Random Thoughts (August 1, 2007)

Wow, isn't it fun to live in Boston this morning. The Red Sox have the best record in baseball and just added Eric Gagne to their already loaded bullpen. The Patriots are in training camp and are considered by everyone who follows the NFL, outside of San Diego, Indianapolis and Baltimore, to be the clear favorites to win Super Bowl XLII. Even the Bruins added a real NHL goalie in Manny Fernandez and could return to the playoffs. Oh, and the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett. Hell, even the Curly Haired Boyfriend is smiling this morning... The Garnett trade has made the Celtics a force for the first time since the 1990-91 season. KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen form the best trio of stars in the game. KG can dominate inside while also knocking down the open jumper. Allen is the premiere perimeter shooter in the NBA. Pierce's sriving lanes will be wide open with defenses concentrating on both Grnett and Allen. The Herald reports today that veteran free agents were contacting the Celtics yesterday to see what openings need to be filled. The four point guards the team is looking at are Brevin Knight, Eddie House, Charlie Bell and Troy Hudson. The team is also focusing on five big men -- Dikembe Mutombo, P.J. Brown, Michael Ruffin, Cal Booth and Scot Pollard. I would love to see Ainge get the approval to spend the money on Knight, Mutombo or Brown and Pollard. The team certainly needs a steady veteran presence at the point to go with Rajon Rondo and they should stress defense and rebounding in searching for front court help. This is a great day for Ainge, Pierce, the entire organization and all the fans (like myself) who actually supported this team for the last fifteen years of mediocre basketball... The Red Sox did not allow the C's to steal the spotlight yesterday. The Sox pulled off their own great trade, sending fifth starter Kason Gabbard and minor league outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre to Texas for former Cy Young winning closer Eric Gagne. Gagne will join All-Star Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen as the set-up crew for Jonathan Papelbon. The Sox also just missed out on adding Jermaine Dye from the White Sox. If 2004 taught us anything, it's that pitching is the key to winning the World Series. The starting rotation of Josh Beckett (Cy Young candidate), Daisuke Matsuzaka (ROY candidate), Curt Schilling (15 scoreless innings in three rehab starts with Pawtucket), Tim Wakefield (still eats innings) and Jon Lester (pitching like he never was sick) is among the best in baseball and now that loaded bullpen of Papelbon, Okajima and Delcarmen has added "Game Over" Gagne as a reinforcement. If the Red Sox have a lead after the sixth inning, no umpire would be wrong in calling the game finished... Big Papi showed off some power last night. He hit two homeruns and drove in all three of Boston's runs in the 5-3 loss to Baltimore. His homerun off of Erik Bedard in the third was his first off of a lefty all year. Ortiz' 2007 numbers -- .321/18/64 -- my not be what we are used to in Boston but remember that the slugger has battled knee, quadriceps and shoulder injuries all year. I am worried that his late game heroics have been non-existent (.228 BA with 0 HR and 1 RBI in late inning situations of close games) but the team is leading the AL East by 7 games and Papi, if last night is an indicator, is starting to mash...