Random Thoughts (December 28, 2008)

For those of us complaining about the Yankees spending upwards of $694 trillion dollars to land free agents Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, I have but one thing to say: GET USED TO IT!!! The Yankees have always had more money to spend than everyone else and now with the new Yankee Stadium ready to open, they are virtually printing money in the Bronx. This is the way business is done for George Costanza's former employers. They go out and try to buy championships. However, they have not won a World Series since 2000 so there is no guarantee that the Teixeira-Sabathia-Burnett signings will bring New York a championship. In fact, their run of four championships from 1996-2000 was based on homegrown talent (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte) and solid veterans (Paul O'Neill, Scott Brosius, David Cone), not high priced free agents. So, the Red Sox and Angels and White Sox and Rays and Twins are still teams that will compete to win the American League and the Phillies and Dodgers and Mets and Cubs can still win the World Series... Wen Tom Brady went down in Week 1 against the Chiefs, I feared in my heart that the Pats would fall apart and have a poor season. I didn't really believe Matt Cassel was ready to lead a playoff team and I already had serious doubts about the defense. Seventeen weeks later, I am impressed with the 11-5 Patriots, even though they failed to make the playoffs (they tied the Dolphins but lost out on a tiebreaker). The defense still is weak but they did enough to give Cassel a fighting chance almost every week and Cassel amazed everyone and played like a star. The Pats might be on the outside looking in for the first time since 2002 (when they tied the Jets for first place at 9-7 but missed out on the postseason due to tiebreakers) but I don't consider this year a failure. The offense rallied around Cassel and the coaching of Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels was phenomenal. With some upgrades on defense, this is a Super Bowl team in 2009... The NFL MVP is Chad Pennington and the Coach of the Year is Tony Sparano. The Dolphins were 1-15 last year and now they have ended the Pats five-year run at the top of the AFC East. If not Pennington, Peyton Manning would be a great candidate for MVP and Mike Smith of Atlanta could be a threat to Sparano for the Coach of the Year... I could build a team in Detroit that would not go 0-16. Hey, William Ford, I come cheap... Enjoy Oregon's "Spread n' Shred" on Tuesday...

Football Picks

Spreads today are courtesy of Betus.com. All picks are against the spread and home team is in capitals. NCAA Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State (-7) over Wisconsin Holiday Bowl: Oregon (+3) over Oklahoma State Music City Bowl: Boston College (-3.5) over Vanderbilt Chick-Fil-A Bowl: LSU (+4) over Georgia Tech Predictions for the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Outback Bowl, Gator Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and the BCS Championship Game will be next week. Season: 30 - 34 - 1 NFL TAMPA BAY (-13) over Oakland Detroit (+10.5) over GREEN BAY Dallas (+1.5) over PHILADELPHIA MINNESOTA (-7) over NY Giants HOUSTON (-3) over Chicago NEW ORLEANS (1.5) over Carolina ATLANTA (-14) over St. Louis Kansas City (+2.5) over CINCINNATI Jacksonville (+11) over BALTIMORE INDIANAPOLIS (+3) over Tennessee PITTSBURGH (-11) over Cleveland NY JETS (-2.5) over Miami Patriots (-5.5) over BUFFALO ARIZONA (-6.5) over Seattle SAN FRANCISCO (-3) over Washington SAN DIEGO (-8) over Denver Last Week: 6 - 9 Season: 121 - 110 - 8 Back with some Random Thoughts tomorrow or Monday...

Random Thoughts (December 23, 2008)

Happy birthday... The latest rumor on Mark Teixeira, courtesy of SI's Jon Heyman, is that the free agent first baseman will make his decision before Christmas. With the Angels supposedly pulling out, the Yankees putting their millions into pitching, and the Orioles and Nationals not ready to compete for a World Series, I still believe the Red Sox are the favorites to land Teixeira. What a fine Christmas present that would be for Red Sox Nation... For the NFL teams that will be looking to replace their head coach, Bill Cowher will be a popular name. The former Steelers coach turned studio analyst for CBS has been mentioned as a possible candidate in Cleveland, Washington, and now with the Jets if those teams should choose to make a change. As good as a choice as Cowher would be, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will also be a hot candidate. If I were the owner of the Detroit Lions, I would give McDaniels and Scott Pioli blank checks to come to the Motor City and try and save the Lions... If I were either McDaniels or Pioli, I would tell the Lions to keep their money and stay in New England. Money is nice but the ability to win championships is even better and they will eventually get their shot to run the team once Belichick runs out of fingers for his championship rings... I might be wrong, but I'll go to my grave thinking that Dottie didn't drop the ball on purpose... Enjoy Leon Powe tonight...

Random Thoughts (December 22, 2008)

There is a old saying in America that politics and war make strange bedfellows. Well, you can add sports into that equasion as well. In Week 17 of the NFL season, the Patriots need a victory over the Bills in Buffalo to push their record to 11-5 and keep their playoff hopes alive. With the way Buffalo has played lately (3-7 since starting 4-1), the Pats should be able to take care of business. However, to reach the playoffs, the Pats will need a little help. They can clinch a spot if the Jaguars (5-10) can upset the Ravens (10-5), which his doubtful. The Pats best shot at the playoffs, as well as their sixth consecutive AFC East championship, is for the Jets to defeat the Dolphins. Imagine, the Patriots relying on scum like Eric Mangini and a traitor like Ty Law. The Jets, for those of you not paying attention, are the team who have been putting their nose in the Patriots business for a decade, going back to when they stole Bill Parcells away from us in the days leading up to Super Bowl XXXI, to the constant raiding of the Pats roster (Curtis Martin, Law), all the way up to when they came to terms with Mangini in the days leading up to the Pats playoff game in Denver in 2005. For four hours next Sunday, it will be reality for all members of the Patriots organization and for fans all over New England to cheer on "Gang Green" and Brett Favre and Mangini. As sick as it will make us, it's the best chance that we have to defend our AFC championship and get a shot at redemption for the upset loss in Super Bowl XLII... Funny, the last time the Pats needed help to make the playoffs, in 2002, they needed Favre to come up big in the Meadowlands. Back then, Favre was a Packer and after the Pats stole a win against the Dolphins, the Jets laid a serious beating on Green Bay. Hopefully Favre won't let us down again... Now that the Yankees and Angels have announced they have withdrawn their offer to Mark Teixeira, the Red Sox are once again in the drivers seat to land the free agent first baseman... The Celtics keep on rolling, earning their 18th straight win last night over the Knicks. By the way, is there a point guard playing better than Rajon Rondo right now? The only other names even in the debate are Devin Harris of the Nets and Chris Paul of the Hornets... What a career for UNC's Tyler Hansbrough. He passed Phil Ford on Friday night to become the Tarheels all-time leading scorer and only needs a national championship to insert his name in the discussion of who is college basketball's greatest player... Enjoy Brian Urlacher tonight...

Teixeira Talk & Football Picks

According to principal owner John Henry, the Red Sox will no longer be in pursuit of free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. If you believe that, you are also trying to decide what type of cookies to leave out for Santa on Wednesday night. Late yesterday, it seemed that the Red Sox were on the verge of signing Teixeira to a mega-contract (there were lots of anonymous "baseball sources" claiming it was worth $180-million over eight years). Henry flew to Dallas along with Theo Epstein and Larry Lucchino to meet with Teixeira and his agent (the evil) Scott Boras. I found myself glued to the running sports news ticker on ESPN all night, waiting for the word that Teixeira would be calling Fenway Park home for the next decade or so. The this morning when I grabbed my Herald (which I had to get outside Dunkin Donuts), I read that Henry has decided that Teixeira's asking price is too rich for the Red Sox blood. This is Negotiating 101. Henry knows that Teixeira wants to play on the east coast, and that he wants to win. That rules out the Angels (but that could change), the Orioles, and the Nationals. That leaves the Red Sox and the Yankees as his top suitors. The Yanks always have to be watched with a close eye but when Teixeira was a young star with the Texas Rangers, he was supposedly one of a handful of players who despised then-Ranger Alex Rodriguez. I don't see a Teixeira/A-Rod reunion playing out in the Bronx. You'll see, the Sox will get Teixeira to lower his price, just a little bit, and he will be in Boston sometime next week. Teixeira will get his money, get to play on the east coast, and get the chance to win championships. The Sox will get a cornerstone for their franchise for the next decade and the big bat they need to win the World Series in 2009. Now, on to football... All picks are against the spread and home team is in capitals. NCAA I'll be back with my promised predictions next week. Too early to make calls on games that are at least a week away. NFL Indianapolis (-6) over JACKSONVILLE Baltimore (+4) over DALLAS Pittsburgh (-2) over TENNESSEE Arizona (+7.5) over PATRIOTS CLEVELAND (-2.5) over Cincinnati WASHINGTON (+5) over Philadelphia ST. LOUIS (+5.5) over San Francisco Atlanta (+3.5) over MINNESOTA New Orleans (-7) over DETROIT Carolina (+3) over NY GIANTS NY Jets (-4.5) over SEATTLE Houston (-7) over OAKLAND DENVER (-6.5) over Buffalo TAMPA BAY (-3.5) over San Diego CHICAGO (-4) over Green Bay Last Week: 7 - 8 - 1 Season: 115 - 101 - 8

Football Pick (Thursday)

Indianapolis (-6) over JACKSONVILLE... Enjoy The Office tonight...

Random Thoughts (December 17, 2008)

Congratulations to Wes Welker and Stephen Gostkowski for being selected to the Pro Bowl. Just because the Pro Bowl is the most meaningless game in any sport doesn't diminish the honor of Welker and Gostkowski being recognized for their outstanding 2008 seasons... I agree with the selections of Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler to the Pro Bowl but how does Brett Favre (3052 yards, 21 TD, 17 INT, 86.5 QB rating) make it over Philip Rivers (3515/28/11/101.4), Chad Pennington (3218/14/6/95.1), or Matt Cassel (3270/18/11/87.1)? I guess his reputation -- mainly forged in the 1990s -- preceeded him... One last Pro Bowl note. Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli have faced criticism for the personnel and draft moves since the teams last Super Bowl championship in 2004. When they allowed Adam Vinatieri to leave as a free agent, Pats fans cried out that there was no way in hell that the legendary right foot of #4 could be replaced by a rookie. Three years later, Gostkowski is in the Pro Bowl. The 2007 Pats draft class -- which so far has only produced Brandon Meriweather as a player -- has also been attacked. However, the next time you want to blame Belichick and Pioli for not getting more out of that draft, remember they moved their fourth round pick to Oakland for Randy Moss and their second and seventh round picks to Miami for Welker. I think the Pats front office knows what they're doing... Predictions: Teixeira to Boston for 7-years/$178-million. Mike Lowell, Kyle Weiland, and cash to the Texas Rangers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Jason Varitek re-signs for 2-years/15-million... I always thought (feared) that Rajon Rondo would be like B.J. Armstrong, a small guard who thrived playing along with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen but couldn't stand out as an individual. Rondo is much more than a sidekick to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. He is establishing himself as one of the NBA's top young point guards, on a level right below Chris Paul. An emerging All-Star, Rondo is a major reason for the C's 23-2 start... Enjoy Paul Pierce tonight...

Football Picks

No Herald or Globe this week, using the national lines from Bodog. No pointless rant either, consider this your early Christmas present. NCAA No games this week. I will have predictions for the BCS games as well as the Cotton, Music City, Gator, Outback, Capital One, Champs Sports, and Holiday Bowls next week. Season: 30 - 34 - 1 NFL New Orleans (+3.5) over CHICAGO Green Bay (-2) over JACKSONVILLE Detroit (+17) over INDIANAPOLIS Washington (-7) over CINCINNATI ATLANTA (-3) over Tampa Bay MIAMI (-7) over San Francisco Seattle (-2.5) over ST. LOUIS NY JETS (-8) over Buffalo Tennessee (-3) over HOUSTON KANSAS CITY (+6) over San Diego ARIZONA (-3) over Minnesota BALTIMORE (-3) over Pittsburgh CAROLINA (-7.5) over Denver Patriots (-7) over OAKLAND DALLAS (-3) over NY Giants Cleveland (+14) over PHILADELPHIA Last Week: 8 - 7 Season: 108 - 93 - 7

Random Thoughts (December 11, 2008)

Keep a close eye on Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha this Sunday. The 2006 All-Pro is sick of all the losing in Oakland and would be a great fit for the struggling Patriots secondary... The Mets are making huge improvements to their bullpen and are making a statement to their competition in the N.L. that they are making a push for the World Series in 2009. A day after signing free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets completed a three-team trade that brought back power reliever J.J. Putz to Queens. K-Rod and Putz give the Mets stability at the end of the game, which was a fatal flaw to the Mets the last three years and cost them playoff spots in 2007 and 2008... The three finalists for the Heisman are Forida's Tim Tebow, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, and Texas' Colt McCoy. Texas Tech's Graham Harrell was surprisingly snubbed. Considering that the defenses in the Big 12 allowed offenses to run wild in 2008, the nod goes to Tebow, who would join Ohio State's Archie Griffin as the only two-time Heisman winner... Condolences to Matt Cassel and his family after the sudden loss of his father, Greg, earlier this week. Patriots fans (and players) obviously want Cassel to play in Sunday's must-win game against the Raiders in Oakland but he has to take care of his personal business first before stepping on the field... New Orleans (+3.5) over CHICAGO. I need a big night from Drew Brees and Marques Colston for my fantasy playoff game... How can the Yankees possibly be asking the state of New York for more money to support the construction of the new Yankee Stadium while they are throwing ridiculous dollars at CC Sabathia (7-years/$160-million) and making ridiculous offers to A.J. Burnett (rumored 5-year/$91-million offer) and Derek Lowe (rumored 4-year/$66-million offer)... Get ready for the announcement that the Red Sox have signed Mark Teixeira. The Red Sox management will want the Teixeira J-Shirts and replica uniforms on the shelves in time for last minute Christmas shoppers... Enjoy Rajon Rondo tonight...

Random Thoughts (December 10, 2008)

At the same time the Yankees are prepared to sign CC Sabathia to a 7-year/$160-million deal, I get a strong feeling that the Red Sox will sign Mark Teixeira before Christmas. If my team is going to spend major millions on a free agent, I want it to be on a hitter. Pitching is too volatile to invest so much cash into and there are more failures (Carl Pavano and Jason Schmidt are two recent examples) than success stories. The Red Sox have done a fantastic job of developing young pitching and keeping their veterans at reasonable dollars, which allows them to invest in a productive bat, like Teixeira, if they choose... Stephen Curry of Davidson is amazing. Danny Ainge, after you are done putting together the team that will capture the 18th NBA championship for the Celtics, you have to find a way to draft the successor to Eddie House... The easy way to settle the controversy of the vacant Senate seat left behind by Barack Obama is to give Mike Ditka the job... How do you judge the success of the Patriots season if they finish 11-5 in spite of the injuries to (among others) Tom Brady, Adalius Thomas, Rodney Harrison and still fail to reach the playoffs... I like the Mets signing of Francisco Rodriguez. It bolsters a weak bullpen and weakens the Angels at the same time... Enjoy LeBron tonight...

Random Thoughts (December 7, 2008)

Take a minute today to remember the sacrifices of the United States military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice at Pearl Harbor sixty-seven years ago today... Also, Celtics fans please take a second to wish Larry Bird a happy 52nd birthday... BC will not play in the Orange Bowl, as a result of their 30-12 loss to Virginia Tech in yesterday's ACC Championship Game but with an offense filled with promising young skill players, an offensive line that is always solid, and a defense that returns some key players, expect to see the Eagles competing for the ACC crown next season... Lookls like the Music City Bowl against either Vanderbilt or Kentucky for BC as they shoot for their ninth consecutive bowl win... Nice of Steve Buckley and Dan Shaughnessy to share ideas with all of us this morning... The Bruins keep on rolling... Keep an eye on Michigan. It seems that the Wolverines can be successful when hiring a coach from West Virginia. John Beilein, in his second year at Michigan, has the Wolverines off to a 6-2 start with wins over UCLA and Duke... Congratulations to Manchester Essex, Amesbury, Arlington Catholic, Duxbury, Walpole, Dracut, and BC High for winning their respective Super Bowls yesterday... Dracut's Matt Grimard is the Tim Tebow of Massachusetts quarterbacks. Some college is going to be very pleased when he steps foot on their field next summer... Speaking of Tebow, please hand him the Heisman... A Florida-Oklahoma national championship game will be extremly fun to watch... They might have lost to BC in the Commonwealth Classic but UMass sophomore guard and Newton North alumni Anthony Gurley dropped in 17 points. Keep an eye on UMass as they adjust to the Dribble Drive offense being installed by new head coach Derek Kellogg and his assistant (and Dribble Drive creator) Vance Walberg... I know Christmas is 18 days away but even Santa Claus will not help the Lakers beat the Celtics... Enjoy Jerod Mayo today...

Football Picks

On Saturday at Gillette Stadium, the Eastern Massachusetts high school football Super Bowls will be played. There are some potentially terrific games on the schedule, especially the Boston College High School-Brockton matchup in Division 1 and the Walpole-Mansfield matchup in Division 2. Check out the MIAA website for game times and the other matchups. Herald guy late again, using the Globe. All picks are against the spread and home team is in capitals. NCAA HAWAII (+7) over Cincinnati Navy (-11) over Army Boston College (Pck) over Virginia Tech Alabama (+9.5) over Florida Oklahoma (-16.5) over Missouri Last Week: 4 - 1 Season: 30 - 34 - 1 NFL SAN DIEGO (-7.5) over Oakland (last night) Patriots (-4.5) over SEATTLE ARIZONA (-14) over St. Louis Washington (+5) over BALTIMORE BUFFALO (-1) over Miami CHICAGO (-6.5) over Jacksonville DENVER (-9) over Kansas City GREEN BAY (-6) over Houston INDIANAPOLIS (-13.5) over Cincinnati NEW ORLEANS (-3) over Atlanta NY GIANTS (-7) over Philadelphia NY Jets (-4) over SAN FRANCISCO PITTSBURGH (-3) over Dallas TENNESSEE (-13.5) over Cleveland CAROLINA (-3) over Tampa Bay DETROIT/Minnesota - No Line Last Week: 9 - 7 Season: 100 - 86 - 7

Random Thoughts (December 4, 2008)

North Carolina is off to the races and look to be on their way to the 2009 national championship. They are absolutely crushing their opposition (77-58 over Kentucky, 98-69 over Oregon, 102-87 over Notre Dame, 98-63 over Michigan State). Their best players -- Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green -- are playing at an amazingly high level and some of their freshman bench players (Ed Davis, Larry Drew) would start for other Top 10 teams. The Tar Heels still have to navigate the ACC -- keep an eye on Duke, as always -- but this team is loaded across the board and plays with level of intensity that no opponent can match... I know the college football bowl games are all about making money but it makes very little sense that a 7-5 Clemson team will play in the Gator Bowl and the loser of the BC-Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game will likely play in the less prestigious Champs Sports Bowl... If college football used a playoff system of 8 teams using existing bowl games, these are the matchups (based on the current BCS standings) we could be seeing: FIRST ROUND ORANGE BOWL: (1) Alabama v. (8) Penn State GATOR BOWL: (4) Florida v. (5) USC CHICK-FIL-A BOWL: (3) Texas v. (6) Utah COTTON BOWL: (2) Oklahoma v. (7) Texas Tech SEMIFINALS SUGAR BOWL: Alabama/Penn State v. Florida/USC FIESTA BOWL: Texas/Utah v. Oklahoma/Texas Tech FINALS ROSE BOWL: Semifinals Winners The four "major" bowl games (Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Rose) would rotate so that the bowl that served as the national championship game would serve as a first round game the following year and then become a semifinal game for two years. It's better than what we have now... Roosevelt Colvin is back with the Patriots. Hopefully he can pressure the opposing quarterback... SAN DIEGO (-7.5) over Oakland... My Heisman choice is Tim Tebow. I love Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell, and Sam Bradford but they all play in the Big 12 (along with Chase Daniel, Todd Reesing, and Robert Griffin) so I tend to think some of their success is based on the poor defenses in the conference. Tebow has led Florida to the brink of a conference (and possibly a national) championship in the defensive minded SEC using his legs and arm... Enjoy Phil Kessel tonight...

Oregon Wins 2010 BCS National Championship

You might as well print up the Nike T-Shirts and get ready for Green and Yellow to become the official colors of college football. Yesterday, the University of Oregon announced that current offensive coordinator Chip Kelley will be the successor to current head coach Mike Bellotti when he leaves the sideline to become athletic director. The current AD, Pat Kilkenny, has a contract that runs through 2009. Kelly has created an offensive machine in his two years calling the plays for the Ducks. This season, Oregon is fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game at 277.8 and are eighth in total offense at 467.2 yards per game. A year ago, quarterback Dennis Dixon went from being a borderline minor league baseball outfielder to the leading Heisman candidate until a knee injury ended his season in November. Kelly is also an impressive recruiter. He is responsible for landing blue chip recruits from Texas and Florida and the recruiting website Rivals.com has Kelly listed as the main recruiter for some of the top players in the Class of '09. With the financial resources of Phil Knight and Nike at his fingertips, an offense known as "Spread & Shred" and the ability to recruit the best talent in the nation, it's time to become prepared for the day when the Ducks unseat USC in the Pac-10 and become a national force.

Random Thoughts (December 2, 2008)

If you had told me this summer -- hell, a month ago -- that the BC football team would be back in the ACC Championship Game following the graduation of NFL first round draft picks Matt Ryan and Gosder Cherilus, I would have laughed in your face. Funny, here we are, in the first week of December and BC is the now the two-time defending ACC Atlantic division champions and they return to the ACC title game for a rematch with Virginia Tech, whom the Eagles lost to in the championship game last year. BC defeated Virginia Tech by a 28-23 score in the 2008 regular season. If BC wins on Saturday, they would reach the prestigious Orange Bowl. It would be BC's first trip to a major bowl game since Doug Flutie led the Eagles to the 1985 Cotton Bowl. I wrote a few weeks ago that Jeff Jagodzinski should be considered a favorite for national coach of the year and I stand by that statement. Jagodzinski came into the year with a veteran defense that has dominated but his offense had unproven fifth-year senior Chris Crane at quarterback replacing Ryan and after Crane went down for the season at Wake Forest two weeks ago, redshirt freshman Dominique Davis has taken control under center. BC's top two running backs, Montel Harris and Josh Haden, are both true freshman. In spite of the inexperience at quarterback and running back, Jagodzinski and offensive coordinator Steve Logan found a way to put up enough points to win a championship... Now that Lane Kiffin is locked up at Tennessee, Syracuse has absolutely no reason not to hire Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelley as the new head coach of the Orange. If hired, Kelley will win more games in Syracuse than Kiffin will in Knoxville... Their lack of a bench (IMO) still scares me in a seven-game playoff series but as of right now, there is no better team in the NBA than the 17-2 Celtics... It's time for the Baseball Writers of America to do the right thing and elect Jim Rice to the Hall of Fame... Enjoy Duke-Purdue tonight...