Holiday Gifts For The Oh-So Fortunate

Need some last minute ideas on what to get the Boston sports icons this Christmas? Let TheBostonInsider give you some hints... Bill Simmons (ESPN.com's "The Sports Guy"): The 10am-2pm slot on WEEI. Bring the Sports Guy back home to Boston while at the same time replacing Dale Arnold and Michael Holley. A win for everyone. Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins (Celtic big men): Some playing time. Come on Doc, there is no way that Blount and LaFrentz should be getting more burn than these two young studs. While you're at it, find some minutes for Justin Reed and Ryan Gomes as well. The Bruins: Some respect. Not too much but just a little -- they have to earn the rest. Tom Brady (Patriot Quarterback): For the man who has it all? A well deserved NFL MVP trophy. There's no one who deserves it more. Johhny Damon (Yankee centerfielder): Actually, with $52-million on the way, all Damon gets from me is the middle finger. Get used to it you money-grubbing scumbag. BC Men's Basketball Team: Sean Williams. The Eagles desperately need this shot-blocking, rebounding center or they will find the ACC to be not so welcoming in 2006. That's all Santa cares for right now. The inner-Grinch in me is coming out, due in large part to Steinbrenner's rape of my Red Sox soul. Happy Holidays!!!

Damon To New York

In a deal that Red Sox fans will hopefully snicker at when the Idiot's throwing arm makes Bernie Williams look like a 21st-century Roberto Clemente, the Yankees have come to terms with free agent center fielder Johnny Damon. The contract is reportedly for 4-years and $52-million. My feelings are bitter right now -- I literally just heard the news -- and I do not know what to think. Yes, I think the Yanks will regret this signing but I also think that the 2006 Red Sox are in trouble. Who bats lead off? Who plays center? Come to think about it, the Yankees had to be the team. They have sat still since being dropped by the Angels in the playoffs, biding their time. The Sox are in a state of transition, chaos almost, and now Steinbrenner has laid down the gauntlet to the new Hoyer/Cherington-Nix/Epstein?/Lucchino regime ... if you leave the door even slightly cracked open, Big George will crush you! One thing is for certain -- Damon celebrating with Jeter, A-Rod and the boys will be a tough sight to get used to seeing. I would have expected to see George Bush defend Saddam Hussein in court before that. But now it looks like that is what we have to look forward to for the forseeable future.

Monday Rants

The 2006 Red Sox are starting to take form. The team signed free agent reliever Rudy Seanez, further strengthening their bullpen, which was a major weakness in 2005. Now all they need to do is find a shortstop (Miguel Tejada looks like a long shot, Alex Gonzalez may be in), a lefty for the bullpen, and what to do with (or without) Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez... Congrats to the Pats for clinching their fourth AFC East Title in the last five years with an impressive 28-0 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Pats were left for dead after getting hammered in Kansas City over the Thanksgiving weekend but they are building momentum as more players get healthy. Watch out for them in the playoffs... Remember when the NFC consistently dominated the AFC? Funny how things change... The fate of Sean Williams will be decided today in a Brighton, MA courthouse. The Boston College men's basketball center was suspended in May after being caught with marijuana and has been absent from campus ever since. The Eagles miss his presence dearly and they are not a legitimate threat in the ACC without him to complement Craig Smith and Jared Dudley. If the judge allows him to return to BC, coach Al Skinner may start to re-think his beliefs in Santa Claus... A report in Los Angeles over the weekend said that USC's Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush will skip his senior season and turn pro. In a related report, alcohol impairs your judgement... Did you know that since 1940, the year Chuck Norris was born, roundhouse kick related deaths have increased by 13,000 percent? Neither did I... Eli Manning will play in a Super Bowl before Peyton does... For all my knocks on Paul Pierce the last few seasons, he is playing the best basketball of his career right now. Pierce should be an All-Star...

Sox Name Co-GM's; Theo Return Still On Hold

The Red Sox officially ended their general manager "search" yesterday as Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherrington were announced as co-general managers. The general public of Red Sox Nation may not be well acquainted with Hoyer and Cherrington but they will soon see that both men are cut from the same cloth as former GM Theo Epstein. Both men worked in the Red Sox baseball operations under Epstein and their promotions should calm the masses who wondered what direction this franchise was heading in since Epstein walked away from the job on Halloween. Hoyer and Cherrington should be getting help on their new job from their former boss -- maybe even before Christmas. The rumors of Theo returning to the front office will not go away and the more you think about the chaos over on Yawkey Way, the more it makes sense. When Theo turned down his extension in October, he was making the statement that he needed more power within the organization in order to take it back to the the World Series. He was fed up with the meddling from President and CEO Larry Lucchino and it was a message to principal owner that either Larry butted out or Theo had to move on. Henry did not act fast enough -- for such a wealthy and smart man he seems to fear confrontation -- so Larry stayed and Theo escaped. But as the GM search that Lucchino was heading dragged on with no results, Henry may have finally wised up to the idea that Theo was the brains and that he could not live without him running the show. Hence, Hoyer and Cherrington (Theo's boys) are in. Hence, Theo is on the way back in (as Gerry Callahan reported in the Herald today, possibly as President of Baseball Operations). Hence, Larry may be on the way to Washington to run the Nationals after they are sold (as the late, great Will McDonough reported in the Globe before he passed). Red Sox Nation could now be opening the present of a unified front office, working towards another World Series championship, this Christmas.

Tejada To Red Sox?

Read that headline again and think to yourself, could one of baseball's elite power hitters actually call Fenway Park home in 2006? Within hours of Edgar Renteria's trade to Atlanta, the Oriole shortstop voiced his opinion that he wanted to be traded. Take a quick breeze through the list of teams that could take on Tejada's sizeable contract and that have a need at shortstop and you will find the Red Sox at the top. Wouldn't it be nice to see Tejada bashing away at the Green Monster, hitting behind his fellow Dominican countryman, Big Papi? And maybe getting Tejada would entice Manny Ramirez to back down from his trade demands. Getting Tejada would be expensive, and not just in dollars. The Orioles will want top prospects in return. But maybe, just maybe, a deal of Trot Nixon (proven outfielder), Bronson Arroyo (cheap addition to rotation), Jon Lester (top lefty pitching prospect) and Manny DelCarmen (young potential closer to replace BJ Ryan) could get it done. Picture this lineup coming to Fenway in '06... 1. Johnny Damon, CF (4-years/$52-million?) 2. Mark Loretta, 2B (Very good acquisition.) 3. David Ortiz, DH (Ready to finally get the MVP.) 4. Manny Ramirez, LF (Loving the new digs out in Milton?) 5. Miguel Tejada, SS (Potential 130-RBI guy in the 5-hole.) 6. Jason Varitek, C (Series MVP in '06?) 7. Juan Encarnacion, RF (Cheap replacement for Trot?) 8. Mike Lowell, 3B (Glove hopefully Golden.) 9. Kevin Youkilis, 1B (Why not?)

Bye-Bye Error-ria

The Sox, they are a changin. Edgar Renteria, the prized Red Sox signing last winter, has been traded to the Atlanta Braves for highly touted third base prospect Andy Marte. The only snag right now is that commissioner Bud Selig must approve because of the cash involved in the deal. The Red Sox will send an undisclosed amount of money to Atlanta to pay off some of the remaining $29-million owed to Edg-ah. Renteria, a former Gold Glove shortstop with the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, was a disaster in 2005 in Boston. He led all of baseball with 30 errors and his performance at the plate was subpar as well. The pressure of playing in Boston may have contributed to his poor play. Back in the National League now, he should return to form, though there will be pressure in Atlanta to replace the departed Rafael Furcal. Marte is a good prospect and if he is not included in any other deals (there has been talk of him going to Tampa Bay for either Aubrey Huff or Julio Lugo) then the Red Sox have added another top young player. He can hit for power and has a reputation for being a good defensive player at the hot corner. Even if he does not fit into Boston's long term plans, Marte could be a chip in a future deal.

Thirsty Thursday Notes

I like what the Red Sox are doing so far this winter. The Doug Mirabelli-for-Mark Loretta deal is a steal on paper (backup catcher for a potential All-Star at second base) and that is in addition to the Josh Beckett/Guillermo Mota/Mike Lowell trade. If the Sox can figure out a way to keep Johnny Damon (4-years/$48-million, with an option?) and Manny Ramirez then the outlook for '06 is bright. Now that Lyle Overbay is in Toronto, is it possible that Boston could send Matt Clement to Los Angeles for Derek Lowe. Lowe might be a tad inconsisitent at times but he is a big game pitcher, something the Sox can't afford to wait and see if Clement will become. One more Sox thought -- bring back Nomar! It makes sense -- he could even get a chance to play some shortstop because the Sox are hell-bent on dealing away Edgar Renteria... Well, the Boston College football team is off to Boise after all. The MPC Computers Bowl between BC and (host) Boise State should be a good game if the Eagles can re-focus after getting the cold shoulder from the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando... Speaking of BC, the men's basketball team has its first ACC game on Sunday when they travel to College Park to face Maryland. Maryland is coached by former BC coach Gary Williams. The Eagles are looking to bounce back from their first loss on the season, a 77-71 defeat at the hands of Michigan State... Al Jefferson may finally be at full strength after missing most of October's training camp with an ankle sprain. Big Al dropped 12-points and grabbed 10-rebounds on Houston on Tuesday night and came back last night with 16 and 9 in a win over the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Along with Jefferson, third-year center Kendrick Perkins is playing his role as rebounder/enforcer very well. There is hope for the Green...

Rose Bowl Should Be A Classic

Finally, the BCS got it right. The two best college football teams in America, the Trojans of Southern California and the Longhorns of Texas, will meet a month from today in the Rose Bowl to decide who will be the undisputed national champion. The No. 1 Trojans, led by 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart and likely 2005 winner Reggie Bush, will put their 34-game winning streak on the line against quarterback Vince Young and the high-powered Texas offense (the 'Horns have hung at least 40-points on their last 10 opponents). USC is looking for their third straight national championship while Texas is seeking their first national title since 1969. Both teams are 12-0 and have separated themselves from the rest of the country with ease. In their final games of the season, played yesterday, both teams won by laughable margins. Southern Cal smoked rival UCLA 66-19 and Texas crushed Colorado in the Big 12 Championship Game by a score of 70-3. Neither game was as close as the scores indicate -- both teams could have scored 100-points if they chose to do so. The hype machine will begin this week. The Heisman Trophy presentation will be next Saturday and the top three candidates are Bush, Young and Leinart. The talk of the Rose Bowl being the "greatest college football match-up of all-time" will be talked about everywhere and by everyone. Think the NFL might have a few eyes on this one? But for all the hype, this game could live up to its billing. Both USC and Texas are phenomenal teams and whoever wins this game will take its place as one of the greatest in college football history.

Bruins Make Gutsy -- And Necessary -- Move

The last place, underachieving Boston Bruins finally made the drastic move that we have all been waiting for. Late last night the Bruins dealt their captain, All-Star Joe Thornton, to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Brad Stuart, winger Marco Sturm and center Wayne Primeau. This move is similar, although maybe not as big, as the July 2004 trade of Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs that brought back Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkieicz (and a World Series) to the Red Sox. As in that move, the Bruins are now trading the face of their franchise, Thornton, for some unknown names (at least in these parts). This will be wildly unpopular in these parts as Thornton is a Boston favorite -- a former No. 1 overall pick, Thornton gives glimpses of what could be a Hall-of-Fame career. But for the most part Jumbo Joe has not lived up to the super expectations bestowed upon him by the Gallery Gods on Causeway Street. Since coming to the B's in 1997, the team has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs and the last three times they were bounced in the first round, twice as the No. 1 seed in the conference. Not to put all the blame on Joe but there are times when he seems to be sitting back, waiting for the game to come to him, when instead he should be attacking, especially with all of his skills. A 6-4, 230-pound center with the slick passing skills of Thornton should be a yearly MVP candidate playing with the likes of Sergei Samsanov, Glen Murray and Patrice Bergeron. Instead the Boston fans get an inconsistent performance from their big star (0 points against Montreal in their 2004 first round playoff loss -- broken ribs or not, the guy wearing the "C" should at least produce an assist). The three players that general manager Mike O'Connell brought back are not flashy but the will give the B's much needed quality depth, something this team desperately needs. Stuart, a top 3 defenseman, has the potential to shine and both Sturm and Primeau help the Bruins forward lines. So, Joe, good luck in San Jose. You may never have lived up to the hype in Boston but you are a super-talented player who could be in the Hall-of-Fame someday down the road. Hopefully this trade is the wake up call for your career that you need. As for the new guys ... good luck. Boston is in no way shape or form San Jose. The pressure to poroduce here is nothing like skating in California. But if you do your jobs than life will be a little bit easier.