Random Thoughts (September 5, 2009)

The weekly picks column will debut next weekend when there is a full slate of NFL and NCAA games but for now, don't be afraid to follow my lead and invest a few bucks in Oklahoma State (-4.5, at home against Georgia) and Alabama (-7, in Atlanta against Virginia Tech)... The Red Sox have a serious problem with Josh Beckett. Their ace is in a serious slump and because I seriously doubt that the Red Sox would continue to pitch him if there was an injury, it looks to be a case of fatigue. Back in 2007, Beckett was placed on the disabled list towards the end of the season to get him some rest. That plan worked as Beckett returned refreshed. He was dominant in October and helped the team win the World Series. If this is simply a case of Beckett being exhausted, the Sox would be wise to follow their plan from 2007. Even though they only have a two-game lead over the Rangers for the A.L. Wild Card, continuing to run a tired (or hurt) Beckett every five days is not putting the team in a position to win. By shutting Beckett down for one or two starts, they will prepare their best pitcher for the playoffs. Even if his replacments - most likely Daisuke Matsuzaka, Michael Bowden or Junichi Tazawa - are horrible, they can't be any worse than Beckett has been in his last five starts (14 homeruns). If the Red Sox are to win the World Series, they need Beckett to be strong. The right move is to give him a short break... The Billy Wagner addition gives Terry Francona the opportunity to overwhelm his opponents at the end of games. Wagner, a borderline Hall of Fame candidate if he can reach 400 career saves (he currently has 385), Daniel Bard (consistently hitting 100 mph with a wicked breaking ball), and Jonathan Papelbon (who has been his usual dominant self as of late) are the best 1-2-3 at the back end of the bullpen in the entire game... If Boston College wins four games this fall, their season will be a success. Expectations at the Heights haven't been this low in a long, long time. Don't blame new coach Frank Spaziani. Former coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who was sent packing for interviewing with the New York Jets (more on him below), did a terrible job of recruiting. The Eagles will be at a serious talent disadvantage on the majority of Saturday's this fall... When Jagodzinski was fired, I was not happy. From the outside, it looked like BC was standing in the way of the career ascension of a successful coach. When a solid but unspectacular program like BC threatens to fire their coach for interviewing for an NFL head coaching job and then follows through on that threat after the coach interviews, the school looks petty. After BC let him go, Jagodzinski landed in Tampa Bay as offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers. He was fired from that job earlier in the week and the story behind it does not speak well to his future as a coach. From the quotes coming out of Tampa Bay, it seems like Jagodzinski was not paying close enough to the details of his offense and was not even calling his own plays, a duty that fell to running backs coach Steve Logan, his offensive coordinator at BC. His lack of preparation with the Bucs and his failure to replenish talent at BC put "Jags" in a tough position as he looks to continue his career on the sidelines... Now that Marquis Daniels has officially signed with the Celtics, they are ready to go out and reclaim their championship. Daniels, a versatile swingman who can handle point guard duties, joins a deep bench that features Rasheed Wallace, Eddie House, Glen Davis, and Shelden Williams. In case you forgot, the C's have the best starting five in basketball - Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins - to go along with that bench. Look for the Celtics to win their 18th NBA championship next June... It could not have been easy to suspend his best offensive player and a potential NFL first round pick following an ugly loss in his head coaching debut but Oregon's Chip Kelly made the right choice in dismissing senior LeGarrette Blount for the remainder of the 2009 season... As much as I hate him for being the symbol of the whining and crying that is the Duke University men's basketball team, Greg Paulus had a solid game as the starting quarterback for Syracuse today against Minnesota. Don't think I'm going soft on Paulus. I almost cried tears of joy when he tossed an interception in overtime, sealing a 23-20 loss to the Golden Gophers... Enjoy Alabama tonight...