Barry Zito

Maybe Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane isn't the genius we all thought he was. The A's signed free agent pitcher Esteban Loaiza to a 3-year, $21-million contract yesterday. So much for Moneyball and fiscal sanity by the Bay. The Loaiza signing means that A's lefthanded starter and former Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito could (and should) be available. With the Red Sox rebuilding their starting rotation, maybe Boston and Oakland could become trading partners. Beane has admired Boston's Kevin Youkilis ever since Youkilis made his mark as an on-base "machine" while in the minor leagues. In Michael Lewis' Moneyball, Beane went so far as to call Youkilis the "Greek God of Walks." With Oakland parting ways with Scott Hatteberg, Youkilis could fit in as the A's first baseman. Another piece to this trade could be Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo is a cheap, effective end-of-the-rotation starter who would give the A's much needed innings. Imagine Zito in a rotation with Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield and either Matt Clement or Jonathan Papelbon. It's something that could be a reality.

BC's Bowl Possibilities

With the college football regular season winding down -- this is the final week -- it is time to start getting ready for a month of postseason bowl games. Boston College, ranked No. 19 in the nation by both major polls (AP and Coaches), is on the way to a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year looking for their fifth straight win under coach Tom O'Brien. The 8-3 Eagles, who finished in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division behind Florida State, are hoping to play in a fairly high-profile game after spending the last few Christmas breaks playing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, San Francisco Bowl, Motor City Bowl, Music City Bowl and the Insight.com Bowl. The only problem for the Eagles is that some of the more high-profile bowls may not be interested in taking BC as a participant. The fact of the matter is that the BC fan base does not have the reputation of traveling to support the team and the directors of a game are concerned with selling tickets. Of course, if BC had taken care of business and beaten North Carolina three weeks ago then this would not be an issue. The Eagles blew the game in Chapel Hill, costing them the Atlantic Division title and a spot in the inagural ACC Championship Game against Virginia Tech. Even a loss to the Hokies would have assured BC a place in the Gator Bowl -- one of the top games that isn't a BCS (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls) affiliate. But BC did lose to the Tarheels and now their fate rests with the selection committees from the various bowl games and with their conference commissioner, John Swofford. Boston College's Athletic Director, Gene DiFilippo, must lean heavily on Swofford to get his team into a more prestigious game. The current thinking of many of the "experts" is that BC will end up in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho against Boise State. BC would be a good draw for this relatively unknown game as they are a good team from a powerful league like the ACC. Also, the directors of the game won't have to worry about ticket sales because Boise State's fans are known to be rabid followers of the Broncos and the game will also be played on the blue turf that is home to Boise State. But BC deserves more. I'm not one of those BC fans that think the Eagles are a step or two away from having a football factory but as a season ticket holder and someone who watches BC play quite often, I know this team should be getting more respect from some of the other bowls. That is not to say that Boise State is a bad team -- they are quite entertaining to watch -- but if the ACC wants to build BC into an attractive member of its' football family then they must find a way to get the Eagles into a higher-profile game to garner more interest from the BC fans. A December trip to Idaho is not the way to accomplish that. The ACC needs to get BC an invitation to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on December 30. BC would be paired against a team from the SEC (possibly South Carolina or Alabama) in a game that would help the Eagles gain more national recognition -- something that will help recruiting, make the team more competitive and help build support in the Boston area. Otherwise the conference will risk having the BC football team lose some of its' momentum as a program on the rise and in turn the ACC will suffer as well because their league will not be as competitive as they hoped for when thet brought Boston College into the fold along with Miami and Virginia Tech.

Monday Ranting

I am glad to see that Nick Cafardo has joined his Globe buddy Gordon Edes in reading TheBostonInsider for ideas on Red Sox columns. First Edes swiped my David Wells for Dave Roberts trade proposal and now it is Cafardo stealing my thoughts. In yesterday's Baseball Notes, Cafardo led with a piece that floated out the theory that the Red Sox may be better served by having one of their younger front office stars, such as Jed Hoyer, work under Larry Lucchino, Bill Lajoie and Jeremy Kapstein in running the day-to-day baseball operations instead of handing the power over to someone like Jim Beattie. It just so happens that on Saturday night I posted pretty much the same idea on TheBostonInsider Daily. Is this coincidence or is their a conspiracy on Morrissey Boulevard to bring me down? As much as I would love to see it happen, I doubt that even the return of Ben Roethlisberger can help the Steelers knock off the 10-0 Colts tonight. Only a steady combination of Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker and Duce Staley could slow down Indianapolis but it is doubtful that the beat-up Bettis will make much of a difference tonight. The Colts will move another step closer to immortality, winning 34-16. Could the Red Sox get free agent reliever Kyle Farnsworth for 2-years and $6-million? I hope so. His 99 m.p.h. fastball would look great in the bullpen with Mike Timlin, Guillermo Mota and Keith Foulke. Hey Mark Blount -- SHUT UP!!! You're not that great a player to begin with and you are barely outrebounding George Mikan ... this year. Hopefully there will be a few more DNP-CD in Mark's Celtic future before he is (again, hopefully) dealt. Do the Bruins know that the strike ended? If Mike O'Connell is listening, it may be time to trade Sergei Samsanov for some defense.

Red Sox GM Search

The 2005 season has been over for six weeks, Theo's been history for a month and the Red Sox have already pulled off the biggest blockbuster trade of the winter before winter technically started. Amid all of this excitement, the higher-ups on Yawkey Way have yet to find a general manager -- and remember the MLB Winter Meetings are just days away! The GM search has been put on the backburner due to the Beckett/Lowell/Mota acquisition and rightfully so. It's not every day that a team can pick up a frontline starting pitcher, Gold Glove third baseman and a dominant set-up man so excuse the Red Sox if finding the replacement for Theo Epstein is on temporary hiatus. To get you up to speed, the current candidates for the GM opening are retreads Jim Beattie and Jim Bowden with names such as Kim Ng surfacing on the rumor mill. But correct me if I'm wrong, didn't the GM-less Sox front office just pull off the coup of the offseason? That means someone over there is doing something other than slurping down $5 beers at Game On. So, TheBostonInsider thinks, why not hand the reigns over to one of Theo's young apprentices. Would it be so bad if a guy like Jed Hoyer -- a valued Epstein assistant -- got the GM job? Larry Lucchino and Bill Lajoie could be mentors to Hoyer while guys like Ben Cherington and Craig Shipley can be his day-to-day advisors. This ensures that all the good that was done in Epstein's years (building a great minor league system, player development, good community relations) would continue. Bringing in new blood would threaten that. It may not grab the headlines but if Theo taught us anything, headlines do not win the World Series. Plus, if public relations was so vital to the top brass, surely the Beckett trade has generated enough type to allow for the likes of a Jed Hoyer to assume the duties of GM. It would be a wise choice to keep the franchise moving on the same path it has been on since the last time John Henry and Friends entrusted the GM post to such an unproven commodity, a young man named Theo Epstein.

Some Holiday Wish (Lineup) Lists

This Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell/Guillermo Mota deal has me looking towards Spring Training with a smile on my face. Could this be the team we see on the field in a few months? Lineup: 1. Johnny Damon, CF (4-years @ $44-million?) 2. Edgar Renteria, SS (Ready to produce in Year Two.) 3. David Ortiz, DH (MVP snub has him ready to go.) 4. Manny Ramirez, LF (Please don't trade him!) 5. Brian Giles, RF (Replaces Nixon for 3-years @ $27-million.) 6. Jason Varitek, C (Captain may well be underpaid.) 7. Lyle Overbay, 1B (Does Trot have this much value?) 8. Mike Lowell, 3B (Glove is Gold ... bat is surprising.) 9. Tony Graffanino, 2B (Solid veteran comes back for '06.) Bench: Dave Roberts, OF (Boomer lands in San Diego); Dustin Pedroia, 2B (rookie learns from Graff); Alex Cora, SS (defense and some speed); Kevin Youkilis, 3B/1B (if he isn't traded); Doug Mirabelli, C (best backup catcher in the game) Starting Rotation: Curt Schilling (R/still in search of a Cy Young); Josh Beckett (R/ready for the big city ... if healthy); Matt Clement (R/a lot to prove); Tim Wakefield (R/13-10, 220-innings); Jonathan Papelbon (R/golden child has some serious expectations) Bullpen: Bronson Arroyo (R/good spot for him); Jon Lester (L/possibility for the rotation); Mike Myers (L/specialist ... especially against Matsui); Mike Timlin (R/Sox MVP in '05?); Guillermo Mota (R/power set-up man the Sox needed); Keith Foulke (R/closer must bounce back from '05)

Hello, Mota

The Red Sox brass have made the Thanksgiving trade for Josh Beckett even sweeter by additionally grabbing Guillermo Mota -- a top set-up man for the bullpen -- to the deal. That makes the trade Beckett, Mota and Mike Lowell for the four Sox minor leaguers, shortstop Hanley Ramirez and pitchers Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado and Harvey Garcia. The addition of Beckett gives Boston a new ace for what was an aging starting rotation, Lowell at worst gives the Red Sox some great defense at third base (he was the 2005 N.L. Gold Glove winner at the position) and he has the potential to hit 30 home runs, especially playing at Fenway Park and Mota has been one of the top set-up men in the National League the last two years. This is certainly good news for those of us braving the cold in Red Sox Nation.

Beckett Trade

What is it about Thanksgiving and the Red Sox going after pitching? For the second time in three years, the Boston Red Sox have worked out a deal to bring in a hard throwing right handed starting pitcher for the front of their rotation the week of Thanksgiving. In 2003 it was Curt Schilling from Arizona. Today it is Josh Beckett from Florida. Will this Turkey Day surprise benefit Red Sox Nation like Schilling's? Only time will tell. But for now this move must bring happiness to Sox fans all over. After the Theo/Lucchino saga that played out after the Red Sox were swept by the White Sox in the ALDS, many members of R.S.N. were wondering if the 2004 World Series was the peak of the mountain and that if everything after that would be a hard fall of the top. Now some feelings are being smoothed. Not to say Beckett guarantees the Sox 3 World Series titles over the next 10 years -- he has a history of blister problems on his right hand, a sure WEEI "Whiner Line" parody in the making -- but he is certainly a step in the right direction if you are a Boston fan. Also in this deal the Sox get third baseman Mike Lowell ... and his $18-million for the next two years. Lowell was once a top player in the National League but injuries played a part in a terrible 2005 season (.236 BA, 8 HR, 58 RBI, .298 OBP). With Lowell there is the hope that he can bounce back at the plate and at least he will bring Gold Glove-caliber defense to third base. In exchange for Beckett and Lowell, the Red Sox sent prospects Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins. Ramirez, a shortstop, has been highly touted in the Boston system for the last four years but he has never played any meaningful baseball above Double-A and has never had a fantastic season. Ramirez could be a star but he's starting to lean towards Frankie Rodriguez-ville. Sanchez, a brilliant pitching prospect, is a young arm with potential but right now the Red Sox can't wait on his promise. The bottom line is that to get something of value (Beckett) you need to do some unpleasant things (take on Lowell's contract, trade top prospects). Forget the General Manager search -- which should just go to either Jed Hoyer or Peter Woodfork at this point (more on that over the weekend) -- is it time for pitchers and catchers to report to Ft. Myers yet?

Johnny Damon

The Boston Globe is reporting that the Red Sox are prepared to offer their free agent center fielder Johnny Damon a three-year contract worth between $25-28-million dollars. Obviously this is just an opening figure. Damon's agent is Scott Boras, or as most owners will call him, the Devil. Boras will work for every possible dollar for Damon, especially in the wake of the Theo Epstein disaster -- Boras is smart enough to know that the Sox need some positive public relations right now and not another embarrassment. The fact that there isn't a GM in place on Yawkey Way yet will also benefit Boras and Damon. Expect Damon's price to rise. The Yankees have reportedly come to terms on a four-year, $52-million dollar deal with their free agent left fielder Hideki Matsui. Damon is of more value to Boston than Matsui is to New York and expect that to come up in contract talks.

Fan Rants

The Celtics are half-way interesting to watch so far. Paul Pierce is playing his best all around basketball since missing those two free throws in Game 5 against the Nets in the 2002 Eastern Finals (which I heard over the phone while slugging Guiness in Dublin, Ireland). As Doc Rivers settles into a fixed rotation -- more Al Jefferson, Justin Reed and Ryan Gomes, less Brian Scala-bad contract please -- this could be a playoff team. Yeah, it's only six games into the season but this team might have the right fit of youth and experience to pry away a No. 6, 7, or 8 seed in the East... Watching SportsCenter tonight I noticed a blurb about Sergei Fedorov being dealt from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (or are they the Los Angeles Mighty Ducks of Anaheim?) to the Columbus Blue Jackets run across the Bottom Line. As soon as Fedorov's name flashed and I saw the "B" in Blue Jackets my half drunk mind thought that maybe the Bruins grabbed him, only to be disappointed that the Blue Jackets grabbed one of hockey's geatest scorers. But then my senses came to (sort of) and I realized that the B's hardly need more scoring, they need some defensemen. They might just be a defensemen or two from actually getting the opportunity to be knocked out of the playoffs by the Ottowa Senators in the spring... The Patriots win over Miami this Sunday is already climbing the charts among my all-time favorite Patriot victories. Not only did they beat the Dolphins in Miami, they did so without either of their starting tackles (Matt Light, Tom Ashworth), running backs (Corey Dillon got hurt on the first play, Kevin Faulk), strong safety (Rodney Harrison), cornerbacks (Randall Gay barely played, Tyrone Poole) and tight end (Dan Graham). To boot, the Pats lost center Dan Koppen during the game. To win under those circumstances is amazing -- the legends of Belichick, Brady and these New England Patriots continues to grow... Today the Pats placed Koppen (shoulder) and Gay (ankle) on injured reserve, meaning they are lost for the year. They join Harrison, Chad Scott and Duane Starks as players expected to contribute who are done for the year. If I was a betting man I would say it may be time to cancel those February trips to Detroit... BC fans have a right to gripe this week. If the Eagles had taken care of business in North Carolina last week against an inferior Tar Heel team (they lost 16-14) then Tom O'Brien's charges would be in prime position to win the ACC Atlantic Division and with it a place in the inagural ACC Football Championship Game because of Florida State's consecutive losses to NC State and Clemson. BC beat NC State this week but they can do no better than tie Florida State in the division because of a loss to the Seminoles back in September. This is like last year when all the Eagles needed to win the Big East outright (and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl) was a win over Syracuse, a game that saw the Orangemen clobber BC at Alumni Stadium. BC still must win at Maryland this week to stay in the running for the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Florida... What do we need to do for the Boston Globe to finally dump Napoleon Shaughnessy and replace him with ESPN.com's Bill Simmons?

Wells/Roberts Deal

Has the Globe's Gordon Edes been reading TheBostonInsider Daily Blog? It seems that the lead baseball scribe over on Morrissey Boulevard may be checking in on the site from time to time as he reported yesterday that preliminary talks on a Wells-to-San Diego-for-Roberts deal have started. The Padres would likely throw in another player (possibly a pitcher) to complete the trade. It just so happens that I mentioned that move on October 21. Now maybe Edes is in a frantic search for info on the Red Sox or there is the possibility that this trade is actually in the works. Whatever the case, it would be nice to see Roberts in a Boston uniform once again. He may not be Johnny Damon at the plate or in the field and he is starting to slow down a little bit due to age but Roberts would be a perfect fourth outfielder/pinch runner for the 2006 Red Sox.

Angry Fan Rant

Time to let off some steam... The biggest problem with these Patriots is the defense. Plain and simple -- there just isn't enough of it. And it has nothing to do with Tedy Bruschi missing the first six games, Rodney Harrison's knee exploding in Week 3, Richard Seymour's extended absence or the retirement of Ted Johnson before training camp opened. This problem has many faces. It starts with the brain farts by Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli this offseason. How's that Duane Starks trade working out? The Pats "stole" Starks from Arizona for a third round pick, a pick that could have been used on Domonique Foxworth, who is now starting for Denver at cornerback. The Starks blunder was not their only one. How about taking Logan Mankins in the NFL Draft (a player who I actually like) instead of a defensive back (Corey Webster, Josh Bullocks) or a linebacker (Odell Thurmon, Lofa Tatupu)? Mankins has earned a solid reputation but the need wasn't at guard, it was on defense. They could have re-signed veteran Joe Andruzzi at guard and gotten younger on D very easily. Another questionable move was bringing in Monty Beisel from Kansas City to play middle linebacker. True, when Bruschi had the stroke the Pats were put in a tough spot but Beisel has turned out to be a big bust so far. He makes tackles, only they are 8-yards downfield instead of near the line of scrimmage. If he was playing better, Bruschi would still be training for a 2006 comeback instead of playing. And can defensive coordinator Eric Mangini get consistent -- with a poor secondary the opposing quarterback needs to be pressured and that usually happens with blitzes. Mangini seemingly does not know this. (Of course he does. I'm just pissed that the Pats D is getting lit like a homeless guy with a bottle of Popov vodka. He's doing what he can with what's on the roster.) There are plenty more mistakes (Chad Scott, Chad Brown, not finding a replacement for the softer-than-tissue-paper Ty Poole, letting Ty Law walk when they could have mended that bridge) but there's still time left in the game (Brady just found Troy Brown to cut the score to 34-21 Indy). (Now that I've said this I know that the Belichick/Pioli team has recreated Patriot football from joke team to model franchise in under five years and that they certainly deserve the benefit of the doubt. It's just that their mistakes need to be counted as well as their amazing successes.) Realistically the Pats will probably go no better than 10-6, win the AFC East and lose in the playoffs. The spring and summer leading up to the 2006 season needs to be one that sees the defense being rebuilt along with some more depth on offense.

Pats-Colts

Duh-duh-duh-da-duh. Monday Night Football is back in Foxboro, Mass. for the Pats and Colts tonight as 7-0 Indianapolis and Peyton Manning try to finally end their losing streak (Manning is 0-7 lifetime in New England) against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the rest of the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. I'll save you the rah-rah B.S. The Colts are good -- better than most New England fans want to believe. They not only have the explosive offense led by Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison but now they have a kick-ass defense to boot. As for the Pats, they are banged up big time. The offensive line has rookie Nick Kaczur lining up against All-Pro pass rusher Dwight Freeney, running back Corey Dillon is hobbling around on a sprained ankle, Richard Seymour will probably be out with a knee injury and the defensive secondary has been in tatters for about the last three seasons now. And I'm still taking the Patriots. Not because I'm wearing a Pats shirt right now. Not because I'm addicted to the Belichick kool-aid. And not because I hate the Colts. No, I'm banking on Tom Brady tonight. When he enters the Hall-of-Fame sometime around 2020, this will be one of those games that Brady fans will remember with swelling pride. He is the epitome of a winner and a champion and will do whatever is needed for his team to come out on top. I say Brady throws for 350 yards and 4 TD's tonight as the Patriots start their journey back to the Super Bowl. Watch closely for Tedy Bruschi to rip off at least two Manning passes. It's just what champions do. Patriots 41, Colts 23.

Theo Replacement

I started a new job this week working at an elementary school and I was too drained to update -- I'll try not to be such a wimp in the future. So much for my "Theo isn't leaving" theory. But instead of rehashing the "Who's at fault?" stuff, I'm going to list my top five candidates (in reverse order) to replace Epstein. 5. Terry Francona. Hey, if Larry Lucchino is calling the shots anyways, then why not let Terry have a little say in who is on the roster. Also, if they have to can the manager then the GM will have to go too! 4. Jim Duquette. At least he's not cousin Dan. (In all seriousness, a potential candidate). 3. Scott Pioli. If only Belichick and the Pats would let him leave. 2. Ben Affleck. Now he could at least earn those primo box seats he always scores when he comes to Fenway. 1. Dan Shaughnessy. Willing to be Lucchino's puppy. "Write this Danny, good boy!"