MVP A-JOKE

Alex Rodriguez won his 2nd career MVP today, edging David Ortiz by the slimmest of margins. A-Rod got 16 first place votes, Ortiz got 11. A-Rod amassed 331 points from the voting, Ortiz had 307. Somehow, Vladimir Guerrero got a 1st place vote.

A-Rod had better numbers than Ortiz, but Ortiz's presence on the team was much more VALUABLE than A-Rod's. In "close and late" situations, Ortiz was 27 for 78, A-Rod was 22 for 75. (Ortiz: .346, A-Rod: .293) Ortiz had 11 HRs compared to A-Rod's 4. Ortiz had 33 RBI compared to A-Rod's 12. Ortiz also led the league in game winning RBI, and RBI that put the team ahead. In August, Ortiz hit 11 HRs and knocked in 30 RBI. He did the same in September.

Ortiz lost because he doesn't play the field. Anyone who has watched baseball the past few years knows that team defense is great, but it is offense and pitching that wins ball games, not Gold Glove defense. Furthermore, Ortiz would play first base if it weren't for players like Millar and Olerud who are already on the roster. Ortiz plays a capable first-base in interleague games and it does not affect the team's hitting.

I think this MVP race should have a runoff vote or the voting procedures should be changed. A-Rod's A-trocious playoff series against Anaheim didn't count against him because the voting ocurred before the playoffs. Ortiz had a solid series but fell victim to having no men on base in front of him.

Here's a suggestion. Because the playoffs are the most valuable part of the baseball season, they should matter when considering a most valuable player. Perhaps the MVP voters should determine 5 regular season candidates for the MVP before the playoffs. Then after the playoffs, vote for an MVP. If this had happened, the TRUE most valuable player would have gotten an award today, not A-pathetic, A-hole.

PATRIOTS DROWN THE FISH...BARELY

Huge win by the Patriots this afternoon in Miami. They didn't have Dillon except for 1 play, their defensive injuries are well documented, Tom Ashworth was out, Dan Kopen missed some time, Daniel Graham didn't play, David Givens didn't play, and quite a few of the men in blue left the field with injuries but most came back.

By the way, Tom Brady is the man. The INT in the 4th quarter was his fault, but he more than made up for that.

The Patriots started the game off with what else? A penalty. Bethel Johnson's long kickoff return was brought back by a holding penalty. The Pats drove nicely. Brady hit Johnson for 6, then Heath Evans ran for 21 up the middle. Brady threw to Troy Brown for 16 more yards. Evans was stuffed for a gain of 1. He then ran to the right for 8. The drive was stopped on 3rd and 1 when Mike Cloud got the handoff and lost a yard. Miller had the first of several great punts, pinning the Dolphins at their 3 yard line.



The Dolphins didn't look too good on their first drive. Brown ran to the right for 2. Frerotte threw incomplete to Chambers down the field. Eugene Wilson could have had an interception but he was interfered with by Chambers. The penalty wasn't called, though. On a broken play, the Dolphins were able to convert a 1st down. They weren't able to get another one, though, and were forced to punt.

The Pats won the special teams battle all day long. They started off with the ball at their 18. The Pats allowed a sack to begin the drive but didn't lose any yardage on the play. Cloud ran around the tackle for 7. Christian Fauria caught his first pass of the season for a gain of 5 to the 30 yard line. Cloud ran for 2. Brady threw and incomplete and was then sacked. There could have easily been a late hit penalty called on Kevin Carter, but it wasn't. Logan Mankins was called for holding and it was declined. Miller punted the ball 54 yards down to the Miami 15. Wes Walker muffed it but recovered at the 10.

The Dolphins looked a little bit better on their 2nd drive. Frerotte passed to Brown for 4 yards. Brown then ran for 3 yards. Booker caught a pass for 9 yards on 3rd and 3. Ricky Williams got his first touch and lost a yard. Frerotte threw incomplete to Chambers twice in a row. On 4th down, the Dolphins punted.

The Pats started on their 12 yard line and weren't able to do much with the ball. Evans had a 4 and a 14 yard run. Brady missed Branch, Cloud lost 3, and then Branch was called for a false start. Tom Ashworth's replacement, Brandon Gorin, was called for another false start. On 3rd and 23 from his 17, Brady hit Branch for 16 yards. Miller had a 48 yard punt.

The Dolphins 3rd drive was even better than their 2nd. Williams ran for 2, McMichael had a 7 yard gain. The Phins then went to a no huddle. Williams ran up the middle for 5 then 2. Frerotte hit Chambers for 12 yards, entering New England territory. Booker then had a 12 yard catch. Williams lost a yard. Frerotte threw an incomplete to Barnes then one to Welker. Olindo Mare tried a 31 yard field goal but missed to the right.

The Pats went 3 and out. Miller kicked a 51 yard punt. The Dolphins were able to move the ball on the exhausted and depleted defense. Booker had a 24 yard reception, Brown ran for 13, Williams for 1. Frerotte hit McMichael for 8, Brown ran for 2, then 2, then 16. On 1st and goal from the 3 yard line, Frerotte hit Chambers for a TD. Chambers might have pushed off but it wasn't called. 7-0 Miami.

The Patriots responded with a 3 and out on offense. They needed a big defensive play BADLY. They got one. On 1st and 10, Frerotte threw to McMichael who got the ball down to our 9 yard line. Roosevelt Colvin forced a fumble. Ellis Hobbs picked it up and ran it to the 15 yard line.



The Patriots haven't been that good this season when it comes to scoring with less than 2:00 on the clock. This time they were able to do something. Heath Evans started the drive with a surprise run for 14 yards. After an incomplete, Evans ran for 3 more. Brady threw to Troy Brown for 15 yards. Fauria caught his 2nd pass of the day for 18 yards. Jason Taylor was called for offside. On 1st and 5 from the Miami 30, Brady missed Brown then hit Branch for 13 yards. With 0:07 on the clock, Vinatieri hit a 35 yarder. 7-3 Miami.



The Dolphins started the 2nd half with a 3 and out. The defense played much better in the 2nd half. Brady threw an interception on the first Patriot drive of the 2nd half. The Dolphins moved the ball into New England territory but were stopped. The Patriots had a big play to start the enxt drive but they stalled near midfield. The Dolphins then went 3 and out.

The back-and-forth between the teams finally ended halfway through the 3rd quarter. Brady threw incomplete to Andre Davis but a pass itnerference call resulted in a 1st and 10 on the Miami 17. Johnson caught a 4 yard pass. Evans was stuffed at the line, and Brady threw incomplete to Brown. Vinatieri kicked a 32 yard field goal. 7-6 Miami.

The Pats got the ball with 5:01 left in the 3rd. Thanks to a poor Miami punt, the Pats started on their 47 yard line. Brady hit Tim Dwight for 3 yards. Evans ran to the right for 3 more. On 3rd and 4, Brady hit Brown for 5 yards and a 1st down. Evans caught a 2 yard pass, then a 5 yarder. On 3rd and 3, Evans ran for 3 yards and a 1st down. Brady missed Branch on 1st and 10 on the Miami 32. He then found Branch for 17. Cloud was stuffed for a loss of 1. On 2nd and 11 from the 16, Brady hit Watson in the end zone for his 2nd carrer touchdown. The 2 point conversion attempt failed. 12-7 Patriots.

I really didn't like the decision to go for 2. Why? It was way too early. Fifteen minutes left in the game. There is quite a bit of scoring possible. Had the Pats settled for 1, they could have had an 8 point lead in the late stages of the 4th quarter, which is MUCH more comfortable than a 7 point lead because it forced the other team to make a 2 point conversion in order to tie.

The Dolphins began the 4th quarter with an interception to Ellis Hobbs. The Pats got the ball on the Miami 23. The drive didn't really go anywhere and the Pats were forced to settle for 3. 15-7 Patriots.

The Dolphins finally got something going. They moved the ball from their 25 all the way down to the New England 16 yard line. The defense stood up though. On 1st and 10 from our 16, Vrabel and McGinist stuffed Williams for a loss of 2. Frerotte missed McMichael twice and the Dolphins settled for a field goal. 15-10 Patriots.

The Patriots got the ball with 8:07 left on their 31. They needed to move the ball, eat some clock, and at the very least pin the Phins back in their own territory with little time on the clock to work with. Instead, Brady made a terrible pass which was intercepted near midfield.

The Dolphins started with the ball on their 44 with 5:09 on the clock. Frerotte threw an incomplete. Then he hit Booker for 6, and then 28. On 1st and 10 from the New England 22, Frerotte missed Booker. Then he hit Chambers for 7 to the 16 yard line. On 3rd and 2, Frerotte fumbled the snap, the Pats defense stayed motionless, Chambers ran his route, Frerotte found the ball, threw, and hit Chambers for a touchdown. The Dolphins failed to convert a 2 pointer. 16-15 Miami.

The Pats got the ball with 2:53 on the clock and only one timeout. On 1st and 10 from the 24, Brady hit Tim Dwight for 59 yards. On the next play, Brady threw to Watson in the end zone. Heath Evans got the carry for the 2 point conversion attempt and made it into the end zone. 23-16, Patriots.



The only problem with the Patriots scoring drive was that it only lasted 43 seconds. Miami got it back with 2:11 on the clock. The Dolphins marched all the way down to the New England 5 yard line, needing only a touchdown and extra point to tie and force overtime. On 1st and goal from the 5, Ellis Hobbs broke up a pass intended for Marty Booker. Frerotte overthrew Chambers on 2nd and goal. On 3rd and goal, Tedy Bruschi got into Frerotte's face, forcing an early throw. Frerotte hit the outlet man, Brown, but McGinist coralled him and Poteat finished him off for a loss of 5. On 4th and goal from the 10, Frerotte threw incomplete intended for Chambers. The Pats got the ball back. Brady took a knee, and the game was over.

STARKS OUT FOR SEASON

Patriots CB Duane Starks has been placed on Injured Reserve, ending his first year with the Champs. Starks has been slowed by a thigh injury and was noticeably incapable of one on one coverage.

Guess how many defensive backs are on IR for the Pats. Five! Safeties Rodney Harrison and Gus Scott, Cornerbacks Tyrone Poole, Chad Scott, and now Duane Starks. This coupled with the release of Ty Law before the season has seriously disabled the Patriots ability to defend against the pass. I don't care who you are, when you have 5 DBs out for the season, you're going to give up quite a few points. Of the 10 DBs the Patriots started the season with, 5 are out for the year, and 2 (Randall Gay and James Sanders) have missed significant time due to injury.

Ellis Hobbs will probably move into the #2 CB position oppositte Asante Samuel. Hobbs was the 10th man on the Pats cornerback depth chart. Randall Gay will probably play at Safety if he can play. Hank Poteat, who was cut after camp, will be the #3 corner. Troy Brown could also see some time at defensive back. It isn't official or a rumor, but I wouldn't be too surprised if Tom Brady and Doug Flutie saw some time at cornerback if the injuries keep occuring.

The Patriots will begin the 2nd half of the regular season with only their 2nd divisional game. They're on the road against Miami, much later in the year than we are used to seeing us have to play in Florida. However, the forecast for tommorrow is 80 degrees and sunny.

Of the 8 remaining games on the schedule, 5 are within the division, 1 is non-divisional but within the AFC, and 2 are against NFC teams. 4 are at home and 4 are on the road. The Pats don't have 2 home games or two road games in a row. The schedule is much easier than the first 8 games of the season. We play the Dolphins twice, the Jets twice, the Bills, Chiefs, Saints, and Buccaneers. The Pats really need to capitalize on those division games and beat up on some bad teams if they want to claim the AFC East for the 3rd year in a row.

DAYTON MOORE

The Atlanta Braves are renowned for their player development. Their team had 18 rookies this season and they still made the playoffs by winning their 14th consecutive NL East title. Dayton Moore is an up and coming executive who cut his teeth in the player development department of the Braves organization. The Red Sox are seriously considering him as a candidate for Theo's replacement. I think it is a good idea to try to get someone who is good at developing young players. The Red Sox definately need to be better at this, particularly when it comes to pitching.

Yesterday was the last day of exclusive negotiations for teams to talk with free agents. Now, anyone can talk to anyone. The Red Sox have resigned Mike Timlin, and that is it. Players like Johnny Damon are free to be romanced by other teams.

RICKY DAVIS BEATS BUZZER, GRIZZLIES

Paul Pierce had 29 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals to lead the Celtics to a 99-98 buzzer beating victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Lafrentz added 10 points, Blount had 17, and Delonte West had 8. Ricky Davis had 18 points including this jumper with, as you can see, only 0.3 seconds remaining. Pierce got the asisst. Every Celtics game has been down to the wire. It could be a very exciting season.

RED SOX SAGA PART III: MANNY RAMIREZ

Does anyone else ever think that Manny Ramirez isn't real? Does he not act like a character out of a movie? Some quiet guy who is amazing at something but never really seems focused on it. The character can't really figure out what he wants so he is always changing his mind.

Manny Ramirez has asked to be traded away from the Boston Red Sox. Why? Who the hell knows why? The Red Sox are entertaining him and making it very well known that they are seeking trading partners. This raises suspicion in me because the trade talks are so public. The Red Sox usually don't make things widely known unless it is a stratagem. On previous occasions when Manny has asked to be traded, it has been supressed by the Organization. Now, it is almost as if they are trying to make Manny beleive that they are truly looking at trading options.

This is where the lack of Theo, who is truly gone by the way, has hurt us. Theo was very energetic and creative when it came to trades. Remember 2003 when he traded prospects to the Pirates for a player and then got those prospects BACK in a deal a few days later? That's just ingenious, right there. Anyway, without Theo, the Red Sox are essentially tied at the hands until a replacement can be found.

What would be the positives for trading Manny? We'd save about $60 million over the enxt three years. We wouldn't have to deal with his lapses in the outfield and his frequent needs for vacation days. We could get someone really good in return for him.

What is he downside to trading Ramirez? There is no way that he will be replaced. He is much too good of a hitter. Even if we got a good hitter in return and spent the money we saved on hitting, we would still have to dramatically alter our offensive approach to the game.

Our lineup centers around Ortiz and Ramirez. The 1 and 2 hitters get on base, Ortiz and Manny knock them in. They also get on base for the 5, 6, and 7 hitters who knock them in. The 8 and 9 hitters knock those guys in a few times and also get on base for the 1, and 2 hitters. Without Manny, we would be losing about 150 RBI, 40 HR, and an OBP of about .400 which allows Manny to score about 110 runs. We can probably get a few guys whose offensive production will add up to Manny's, but there is no-one out there who will produce as much as Manny produces in one spot of the lineup.

Manny also helps out Ortiz. He doesn't just knock him in, he protects him. Ortiz was walked 102 times this season with Manny hitting behind him. Just imagine how many more times he will be walked with no Manny behind him. What will happen to our offensive production then?

With no Manny Ramirez, the offensive philosophy of the Red Sox, which has proven quite successful, will have to change. They'll have to use a system that utilizes production from more spots in the lineup. This could work, but consider how many younger players are coming up soon. They are going to be under a good deal of pressure to produce even from the bottom of the lineup. I think Theo could compile a team without Manny that scored 900 runs, but I don't know about anyone else in the league apart from maybe Brian Cashman.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Red Sox kept Manny. After all, we've already paid him $100 million, why not hold on to him for 3 more seasons? We have so much improvement to do elsewhere on the team, why completely change the offense, as well? Finally, he might decide he wants to stay here again.

RED SOX SAGA PART II: JOHNNY DAMON

Tonight at 7 PM, the Red Sox Committee of GMs will meet with Johnny Damon's people. Here is what the two sides will probably talk about:

Damon's people:
Johnny batted .316 last season, the 4th best in the league. He got on base 36.6% of the time. He scored 117 runs and even knocked in 75 more, which is a lot for a leadoff hitter. He has a great deal of range in center field. He was 18/19 on stolen base attempts. Imagine how many runs he wouldv'e scored if Renteria had hit well. He is the spark plug for the offense. Plus, he is a star player.

The Red Sox:
Johnny's batting average dropped every month of the season. Scoring 117 runs with Ortiz and Ramirez behind you isn't a monumental accomplishment. He has no arm. He turned 32 a few days ago. We already have a great deal of big contracts on our hands. There isn't much of a market for outfielders this season.

The fact of the matter is that big market teams like the Cubs and Yankees have expressed that Damon is asking for too much. He wants a 5 year deal. He'll be 38 at the end of the deal. How much his skills will diminish in the next few years is unkown.

I think the Red Sox need to keep Damon's contract at around $40 million for 4 years. Absolutely no more than 4 with perhaps a mutual option or a buyout option for a 5th year. $10 M is the highest Damon's salary should go.

THE RED SOX SAGA PART I: GM

So many questions to answer. Who will be the GM? Will Manny be traded and if so, for who? What other moves will the Sox make to improve their team? What about Johnny Damon's situation? The bullpen? The rotation? Will Keith Foulke be the closer, or will Timlin or someone from outside the organization?

The first priority has to be the vacancy at General Manager. At the moment, the Red Sox are looking at Jim Beattie and Jim Bowden.

Beattie was the GM for the Expos a few years ago and got alot out of a small payroll. He was given more money but had to share power in Baltimore in that strange co-consul ship reminiscent of the sharing of power between Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus. He was interviewed for the Sox GM job in 2002. Beattie is scheduled for an interview in Boston on Friday.

Jim Bowden was the Reds GM from 1993 to 2003. He was then signed by the Washington Nationals who did pretty well last season, all things considered.

Two other unnamed candidates will be revealed later in the week. In the meantime, the remaining staff left behind by Theo are running things for the Red Sox. GM by Committee, if you will.

For all the bad news that has come out of the New England sports world recently, the only bright spot has been the New England Revolution. They beat the Chicago Fire 1-0 in Gillette on Saturday to win the Eastern Conference title. They play the LA Galaxy in Texas on Sunday for the MLS Cup. The Revolution have never won the MLS Cup. However, they appear to be the New England sports team best poised to win a championship.