patriots. Brady is healthy. Gronk is healthy. Defense is healthy. Special teams are playing great. The Pats need to make a defining statement against Baltimore on Saturday. Start fast like the Lions did over the Cowboys. Force Flacco & company to play catch up & make mistakes. Keep the petal to the metal for 60 minutes & blow those Ravens out of Gillette like the Seawhawks did to the Broncos in last year's Super Bowl. And then put together 2 more games like this to win the Super Bowl - finally. I feel a good playoff run for the Pats starts on Saturday.

Butler Odd Man Out

Craig Breslow is in. Dan Butler is out, designated for assignment. Butler could get picked up as a backup catcher for another team. He labored mostly in AAA & had a brief tenure with the big club last year. Obviously, the Sox value LHP Drake Britton more than Butler as they decide to keep the lefty on the 40-man roster, even though he is out of options. Never have enough situational lefties. Drake, Layne & Breslow will try to fill the shoes of the departed Andrew Miller. I'm still not sold that Miller has his control issues under control (so to speak) & he could be a big bust for the Yankees. So good luck to Dan Butler. We hardly knew you.

No PED Users Get Into HOF

Randy Johnson. Pedro Martinez. John Smoltz. Craig Biggio. There's your Hall of Fame Class of 2015. No surprises, other than Biggio who fell just 2 votes short last year. More importantly - no Bonds, no Clemens, no McGwire, no Sosa. The BBWAA is not ready to recognize any players with a history of PED use. As best they can, the sports writers are keeping the Hall clean. I applaud that.

Hall Calling Pedro

At 11 AM today you should expect to hear Pedro Martinez be elected into the Hall of Fame. Along with Pedro, it is anticipated that Randy Johnson will also get in. John Smoltz & Curt Schilling are longer shots, as is Craig Biggio. Pedro brought a buzz to the park every time that he took the mound. For a slender build that guy could bring it with his fastball, knee-bending curve & devastating changeup. In 2003 & 2004 his playoff games against the hated Yankees became lengendary, from a good & bad standpoint. 2003 & "who's your daddy" is something he will never forget. But we will never forget 2004. Good for Pedro. Well deserved!

It's the Ravens

Of all the teams you didn't want to see come to New England, it was the Ravens. But you have to beat good teams to get to the Super Bowl & the Patriots will have their hands full next Saturday at Gillette. Baltimore is 2-1 in playoffs against the Pats in the Joe Flacco era. Pittsburgh had chances to make big plays on defense, but they couldn't capitalize. And Big Ben was not so big, throwing up 2 picks in a lackluster offensive effort. Let's hope the offensive line gives Brady a chance to pick apart a weak secondary of Baltimore. And let's hope our defense capitalizes on errant passes by Flacco who likes to throw the ball up for grabs. Also, haven't we had enough of Stephen Smith? He needs to dial back his meds. It should be a great game with the winner moving on to the AFC finals. Get your seat in the living room picked out & football food ready to go.

Does Adding Breslow Mean A Trade Is Imment?

Craig Breslow takes his physical on Monday. Assuming he passes, the Red Sox need to open a spot for the lefty on their 40-man roster. Some say Drake Britton may be the odd man out since he is out of options. Daniel Nava is another player that is also out of options. But - if the Sox make a trade for a #1 starter, the situation will take care of itself. And it's odd that the Sox would make Breslow wait until Monday for his physical. So there may be something brewing this weekend. I sure hope so.

Another Dumb Ruling for Goddell

Roger Goddell is letting Ndamukong Suh play after initially suspending him for this weekend's playoff game against the Colts. Suh gets a $70,000 fine, but is eligible to play today. That punishment might have been OK if this was Suh's first offense. But this is not his first indiscretion, far from it. This fine versus suspension send a message throughout the league that you can get away with dirty play in the NFL. Nice going, Roger! This is another situation that you got wrong.

Time for Ben to Finish Roster

What's left to be done? An ace plus another reliever. On the latter, bullpen arms like Jason Grilli & Alexi Ogando are still out there. There may be internal candidates as well, like Matt Barnes & Anthony Ranaudo. On the former issue, it's time to strike a trade to bring in Hamels, Zimmermann, Darvish or Sale. Yes, we can stand pat & hope that Buchholz returns to his glory days & that Kelly, Miley or Porcello round into a solid #2 starter. But that's a game of craps. The Sox brass can't finish this makeover & contend for the playoffs without a solid #1. And we need 1 of the 4 arms mentioned above. Forget Scherzer & Shields as free agency options - they are too expensive. It's about 6 weeks until spring training starts. Finish the job Ben, finish it off.