Hardball Heaven

Well, I'll be damned. A professional athlete - one with a somewhat checkered past no less - actually kept his word. After a record-breaking year, after all the praise for the Patriots organization and especially Tom Brady, after repeatedly saying that he wants to retire a Patriot - Randy Moss had an open window where he was free to leave for bigger bucks. And he chose to stay.

This despite the breathless reports on ESPN the Tabloid that Moss had talked with former teammate Daunte Culpepper about offering themselves as a dual package for some team. Or that Moss might be headed to Dallas. Once again, ESPN was wrong. Moss and the Pats finally reached a deal on Monday that will pay the receiver $27 million over three years. In the end, not only did Moss stay in Foxborough, he solidified himself as a Team First guy by taking less dough than he could have gotten in these crazy days of free agency. I also like how the first thing he said about re-signing was 'We've got some unfinished business to take care of." His most prominent suitor was the Philadelphia Eagles...

... who also just happened to pluck Asante Samuel away from New England for a tidy 6-year, $57 million deal. I knew Asante was gone the day I read a story that said he had a tattoo that said 'Get Paid.' Really, isn't that all you need to know? I don't begrudge the man one iota for getting paid, but I'm also not heartbroken over the loss. Maybe it's the blind faith that I have in the Belichick/Pioli machine, but I think they'll be fine. Moss was the guy they absolutely, positively had to re-sign and they got it done, albeit with a little nail-biting.

The question now is who the hell is going to play cornerback. Not only did the Pats lose Samuel, they also parted ways with Randall Gay, who signed a rich deal with New Orleans. They'll probably sign a few serviceable veterans over the next month or so, and then the NFL Draft will be here in April. Some pundits like this kid Talib from Kansas, but I'm hoping they grab Vernon Gholston, the linebacker from Ohio State. They need to get younger at that position, and fellow Buckeye alum Mike Vrabel would no doubt be a great mentor.

Come to think of it, this is why the NFL has so much money to pay these guys. We're talking football when spring training is going on.