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The Picks - Week 12

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:12:52 GMT

Short and sweet version this week:

Texans +3, Bills -3, Jets +5.5, Patriots (even), 49ers +9.5, Bucs -7.5, Ravens -1.5, Bears -7.5, Vikings +2.5, Falcons -1, Broncos -9, Redskins -3, Cardinals +3, Colts +2.5, Saints -3

Sports' Spitting Images - Les Miles & Kurt Russell

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:46:16 GMT

Courtesy of a reader who wishes to remain anonymous:

Les Miles, college football coach at LSU, and Kurt Russell, American actor. I see the resemblance a bit, mostly in the similar grins, which both seem eerily shit-eating.

Have a suggestion for Sports' Spitting Images? Drop us an email at BSBuzz (at) gmail (dot) com.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Boston or sports...

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:57:06 GMT

... but this is easily one of the top ten funniest things I've ever seen, read or heard. If I didn't have a morbid fear of permanently damaging my credit (lot easier to do these days than in years past, unfortunately), I'd probably try something similarly humorous and ridiculous myself. But for now, I'll just sit back and laugh every time guys like this David Thorne do it first.

Thanks to Barstool Sports for the link.

Sox trade Crisp to Royals for reliever Ramon Ramirez

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:46:15 GMT

There's been speculation all morning, but Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports it's a done deal: the Sox have acquired 27-year old reliever Ramon Ramirez from the Kansas City Royals for Coco Crisp.

It's an interesting - and seemingly equal - deal for both clubs. The Royals could use Coco's defense in center in spite of the fact that they seem to be stockpiling outfielders at this point, and the Sox have some issues in the back end of the bullpen - Timlin's likely done, Delcarmen was wildly inconsistent last year, and they may toy with the idea of shifting Masterson back to being a starter - that will help be resolved by Ramirez's acquisition.

Ramirez pitched 71.2 innings last year and posted a 3-2 record, 1.23 WHIP, 2.64 ERA, 21 holds, 70 Ks, 31 BB. He made just $397,000 and won't reach free agency until after the 2012 season. In contrast, Coco's on the books for $5.75 million next year with an $8 million club option for 2010 ($500,000 buyout). I wouldn't exactly label this move a salary dump, but Ramirez's value is made greater due to his very manageable salary.

It's not a season-altering trade by any means, and some people thought the Sox could probably get more after Coco exploded at the end of the season and in the playoffs, but it looks solid on paper.

More hardware for Dusty as the Destroia nabs AL MVP

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:15:16 GMT

Adding to an impressive offseason that has already seen him win both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, Dustin Pedroia can now also call himself the Most Valuable Player in the American League. Youk finished third in voting, while the Twins' Justin Morneau - who won the MVP back in 2006 - came in second. Pedroia received 16 first place votes, more than double the amount received by Morneau (7). Dusty's the first AL second basemen to win the award in nearly 50 years, and he's also the first Red Sox second basemen to ever take home MVP honors.

Say what you will about whether Dusty merits the award based on his numbers alone, but if you go by the belief that the potential MVP has to have been the player to have had the greatest impact on a winning team, then it's tough to argue that Dusty's not deserving. In a very much up-and-down season (both in terms of on-the-field-performance and clubhouse distractions), Dusty was a rock at second base, as well as atop the batting order (and lest you forget, the little man even batted cleanup a handful of times). He led the AL in hits, runs and doubles, and was arguably the biggest reason the Sox stayed in the playoff hunt and secured the AL wild card. And don't forget about the ridiculous number of multi-hit games (61) he had to lead the AL this season. Chad Finn at the Globe also figured out that Dusty's only the third second baseman in major league history to rack up 100 runs, 200 hits, 50 doubles, and 20 steals in a season.

I could type on and on about how great a year he had, but his season line might do it a bit more justice:

.326/.376/.493, 118 R, 213 H, 54 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR, 83 RBI, 50 BB, 20 SB

So Dusty wins Rookie of the Year last year in his first full season and goes on to follow it up with his first All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and MVP awards in just his second season in the bigs? Talk about an encore. What's this guy planning for his third season? A triple crown? That's probably a little out of Pedey's reach, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him keep up something close to this current level of production, and if you ask the Sox front office, they'd be more than happy with that.

If you haven't heard by now, some clown that writes in Texas left Dusty off his ballot entirely. I'll be the first to admit that The Big Show, and just about every other WEEI production these days, is pretty weak at times, but this exchange with Evan Grant (i.e. the deuche that voted for Joe Mauer over Pedey) is absolutely hilarious. Check it out.

Jets move into first in AFC East with 34-31 gift of a win

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:10:51 GMT

I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet.

As I said while arguing with the commissioner of the fantasy football league I'm in with a bunch of buddies from our college days (who also happens to be a Jets fan), the Pats lost this game. The Jets did not win it. The Patriots lost it. These are the three reasons why:

1. Ben Watson's third quarter fumble.
The guy had eight catches for 88 yards and a score, but what's more important is that he also made the most costly error of the game on the Pats' side. The Pats would have been set up with first-and-10 on the Jets' 22 yard line if Watson didn't fumble. In spite of the solid effort, Watson remains a secondary option in the receiving game.

2. Cassel and Koppen's botched third quarter snap.
Maybe they were out of sync because Koppen was knocked out of the game for a bit earlier on, or maybe the noise was a factor as the Razor was rocking, but whatever the case, there was no excuse for that play. Cassel wasn't even looking toward Koppen when the ball came at him, and he proceeded to boot the ball back an extra 10 yards while trying to pick it up on the run instead of just falling on it. The end result? A 24-yard loss that set the Pats up with an impossible second-and-34. An unfortunate play due to the fact that this was easily the finest game of Cassel's (400 yards and three TDs on 30-of-51 passing) career.

3. Leon Washington picking a really good time to have the biggest play of his career.
Yeah, he's an alright special-teamer on kick returns, and he's a decent backup running back in this league, but all you Jets fans who are trying to tell me there wasn't a good deal of luck involved in that return (or any other return in the history of the NFL for that matter) are full of shit.

Oh yeah - here's one more: that third-and-15 in the fourth quarter where the Pats gave up an easy completion to a wide open Dustin Keller for 16 yards. He was definitely a solid pickup for the Jets, but there's no way he should have led the team in receptions (eight) and yards (87). Nice job, secondary.

The Picks - Week 11

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:21:57 GMT

Broncos at Falcons (-6.5): Falcons -6.5
The Falcons are perhaps the most surprising team in the NFL this season, and the Broncos are working on like their 15th running back this season.

Raiders at Dolphins (-10): Dolphins -10
The Raiders did a great job of taking Steve Smith out of the Panthers' passing game, but they still lost by double digits. Expect more of the same this week.

Ravens at Giants (-7): Ravens +7
No team's been able to figure out how to stop Brandon Jacobs, but that's where Ray Lewis and the Ravens D comes in. This'll be a low-scoring affair that may see Baltimore come out on top.

Texans at Colts (-8): Texans +8
The Colts seem to be getting it all together, but the Texans' passing game is really clicking with all of the receivers back in action.

Titans (-3) at Jaguars: Jaguars +3
Can the lone undefeated team remain unbeaten? They've had more difficult opponents, but I doubt they improve to 10-0 this week.

Bears at Packers (-3.5): Bears +3.5
Ryan Grant, meet Brian Urlacher.

Eagles (-9) at Bengals: Eagles -9
The Bengals have absolutely nothing going for them right now. It's as simple as that.

Saints (-5.5) at Chiefs: Chiefs +5.5
Brees had his highest passing yardage output of the year a week ago against Atlanta, but that offense has been largely inconsistent without Bush in the game. Tyler Thigpen's looking to put together four-straight solid games and he should be able to against a shoddy New Orleans defense.

Lions at Panthers (-14): Lions +14
The Panthers could only beat a similarly crappy Oakland team by 11 points, so I think the Lions - who still have Megatron at WR - will cover.

Vikings at Buccaneers (-4): Vikings +4
Great defensive battle in this game, but I'm not betting against All Day.

Rams at 49ers (-6.5): 49ers -6.5
Frank Gore will have a monster day against one of the league's worst rushing defenses (where you at, Chris Long?). Would you really be surprised if he scored three rushing touchdowns? Me neither.

Cardinals (-3) at Seahawks: Cardinals -3
The 'Hawks will be getting Matt Hasselbeck back, but his Arizona counterpart, Kurt Warner, is having an MVP-caliber season. In the battle of the birds, the Cardinals will come out on top.

Chargers at Steelers (-5): Chargers +5
Will we see the 300-yard, 3-TD Philip Rivers, or the 200-yard, 1-TD, 1-pick version? I'm leaning toward the former.

Cowboys (-1.5) at Redskins: Cowboys -1.5
Romo's return probably won't go quite as well as everyone's expecting (sorry, T.O.), but they'll do more than enough to beat the Clinton Portis-less Redskins.

Browns at Bills (-5): Bills -5
Still a three-team race in the AFC East. Brady Quinn looked solid in his NFL debut against Denver, but the Bills D should give him more trouble than the Broncos did.

Sports' Spitting Images - Mike Vrabel & Owen Daniels

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:52:57 GMT

Mike Vrabel, starting outside-linebacker for your beloved New England Patriots, and Owen Daniels, starting tight end for the Houston Texans. And it might just be me, but it looks like Vrabel's got a bit of a Michael Phelps thing going on, too. Call me crazy.

Fun fact: Vrabel's 8 career receiving touchdowns are just 2 shy of Daniels' career total. Good stuff.

Is Jake Peavy a good fit for the Sox?

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:26:50 GMT

Knee jerk reaction:

Uhhh, yeah he's a good fit for the Sox. Who wouldn't want to add a former Cy Young award winner on their staff?

Longer, better thought-out answer:

Well, it's complicated. First you have to take the Padres' asking price into account. According to reports, the Braves have the most competitive offer to date with a package of Yunel Escobar, Gorkys Hernandez, Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes, and Blaine Boyer or one of two other minor league pitchers. Assuming the Sox would have to give up the same type of haul (MLB shortstop, a couple MLB-ready pitchers and a minor league pitching prospect), the Sox would presumably have to give up something like Lowrie, Buchholz, Bowden and one of Delcarmen or Bard. (Maybe GM Kevin Towers may even request that Lester be the centerpiece, who knows?) Substantial, to say the least, but keep in mind that Peavy's locked up through 2012 with a club option for 2013. For a year-by-year breakdown of his salary, go here.

Next, you have to consider all the rest of the junk - Peavy's no-trade clause, the effect of his acquisition on the rest of the rotation, especially Beckett and Dice-K, etc., etc. Beckett's been known to have a bit of a sensitive side to him, and the acquisition of another ace may ruffle some feathers. Plus, Beckett's contract is up at the end of the season and due to the fact that he took a bit of a discount last time around, he'll be looking for some serious dollars this time. No way he'll come back for anything less than what Peavy makes with the guy pitching right behind him. And don't overlook the effect a Peavy acquisition could have on Dice-K and Lester - they figure to slot into the 2-3 spots behind Beckett, but they could be dealing with bruised egos if they got bumped back a spot to accommodate Peavy. Oh, and this whole thing might be a non-issue in the first place as Peavy has already said he doesn't want to come to the AL, something he can dictate due to his no-trade clause.

Ultimately, it's a very intriguing prospect. Like I said, who wouldn't want to add a Cy Young winner to their rotation? But in the end, it just seems like the asking price would be way too high, and we'd basically be saying goodbye to Beckett after next year as it would be virtually impossible to afford both aces. Verdict: Pass.

Thank you, veterans

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:14:08 GMT

A big thank you to the veterans of America, as well as those currently serving domestically and abroad. You guys and girls doing what you do is what allows all of us to do what we do, so thanks.

Law Firm runs all over the Bills

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:45:34 GMT

Maybe that Maroney injury was a blessing in disguise as BenJarvus Green-Ellis seems to just keep getting better game-by-game. This week, he contributed big time in the Pats' 20-10 victory over the Bills as 'Law Firm' rushed for 105 yards and a score on 26 attempts, good for an even 4.0 yards per carry. Belichick et. al. showed just how committed they were to the undrafted rookie when they handed him the rock on third-and-1 in the fourth after a pair of unsuccessful Cassel rushes, only to see him plunge into the end zone to record his fourth-straight game with a rushing touchdown. Just awesome. The threat of a viable running game frees up the passing game to make big plays, as evidenced by Welker's 107-yard game. Speaking of Welker, he's atop our list of this week's game-changers:

On the up and up:
BenJarvus Green-Ellis - For all the reasons stated above... and give some credit to the O-line, as well.
Wes Welker - What more can you say? Wes became the first player in NFL history to catch at least six passes in the first nine games of the season (he had 10 today) and he now has 66 on the year. His touchdown output is well short of last year's pace as he's only found the end zone once, but as long as the Pats keep winning, that's easy to overlook.
Matt Cassel - What you see is what you get with Matty Backup. 23 completions for 234 yards with no TDs and no INTs, but he managed the game well and made plays on his feet (22 rushing yards and a score) when necessary. I'll say this for him: he looked pretty comfortable out there today.
Defensive front seven - A pair of sacks and 3.3 yards per rush for the Bills (18 carries, 60 yards) were the stats, and don't think they didn't have an impact on Edwards' two picks. The secondary deserves some props too as the Bills had just 120 receiving yards all game.

Trending downward:
Stephen Gostkowski - Gostkowski's on this list thanks to a missed field goal and a flag for booting a kickoff out of bounds. Not a completely horrible effort as he nailed two field goals and two extra points, but it's not what we've come to expect out of him.
Kevin Faulk - Tough game for him today (18 total yards on five carries and one catch), but he wasn't involved much as Green-Ellis was busy going to town and the Bills snuffed out every play he was in early. Should rebound next week.
Randy Moss - To date, Randy only has three games with over 100 yards receiving. Yesterday's 5-catch, 53-yard effort was his sixth this season with fewer than 70 yards receiving, including those three games where he failed to crack the 30-yard mark (OUCH!). There were a couple deep balls where Cassel overthrew him, but he was more than capable of hauling in at least one of those end zone targets he had today.
Adalius Thomas - He didn't have a bad game or anything, but the Pats have likely lost their best pass rusher after Thomas was forced out after injuring his arm in the first half. Michael Smith of ESPN reports that Thomas has a broken arm, so the Pats will need Pierre Woods to step up big time to keep that front seven as solid as they've been this season. Tall order, but the 3-year veteran should be up to the task.

The Picks - Week 10

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:58:27 GMT

Jaguars (-6.5) at Lions: Jaguars -6.5
MoJo Drew has been terribly inconsistent this season, but he should capitalize on a sub-par Lions defense. Calvin Johnson is scary good, but one man does not a team make.

Titans (-3) at Bears: Titans -3
The Titans' strength is their running game, and the Bears are pretty good at shutting that down. This will be a real test, but I think Tennessee does enough to remain undefeated, especially with Orton out on the other side.

Bills at Patriots (-3.5): Patriots -3.5
The Pats need a win after that narrow loss to the Colts. Plus, Marshawn Lynch has been overrated all year, and the Pats are pretty good at shutting down the run.

Saints at Falcons (-1): Saints +1
In an offensive onslaught, Drew Brees and co. come out on top.

Rams at Jets (-9): Jets -9
S-Jax is out and he's basically the only prayer the Rams have left. Coles and Cotchery are a bit banged up, but you can get by being a bit banged up against St. Louis' secondary.

Seahawks at Dolphins (-8): Dolphins -8
The Seahawks are the most disappointing team of the season and it won't get any better this week. Ronnie Brown could come close to his Week 3 numbers if the 'Fins commit heavily to the run.

Packers at Vikings (-2.5): Vikings -2.5
This'll be a tight one, but AP and Berrian are two of the most explosive players at their positions. The same can be said of Greg Jennings, but unfortunately for the Pack, their running game hasn't yet caught up.

Panthers (-9.5) at Raiders: Panthers -9.5
JaMarcus Russel is questionable to start, and the morale and chemistry of the team is in shambles. On the other side, Delhomme is quietly having a very solid season, and DeAngelo Williams has done big things in his part-time role in the backfield with Jonathon Stewart.

Chiefs at Chargers (-15.5): Chiefs +15.5
The Chargers will win, that much is certain. But very much I doubt they crack the two-touchdown mark.

Giants at Eagles (-3): Eagles -3
Should be a good one, but what I see this one coming down to is the running games. Both defenses are very solid up front, but between Westbrook and Jacobs, I give the edge to Westy.

Ravens at Texans (even): Texans
No Matt Schaub, no problem. Rosenfels is a capable backup, and those skill position players - Andre Johnson, Steve Slaton, Owen Daniels, etc. - will be too much to contain.

49ers at Cardinals (-9.5): 49ers +9.5
Just like with the Chiefs at Chargers game, I believe the Cardinals will win, but I don't see them covering. Gore is a game-changer and will find the end zone at least once, but he can't singlehandedly keep the 'Niners alive.

Sports' Spitting Images - Vernon Davis & Lennox Lewis

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:48:38 GMT

Courtesy of Manny Ortez: Tight end Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers, who was recently bitched out by new coach Mike Singletary, and retired boxer Lennox Lewis, was was one of the most feared heavyweight fighters of his time with a career record of 41-2-1. And yes, I know, the resemblance is mostly in the dreads and facial hair, but you know what? That's more than enough for induction into the Sports' Spitting Images lexicon.

On a somewhat related note, I don't know what's more troubling: the fact that Singletary decided to rile the troops by dropping trou', or the fact that in nearly every picture of Vernon Davis on Google Images, the dude isn't wearing a shirt. What the hell, man?

Another day, another first career hattie for a Bruin

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:43:35 GMT

Are you kidding me? Not only did the B's pick up win No. 7 on the season and pull to within a single point of first place Buffalo, but we got to witness the second Bruins player in like two weeks - first Milan Lucic, now Blake Wheeler - picking up their first career hat trick in a huge win. Great time to be a B's fan I guess.

I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't quite sure the signing would pan out, and I certainly was a bit skeptical that they committed so fully to him when the season began (remember all those that thought he would open the season at Providence?), but those of us that were naysaying couldn't have been more wrong. This kid is incredibly fun to watch and he's a force on the ice. Here's the highlight vid from the game:

Pedroia takes home Gold Glove honors

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:12:05 GMT

Congrats to the little man for nabbing his first career Gold Glove award. Given how greatly he progressed defensively this year, it likely won't be the last one he wins in his Major League career.

Sox, Pads exploring Crisp-for-Greene deal

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:27:39 GMT

The GM Meetings are upon us, and that means it's time for the rumors to start flying. Not unusually, the Sox are at the forefront of many discussions, and one of the more interesting to come out so far was from the Tacoma News Tribune (how was a Seattle paper the first to break this news???) which reports that the Sox and Padres are talking about a Coco Crisp-for-Khalil Green flip-flop.

Coco's set to make just over $5 million next season with an option for 2010. He proved his importance to the Sox - and any potential suitors - during the postseason, when he filled in admirably for a struggling Jacoby Ellsbury and came up huge with several clutch hits when called upon. Greene's got one more year on his deal at $6.5 million, and in spite of a pretty sub-par season last year when he battled injuries, is a pretty damn good shortstop. He's solid defensively, and two years ago he hit 27 homers and drove in 97 runs.

On paper, it seems like a fair enough swap. Greene would likely be a better defensive and offensive shortstop than we've had here in a while, but a lot of other stuff would have to happen to make it work out for the Sox. First, they'd have to figure out what to do with the Lowrie and Lugo. Lugo's most likely on his way out of Boston after a terrible couple of years, but not many teams will be willing to take a chance on him and the Sox will have to eat most if not all of his salary. Plus, Lowrie showed a lot of promise last year and is a good, cheap option at the position until they decide they want to commit to him full-time, or they're able to find a higher caliber player. Lowrie would net the Sox a good return, but I don't see why they'd want to deal him at this point in his career. Next, they'd have to find another capable fourth outfielder to take Coco's spot. Quite a tall order considering he can play any outfield position and bat at the top or bottom of the order.

Ultimately, it's an intriguing offer (if it is indeed being discussed as reported), but I'd rather they wait it out and see what else they can get for Coco. His trade stock's gotta be pretty high at this point, and while Greene is certainly a worthwhile trade target, shortstop isn't one of their biggest problem positions at this time with Lowrie holding it down. I'm giving it a pass... for now.

Apparently Vinatieri still remembers how to hit 50-yarders

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:41:32 GMT

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Adam Vinatieri walks onto the field with the ability to decide the game with a clutch field goal kick...

Alright, so the Pats fell to the Colts by a final of 18-15. I'm not gonna overreact to this one because, frankly, the Colts deserve to beat the Pats when Brady's not at the helm. Indi's not nearly as bad as they've looked in the past weeks and they proved that tonight, even if they looked a good deal less than dominant in tonight's victory.

Moving on, Stephen Gostkowski gets my nod for Pats player of the game. Dude hit three field goals (lengths of 25, 29 and 35 yards) and has only missed one all season. (I'm giving him a pass on that one because it was in the 40-49 yard range.) Just missing the cut were Kevin Faulk (10 carries for 60 yards, 5 catches for 38 yards), who continues to step up when given the ball, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (15 carries for 57 yards, 1 catch for 8 yards), who looked surprisingly smash-mouth while running over Antoine Bethea on his third quarter TD run.

Several players are excellent candidates for busts, but I'm going to single out Matt Cassel and Jonathon Wilhite. Cassel did complete 25 passes, but he had a terribly dismal 6.0 yards per attempt average. That ain't gonna get it done, even against a defense that's struggling as much as Indi's is. Wilhite's in my dog house after getting absolutely burned by Anthony Gonzalez for a 12-yard TD pass in the first quarter. That was some of the worst coverage we've seen all year. Oh yeah, and Jabar Gaffney deserves some consideration for this "award" as he let a sure TD slip through his hands in the third quarter. But we've come to expect so little of Jab-aaaar (more fun when you say it like a pirate), so whatever.

Is Hank giving Manny his Yankee pitch?

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:24:53 GMT

(Boston Sports Buzz illustration)

Yeah, I know, we've used this photo before. But it's so sweet, it's back for another turn. Plus, it applies to this most recent story, so here ya go.

Recent Hank Steinbrenner comments regarding the ex-Sox slugger:

There's nothing we are not looking at. And personally, I like Manny. He's one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. He's a free spirit for sure, but he knows how to win. We like some of the other guys, too. We just don't know yet.

As I've said before, I really don't care what happens to Manny anymore at this point. If the Yanks decide they want to give him 4 years and $100 million (or more), then great. If Boras can get a couple other teams into a bidding war and get him 6 years and $120 million, sweet. Now that everyone knows what a scumbag he is, I really don't care where he ends up, how much money he makes, or how long he stays there. I don't even care if he comes back to haunt the Sox to some degree. I just don't. And I hope you don't either.

In other Sox news, apparently agent-extraordinaire Scott Boras is trying to convince the Tigers to replace one of his old, overpriced clients (Ivan Rodriguez) with another one of his old, overpriced clients (Jason Varitek). So I can officially be on the record on this one, I'm all for the Sox bringing Tek back for one or two years for about $5-7 million per year as long as he's willing to take about a 15-20 game cut in playing time and serve as a mentor/adviser for his eventual replacement (presumably to be acquired via trade this offseason or next). Now that that's out of the way, Boras is a prick. Is there literally no level so low this guy won't stoop to it?

Don't eff with the Black and Gold!

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:46:47 GMT

I just witnessed one of the best hockey games of the past several years. Tons of fighting, multiple scoring chances, and ultimately, a win... there wasn't much not to like in this game. See for yourselves.

The Picks - Week 9

BSBuzz@gmail.com (Boston Sports Buzz) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:58:54 GMT

Texans at Vikings (-4.5): Texans +4.5
Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson. Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson. Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson.

Jaguars (-7.5) at Bengals: Jaguars -7.5
The only way I'd consider taking the Bengals is if a healthy Carson Palmer was starting. That's not the case.

Buccaneers (-9) at Chiefs: Bucs -9
The Chiefs are bad. Really bad.

Ravens at Browns (-1.5): Ravens +1.5
The Ravens D is one of the best in the league and the Browns are this year's most egregious underachiever.

Jets at Bills (-5.5): Bills -5.5
The Bills put up a stinker last week against Miami, but they'll right the ship this week at home.

Cardinals (-3) at Rams: Cardinals -3
Anquan Boldin is back and as good as ever after having his face broken in like a million places.

Lions at Bears (-12.5): Lions +12.5
Never a big fan when the lines in NFL games start approaching college football level - the Lions covered a 9-point spread last week and I think they'll be lucky enough to do so again this week.

Packers at Titans (-4.5): Packers +4.5
The Pack will have trouble moving the ball, but the Titans aren't nearly as good as they've been playing. Kerry Collins is their starting quarterback, for Christ's sake.

Dolphins at Broncos (-3.5): Broncos -3.5
Broncos get back on track after a bye last week and a poor Week 7 showing against the Pats.

Falcons (-3) at Raiders: Falcons -3
Basically just picking the lesser of two evils here.

Cowboys at Giants (-7): Giants -7
The Cowboys are scrambling without Romo under center, even with the recent addition of WR Roy Williams. T.O. picked a bad time to have his worst season in recent memory.

Eagles (-7) at Seahawks: Eagles -7
The Seahawks have no hope until they get a healthy Matt Hasselbeck back, and that doesn't appear to be in the cards anytime soon.

Patriots at Colts (-6): Colts -6
For the Pats to win, this game hinges on two things: first, the efficiency of the Pats' run game, and second, whether we see vintage Peyton or crappy Peyton in the dome.

Steelers at Redskins (-1.5): Steelers +1.5
Portis and Moss are both banged up, and Mewelde Moore has been a more-than-capable backup in Fast Willie's absence.