TRADE RUMORS, MILLAR SPOUTS OFF

According to the Seattle Times, the Mariners have offered pitcher Gil Meche as well as center-fielder Jeremy Reed for either prospect pitcher Jon Lester, or Jonathan Papelbon. If you ask me, this deal would be unwise for the Red Sox. As badly as we need a center-fielder, this deal would hurt us immensely.

The two biggest young assets we have now are Lester and Papelbon. To give them up for a center-fielder that is basically a prospect, and a below average starting pitcher. Yes, Jeremy Reed has potential, but at the moment he isn't that good of a player. Gil Meche is just not that good and wouldn't have a chance to make the rotation. He was 10-8 in 26 starts last season with a 5.09 ERA.

In the same article, a Red Sox trade rumor with Tampa Bay. The Sox are trying to get short-stop Julio Lugo and outfielder Joey Gathright. Lugo has good potential and could be a leadoff hitter. He hit .295 last season with 39 SBs, and an OBP of .362. He doesn't have much power, though. Joey Gathright is a young outfielder that batted .276 in 76 games for Tampa last season. He is a player with a great deal of potential.

The Tejada drama continues. Peter Gammons reported that the Orioles were seriously considering a deal that would send Ramirez and Clement to Baltimore for the MVP short-stop. I would aboslutely love this deal because Clement is somewhat expendable and Tejada would be a much better leader than Ramirez with similar production and could slot into Manny's spot in the lineup.

However, the Orioles have said "There is absolutely no deal we find acceptable to trade this very special player to another team." The O's also signed outfielder Jeromy Burnitz so any need or desire for Manny has probably diminished.

Kevin Millar has publicly blamed WEEI for the moves the Red Sox have made for the past few seasons which includes his non-signing. Here's an article in the Salem News Online about it.

Millar is simply a moron. To think that a corporation as large as the Red Sox would base huge personnel decisions on sports radio is somewhat ridiculous. However, I am sure that they use WEEI as a way to gauge the fans thoughts and opinions because they always seem to pander to callers when it comes to things like cell phone usage behind home plate.

According to Peter Gammons, Sox slugger David Ortiz as well as former Ace Pedro Martinez and potential future players Miguel Tejada and Julio Lugo have been named as co-defendants in a $35 million civil lawsuit against a calling card company. The players, along with Octavio Dotel, endorsed a calling card company that produced devalued cards. They would claim to provide 70 minutes of calling time to the Dominican Republic, but only provide 10 minutes. Here's the ESPN.com report.

BC LEAVES BOISE STATE FEELING BLUE

I know, Boston College let up BIG TIME in the 2nd half and let the Broncos of Boise State get back into it. However, they ended the game on a big interception and were the first team to wlak off the blue field as winners against Boise State in 31 games. THAT is an achievement. To go out and win a bowl game that is essentially a road game is an achievement. The Eagles did it last year in North Carolina, and they did it this year in Idaho. The Eagles also extended their bowl winning streak to 7, the highest active streak in the nation. Maybe next year, when it comes to Bowl Selection day, the Eagles will get a bowl game in a warm climate, with an historic name, and in a neutral location.

Unfortunately, the national attention for college sports will be falling on the Alamo Bowl between Michigan and Nebraska, two of the biggest programs in the country. The wild ending to that game couple with the upset of ranked Michigan by unranked Nebraska, coupled with the resurgence of Nebraska's program under Callahan will probably dwarf any recognition Boston College will get tomorrow. Maybe next year BC will get a prime time bowl.

I particularly enjoyed this victory because I don't really like Dan Hawkins (BSU's head coach for the game, now Colorodo's head coach) style of football. This whole "riverboat gambler" "play to win" risky style of his works when you're team is much more talented than the other team. You may screw up and not convert on a 4th and 4, but you'll get another chance soon enough. But against teams on a similar level of talent, like BC, it doesn't work. Maybe that's why Hawkins had a 2-6 record against teams in BCS conferences when he was at Boise State.

The Broncos had an opportunity to kick a field goal when it was 27-0 in the early stages of the 3rd quarter. They elected to go for it on 4th and 4 and were stopped short. Had they kicked a field goal and the game played out the same way, they could have kicked a field goal to tie the game in the 4th quarter instead of desperately tossing the ball into coverage in the end zone. Could you imagine Bill Bellichick being described as "a river-boat gambler?" But he's reached heights that most coaches can only dream about.

Boston College will probably pass #20 Michigan in the final BCS rankings as they lost to Nebraska 32-28. When Virginia Tech beats Louisville, BC should move up again. Every other team will probably stay ahead of BC. They should finish within the top 20 though which is pretty good for some "soft East Coast team."