BC Football to Play Ohio State

Silver helmets against gold. Maybe we can call this the Precious Metal Bowl? Yukon Cornelius can't decide which helmet he prefers. Though he seems to favor silver.

Boston College and Ohio State have agreed to play a home-and-home series in 2020 and 2021. The Buckeyes would host the Eagles on September 19, 2020. And Ohio State would come to Boston on September 18, 2021.

I'm sure new BC Athletic Director Brad Bates already knew Ohio State AD Gene Smith from Bates's days as the Miami (Ohio) AD. Miami played Ohio State in 2005 and 2012. This previous relationship might have helped get this deal done, or at least start the conversation.

This being a home-and-home series is great news for BC. Not every team is able to lure BCS powerhouses out of their lairs for non-conference games. And games like this one, and the series with USC (who will host BC in 2013, and come to BC in 2014), help entice recruits.

Hopefully by 2020 BC will have a team capable of keeping up with Ohio State.

David Ortiz and Cody Ross Likely to Hit Open Market

Both David Ortiz and Cody Ross are going to test the waters of free agency. The exclusive negotiating period ends at midnight tonight (which is technically midnight tomorrow morning).

Ortiz wants a 2 year deal worth $25 million. Sources say (leaks from the Red Sox say) that the Sox are willing to give him a 2 year deal and aren't too far off on the money. But that's subjective isn't it? They might think $1 million a season isn't far off, but that's a decent chunk of cash.

There are rumors that the Texas Rangers are interested in Ortiz.

I don't think the Sox should get into a bidding war over a 37 year old DH who can't play the field and takes a long time to recover from injuries. $12.5 million isn't much for Ortiz in 2013, but it could be a burdensome amount in 2014.

I like Cody Ross, but let's keep his value in perspective. He's a career .262 hitter with a .324 OBP and .460 SLG. Last year he had decent power with 22 homeruns and 34 doubles. And that's about his ceiling. For the $3 million the Sox paid him in 2012, he was a bargain. But he's not worth a long-term, expensive deal.

Ross is smart to test free agency. There will be teams interested. He's 31 years old so this might be his last chance to sign a long-term, big money deal.

Ignorant College Football Picks*

Be advised, this post includes pictures of young, scantily clad ladies showing school pride. This might not be safe for work.

My picks last week were an abysmal 6-13, dropping my overall record below .500 (46-48-1). Here are my picks for this week's game:

Washington +4 @ California
Washington has a better record.

Minnesota +12 vs. Michigan
Gophers at home, with a good sized spread, why not?

Florida -17 vs. Missouri
Mizzou only has 1 SEC win.

Mississippi State +7 vs. Texas A&M
Game is in Mississippi. Advantage Bulldogs.

Georgia Tech -8 @ Maryland
No faith in Maryland's QB.

NC State -10.5 vs. Virginia
UVA, once again, is rubbish.

Stanford -28 @ Colorado
The Buffaloes might be one of the worst teams in the FBS.

West Virginia -5.5 vs. TCU
Pair of Big XII newcomers in Morgantown, I'll take the Mountaineers.

Wake Forest -3 vs. Boston College
BC is dreadfully bad.

Nebraska -1.5 @ Michigan State
Slim spread.

Purdue +3.5 vs. Penn State
More scandals for PSU, more distractions.

Northern Illinois -34.5 vs. UMass
The NIU Huskies are 8-1, and UMass are 0-8.

Texas +7 @ Texas Tech
Always believe in the Longhorns over the Red Raiders.

Pitt +17 @ Notre Dame
One of these weeks my anti-ND picks will work out.

Clemson -12.5 @ Duke
Tigers are good.

USC +8.5 vs. Oregon
Should be a fun game to watch.

UConn +8 @ South Florida
UConn needs to win if they want to make a bowl game.

Kansas State -8 vs. Oklahoma State
Can't not pick K-State.

LSU +8.5 vs. Alabama
I think Bama wins, but by a small margin, so LSU covers.

Patriots Trade for Aqib Talib

It's rare that NFL teams make much noise at the trade deadline, so even a whisper can seem deafening. Aqib Talib is a solid cornerback, who will become the top CB on the depth chart once he's able to play. He's currently serving a suspension for taking adderall without a prescription. He can return on the 18th.

Talib's status as the Patriots' #1 CB is more of a statement about the current stable of defensive backs as opposed to Talib's prowess at the position. Although when he stays out of trouble, Talib is a decent coverage corner. And the Patriots haven't had one of those for a few years.

It will be nice to have a smart CB for once. Someone who doesn't find themselves out of position. Someone who knows to turn their head when the ball is coming, in order to avoid PI penalties.

The Patriots gave up a 4th round pick for Talib, and received a 7th round selection.

Talib might not get the defense, as simple as it is. One never knows. And he could be charged with aggravated assault again. But to me this is low risk, medium-to-high reward. He can be a solid coverage corner, and Alfonzo Dennard is looking good. Devin McCourty can be shifted to safety.

He's a serious player in a defensive backfield full of jokes.

And if you're feeling depressed, just yell out "AQIB TALIB!" and you'll feel better. Trust me.

Just a Coincidence or Buffalo's Bad Luck?

The Patriots have a week off after returning from London. Their bye week falls right between the first 8 and last 8 games on their schedule. That's good fortune.

Good fortune is something those in Buffalo know little about. Especially when it comes to scheduling. Because for some reason, after the Patriots have their bye week, they very often face the Bills. Who will come to Gillette Stadium a week from Sunday.

In the 13 years Bill Belichick has been the head coach in New England, the Bills have been the post-bye-week opponent 6 times. In that same span of time, no other team has faced the Patriots after their bye more than once. And as far as the other AFC East teams go, the Dolphins were the opponent in 2009. The Patriots have not faced the Jets after a bye since Belichick has been here.

It's just bad luck for Buffalo.

The Patriots under Belichick are 9-3 after their bye, 9-2 since the Super Bowl year in 2001. It makes sense. An extra week to rest, more time to prepare for an opponent, more time away from the grind of practice and preparation.

So the poor Bills, who are 12.5% of the Patriots schedule every year are 46.2% of their bye week opponents. The poor Bills get to face a rested Patriots team that's had 2 weeks of film study and practice.

Life isn't fair, is it?

Meanwhile, in the NHL

Just some token news and lack of good news from the NHL. Rumor has it that if the League and NHLPA can't agree to a CBA by Thursday, the Winter Classic will be cancelled. At the very least, HBO's 24/7, which is a nice little promotional tool for the NHL, won't be made leading up to the Classic.

In suburban Chicago, 12,000 fans gathered to watch a team comprised of Blackhawk players compete against a team of NHLers from other teams, including Jordan Staal and Bobby Ryan. Patrick Kane scored 5 goals for the Blackhawks team, but they lost 16-15 in a shootout. Proceeds from the game went to charity.

A group of Montreal Canadiens are fighting the lockout in a Quebec court. I don't know much about the case, or the Canadian legal system, nor do I care to learn. It's just a shame that we're seeing the abbreviation "vs." used in a court-room setting and not to describe an actual game.

Philadelphia Flyer Wayne Simmonds, who is black, was the target of racial chants when the Czech team he plays for faced the Chomutov Pirates. People don't realize how racist some Europeans are. Simmonds had a banana thrown at him in London, Ontario last year. People don't realize how racist some Canadians are.

And Tim Thomas sits in Colorado and smiles at all of this.

Should the Red Sox Sign Youkilis?

The Chicago White Sox didn't pick up the option on Kevin Youkilis, and I think this might be an opportunity for the Red Sox to pick up a talented and versatile corner infielder. If there weren't significant drama in the past.

On paper, signing Youkilis makes sense. The Red Sox, after trading Adrian Gonzalez, are in need of a first-baseman. And Youk is a Gold Glove first-baseman.

But there's some off-paper obstacles to Youkilis returning to Boston. While Bobby "physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past" Valentine is out of the organization, the GM who sent Youkilis to Chicago for Brent Lillibridge and Zach Stewart is still the GM. The owners who approved the deal still own the team. This organization shipped Youkilis to Chicago and not much has changed in said organization's structure.

The Red Sox could use Youkilis as a first-baseman, and a solid #6 hitter, but there might be too much water under the proverbial between Youkilis and the Red Sox for this to actually happen.

It's too bad. Because first-base is a glaring hole in the Red Sox roster going into 2013. A decent one is available on the open market, but he might be unattainable for the Red Sox.

Kevin Youkilis was one of the few likable players on this team, almost like a Kevin Garnett. I miss him.

Disney Buys Star Wars, Episode 7 to Be Released in 2015

It's one of those stories that I didn't believe when I first heard it. Disney bought Lucasfilm for over $4 billion and they're going to make Star Wars sequels. And the best part is George Lucas won't write or direct them.

Nothing against the man who fathered the franchise, but the prequels were weighed down with over-complicated plot points, and the screen was too busy with CGI animations. CGI is great for space battles, but CGI rooms? CGI characters?

As films, the prequels kind of sucked. If Episode 1 had truly been the first film released in the series, it would have flopped, and Star Wars would be a cult bad movie, shredded to pieces on Mystery Science Theater 3000, and enjoyed by people who like bad sci-fi movies like Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Then in Episodes 2 and 3, Hayden Christensen turned Darth Vader, one of the best, coolest, and most complex villains of all-time, into a whiny, creepy, selfish, spoiled, angst-ridden male version of Taylor Swift. Christensen turned the Dark Side into the Melodramatic Side.

In some respects, Episode 7 won't be compared to the originals, but to the prequels. And that's good for Disney. Also with Episode 7, there's more freedom with the story. The prequels had to end a certain way, the sequels don't.

Hollywood ran out of new ideas in 1998, so adding on to an already successful franchise is to be expected. It's also sad in a way. Soon there will be more Star Wars movies than Jason movies. What was once an epic trio of cinematic magic has been distilled and watered down into a massive load of products.

And this time there will be no Natalie Portman to distract me from the awful acting, the annoying characters and the incessant CGI.

Although, how about Emma Watson as Princess Leia's daughter? I think it would be a good casting decision because Ms. Watson is a fine actress. Unfortunately I think the nerds of the world would all die of heart-attacks if Harry Potter connected with Star Wars in such a significant way.

And I think J.J. Abrams would be the best choice to direct. He didn't just resurrect the Star Trek series, he reinvented and redefined it. He built a new foundation for an already existing product. Seems like this project requires similar vision and ingenuity.