Apparently Wisteria Lane just moved to Flushing, NY and the desperate characters on that cheesy ABC show are now called Joe, Tony, Mike, Paul, and Frank.  Although the winter meetings have not started yet, Mets fans are already worried and nervous about the 2008 season.  Postings on several sites reporting on the Mets' off-season trades go from cautiously optimistic to, quite frankly, not funny and rude (i.e., "Omar should be fired immediately and his family should be killed.") 

I agree ... the Mets seem to be making some questionable moves when you compare their trades to the ones other teams around the league are making.  I don't understand why the Mets didn't re-sign Paul Lo Duca after he always hustled for the team and tried to make as much as possible to win every single game.  Arguably, the Mets could have received more than a good defensive catcher and a still developing outfielder in exchange of Milledge.  But we don't really know what goes on inside the clubhouse and on negotiations that force these moves to take place. We all need to keep the big picture in mind.  Sure, the Mets need pitching badly.  But Minaya cannot sacrifice good, talented prospects and core players in the team for just ONE pitcher who might move to New York and become a bum once he realizes he's not in Minnesota anymore.  I believe (want to believe) that Minaya will make some positive and significant moves before spring training begins and the Mets will have a better team than the one who walked all over the fans' hopes of a title (ANY title) last season.  I'm still feeling empty after that horrible week of waiting for the Mets to come back and at least make the playoffs.  But trading during the off-season is like going grocery shopping.  You have a list of what you want and go to the market to see what you can get for what you have.  Perhaps you want to get Entenmann's chocolate chip cookies (note the ad Entenmann's ... I expect an e-mail asking where to send products ... PLEASE,) but find out you only have money to buy Nabisco (no offense Nabisco ... your products are also very well welcomed) cookies.  Would you leave the Nabisco cookies on the shelf or take them and satisfy your desire for a chocolate chip cookie?  (Yes, I'm hungry; that's why I used the food analogy.) 

So Minaya had Santana on his list, but couldn't afford him because the store asked too much for him.  Is he going back home without buying anything comparably good?  Of course not, I'm sure Minaya will keep looking for the right players to satisfy our desire for a championship in Flushing.  We really don't need big names but rather good players that want to leave everything they have on the field every single night.  That's how you win championships.  That's what the Mets didn't have last season (i.e., Glavine who could have done more on that last game.)  So don't throw the towel quite yet.  Let's go Mets!  Let's close Shea in style! 

Ever since 1986 I've loved seeing the Red Sox fail. As a Mets fan, I vividly remember how the baseball rolled between Bill Buckner's legs for a hit, which turned out to be the play that switched momentum in the Mets' favor and allowed them to come back and win the '86 World Series. I was as elated as Gary Carter and Orozco when they met in the pitcher's mound. That's when I started disliking ('cause hate is such a harsh word) the Boston Red Sox. 

My abhorrence towards the BoSox just increased in 2004 when they won the championship. I hated the fact that they complained so much about the Yankees spending so much money in their team, but they did precisely the same thing to get a championship. I hated (notice how easy I can use the word now) that a guy like Manny Ramirez [who thinks he can do whatever he wants (i.e., throw his helmet while he's running so people can admire his dreadlocks) and everyone has to applaud his every move] now had a ring. I hated that the Red Sox were once again a respectable team.

So you would think that I would hate the Red Sox even more now that they spent all that money in getting Dice-K; that Manny has yet another ring; and that people are now even talking about the Red Sox being an unbeatable team once they get to the World Series. Right? Well, even I can't understand why I'm not feeling that way? I'm actually feeling happy for the Red Sox ... at least partially.

I still hate what I used to hate about the Red Sox and always will. I don't think they should have paid so much money for Dice-K. I don't like the fact that Manny keeps being Manny. I don't like the fact that a lot of people are giving way too much credit to the BoSox for beating the Rockies. All those things are not good for baseball.

Yet, I'm happy that Boston won because of Coach Francona, Captain Varitek, and MVP Lowell.

Unlike Joe Torre, Francona managed his large-payroll team to a championship to show the Sox's management that he's underpaid. Hopefully, Theo and the rest of the management got the message. Francona deserves more of the cash that Manny's getting for a couple of good at bats.

Jason 'Tek' Varitek, as team captain, did a tremendous job throughout the season to keep his team focused on getting to the World Series and winning it all. If the Mets had a captain like that maybe we wouldn't have witnessed the Mets' debacle as we did this year. Varitek also called great games throughout the season and used his pitchers' skills to the max. Furthermore, whenever the Red Sox needed momentum on their side, their sergeant came through for them and continued leading them to the championship, which leads us to the Series MVP Mike Lowell.

Finally, my fellow Puerto Rican, Mike Lowell got the recognition he deserves. Lowell is the main reason why I'm happy that the Sox won. Every time Lowell plays you know he's going to leave everything in the field to help his team, whoever that team is, win. It would be a shame if the Red Sox repay him with a pink slip. Fortunately, I don't think that'll happen. I think Theo, John Henry, and perhaps even Francona will fight for Mike. Even if Mike doesn't return with the Red Sox his stock just went up during the Series. Would Mike be the next Yanks' 3B? Anything is possible now that A-Rod is out of the Bronx AND the Yankees will sure want to win one battle against their nemesis.

So, whereas today I'm happy for Boston winning the championship I'm already starting to hate them again. Ah, it feels great to hate the Red Sox. I'm already hoping that Boras' ego is SO huge that he will convince the Red Sox to sign A-Rod. Wouldn't that be fun, Red Sox Nation? Think about it A-Rod in Boston, the Red Sox out of championship contention, and me loving the fact that the Red Sox are losers once again.

     My fellow sports fans, there has never been a better time than now to ask the professional athletes and coaches in America to shut the f up and stop whining. Last week we all heard Joe Torre's claim that the Yankees' offer was an act of disrespect. Just yesterday, Barry Bonds claimed that the Giants are making a mistake for firing him. I don't always agree with the Yankees or the Giants, but they're totally right in their decisions to cut Torre and Bonds, respectively.

     Let's begin with Joe Torre. I can't believe he thinks the Yankees were disrespectful when they offered him $5 millions for a year AND incentives contingent on the team's performance. That's disrespect? How can you think this isn't a good offer, Joe?

     It's no secret that the Yankees have an extremely good team. True, they might need more pitching. But they can win games just with their offense. This season the Yankees needed a good winning streak at the end of the season (mainly against teams with losing records) to make it to the playoffs. They lost in the AL Division Series against the Tigers, in 2006, and against the Angels, in 2005 and 2002. In 2004, perhaps the Yankees' worst playoff performance in recent years, they lost the AL Championship to Boston after being up 3-1 in the series. Furthermore, in 2003, the mighty Yankees lost to a low-payroll Marlins team.

     While all this is going on you just see Torre sitting down emotionless in the dugout. If he can't get such a great team as the Yankees to win as many games as their potential dictates, then why would another team give him a chance to manage. Why wouldn't he take $5 millions to sit down emotionless in the dugout for one more season? C'mon, Joe! The Yankees made you a disrespectful offer? Are you serious?

     A fairly similar case can be made for Bonds. Forget about the allegations of roids usage and how this affects the Giants' public image. Let's talk strictly about a 42-year-old baseball player's performance. Barry Bonds' productivity has decreased significantly over the past 5 years. His batting average went from .370 in 2002 to .276 in 2007. He had 149 hits in 2002, but only 94 this season. So you're thinking, 'yeah, but he hits home runs like crazy.' Think again. Bonds hit 46 homers in 2002, but just 28 in 2007.

     As Torre, then, Bonds doesn't deserve millions of dollars for nothing! Would you pay someone millions of dollars just for a chance to get millions of dollars? If your answer is yes, then there's a scam waiting patiently for you. Answering yes to my question is like paying $5 millions to hit the Lotto with $1 million. That's why the Yankees made the right decision to let Torre go. That's why the Giants were correct in firing Bonds. If you don't produce, then you shouldn't be highly compensated. Regardless of who one is no one deserves to get millions of dollars without earning them. So please STF up, Joe and Barry!

Bode Miller, World Cup ski champion and part of the U.S. Winter Olympic Games Team, apologized today for comments in a recent interview.  This past Sunday, '60 Minutes' aired a recent interview with Bode Miller.  In that interview Bode basically told Bob Simon that it's not easy "to ski when you're wasted."                                              The U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Association (USSA) received lots of calls protesting Bode for his comments.  Calls from sponsors of the US Winter Olympic Games Team were among those calls to the USSA.  As a result of those calls there were rumors of Bode Miller being cut from the US Winter Olympic Games Team.  Yeah right, like that's gonna happen. 

  [click to watch CBS video with Bode's apology]

I don't believe Bode Miller's apology is a sincere one.  It's totally out of politically correctness.  Had he not apologized for his comments, sponsors would have not supported the US Winter Olympic Games Team.  Besides that, and perhaps more importantly, Bode would have been cut of the team. 

Bill Marlot, the President and Chief Executive of the USSA, said about Bode's apology that it was "a great step" and "something that needed to happen."  I totally disagree with him.  If Bode decides to ski while drunk, that's his decision.  It's a dangerous one, but it's HIS decision.  I would rather watch an athlete perform with a drug that probably lessens his abilities than with a drug that enhances his abilities.  That's why I would rather watch Bode than Rafael Palmeiro. 

So Bode apologized ... big deal.  You think that if he hadn't the Olympic Team would have cut him?  I doubt they would cut the most famous skier in the team and the one who's creating all the buzz for them.  NBC certainly needs Bode in order to get viewers on board. 

I'm tired of PC turning into hypocrisy.  Let's get real, people!  If Bode can win a medal for the US while skiing drunk, then let's get Budweiser as a sponsor and have fun Bode.  If President Bush can send the troops to a war for who knows what real reasons and calls it patriotism, then we can send a drunk skier to represent the US in Winter Olympic Games, win a medal, and call it patriotism too.    

   After picking Jdeppa to win the Next Great Sportswriter Competition [just a joke bro'], Tiki Barber made his picks for the Super Bowl on national TV.  Last night on The Late Show with David Letterman, Tiki Barber picked  the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots for the Super Bowl.  How good of a pick is this?  Let's analyze it.

This week we have the Redskins traveling to the Seahawks nest; the Patriots getting ready to face a stampede of Broncos; the Steeler's Bus rolling to Indianapolis; and finally a battle of beasts when the Carolina Panthers face the Chicago Bears.  All this games should be close, but I think Tiki's picks will move on this week. 

I see the Seahawks beating the tired Redskins.  The Skins won their last game against the Bucs without offensive production; they've been traveling a lot during the last couple of weeks; and they must be tired after winning their last seven games.  The Seahawks should dominate this game running the ball with Alexander against a poor rushing defense.

I also see the Patriots winning this upcoming weekend.  The Patriots lost to Denver the last time they played each other, but the Patriots were not completely healthy.  Denver won with a score of 28-20. Don't expect that to happen again.  The Patriots are healthy once again, and Brady hasn't lost a playoff game.  So watch out for New England.

The other two games are irrelevant to Tiki's picks.  Yet, I'll still make my picks for the record.  I think the Bus makes his last stop of the season, and perhaps of his career, this weekend in Indianapolis.  And for the upset pick I'll take Carolina over Da Bears.  After embarassing the Giants at the Meadowlands the Panthers seem to have more confidence in themselves.  Don't be surprised if they win again in the road.

Hence, I see Seattle winning the NFC Championship.  Regardless of who they end up playing, I say Carolina but that's a guess, they should win the NFC.  On the AFC, then, I see the Patriots winning.  The Colts are good friends of that hated c-word in sports (choke) and their paths always cross during the playoffs.  So I don't see a repeat of that Monday Night game where the Colts beat the Patriots.

I guess Tiki is right then.  However, he didn't say who he thinks will win the Super Bowl.  I, as the grown ass man that Cedric The Entertainer has tought me to be, will say that this is the Seahawks' season.  They should ride Alexander the Great all the way to the Super Bowl and receive their well-earned Lombadi trophy.