Coco Trade Finalized

Maybe Theo's return will mean something after all ... The Red Sox finalized their winter-long rumored trade to acquire Cleveland Indians centerfielder/lead-off hitter Coco Crisp late Friday night. The 26-year-old breakfast cereal comes from Ohio along with quality set-up man Davis Riske and switch-hitting catcher Josh Bard. The Sox send the Indians third base prospect Andy Marte, reliever Guillermo Mota and catching prospect Kelly Shoppach (along with a player to be named later and cash). Maybe it is the seven Budweisers I just tossed down my throat or the 10-points Wally Szczerbiak scored in the Celtics win tonight but I am now really, really, really looking forward to the 2006 Red Sox season. Schilling is pumped up, Beckett gives me an 18-win vibe, somehow I feel Dustin Pedroia will steal the A.L. Rookie of the Year award away from Craig Hansen and now the young and exciting Crisp is in the fold. True, this could be a Sox team a year or so away from truly contending but I think, deep down, that Boston will grow attached to this team. Of course, as always, we'll see ...

Celts Trade Davis, Acquire Szczerbiak

Danny Ainge finally made his move last night. The Celtics traded Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed and two future second round picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a conditional first round pick. The move has been made but the direction of this club is still in question. This looks like two separate trades in one. The first is Davis for Szczerbiak. Both are considered second-tier stars; the guys who compliment the big guns. For years Szczerbiak has been a guy loaded with talent (the All-Star is a 50% shooter taking mostly perimeter shots) who wasn't comfortable in this role in Minnesota -- he wanted the big shots even playing with Kevin Garnett. How will he fit in with Paul Pierce in Boston? Davis, on the other hand, seemed to relish the idea of playing the role of Robin to Pierce's Batman. When he first came to the Celtics he gave an interview in which he said that he envisioned himself as the "Scottie Pippen to Pierce's Michael Jordan." Ricky obviously embraced being the second option and he gave the Celtics an energy that I don't know if Szczerbiak is capable of bringing. If I was Paul Pierce this morning I might be having some doubts, if I was Kevin Garnett I would be very happy. The second trade is Blount, Banks, Reed and the picks for the Kandi Man, Jones and the conditional pick. This is basically a swap of headaches with some throw-ins to make it all work. The C's were bogged down with Blount's contract and inability to rebound in the center position. He had to go -- especially to make room for the growth of Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins. From the T-Wolves perspective, Olowokandi (who may be released by the C's), the overall No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft by the Clippers (who passed on Pierce), they needed a fresh start at center. The Kandi Man is a bust and it was killing them; Blount may not be an All-Star but playing with KG should help him. Blount is a jump shooter who doesn't rebound -- KG is a great distributor when the defense collapses and he is one of the games top rebounders. Banks, Reed, Jones and all of the draft picks just figure in this to make it work financially on both sides. The biggest plus for the Celtics in this trade is the savings of nearly $5-million. Ainge needed some payroll flexibility and this trade accomplishes that. And even though they lose a player like Davis, adding Szczerbiak's 20.1 points-per-game is a positive (as long as he stays healthy). However, the question of whether or not this trade makes the Celtics better remains. The C's play Ron Artest and the new-look Kings tonight at the Fake Garden. I'm sure there will be some opinions on this move by both management and the players tonight. Do tune in.

Weekend NFL Picks

A little late but I wanted to get the picks in so that I am on the record. AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Pittsburgh (+3) at Denver. The Steelers will win this game outright. They have been on the brink, reaching this point of the season in both the 2002 and 2005 playoffs -- only to run into the Patriots in both years. With their nemesis from New England eliminated (by these Broncos), the Steelers will ride the broad shoulders of Ben Roethlisberger into Super Bowl XL. Steelers-24, Broncos-7 NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Carolina (+3.5) at Seattle. It's the Panthers. There is something about Delhomme -- a fire to prove himself to all of his doubters -- that will carry Carolina today. His defense will give him the ball with great field position all day long and the Panther offense will do just enough to make it to Detroit. Panthers-17, Seahawks-16.

Season Ends; Dynasty Still Alive

So, this is what it feels like to be a Peyton Manning/Indianapolis Colts fan. For the first time in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady-Super Bowl Champion era of the New England Patriots, we were disappointed with the outcome of a playoff game. For the record, the Belichick-Brady Patriots had won ten consecutive playoff games, good for three Vince Lombardi trophies. And it all ended so quickly in Denver on Saturday night; Brady was off his game (though he still passed for 350+ yards), the offense gave up the ball too much and the defense was victimized by some questionable calls. Still, we all knew it would end someday. Only in backyards and imaginations does the hometown team always walk away the victor. No matter how in shock Patriot Nation is today, don't let the hangover of one playoff loss let you forget for even a second how much greatness we have witnessed since Mo Green almost ended Drew Bledsoe's career. The Patriots will be back. They may never win another Super Bowl with Brady & Co. but there is too much talent, too much experience and too much pride for this team not to back in the hunt, starting in 2006. There will be losses -- defensive coordinator Eric Mangini could be the next coach of the New York Jets by this afternoon, wide receiver David Givens is likely a goner and they could be joined in the exodus by the likes of Richard Seymour, Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Neal. But personnel and coaching losses have never derailed the Belichick Patriots, they always find a way to recover. The 2005 season is now officially over. There will be no third straight Super Bowl for the Pats. We will probably be watching a Denver-Seattle Super Bowl. But 2006 is right around the corner...

Weekend NFL Picks

Washington (+9.5) at Seattle. This is a tough one. The Redskins and their imposing defense are getting a lot of points but I still like the Seahawks. I'm going to say that Seattle's rookie middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu keeps Clinton Portis in check, leading to a collapse for Washington. Seattle-31, Washington-10. New England (+3) at Denver. The Broncos beat the Pats back in October, 28-20. The Broncos are undefeated at home this year. The Broncos will have Jake Plummer at quarterback on Saturday night against Bill Belichick's defense. Some facts mean more than others. New England-33, Denver-17. Pittsburgh (+9.5) at Indianapolis. The Colts are rusty and the Steelers will jump on them early. But Peyton Manning will lead a late charge to set up an AFC Championship Game against the Patriots. Indianapolis-38, Pittsburgh-31. Carolina (+2.5) at Chicago. What Panther team will show up? The one that embarrassed the Giants last weekend or the one that lost to the Bears on November 20? I say Da' Bears defense beats up a banged up Panther team with former Carolina wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad leading the Chicago offense. Chicago-16, Carolina-13.

Weekend NFL Picks

Only a few more hours... Washington (+2.5) at Tampa Bay: Chris Simms has no shot against the Redskins defense. Mark Brunell will take care of the ball and Clinton Portis will have a four touchdown afternoon. Washington-34, Tampa Bay-13. Jacksonville (+8) at New England: Michael J. Fox' basketball coach in Teen Wolf can add another rule to his talk on life: Tom Brady always wins in the playoffs. Fred Taylor will leave with an injury before halftime. New England-27, Jacksonville-10. Carolina (+2.5) at New York: The G-Men will not lose unless they put this game in the hands of Eli Manning. This needs to be a Tiki Barber showcase and I think that's what Tom Coughlin is going to do. New York-20, Carolina-6. Pittsburgh (-3) at Cincinnati: I loved the Steelers in this game until I found out they were the favorites. The Bengals may be inexperienced but they aren't going to crumble at home. Cincinnati-44, Pittsburgh-27.

Texas + USC = Instant Classic

When I passed out last night due to a migraine headache, USC was leading Texas 38-26. It had been a very good game up to that point but with the Trojans seizing control, I figured that was time for me to get some much needed sleep. Thank God I woke up in time to see Vince Young's game-winning touchdown run. For all of the Reggie Bush-Gale Sayers/Barry Sanders comparisons, who do you compare Young to? He's like a combination of Michael Vick (the running), Bo Jackson (the power), Terrell Owens (the size) and Tom Brady (the ability to seize the moment in a big game). In the last two Rose Bowls he has rushed for seven combined touchdowns (4 against Michigan in 2005 and 3 more last night). The final score of 41-38 almost changed in the closing seconds as well. USC was without a timeout on their final drive and it stalled slightly out of field goal range as a result. Could you imagine an overtime championship game, similar to the Ohio State-Miami game of a few years back? The 2006 Rose Bowl will be remembered for a very long time as a great game played between two great teams that were filled with great players on both sides. Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Matt Leinart (as well as countless other Longhorns and Trojans) will all play one day in the NFL but no matter how prolific their professional careers turn out, none will ever be able to say they played in a game that could top what went on last night.

Did Belichick Want Jacksonville?

Happy New Year! And, for my first blog of '06, did Bill Belichick decide that it would be easier for his Patriots to host the Jacksonville Jaguars instead of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Game this Saturday? Because I think he did. Look at how he coached the game. Aside from benching most of his starters -- which was the obvious move considering New England has no bye-week entering the playoffs this year -- Belichick seemed to treat winning as a secondary motive. First, as the team was coming back in the fourth quarter, he allowed back-up quarterback Doug Flutie to attempt a drop-kick extra point. The old fashioned boot was successful (the first in the NFL since 1941) but if a team was going for the win, wouldn't they try to make a more concerted effort to good on the PAT? Then, after Tom Brady's understudy Matt Cassel led the offense to a last second touchdown, the subsequent two-point conversion try -- which would have sent the game to overtime -- did not look to be a play that was designed to score. With two receivers to his right, Cassel rolled right and just sailed the pass out-of-bounds. Did Belichick tell the rookie from USC that in spite of his great efforts on the day, to let that last pass fly? It wouldn't shock me if he did and the reason why is that it would have been the right move. Regardless of what happens in the game, the Pats stand a better chance of beating the Jaguars in the Wild Card Game than they would the Steelers. Like the Pats, Pittsburgh is getting healthy at playoff time. There is a better chance with the inexperienced Jags. Call me crazy, but this may have been one of Belichick's better decisions.