Hot Stove

The Major league baseball stove is heating up with trade rumors involving the Boston Red Sox. Left Fielder Jason Bay is still a free agent and should remain a top priority. The Sox have spoken with several players including Matt Holiday(LF), John Lackey(SP) and Adrian Beltre(3B). Trade rumors have started with possible acquisitions of pitcher Roy Halladay and first baseman/ Left fielder/third baseman Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. I'd love to see Roy Halladay come to town. They would have to trade Clay Buchholz and SS/SP Casey Kelly who is the organizations top prospect. A rotation of Halladay, Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka and Wakefield would be unreal. They would have to extend his contract. It is up at the end of this coming season. I don't think there is anyway to get both of them. Cabrera would be a huge addition to the line up if they got him. He is a young slugger who consistently drives in over 100 runs and hits 30+ home runs. I'm not that interested in Matt Holliday. I think they can get Bay a little cheaper and he has a nice body of work already laid down in Boston. Holliday struggled in his only season In the American League before being traded to St. Louis. I think signing Bay is a must either way they go. Halladay or Cabrera is a win win situation. If you sign Bay and trade for one of the players it makes your team better not matter what. The next couple weeks should be fun. If they get Halladay I don't think they are done. I think you'll see them try to get a first or third baseman. It doesn't have to be a blockbuster. But it is time to move on from Mike Lowell. He is getting old.

Pats wet the bed in Indy

Before we get to the obvious. Sabastian Vollmer had an excellent game. I hope he is the left tackle from now on. for years I have been driven crazy by Matt Light and his offsides penalties and inadequate play. I'd really like to see him move to the right side. Laurence Maroney's fumble was the nail in the coffin. If he scores they win. Plain and simple. He has shown flashes of brilliance in his few years here. But those have been over shadowed by injuries and a hesitant running style. He is not the answer at running back and never will be. Tom Brady looked great under pressure. He threw some pin point passes including a 62 yard touch down to Moss. The defense looked good but was on the field to much in the first half and wore down. Leading to a bad decision by coach Belichick in the forth quarter. You have to punt the ball on your own 28 yard line. it's not a question. It was a stupid uncharacteristic move. This doesn't mean they cant win the superbowl. Hopefully this is a loss to build on. something to fuel the fire even more. They need to come out the next couple weeks storming and play with a chip on their shoulder. there is a lot being said that is negative. I still think this team is championship calibar.

Second season

After the bye week the Patriots stood at 5-2. New England beat a tough Miami team at home improving to 6-2. This week they travel to AFC rival Indianapolis. Peyton Manning and the Colts are unbeaten with an 8-0 record. Both Patriots losses have been on the road. I'd like to see the Patriots come out with their first 8-10 plays scripted. It will help with the crowd noise, which should be rocking on Sunday night. The running game will be a must. They need to keep the clock moving and Manning off the field. Maroney ran hard last week. He will need to run like that again, especially with Bob Sanders out who is a game changer against the rush. The Colts are good against the pass ranking 9th overall. With a banged up secondary, Matt Schaub was 32-43 for 311 yards in week 9. Tom Brady should be able to torch the Colts. He is a far better QB with a better core of receivers. This is the first big test for both teams. If Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark can be contained the Patriots have a chance to win. This will shut the offense down. The Colts running game hasn't been very good this season ranking 29th overall. surprisingly the Patriots are in the middle of the pack. The Patriots are a better team who is on the rise. Each week the young players are contributing more and more and getting better. They should hand the Colts their first loss of the season. I see a 31-24 for the New England Patriots.

New deal for Rondo

After a dramatic week of will they wont they. Rajon Rondo and the Celtics are coming to terms on a new contract. Rondo was going to be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. The deal is reportedly worth around 55 million dollars. This was a smart move for the Celtics. Rondo is still developing into one of the better guards in the NBA. We have seen him take over games when needed. He is excellent driving to the hoop and dishing the ball out. I was afraid this was going to be another Chauncey Billups move if we lost him. It took a long time to get another guy in here after that for a period of time. He is a piece that can be built off for years. As the older stars fade he will still be running the ball up court. I like this deal and this should make a happier Rondo.