What we have to look forward to in 2006:

January 1st: The New Orleans Saints win the #1 Pick in the 2006 NFL Draft

January 2nd: USC 45, Texas 27 in the Rose Bowl... I saw Vince Young against Texas A&M which makes me think his 2006 will not start off well.

January 7th/8th: Wildcard round of the NFL Playoffs, Pats and Steelers advance in the AFC, Redskins and Panthers in the AFC.

January 14th/15th: Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, Pats win at Denver with more trickery, Colts over Steelers... Seahawks and Panthers move on in the NFC.

January 22nd: NFL Conference Championships, Colts over the Patriots to break Brady's 11-0 postseason mark in a game for the ages and Seahawks over Panthers.

February 1st: Boston College breaks Duke 20-0 start 76-71 at Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.  Sean Williams blocks seven shots.

February 5th: Super Bowl XL, Colts 37, Seahwawks 30.  Colts are up 27-21 through three quarters before Matt Hasslebeck is intercepted on consectutive drives to start the fourth quarter.

Early March: Duke, Connecticut, Illinois and Florida enter the NCAA Tournament as #1 seeds.

March:  Japan wins the first World Baseball Classic.  After the end of the WBC, a  Red Sox ownership group nervous about Manny being Manny sweetens the pot to the Orioles and land Miguel Tejada for Manny Ramirez, Bronson Arroyo and Kelly Shoppach.

April: Boston College, Villanova, Duke and Illinois advance to the Final Four.  Duke is crowned National Champion.

Mid-April: The Saints draft Reggie Bush #1 overall and trade Deuce McAllister and picks to the Jets for the #2 overall pick and draft Matt Leinart.  Following the draft the Saints announce they are moving to LA and hiring Pete Carroll.

May: Johnny Damon is booed after the Yankees start the season 18-23 and Damon's .321 OB% is the lowest among American League lead-off hitters.

June: The NBA saves a lacklusters eason with a huge Finals, San Antonio over Miani 4 games to 3 as Shaquille O'Neal misses two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and the score 91-90 Spurs in Game #7. Pat Reilly promptly retires.  The NHL playoffs are cancelled due to lack of fan interest.

July: The Dodgers Nomar Garciaparra hits a walk-off grand slam to win the All-Star game 11-9, for the National League.

August: Every starting quarterback is simultaneously injured and goes on IR in Week #3 of the preseason.  Except Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, of course.

September:  In the first true non-steroid year, it appears that Orlando Hudson's 13 home runs will lead major league baseball. The Yankees finish a dismal 75-87 as Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina combine for a 19-27 record.  American League Division winners are Boston, Chicago and Oakland with Cleveland winning the Wild Card and the National League has the Mets, St. Louis and Los Angeles with Atlanta winning the Wild Card.

October: The Red Sox and White Sox advance to the ALCS and the Mets and Cardinals to the NLCS with the Red Sox and Cardinals repeating the 2004 series with similar results... Except after this 4-1 win, the celebrating is at Fenway and the ball is promptly accounted for.

November: Since the Big East has no out of conference wins for any of their member teams, their BCS status is stripped in season.

December:  A now healthy Patriots squad enters the last week of the season 15-0... Coach Bill Belichick's head expodes over constant questions on whether or not to rest regulars.

Greg

It's been a while since my last entry, between catching up on Christmas presents, getting ready for the whole family on Chrsitmas Eve, setting and wrapping all the presents for four boys and a very long Christmas Day.  I just have two words for you: Santa Hangover.

I know I am quite a bit older than most of my readers and let me assure that the smiles on Christmas morning are a great as it would seem... and the thought of not seeing those smiles keeps you going.

Funny how the New York media is painting Johnny Damon's grand slam in game 7 of the 2004 ALCS as "bittersweet" for Red Sox fans.  Wishful thinking.  It's still one of the top ten moments of this incredible Boston run.  I knew that the New York media would try to take this away from us.   World Series count for the 21st century still stands: Red Sox 1, Yankees 0.

My (only) four year-old television's cable tuner went this week and am looking into high def... Plasma vs. LCD vs. DLP, man am I absorbing alot... screen and contrast ratios, pixels, HDTV vs. EDTV.

Speaking of absorbing a lot, I picked up the year-old Patriot Reign by Michael Holley yesterday morning.  Only put it down sparingly until I finished it last night.  Great book for a Patriot sports fan or anyone who wants to see how a healthy organization should function.  Also a blueprint of how to break into sports so you aren't 38 saying woulda, shoulda, coulda...

I thought I had my scare of the football season when Asante Samuel got hurt last night, only  to have it trumped ten times over when special teamer Tedy Bruschi got hurt a few minutes later.

My dad is a lifelong Boston sports fan and, therefore, is a natural pessimist.  So I was really surprised when he said about four weeks ago, "Just wait until the playoffs, the Pats will win it again."  I thought he was nuts, but now I am back on that duck boat bandwagon.  IF our aforementioned special teamer is fine.

Dad was the first to call the demise of Drew Bledsoe in New England and is a man  of few words, but the ones he speak are measured and usually right on.  Like all dads, when do I get a bit of that magic dust?

The Blue Jays got Glaus today and you can see everyone will pick them ahead of the Red Sox this year.  Let's just say I've seen this story before and it usually doesn't work out well for the Nove Riche' spenders. 

Sean Williams is back to blocking shots for BC Hoops and the world seems to slowly be getting back to normal.  Now let me get to bed so my eyes can adjust to watching BC football play on that blue turf tomorrow.

Greg

The NFL season is going to come down to a battle of the Patriots and Colts on either the weekend of January 7^th/8^th or 14^th/15^th (For those of you who are sure it will happen in the division round, how sure are you that Pittsburgh, San Diego or Kansas City can’t win a game in Denver or Cincinnati? Yeah, thought so).  Whoever wins that battle will be crowned the Super Bowl XL champion; there is no reason to debate that fact.  It has become as annual as the Cowboys vs. 49ers were in the early 1990’s; when these teams meet in January, the Lomardi trophy can’t be far behind.

I know that astute observers are wondering, much as the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry USED to be thought, how can a hammer have a rivalry with a nail?  The Pats postseason success against the Colts is so absolute that the Colts have never gotten close enough to the trophy that one day will honor the current patriots head coach to feel its glare?  Why?  Because each of the past two seasons, the AFC Championship game in January 2004 and the Division Round in January 2005, it is when the Pats beat the Colts that they new the championship was theirs (last year had as much to do with the Steelers and Cheeselessburger’s awful performance the night before the Pats/Colts game against the Doug Brien led Jets).

Obviously, to analyze this game, we have to go back to the night of November 7^th, when the Colts whipped up on a hobbled Patriots squad 40-21 in Massachusetts.  Two things about that game (1) If Corey Dillon doesn’t fumble right before the half, which had the effect of a 14-point swing, we may have had an entirely different game in the second half and (2) The Patriots defensive backs were incapable of stopping the Colts on the somewhat slower tracked than the defacto Super Bowl will be played on (RCA Dome).

Patriots’ defensive coordinator Eric Mangini blitzed very infrequently throughout the long night, as he did throughout the early season, and actually left Pats DBs exposed as Peyton Manning never had a hand on him all night and had all the time in the world to pick them apart.  That has changed in recent weeks as the Patriots amoeba like front seven is playing like they have been in the rejuvenation machine.

Oh, I almost forgot, Richard Seymour didn’t play that night.  Seymour’s presence is huge because his ability to consistently occupy and, many times, beat two blockers creates the angles and lanes the Patriots transcendent linebacking corps of Rosey Colvin, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and old man winter, Willie McGinest, use to make their jail break.  In fact, it was the Colts game where Colvin took the first steps toward being the edge rusher the Pats signed away from the Bears two and a half years ago. 

Home field?  Does even the most ardent anti-Patriot fan (yes, I mean you Skip Bayless) really believe that it matters where Tom Brady surgically dissects the opposing defense?  No, it will start with the Patriots front seven to play like the Chargers did on Sunday.  A scheme that was created in the Patriots imagine, with personnel acquisition (i.e. defensive ends who morph to edge rushing linebackers) tips right out of the Belichick/Pioli playbook.  Oh yeah, and Marty’s minions did it on the same RCA turf that the Pats will attempt to do it on in three to four weeks.

If the front seven plays their game, it ultimately will come down to the Patriots DBs stepping up to the level of the Chargers on Sunday or the Pats of the past two January slayings of the Colts.  Obviously, if Rodney Harrison were back there, New Englanders would already be getting the extra parka in tow to descend upon Motown.  But no one recovers, teaches and overcomes better than Belichick and whereas last week this writer couldn’t imagine them walking off the RCA turf with the upset, on this day it is hard to imagine them not doing it.

Greg

For all of you conspiracy theorists and wishful thinkers who think Tom Brady won't be under center tomorrow at 1:30, answer me this... who will be the Patriots emergency QB?  Doug Flutie would start and Matt Cassell would be the back-up, but do you really think the Pats would go into this all important game against a vicous pass rush without a third guy?  Yeah, it's so like Belichick to overlook these things.

Greg

While I am a big Tom Brady fan, SI, as per usual, got it wrong.  The Sportsman of the Year was Brady's mentor, former Patriots offensive coordinator and current Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.  Think about Weis' year:  A fifth Super Bowl ring in February, bring Rudy into talk to the Notre Dame players in August, grant a dying child's last wish in September and bring Notre Dame back to the BCS and reawaken the tradition in December after a season that will mean untold millions of dollars for the school (not that is important in the pristine world of Division 1-A college football).

Heck, if they had beaten USC, he may may have had the best year of any person of all-time.

Greg

Predictions for the final three weeks of the NFL season for the 18 remaining teams (nine AFC and nine NFC) and playoff seedings with help from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:

The My Best Was Never Good Enough Division: Teams left out in the very, very, very cold –

American Football Conference

Miami Dolphins

Current Record: 6-7 (Overall), 4-5 (Conference-AFC), 1-3 (Division-AFC East)

Remaining: Jets (Win), Titans (Win), at Patriots (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 9-7 (Overall), 7-5 (Conference-AFC), 3-3 (Division-AFC East)

Boss’ Skinny: Better Days coming in Miami.

 San Diego Chargers

Current Record: 8-5 (Overall), 6-3 (Conference-AFC), 3-1 (Division-AFC West)

Remaining: at Colts (Win), at Chiefs (Loss), Broncos (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 10-6 (Overall), 8-4 (Conference-AFC), 4-2 (Division-AFC West)

Boss’ Skinny: Chargers overcome NFL’s toughest schedule, but take One Step Up and two steps back in AFC West.

 Pittsburgh Steelers

Current Record: 8-5 (Overall), 6-5 (Conference-AFC), 3-2 (Division-AFC North)

Remaining: at Vikings (Win), at Browns (Loss), Detroit (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 11-5 (Overall), 6-6 (Conference-AFC), 3-3 (Division-AFC North)

Boss’ Skinny: Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?  If 82nd Street is short of the playoffs, then yes.

National Football Conference

Washington Redskins

Current Record: 7-6 (Overall), 7-2 (Conference-NFC), 2-1 (Division-NFC East)

Remaining: Cowboys (Loss), Giants (Loss), at Eagles (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 8-8 (Overall), 8-4 (Conference-NFC), 3-3 (Division-NFC East)

Boss’ Skinny: Someone is standing on the Redskins’ sidelines in a Brilliant Disguise of Joe Gibbs.

 Atlanta Falcons

Current Record: 8-5 (Overall), 5-4 (Conference-NFC), 2-2 (Division-NFC South)

Remaining: at Bears (Loss), at Buccaneers (Loss), Panthers (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 9-7 (Overall), 6-6 (Conference-NFC), 3-3 (Division-NFC South)

Boss’ Skinny: It’s The Price You Pay by putting your star in harm’s way and missing too much time.

 Dallas Cowboys

Current Record: 8-5 (Overall), 6-3 (Conference-NFC), 3-2 (Division-NFC East)

Remaining: at Redskins (Win), at Panthers (Loss), Rams (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 10-6 (Overall), 7-5 (Conference-NFC), 4-2 (Division-NFC East)

Boss’ Skinny: “America’s Team” maybe Born in the USA, but they can’t break the Ties That Bind in their favor and lose on common opponents to the Vikings, 4-1 vs. 3-2.

The Roll of the Dice Division: The Wildcards –

American Football Conference

6. Kansas City Chiefs

Current Record: 8-5 (Overall), 7-3 (Conference-AFC), 3-2 (Division-AFC West)

Remaining: at Giants (Win), Chargers (Win), Bengals (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 11-5 (Overall), 9-3 (Conference-AFC), 4-2 (Division-AFC West)

Boss’ Skinny: #### Vermeil extended The Long Goodbye by running the table after an upset over the Giants in the Meadowlands this Sunday.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

Current Record: 9-4 (Overall), 7-3 (Conference-AFC), 2-2 (Division-AFC South)

Remaining: 49ers (Win), at Texans (Win), Titans (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 12-4 (Overall), 9-3 (Conference-AFC), 4-2 (Division-AFC South)

Boss’ Skinny: The Jaguars will have to Prove It All Night in the playoffs to justify that their gaudy record wasn’t just do to their cream puff schedule.

National Football Conference

6. Minnesota Vikings

Current Record: 8-5 (Overall), 7-4 (Conference-NFC), 4-1 (Division-NFC North)

Remaining: Steelers (Loss), at Ravens (Win), Bears (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 10-6 (Overall), 8-4 (Conference-NFC), 5-1 (Division-NFC North)

Boss’ Skinny: The Vikings recover from their cruise through the Tunnel of Love to grab the NFC’s last Wildcard spot.

5. Carolina Panthers

Current Record: 9-4 (Overall), 6-3 (Conference-NFC), 2-2 (Division-NFC South)

Remaining: at Saints (Win), Cowboys (Win), at Falcons (Loss)

Predicted Final Record: 11-5 (Overall), 8-4 (Conference-NFC), 3-3 (Division-NFC South)

Boss’ Skinny: Watch out NFC, Kitty’s Back.

The Glory Days Division: The Divisions Winners –

American Football Conference

4. New England Patriots

Current Record: 8-5 (Overall), 6-4 (Conference-AFC), 4-0 (Division-AFC East)

Remaining: Buccaneers (Win), at Jets (Win), Dolphins (Loss)

Predicted Final Record: 10-6 (Overall), 7-5 (Conference-AFC), 3-3 (Division-AFC East)

Boss’ Skinny: Bill Belichick continues to do it with Spare Parts; but with all respect to Doug Flutie, he can't do it with a spare quarterback.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Current Record: 10-3 (Overall), 7-3 (Conference-AFC), 5-1 (Division-AFC North)

Remaining: at Lions (Win), Bills (Win), at Chiefs (Loss)

Predicted Final Record: 12-4 (Overall), 8-4 (Conference-AFC), 5-1 (Division-AFC North)

Boss’ Skinny: Who dey?  It’s been a Long Time Comin’ in Cincinnati.

 2. Denver Broncos

Current Record: 10-3 (Overall), 7-2 (Conference-AFC), 3-1 (Division-AFC West)

Remaining: at Bills (Win), Raiders (Win), at Chiefs (Loss)

Predicted Final Record: 12-4 (Overall), 9-3 (Conference-AFC), 4-2 (Division-AFC West)

Boss’ Skinny: Shannahan and the Broncos offense are Born to Run, doesn’t matter who is carrying the ball.

 1. Indianapolis Colts

Current Record: 13-0 (Overall), 11-0 (Conference-AFC), 6-0 (Division-AFC South)

Remaining: Chargers (Loss), at Seahawks (Loss), Cardinals (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 14-2 (Overall), 11-1 (Conference-AFC), 6-0 (Division-AFC South)

Boss’ Skinny: Tony Dungy is a Cautious Man and is hinting too loudly at resting his players.

National Football Conference

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Current Record: 9-4 (Overall), 7-3 (Conference-NFC), 3-1 (Division-NFC South)

Remaining: at Patriots (Loss), Falcons (Win), Saints (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 11-5 (Overall), 9-3 (Conference-NFC), 5-1 (Division-NFC South)

Boss’ Skinny: It will be great to see the Two Faces (or more) of Jon Gruden back in the playoffs.

 3. New York Giants

Current Record: 9-4 (Overall), 8-3 (Conference-NFC), 4-1 (Division-NFC East)

Remaining: Chiefs (Loss), at Redskins (Win), at Raiders (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 11-5 (Overall), 9-3 (Conference-NFC), 5-1 (Division-NFC East)

Boss’ Skinny: Eli Manning will sing his New York City Serenade all the way to the Division Round.

2. Chicago Bears

Current Record: 9-4 (Overall), 8-1 (Conference-NFC), 4-0 (Division-NFC North)

Remaining: Falcons (Win), at Packers (Win), at Vikings (Loss)

Predicted Final Record: 11-5 (Overall), 10-2 (Conference-NFC), 5-1 (Division-NFC East)

Boss’ Skinny: Da Bears are where they are because their defense is Tougher Than the Rest.

1. Seattle Seahawks

Current Record: 11-2 (Overall), 10-1 (Conference-NFC), 6-0 (Division-NFC West)

Remaining: at Titans (Win), Colts (Win), at Packers (Win)

Predicted Final Record: 14-2 (Overall), 11-1 (Conference-NFC), 6-0 (Division-NFC West)

Boss’ Skinny: The hottest team in football entering the playoffs wants it All or Nothin’ at All.

About a year ago, I saw a quote from Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe that said that these are the “Good old days” of Boston sports.  While I concede that nothing is over, it would be hard to imagine another stretch that approaches the Red Sox ride since Tom Brady stepped in for Drew Bledsoe 50 months ago.  I wanted to compile a top ten list of the best moments of this stretch.  By moments I mean that instant where my heart skipped a beat and necessarily a great game or series. 

Here goes, the top 10 Boston Sports moments of the past 50 months:

·          When a baseball team has an overshift for a lefthanded hitter, they put three players on the right side of the infield and leave the third baseman on the left side.  Why don’t they leave the shortstop on the left side since the third baseman plays in the SS whole anyway and the shortstop has the best range of any of the infielders and move the third baseman to the “short field” position?  Except for the Yankees, of course, whose best shortstop is their third baseman.

·          Go to back to the good old days of the Olympics – western amateurs, eastern professionals and East German women swimmers with ####s?

·          I am not bringing this up as a Patriot fan and, therefore, must be a proponent of the tuck rule.  I have never read the tuck rule, all I know is that the rule was applied correctly and has been since upheld.  I actually thought before and since that the rule does not go far enough.  When the quarterback makes himself vulnerable because he is setting to pass (i.e. sets his feet and raises his hands from a ball carrying position to a ball throwing position) any loss of the ball, IMHO, that happens from there on out should be an incompletion.  What does everyone think is going to happen when a 200 lbs. QB holding the ball in one hand gets hit by a 350 lbs. lineman?

·          Only let only players with hall of fame credentials into the hall of fame (in all sports)?

·          Eliminate the kneel down play from football?  In the last two minutes of the game, any negative carry (probably would need technological help with the instant judgment needed for this) would force the clock to be stopped until the next snap (same as out of bounds).  It would force teams to play until the end and make the end of games much more exciting.

·          Put paid fans in the first rows of seats in baseball to make sure that balls aren’t legally or illegally interfered with to go against the home team?  (Yes, I mean you, Bartman!)  Sort of like "Seat Marshals."  By the way, to the Red Sox teenage brass, I am 6’3”, 300+ lbs. and can have a resume’ to you within the hour.

·          Even out the schedules to eliminate games in hand?  In (especially) the NHL and NBA, how do teams get two, three, four, even five games in hand?  Why don’t they just set up the schedule so as you reach certain milestones in the season, the teams all have an even numbers of games played?  Rain-outs?  I understand their maybe one or two game fluctuations here or there based on travel, but some of it is just out and out bizarre.

·          Create a baseball handbook “Double switching for dummies?”  Grady Little is going to need it.

·          Change the BCS to the Best Case Scenario?

·          If you were an NFL coach wouldn’t you get a 7-foot plus player and use him to try to block field goals, extra points and punts and for jump balls in a “popped up” onside kick?

·          Make Rent-A-Wreck pay the Red Sox the money he stole back?

Greg

Just caught this on the foxsports homepage; no sources or facts to back it up, just someone trying to draw attention to his pessimism.  The post would have a bit more credibility to me if the writer knew that the Tampa Bay game was on Saturday and not Sunday... but, hey, that's just me.

The message board posts I love the most are when the writer gives some outlandish idea and then says "What does everyone think?"  I now have an almost bullet proof rule of thumb that any post that solicits an opinion at the end is, by definition, an awful post... if I could bet on this, I'd be cleaning up.

I was listening to WFAN radio's Steve Summers on my commute home today and he had Ron Guidry, ex-Yankee phenom and new Yankee pitching coach on.  When I was in maybe my sophomore/junior year of college, some high school friends and I used to bust on Louisiana Lightning's southern roots by saying that the depth of his pitching intellect was "I throw fastball, I throw slider."  Well listening to him today, I could see we weren't far off.  Summers, one of the funniest listens on the radio (see below) says "Ron, I think I speak for all Yankee fans when I say the best thing you could do is make Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina each five years younger."  Guidry, no lie, starts off his incoherent dribble of an answer by stating, in his best Southern drawl, "You can't make them younger, Steve."  Laughed so hard, I almost ran off the road.  I have a great Guidry story from the pennant race in 1988 involving him, me and a truckload of cheap beer at Daisy Buchanans on Newbury Street in Boston, but that will have to wait for another time to properly set-up.

Summers' best quality is how quick he is on his feet.  He had one comment years ago when a Giant fan called and said he was going to Dallas to see a Giants-Cowboys game that he "hope they do better in Dallas than Kennedy did."  But the best quote, and one the FAN uses as a trailer what must be ten years later, is a caller calling up and going "Steve, I am on my way to a Bris, but first I wanted to talk [Jets] football," Summers interrupts him and deadpans, "[Adam], I am surprised at you, going from pigskin to foreskin."  That's why all these years later, we are still "smoozing under the covers" with him.

In the spirit of Milton Bradley trade,  I am going to cover some Moneyball misconceptions and misunderstandings in my next post tonight or tomorrow morning and speculation about what the Yankees are scheming while they lay in the weeds this offseason.

Greg

Despite having about as hectic a week as humanly possible, I couldn't resist the temptation to start my own Blog.  This weeks highlights of my life include changing companies, Christmas shopping and decorating, cleaning the basement and garage, tax planning for 2005 and 2006 and debating whether or not to get our four year-old, Jake, kitten Santa promised LAST Christmas (It was delayed due to the kitchen remodeling which ended nine months ago) among many other things.  But, as usual, my mind is still wandering constantly to sports.  The top five sports topics on my mind at the moment:

1. The Patriots – is it possible?  They played great in Buffalo on Sunday and look better last Sunday when I went up to see them smack the Jets around, but, let’s not kid ourselves.  This Saturday’s contest with Tampa Bay will be a real test as to whether or not they are going to be able to make more than a token appearance in the playoffs.  Also, I have this lingering nightmare that Miami wins their next two and the Pats lay an egg this week and have to win in the Meadowlands the day after Christmas to avoid a winner-take-all game with the resurgent Dolphins in Week 17.

My gut feeling at this point is that the Pats will be a tough out in the playoffs, but I just don’t think they have enough DB depth to defeat the Colts in Indy.  I know we felt that way last year too, but that game was in Foxboro and Rodney Harrison was back there.  It’s amazing how much his loss has hurt.  I went up to the Monday Night game the Pats played against the Colts and I think that game was closer than the route it became, if Corey Dillon doesn’t fumble that ball at the end of the first half and the Pats tie it up, it could have been a real game.  The Pats also play very well in Indy, always have, but it would be an upset that would put Super Bowl XXXVI to shame.  I know the non-Patriot fans are not feeling any sympathy for me or my fellow Pats fans, but the chance to win three Super Bowls in a row isn’t coming around again; in some ways I want this one more than last year.

2. The Red Sox – Buy, don’t Rent! I can’t believe they found a taker for Rent-A-Wreck.  I second guessed that signing from the 2003 season when the Sox tried to acquire him midseason.  An unmitigated disaster.  I have been saying since 1991, that, just because of the rules, American League teams have to be superior.  If Renteria goes to Atlanta and is anything but a bust (does anyone really believe he is anywhere close to 30 years-old?), it will be the final proof of the inferiority of the National League.  The best was his complaining that the Fenway infield was the reason when 14 of his major league-high 30 errors occurred away from friendly Fenway.  It must be Colombian math.  As for the GM brothers, Hoyer and Cherington, I think they are having a great offseason and would love to see then land Tejada for Manny.  I have been thinking /saying that a three way with the Mets getting Manny would be a win/win/win and, finally, the Daily News reported it this morning.

Miggy is all I want for Christmas.

3. BC Basketball – Up in Smoke.   Sean Williams' suspension for marijuana possession last spring is wreaking havoc on the Eagles hoopsters, losing to Michigan St. and Maryland this week.  I went to see the Michigan St. game as part of the Jimmy V. Classic at MSG.  The game was sloppy, but the steak beforehand at Frankie & Johnny’s was first rate.  BC was ranked sixth (now 13^th), but won’t be that good until they get Williams’ back, which may not be until February, as apparently the Boston DA had a say in when he can return to campus as part of his plea bargain.  Up the road at UNLV-Conn, you could be the founder of the Crips and not get suspended for 20 games.  Like a friend of mine said recently, “UConn would let my cat in if he could shoot a three.”

BC sports, in general, have shown a tendency to take us right up until the final minute, game, play before letting their alumni down in earth shattering ways.  Part of me believes that Tom O’Brien and Al Skinner have deals with the opposing coach to let them win as long as they make BC look as good as they can as long as they can.

4. Youth Basketball – Fully Loaded.  I coach fourth and fifth graders coach in a youth basketball league called the Greenwich Basketball Association (GBA).  I should say this year I assistant coach as I have been reprimanded for one season for excess enthusiasm last year (that season, however, did result in a final four appearance for a team that had a regular record of 1-8 in a 15-team league).  The 4^th/5^th  grade league of the GBA is made up of Big East teams and we are Miami (don’t ask me why they are still in the Big East) and have a monster team, almost silly strong.  The teams are supposed to created equal but the evaluators missed how physical our team is (eight of ten of the players are football players) and we are 3-0 on our way to a huge season.  My 10 year-old step son Evan is the key point guard and my nine year-old step son Ryan (all 60 pounds of him) is a nice off guard.  This week: vs. Providence, key games upcoming January 15^th versus Boston College and January 22^nd vs. Maryland (Not exactly up on conference realignment or original alignment), both undefeated .

5. BCS – Best Case Scenario.  I think the solution to the BCS is staring everyone in the face, we are just too blind to see it.  The problem is that what we have now tears apart the format I grew up with – when it was unheard of to have anything but the Cotton, Sugar, Rose and Orange Bowls, in that order, on New Year's Day - and loved as a kid, but isn’t enough of a playoff system. By adding two more games to next year proposed championship game, we can have both.  Go back to the Rose Bowl matching up the Pac-10 and Big 10 champions, the Fiesta Bowl the Big 12 winner vs. a wildcard, in the Orange Bowl, the ACC champ vs. a wildcard and the Sugar Bowl, the SEC vs. a wildcard.  The wildcards are the three best teams in the country under the current ranking system, no matter if you are from South Bend or South Dakota, with the best of the ACC/Big 12/SEC champs playing the weakest wildcard and so on. 

I’d love to see all four on New Year’s Day, but that’s really not important to my scheme.  The four winners move on to the National Semi-Finals based on either geography vs. the best rated vs. the 4^th best and so on the NFL’s wildcard weekend (Sunday and Monday Nights) and the Championship game the weekend of the NFL off week before the Super Bowl.  If anyone talks about these “scholars” missing class, I’ll smack you.  The cities for the semi-finals and finals are irrelevant to me, but could help to fill some of these billion dollar elephants we are building for 10 to15 games a year.

Under this scenario, the BCS match-ups would be as follows:

                Rose Bowl – Penn St. vs. USC

                Fiesta Bowl – Notre Dame vs. Texas (is Earl Campbell available?)

                Orange Bowl – Ohio St. vs. Florida St.

                Sugar Bowl – Oregon vs. Georgia

Potential semi-final match-ups include Oregon-USC and Ohio St.-Texas rematches.

Just some warm thoughts on a very cold New England day.  Not like BC football, going to Boise to play on Blue turf!

Greg