Random Thoughts (January 12, 2009)

Congratulations to Jim Rice. The former Red Sox left fielder and the 1978 A.L. MVP was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today, on his final shot at election. Rice, who batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs from 1974-1989, will be enshrined in Cooperstown next summer along with Rickey Henderson... Bill Belichick and the Patriots have a very long offseason ahead of them. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2002, the Pats have to make decisions on some key personnel matters, such as the future of quarterback Matt Cassel, and find a way to rebuild a defense that is getting older. Belichick will also have to replace his offensive coordinator because Josh McDaniels has left New England to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos. And he will probably be evaluating players without Scott Pioli, who is expected to take over the football operations of the Kansas City Chiefs. The loss of coaches and talent evaluators in nothing new to Belichick or the Patriots. Since winning Super Bowl XXXIX, they have lost two offensive coordiantors (Charlie Weis and McDaniels), two defensive coordinators (Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini), and director of college scouting Thomas Dimitroff. The losses of McDaniels and (most likely) Pioli will be felt but they are not insurmountable. Belichick has proven he can train new coaches and keep the Patriots winners in the past and I'm sure he will continue to do so into the future. Replacing McDaniels will be his first priority. Bill O'Brien, the current receivers coach, has been named as a preliminary candidate by the local media but I wonder if recently departed BC head coach Jeff Jagodzinski might fit into Belichick's plans. Jagodzinski had great success with the offense at BC and has been a coordinator in the NFL with the Falcons and Packers... While the Pats search for a replacement for McDaniels, the Colts today learned that longtime head coach Tony Dungy will be retiring. Dungy, who has hinted at retirement the past few years, will be replaced by his longtime assistant Jim Caldwell. Dungy is a class act and now that he has officially left the enemy, I have no problem admitting to that... The Red Sox continue to build depth in their pitching staff. The team signed former Dodgers closer Takashi Saito to a one-year deal with an option for 2010 over the weekend. When healthy, Saito has been one of the better relievers in baseball since 2006, saving 81 games and posting a 1.95 ERA in 189 2/3 innings. He missed a majority of 2008 with an elbow issue but the Red Sox obviously believed in his health enough to give him a contract. Adding Saito to a bullpen of Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson (who may be converted back into a starter), Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Rivera, and Javier Lopez gives the Red Sox depth in an area where most teams are lacking any stability... It's hard to believe with all of their talent that the UNC men's basketball team is 0-2 in the ACC... If you like college hoops, watch the Texas-Oklahoma game tonight. It could be a better game than the "Red River Shootout" from this past fall... Enjoy Blake Griffin tonight...