Prediction ... Almost

I wrote 41-10. Final score: 40-7. Pretty close.

Pats/Texans

Prediction time.... Pats - 41 Texans - 10 The Patriots are due for a game where they click on all cylinders. It doesn't look good with the likes of Laurence Maroney, Ben Watson, and Vince Wilfork on the sidelines but this will be a romp for the Pats. I just hope it isn't their last W this season.

This & That

Good moves by the Red Sox yesterday. They acquired two Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles (or is it Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) relief pitchers in two separate moves. They traded pitcher Phil Seibel for Brandon Donnelly and then signed J.C. Romero. Solid additions for a team hurting for bullpen help. Al Jefferson finally seems to be coming into his own. The third-year power forward (who is actually playing center for the banged up C's) dropped 28-points and grabbed 10-rebounds last night against Denver in a 119-114 Boston win. For the season, Jefferson is averaging 11.7-points, 8.7-rebounds, and 1.33-blocks. North Carolina. Ohio State. UCLA. Kansas. The four best teams in college hoops ... as of now. Watch UNC's Brandon Wright, the best freshman not named Greg Oden. I've heard a lot of rumors in the search for BC's next head football coach. Mark Whipple was supposedly the front runner (with UMass coach Don Brown joing him at The Heights to call the defense) but now there is chatter that BC has cooled off in its recruitment of Whipple. Speaking of Brown, he did an amazing job at UMass this year. Although they lost last night in the 1-AA Championship Game to Appalachain State 28-17, the Minutemen had a wonderful year, finishing 13-2. Their only other loss was a 21-20 decision at 1-A Navy, who will play BC in the Meineke Car Care Bowl later this month. They are too far off the radar to matter but what Al Skinner has done for BC men's basketball is amazing. Jared Dudley is the latest Eagle to emerge as a force at Conte Forum under Skinner, following Craig Smith and Troy Bell. Knocking off Maryland in the ACC opener was a classic Skinner game ... run the flex until the opposition gets tired and then pound it inside. The Bruins are creeping back into my conscience but they still have much to prove before I go back to truly following them.

Matsuzaka ... Notes

It's all but official. Daisuke Matsuzaka, his agent Scott Boras, and the Red Sox have come to terms on what seems to be a contract worth $52-million over 6-years with incentives that would bring the value up to $60-million. Matsuzaka is in Boston now and will be going under a physical exam which will clear the Red Sox to formally announce the deal. With the reported $52-million added to the posting fee of $51.1-million, the Red Sox will be shelling out a total of $103.1-million for the services of the 26-year-old righty. He will join an impressive starting rotation of Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jon Lester. And don't forget about Jon Lester, who is planning on being at Spring Training coming off of cancer treatments. All but Schilling and Wakefield are younger than 27. In other news... It seems Allen Iverson won't be coming to the Celtics. This looks like a lost chance at getting one of basketball's top players but the rumored price of Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and picks was just too much. I think that Atlanta should be in on Iverson. They are desperate for a point guard and AI would also put some asses in the seats. A package of Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, and Marvin Williams plus some picks could get it done.

BC Football

Tom O'Brien is out, off to NC State (where he'll be fired within four years -- that stoic personality will fly at BC because the Eagles aren't top story in these parts but the Wolfpack are the only team in Raleigh and they'll expect more than trips to the Meineke Car Care Bowl ... I'm not taking a shot at O'B, that's just the reality of the expectations he'll be facing). Who will succeed BC's all-time winningest football coach? I hear it will be offensive genius Mark Whipple, currently the QB's coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Prior to coaching the Steelers, Whipple won a National Championship with UMass in 1998 and put together great teams at Brown and New Haven. If I'm BC quarterback Matt Ryan, I'd be pretty excited right now. BC should have a strong nucleus returning next year and with Whipple calling the shots for a group of kids who will have a chip on their shoulders from O'Brien leaving the Heights, the '07 Eagles may finally take the next step in both the ACC and in the BCS system. (You heard it here first.)

Red Sox Ramblings

Although I am warming up to the thought of having both JD Drew and Julio Lugo in Boston, there are still some lingering issues that I can't understand. First off, how is Drew -- a talented hitter and fielder who misses far too much time on the field -- worth a 5-year/$70-million contract this winter when Johnny Damon -- a talented hitter and fielder who gave his heart and soul to the Red Sox -- wasn't worth a 4-year/$52-million contract last winter? Theo had better hope Drew plays in 145-games (or more) and produces while protecting Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz in the BoSox lineup. My next issue deals with Lugo. When I looked his career stats up on the Baseball Reference website, I was impressed but not blown away. A career BA of .277, an OBP of .340, and an OPS of .742 are nice numbers but for a 31-year-old shortstop making $9-million-per-year for the next four years, one wouldn't be wrong is desiring a little more. However, on the side of Lugo (and Theo), hiting in front of Big Papi, Manny, and (hopefully) Drew should give him some favorable pitches to hack at. As for what to do at closer .. who knows. What we all know in Red Sox Nation is that Theo has not had much success in building a bullpen. Other than Keith Foulke and Mike Timlin, the relief corps has been a black eye on Epstein's resume. Boston's interest in Eric Gagne is intriguing but there is the injury factor with the 2003 NL Cy Young winner. I love to read that they are inquiring about Pirates lefty Mike Gonzalez, though Pittsburgh won't let him go cheaply, if at all. There is a glimmer of hope that Craig Hansen or Manny Delcarmen could do the job but teams that rely on glimmers of hope at closer usually are waiting for Santa Claus to deliver them a starting pitcher. There was some light rumors of the Red Sox talking to Roger Clemens about closing but that seems to far fetched for even an idiot like myself to believe. I say go after Clemens to start, sign Matsuzaka, and add those two to Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield/Jon Lester and keep Papelbon at closer for one more year. We'll see. As for trades to improve the bullpen, both Kevin Youkilis and Coco Crisp should be available. Youkilis is a favorite of A's GM Billy Beane and Oakland always has plenty of arms at their disposal. Crisp will also stir some interest, especially from teams with young arms (Florida) looking for a young, affordable centerfielder.

Red Sox

Theo Epstein is awfully busy... ESPN News is reporting that the Sox have come to terms with free agent shortstop Julio Lugo. The deal is worth 4-years/$36-million. That potentially gives the Sox this lineup: CF - Coco Crisp SS - Julio Lugo DH - David Ortiz LF - Manny Ramirez RF - JD Drew C - Jason Varitek 3B - Mike Lowell 1B - Kevin Youkilis 2B - Dustin Pedroia More changes sure to come. There are also rumors the Red Sox are in on free agent closer Eric Gagne as they continue to search for Jonathan Papelbon's replacement. If healthy, Gagne is a nasty finisher. As I said earlier, they may be talking to the Pirates about Mike Gonzalez.

Red Sox News & Notes

Reports are out tonight that the Red Sox have agreed to a 5-year/$70-million deal with free agent outfielder JD Drew. The talented Drew, who has been characterized as being soft during his career for spending too much time on the DL, can play either corner spot or centerfield. The word coming from the winter meetings is that the Sox plan on keeping Manny Ramirez (for now). By keeping Ramirez and adding Drew, the Sox could have a very impressive 3-4-5 of David Ortiz, Ramirez, and Drew. Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe is also reporting that the Sox have talked to the Pittsburgh Pirates about hard throwing lefty closer/set-up man Mike Gonzalez (long a favorite of TheBostonInsider). Just throwing this one out there -- maybe Gonzalez for Youkilis? Bring back Trot to play first (long shot!)? With Drew under contract (pending his passing a physical) and Ramirez staying, here is the current Sox lineup: 1B - Kevin Youkilis CF - Coco Crisp DH - David Ortiz LF - Manny Ramirez RF - JD Drew C - Jason Varitek 3B - Mike Lowell 2B - Dustin Pedroia SS - Alex Cora While the 3-4-5-6-7 isn't a bad group, the top and bottom of the order leave much to be desired. The Sox are talking with Julio Lugo's agents and may also be searching out trade partners to shore up second base and shortstop.

Solution To BCS Problem

Once again, the BCS -- and more importantly the way the champion of college football is decided -- is mired in controversy. Who should play Ohio State? Michigan or Florida? There really is no winner in all of this. What college football fans like myself want to see is a playoff. That is the one true way to decide the champion -- just like college football does at the Division 1-AA, 2, and 3 levels. This would be a rather simple solution. Take the top eight teams (yes, there would be controversy on this as well but controversy over who is eighth and who is ninth is better to deal with than figuring out the top two) regardless of conference or region. For 2006 that might look like this: 1. Ohio State 2. Florida 3. Michigan 4. Louisiana State 5. Southern California 6. Wisconsin 7. Louisville 8. Boise State. To all you Texas, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame fans that feel slighted ... tough. Next we will take all four of the major bowl games -- Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange -- and add to them the Cotton, Gator, and Capital One Bowls. This way, the tradition of the Bowl Games is not lost. The Cotton, Gator, and Capital One Bowls would permanently serve as hosts for the quarterfinal games, rotating so that they will all get the 1 vs. 8 matchup every three years (while hosting the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 games the other two years) while one of the "Big 4" would get the 4 vs. 5 quarterfinal every four years (the year after hosting the National Championship Game). This would be the 2006 Bowl Schedule under this plan: Quarterfinals: Gator Bowl: 1. Ohio State vs. 8. Boise State Rose Bowl: 4. Louisiana State vs. 5. Southern California Cotton Bowl: 3. Michigan vs. 6. Wisconsin Capital One Bowl: 2. Florida vs. 7. Louisville Semifinals: Fiesta Bowl: 1/8 Winner vs. 4/5 Winner Orange Bowl: 2/7 Winner vs. 3/6 Winner CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Sugar Bowl: Fiesta Bowl Winner vs. Orange Bowl Winner There are flaws in this plan I'm sure but it is so much better than what we currently have that it is like comparing the payrolls of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to that of the Red Sox or Yankees. It makes too much sense to not have this sort of playoff to determine a true college football National Champion.

Daisuke Matsuzaka

The Red Sox have nine days and counting to agree to terms on a contract with Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and his agent, the evil Scott Boras. The Red Sox, who paid $51.1-million just for the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka, are reportedly offering 4-years/$8-million-per-year while the Boras/Matsuzaka camp is looking more for 4-years/$15-million-per-year. Combining the $51.1-million "posting fee" the total Red Sox bid is worth roughly $83-million over the four years to the Sox while the Boras offer is worth roughly $111-million. And as much as I hate to say so, the Red Sox need to start getting closer to the Boras number. The reason being, have you seen the money that free agent starters are getting this winter? Vicente Padilla, a mediocre-to-average pitcher with both the Phillies and Rangers just resigned with Texas for 3-years and $34-million. Gil Meche and Ted Lilly are looking at getting $10-million-per-year for 4-years. Barry Zito will probably ink a contract (along with his agent ... Boras) for 6-years and $90-100-million. Pitching ain't cheap. And that's why the Sox need to pay Matsuzaka. If Theo and the Front Office think he's worth the $51.1-million posting fee, than they must be confident to pay him market value. If they have to go up to $13-14-million-per-year than so be it. In other Sox news... I really hope they avoid paying Julio Lugo the 4-years/$36-40-million he is seeking to play shortstop. I just don't believe he has that sort of value. I would rather see the Sox platoon Alex Cora and Dustin Pedroia at short, find a secondbaseman (too bad Mark Loretta seems to be off the market), and invest in pitching. They need a closer, another set-up man, and cash to get Matsuzaka... As for J.D. Drew, I'm not sold on this guy. No matter what Curt Schilling, Grady Little, and the Stat Boys tell us, Drew is what he is ... a very talented player who has not been able to stay healthy in his career. Maybe that's behind, maybe it's not -- but as a successful Texas football coach once told us, "You are who you are." And to boot, it seems he could be replacing Manny Ramirez in the lineup. Manny isn't perfect but he is a Hall-of-Fame slugger who has produced more good at the plate than negatives off the field. Now, in a perfect world, Drew will come here and be healthy and will bat behind Big Papi and Manny in the Sox lineup... Keep Manny! He does nothing but hit and the headaches he generates in the clubhouse will seem like a yawn compared to the problems that will come from David Ortiz getting walked 175-times in 2007... The Yankees are being suspiciously quiet. Could Cashman secretly be working on an A-Rod trade? Doubtful, but interesting...

Fred Smerlas

A friend of a friend of a friend told me... ...That former NFL All-Pro Fred Smerlas is about to run into some major trouble with the law. Smerlas, the former BC and Patriot standout who currently runs All-Pro Productions in his native Waltham as well as running his big mouth on WEEI, will be indicted this week on charges stemming from his "All-Pro Patriot Tailgate Party" promotion he runs. The promotion is huge party before and after Patriot home games in Foxboro. For a hefty price, fans get food, drink, and the chance to rub elbows with the, ahem, "celebs" Smerlas assembles ... usually WEEI cohorts Glenn Ordway, Pete Sheppard, and Steve DeOssie. The problem is that Smerlas is not reporting a majority of this income. He has claimed to be donating portions of the proceeds to charity but now it seems that the only charity that Smerlas is donating to is the "Freddie Drinking Fund." The IRS musn't be too happy. I can't wait to hear how the loud mouth Smerlas explains this one. Not even the bully tactics he so easily employs while on air at WEEI will help him this time if the government proves him guilty.