Ham, Chocolate, Golf and Baseball

Given that it's Easter Sunday, a day for reflection, allow me to reflect on the current state of our professional sports teams here in Bawstin.

BRUINS: Dead team skating. Have been for the last couple of months or so. Very disappoining results for the new regime of GM Peter Chiarelli and head coach Dave Lewis. Whether it's coaching, the players, or management (probably a combo of all three), the Bruins have succeeded in making themselves completely invisible and irrelevant -- except, as always, to the hard-core fans still wearing their No. 8 Neely shirts.

CELTICS: Every night is now a "must-loss." With each competitive defeat, the Celtics put themselves in better position for the lottery prizes of a) Greg Oden or b) college player of the year Kevin Durant. With just 6 games left, the Celts are currently locked in for the second-worst record in the league this year, with the Bucks three games 'behind.' Logic says a team can't be a serious playoff contender without a legit big man, so Oden is the man. Heart says it would be awfully damn fun to watch Kevin Durant play every night. If the Len Bias Curse continues, and they don't get one of the top two picks, hide all the sharp instruments.

PATRIOTS: The Pats wrapped up a very successful offseason for talent acquisition, but still haven't figured out a resolution to the Asante Samuel situation. Samuel - who had a career year in '06 - was hit with the franchise tag for '07 but wants to work out a long-term deal similar to what Nate Clements just signed with the 49ers. Some media types around here have been postulating that the Pats may look to trade Samuel and get a higher pick, perhaps giving them a shot at standout LSU CB Laron Landry. Whatever the outcome, the Pats will be better than they were when we last saw them in that traumatizing loss to the Colts. Adalius Thomas, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, Kelley Washington, Sammy Morris, and Kyle Brady make the Pats deeper on both sides of the ball. I'll be bummed if they don't sign Sauerbrun to come back and punt. I thought he had an incredible postseason. In completely unrelated news, Bill Belichick was seen at the Florida-Ohio St. college hoops title game last week with a new, spiffy-looking blonde lady. Like quarterback, like coach. Wonder if Bill and Tom will double date?

RED SOX: Kind of a lackluster start to the much-anticipated, much-hyped 2007 Boston Red Sox season. Two good starts from Beckett and Dice-K, but the offense has been mostly quiet. Big Papi is struggling, and the pre-season concerns about the lack of punch in the lower lineup spots has already been evident. I like what I see of J.D. Drew and hope he can stay healthy. I'm also hoping this is the year Kevin Youkilis proves me wrong and shows that he deserves to be an everyday player on one of the league's best teams. Way too early to tell if Dustin Pedroia is safe at second, and the pressure's on Coco to produce or he could be moved out. Will be interesting to see if Curt Schilling can rebound from his rough start on Opening Day. 8:05 gametime tonight against the Rangers on ESPN.

Oh, and I'd be remiss without mentioning that the Boston College Eagles once again made it to the National Championship game in college hockey, and once again they came up juuuuussssst a bit short. Michigan State beat BC last night in St. Louis, 3-1, to win the title.

Happy Easter to all. Go easy on the ham and chocolate, put the wood stove on and watch the Masters, and then see if the Sox can put up a good showing on national TV tonight against the Rangers. All in all, a pretty good day in sports paradise.

Slumber Party

The Sox wasted a solid effort from Tim Wakefield last night in Texas, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Rangers. The bats were inept from the get-go, and Ranger starter Robinson Tejeda looked like the second coming of Bob Gibson. They get back at it again tonight, with Julian Tavarez toeing the rubber for the good guys.

On a happier note, the Yankees continue to lose to crappy teams on their season-opening homestand. The Orioles beat the Yanks 6-4 last night, ensuring that the Sox remain in first place for another day. I've said it once, I've said it a million times - April and May is the time to put some space between the Bombers.

College hockey's national championship game takes place tonight in St. Louis with the BC Eagles taking on the Spartans of Michigan State. As much as I hate, detest, and loathe all things BC-related, they deserve to win the crown. They've been playing as good as anyone in the nation over the past month, and they've got a kid named Nathan Gerbe (all 5' 5" of him) who is a game-changer. I'll be on the couch tonight, live-blogging the BC-Michigan State game. Not.

As Advertised

Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched an absolute gem in his major league debut yesterday -- that's his pitching line to the right. Seven innings, scattered six hits, one walk, 10 K's. Sox take 2 of 3 from KC with a 4-1 victory.

I didn't get to watch live, but the highlights were impressive. Daisuke doesn't get rattled, he keeps batters guessing, and he's constantly changing his arm angle and his odd little delay-like gestures, similar to how Hideo Nomo used to pause in his delivery. Just like Pedro was appointment TV for those few years, the same for Dice-K this year. We're going to make sure we're watching every time he pitches.

Nice to see Papelbon come in and get the save with his usual dominating stuff. A comforting sight to say the least. With Jon Lester pitching well on his rehab tour, the Sox could still have a superb starting five (Dice-K, Beckett, Schilling, Wakefield, Lester) and a lights-out closer at the end. The bullpen through the first three games has been solid, giving up only one run. Some dude named Curt sums up the first week of the season pretty well here.

The Sox are spending Easter weekend in Texas with games tonight, tomorrow and Sunday against the Rangers. Wakefield goes today, Julian Tavarez Saturday and Curt Schilling tries to redeem himself on Sunday. Point worth noting: the Rangers signed former Blue Jay Frank Catalanotto during the offseason, and old Frankie has just worn out Red Sox pitching through the years. He's got huge career numbers against Wake - 15 for 45, 3 HR's, 9 RBI. Look for him to figure prominently at some point.

Good News & Sad

The Sox turned the tables on the Royals last night, riding an early lead and some good pitching from Josh Beckett to an easy 7-1 victory. Dice-K mania gets underway at 2 p.m. local time, so get those ESPN GameDays cranking.

On a sad, non-baseball note, former Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley was found dead in his Chicago-area home. Stingley, of course, was the unfortunate recipient of a blatant cheap shot from Raiders safety Jack Tatum in a meaningless pre-season game back in 1978. Tate-scum never apologized to Stingley for the hit, and later tried to capitalize on his 'fame' with a book. When Jack asked Darryl to be part of the promotion, Stingley told him to go do the anatomically impossible. RIP, Darryl.

My Opening Day

Finally - a chance to kick back and actually watch a ballgame. Because we work for a living, Monday's Red Sox-Royals 4:00 start was tough to catch. And waiting for tonight's 8:00 start - after a day off - has been excruciatingly long. Thankfully, the Sox and Royals are finally playing again, and the good guys have pulled out to a 3-0 lead in the home half of the 3rd. Papi, Manny, Drew and Lowell all figured in the scoring; Josh Beckett - who's under big-time pressure to perform this year - is looking pretty sharp and mixing his pitches more than I remember him doing last year. Right now, Beckett is mostly known as the guy we traded superstar-in-the-making Hanley Ramirez for. Bad trade to this point, but something tells me Beckett's out to prove something in '07.

And I can't believe what my eyes just saw -- back to back errors by the surehanded Mike Lowell. Royals have men on 1st and 2nd, 1 out, and a good hitter in Mark Teahen at the plate. Full count. Beckett with a huge K! Knee-high smoke that could have gone either way. Now it's up to Mike Sweeney, and Beckett just froze him with a curveball. 1-1. Sweeney smashes it to right-center and lo and behold, J.D. Drew makes an impressive running catch. Good jump, good speed. That would have been a gapper if the ol' Dirt Dog was out in right field.

Anyway, enough play by play. Gainful employment will again prevent us from watching one of the biggest stories in the majors this year when Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his much-anticipated debut tomorrow at 2:00. Definitely a TiVo event. Here's a good story from mlb.com talking about the Dice-K circus hitting Kansas City.

Opening Daze

That's what it was for the Red Sox on Monday as they stumbled badly out of the gate and dropped an ugly 7-1 decision to the Royals. There really were no highlights, save for an early RBI double from Big Papi that gave the Sox an early lead. After that, it was all about bad baserunning, bad pitching, and a complete lack of offense. It's only one game, I know, but trust me when I say it was a DISMAL opener. It was worse than that awful mustache there on Curt's face way back when.

Even worse for the boys, they had to wait an extra day - in Kansas City, no less - to atone for Monday's stinkbomb. Tonight we get to see if Josh Beckett has fixed what ailed him last year. He goes against lefty Odalis Perez in what is a must-win (kidding - kinda) for the Sox.

Other Opening Day observations and notes:

- Tremendous pitching performances turned in by the Mariners' Felix Hernandez (shutout, 3-hitter, 12 k's) and Milwaukee's Ben Sheets (CG, 2 hits)

- The Yankees wasted no time putting some crooked numbers on the board, plating 9 guys against the Devil Dogs. Whatever the record for runs in a season is, the Yanks are going to obliterate it

- My top pitcher on my roto team is already friggin' hurt. Cards' ace Chris Carpenter turned in a shaky performance on Monday and is experiencing some pain in his throwing elbow. Word so far is that it isn't serious. Those who say roto isn't all about luck are flat-out wrong

- The Mets are going to be awfully damn good this year -- and the Nationals are going to be awfully damn bad

- As far as our local squad, I'm worried. We've got three guys in our lineup that no pitcher wants to face (Ortiz, Manny, Drew) while the Yanks have at least 7 or 8

- I still can't believe we traded Hanley Ramirez. It reeks of Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen in '88

Welcome Back...

The traditional signs of spring in these parts are finally starting to kick in. Temperatures in the Boston area are warming each day, the girls are shedding some layers in the streets of Back Bay, people are starting to smile again, the Boston Marathon is quickly approaching, and the ultimate soap opera -- a year spent riveted to all things Red Sox -- begins Monday afternoon. Life is good.

The Mets throttled the defending champion Cardinals last night in St. Louis to get the season started, and later this afternoon, in a TiVo special, it's Blogger Curt going against the insanely overpaid Gil Meche in Kansas City. With the season underway, here are a few predictions - based on absolutely no research whatsoever.

AL EAST
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

The Sox are the trendy pick, and I'm pegging them into the top spot based on two things over the Yankees: their starting rotation and their closer (assuming Papelbon stays healthy all year). We'll see if the Yankees' modern-day Murderers' Row lineup can offset the pitching weaknesses. With Yanks' ace Chien-Mien Wang out until possibly May, and with a relatively soft schedule to begin the year, now is the time for the Sox to put some distance between their hated rivals. Toronto will win its fair share of games in 2007, but will still fall short of de-throning one of the big guys. The Blue Jays added Frank Thomas in the offseason and the perpetually injured A.J. Burnett has been looking good this spring. The battle for the AL East basement between the Orioles and Devil Rays should be a pretty heated one. Both teams have lots of young talent stockpiled. The Orioles seem to have better balance in both pitching and their everyday lineup. Devil Rays rook Delmon Young is a star in the making.

AL CENTRAL
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. Minnesota
5. Kansas City

How good is the AL Central? Look at those top four teams. A lot of folks are predicting that the Tigers will be overtaken by Cleveland this year, but I'm putting my money on Jim Leyland and his boys to be hungry to atone for last year's pitiful World Series showing. They begin the season without Kenny Rogers but the Tigers won't miss a beat. The Indians, White Sox and Twins will be fighting it out for second. The Tribe has Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore and young pitching; Chicago has Dye and Konerko with spotty pitching, and the Twins have Mauer, Morneau, Hunter and Santana, but will begin the season without young ace Francisco Liriano. In the end, this is the Tribe's year to shine and they may be rewarded with a Wild Card berth. As for the Royals, their big splurge was spending $55 million on Gil Meche, which is all you really need to know. Watch for Mark Teahen to have a good year, and rookie phenoms Alex Gordon and Ryan Shealy could be bright spots.

AL WEST
1. Anaheim
2. Seattle
3. Oakland
4. Texas

The Angels are banged up for Opening Day - Colon, Jered Weaver and Chone Figgins are on the DL - but they'll still take the West when all is said and done. I think the Mariners supplant the A's for the silver medal, with King Felix leading the way for Seattle. I also like Vidro (if he stays healthy) as the everyday DH. Good, underrated hitter. It's insane to bet against the resourceful Billy Beane and Oakland, but they have to be concerned about their best hitter, Eric Chavez, and the offense they lost with the Big Hurt heading for Canada. Chavez' struggles from last year have carrried over, and the A's didn't really replace Thomas' spot in the lineup. Texas? The age-old Ranger dilemma of not having enough good pitching dooms them again. Still kills me (kills me, I tellya) to see Teixeria in this lineup. Somehow, Dan Duquette didn't think it was worth the money to tie him up in a Sox uniform.

AL playoff teams: Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, Angels

NL EAST
1. Mets
2. Marlins
3. Phillies
4. Braves
5. Nationals

The Mets lineup will carry them, but they'll need to shore up their pitching along the way. Pedro needs to get healthy, and Tom Glavine can't be depended on to have the kind of year he had in '06. I really like the Marlins this year, as their young hitters are only going to get better and they've got a nice young core of arms in Dontrelle Willis, Josh Johnson, and Anibal Sanchez in their rotation. A new manager in Florida may give them a surprising boost. The Phillies will also compete in this division, but their pitching - or lack thereof - will ultimately let them down. That could change if a guy like Cole Hamels lights it up all year, and if 56-year old Jamie Moyer can still get it done. Big ifs, though. The lineup - led by Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, and Jimmy Rollins will score runs in batches. Atlanta is an interesting team this year. No one's expecting much from the Braves, but maybe that helps them. They've still got Smoltz at the top of their rotation, and maybe Tim Hudson has a big rebound year. The Jones brothers will do their normal damage, and Andruw is in a contract year. Who cares about the Nationals?

NL CENTRAL
1. Chicago
2. Houston
3. Milwaukee
4. St. Louis
5. Pittsburgh

The Cubs, like their AL brethren Red Sox, spent money like drunken sailors this past offseason. Alfonso Soriano was the big get, and having a healthy Derrek Lee in the lineup this year - along with Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones - will give them some extra punch. The twin hummels - Mark Prior and Kerry Wood - will spend their respective stints on the DL, but Carlos Zambrano is going to have a monster year. Second-place goes to the Astros, who also will add a Lee to their lineup in 2007 (Carlos). Mainstays Lance Berkman and Craig Biggio are in place, and it may be time for youngsters like Chris Burke and Luke Scott to shine. Roy Oswalt is the linchpin on the pitching staff. The surprise pick here is the Brewers coming in third. If they were a department store, they'd be like Marshalls - good players for less. They've got some talent on the mound and at the plate. David Bush and Chris Capuano aren't household names (because they play in Milwaukee) but they can be counted on to have solid seasons. And if Ben Sheets can stay healthy... The Brewers also added a steady veteran presence in Jeff Suppan. Offensively, the kids rule with Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and Bill Hall anchoring the lineup. The Brew Crew should be fun to watch in '07. The defending champ Cardinals will struggle this season. No rhyme or reason as to why, just a guess. Maybe pin it on their drunken manager. They got - as we say here in Boston - wicked lucky last year. And finally, the perennial NL Central doormat Pirates. Quick - name me five players on Pittsburgh. Jason Bay doesn't count.

NL WEST
1. Los Angeles
2. Arizona
3. San Diego
4. San Francisco
5. Colorado

Red Sox West (a/k/a the Dodgers) looks primed for a big run this year - and with Grady Little calling the shots from the bench, Nomar Garciaparra in the middle of the lineup, and Derek Lowe on the hill, they've got a major Red Sox tint to them. Pitching-wise, LA added Jason Schmidt and Randy Wolf to go along with Lowe and Brad Penny. In the 'pen, Takashi Saito - last year's surprise closer - will get a run for his money from rocket-armed Jonathan Broxton, who goes 6'4", 290 pounds by the way. Rafael Furcal, Jeff Kent, Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez are the veterans in the lineup, along with kids Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and Matt Kemp. Call me nuts, but I think the D-Backs could have a pretty good season. Annual Cy Young candidate Brandon Webb is their stud, and if Doug Davis can find his groove, Arizona's pitcher-friendly stadium could benefit. On offense, they'll be hoping for big contributions from slugger-in-the-making Conor Jackson, Eric Byrnes, Chad Tracy and rookie Chris Young. San Diego, San Francisco, and Colorado will round out the bottom three and of course, all eyes will be on the Michelin Man's fraudulent home run quest.

NL playoff teams: Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, Marlins

In terms of picking the league champs, it comes down to pitching, pitching, pitching.

AL Champion: Boston Red Sox

NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers

World Series Champion: Red Sox (because I want my Jordans-bought furniture to be free)

Just Lose, Baby

* Ahm, Celtics, what exactly are you doing? Winning? Not acceptable. We're heading straight for a lottery pick, and let's face it - the Basketball Gods owe us a little something for all the crap we've been through. Bias (still stings), Reggie Lewis, Dr. Gilbert Mudge vs. Donna Harris Lewis, the too-early retirement of Larry, M.L. as coach, Rick Pitino, Travis Knight, losing out on Tim Duncan, the deaths of Johnny Most, Dennis Johnson and the patriarch of it all, Red Auerbach. Yeah, I'd say we're due - and if the Gods show any mercy, we could be looking at Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in green. I'd personally like to see Oden.

But these Celtics obviously didn't get the memo to lose at all costs. They beat Orlando by 9 in overtime and are still locked into the second-worst record in the league at a robust 22 wins and 49 losses. The Memphis Grizzlies own the distinction of being the worst at 18-54. Milwaukee is three games ahead of Boston, which is a concern. So stop winning, dammitall.

In baseball news,

* Opening day for the Red Sox is 4 1/2 days away in Kansas City with Curt Schilling going up against $55M man Gil Meche. Mark it down - Schilling is going to have a huge year in '07. I'm calling for some big improvement from Manny this year too.

* Nomar smacks a double off the wall...

* What does it say when you've got your big annual roto auction draft in less than 24 hours and you've spent more time trying to think up a new name for your team than researching players? Probably not a good sign...

* If you had your choice, would you rather the Sox sign Ichiro or Andruw Jones as a free agent next year? Tough call...

* Final Four this weekend for college basketball with Georgetown vs. Ohio State (good chance to see Oden) and a rematch of last year's championship game with Florida vs. UCLA. College hockey waits until next weekend when it has the spotlight all to itself and still only 100 people watch. The Frozen Four this year is BC, Maine, Michigan State and North Dakota. As much as it pains me to say, BC could take it all the way they're playing. Tim Whitehead has his Maine Black Bears, as usual, playing well when the games really count. UNH coach Dick Umile certainly couldn't say the same. Not that I'm bitter or anything. After all, UNH stands for University of No Hardware. But someone up in Durham, New Hampshire, where yours truly matriculated in the late 1980s, should be looking closely at Mr. Umile and his shoddy postseason mark. I don't care about October and November wins.

Random, long overdue babble...

It's a good time on the sports calendar, but first, if I may get sentimental for a second, look at that little polar bear cub. Don't you want one of those things? Maybe until it grows into a 300-pound, fast, man-eating force.

Okay, enough Wild Kingdom. This is a nice time to be a sports fan. We've got the NCAA college hoops and hockey tournaments in full swing, the Sox getting ready to start another much-anticipated season, the NFL Draft on the horizon with the Patriots - the most aggressive team this offseason in terms of adding new talent - having not one but two first-round picks. As SI's Peter King concluded in his story this week on the Pats, the rich get richer and maybe more importantly, the smart get smarter. The Pats have to be the odds-on favorite in the AFC right now.

March Madness so far this year has been a little subdued. Not a lot of upset specials or great endings, but that's slowly changing as the Final Four comes into focus. Good games today with Ohio State vs. Memphis and Kansas vs. UCLA. Some school of thought around here thinks it's in the Celts best interest for Ohio State and Greg Oden to win the whole thing. Oden may be more inclined to go pro after hitting the mountain; a disappointing loss might leave him unfulfilled. Should be interesting to watch. Celts right now are locked into the 2nd-worst record in the league, trailing only the Memphis Grizzlies.

College hockey is always a good take too. Hockey East placed five teams in the tournament, and so far those teams are 2-1. UMass and Maine both won their first-round games, and BU got thumped last night by Michigan State. Today in Manchester, it's my UNH Wildcats playing Miami of Ohio at 1, and then BC playing St. Lawrence in the second game. Both games are on locally on CN8. Maine vs. UMass (should be a great game) are on ESPNU (wherever the hell that is on the dial) at 6. In other regionals, Notre Dame and Michigan State play for a Frozen Four spot tonight, Minnesota has an easy one against Air Force, and North Dakota plays Michigan. Frozen Four predictions: BC, ND, UMass, Minnesota.

In Red Sox land, the big, big story of the last couple days is that the Sox finally have their stud closer - and he was under their noses the whole time. The team announced this week that they're putting Jonathan Papelbon back into the closer role, and my first reaction was one of relief. I think it's the right move. Yes, it makes the dream rotation less dreamy, but that's not the key issue. The key issue is that they have now avoided the potential nightmares of watching Matsuzaka, Schilling and Beckett pitch 6 or 7 good innings and then having a late-game implosion to wipe all the good away. If Papelbon is healthy, and all signs indicate that he is, Pap should be his old, unhittable, microscopic-ERA self.

Speaking of our pricey Japanese import, Matsuzaka showed glimpses of his unhittable-ness this past week against the Pirates. One thing that's been interesting to read is all the gushing quotes from opposing players. The general sentiment is that you don't know which arm angle you're going to see every pitch, never mind what type of pitch he's throwing. Like all great pitchers, he seems to enjoy the challenge of outguessing a hitter, similar to Pedro in his glory days.

Other notes and thoughts on Spring Training:

- J.D. Drew has been lighting it up this spring

- Jason Varitek's struggles on offense have unfortunately continued. He smacked a homer yesterday, but his possible decline is a source of concern.

- Nick Cafardo has an interesting quote from a rival GM in his column this morning. The GM makes the point that the Sox' opening up a spot in their rotation (with the Papelbon move) might appeal more to Roger Clemens. Everything I've read says Clemens will make his decision around May, and that it's still the Sox, Yankees and Astros in the running. What a storybook ending that could be.

- Interesting development this week with prolific blogger Curt Schilling. Schilling made mention of the Sox moving Papelbon to the closer role, which brought up the issue of him breaking news from inside the locker room. ESPN really broke the news first, but still brings up some interesting ethical questions. If you haven't checked it out, his blog is worth a look. Little too heavy on the video game crap, but the baseball stuff is educational. And he's a pretty good writer to boot.

- Superstition alert: Dice-K is Sports Illustrated's cover boy this week on its baseball preview issue. Watch your step, Dice.

- Of course, the start of the baseball season means fantasy baseball is cranking up this week. I've got my draft this Thursday night in a league I've been in for more than 10 years. It's a 10-team league, 5x5, auction, 2 keepers. Seeing as how I've done absolutely zero prep, if you have any strategies that have worked or tips on players, let me know.

- I participate in a Home Run Derby pool that's pretty fun. The general idea: you start at 75% of a guy's homer total from the previous year, and try to pick the ones who will hit a lot more homers than that 75% total. You pick a team of 8 guys and you're basically looking for hitters that you think are trending up, or those that were injured the year before (i.e., Gary Sheffield and Derrek Lee) and are starting at a low HR base. The highest "plus" team in terms of homer improvement wins. One guy who might be worth taking on the upside angle is KC's Ryan Shealy. Any other thoughts on who you think will hit a lot of HRs this year?

- Everyone's talking about the Red Sox and the Yankees, but two teams to keep an eye on in the AL are the Blue Jays and the Angels. That Toronto lineup with Frank Thomas is going to give pitchers head-spins, and the Angels have the arms.

- Tony LaRussa got pulled over the other night in Florida for DUI. Somewhere, Edgar Renteria is smiling.

- Speaking of shortstops, has any team experienced the type of turnover the Sox have seen at this position. It's their own fault - I'd be pretty happy with Orlando Cabrera or Hanley Ramirez at SS - but now we have to welcome another new guy in Julio Lugo. I do not understand the organization's fascination with Lugo. We shall see.

- Here's what scares me a little bit about the Yanks vs. Sox. We have the edge in pitching, but the Yanks still have the superior lineup. We've got four potential weak links with Varitek, Youkilis, Pedroia, and Crisp, and Lowell is border-line. That's why they were going after Helton. Some have even suggested they may make a run at Ichiro when he becomes a free agent next year. I'm all for it. Coco's under the gun this year.

Let the Madness Begin

H. V. Porter, an official with the Illinois High School Association (and later a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame) was the first person to use March Madness to commemorate a basketball tournament. A gifted writer, Porter published an essay named March Madness in 1939 and in 1942 used the phrase in a poem, Basketball Ides of March. Through the years the use of March Madness picked up steam, especially in Illinois and other parts of the Midwest. During this period the term was used almost exclusively in reference to state high school tournaments. In 1977, the IHSA published a book about its tournament titled March Madness.

Fans began connecting the term to the NCAA tournament in the early 1980s. Evidence suggests that CBS sportscaster Brent Musburger, who had worked for many years in Chicago prior to joining CBS, popularized the term during the annual tournament broadcasts. - Wikipedia

There you have it -- the abridged history of the term "March Madness," which we're about to witness starting later this week. H.V. Porter dreamt it up, and Brent - 'you are live...' Musburger got the snowball rolling down the hill.

Just let me make one thing perfectly clear right up front. I have watched maybe - maybe - the equivalent of one full college basketball game this year. Before BC suspended one of its best players, I vaguely remember watching an Eagles-Duke game, with Dickie Vitale at courtside having a coronary. I think that was this season...

Anyway, my point is that I'm not a big college hoops guy - but this ingenious tournament that's about to begin this week, otherwise known as the NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship, just hooks you in and keeps you interested. And wouldn't you know it - there's Dickie V. on my TV again right now, giving the selection committee holy hell for leaving Florida State and Drexel out of the dance. He's a clown but you gotta love him this time of year, and you have to admire the guy's passion. Veins are literally popping out of his forehead because he feels the Drexel Dragons got snubbed!

And therein lies the beauty of this tournament -- it's all about Cinderellas and stories - all of which appeal to the heart of a real sports fan. There's also the office pools. Tomorrow is like a holiday for office copiers across America -- that's when the brackets come out and everyone from your boss to the guy in the mailroom makes his picks and then watches the madness. Some people pick their alma maters, others try to put some serious analysis into it. If your team is lucky enough to be in it, you may have to leave work a little early on Thursday.

There has to be a way to modify this playoff system for college football.

Another Day, Another Signing

My goodness have the Patriots decided to be active. News broke late this morning that the Pats have come to terms with WR Dante Stallworth, a former first-round pick from the 2002 draft. Stallworth, 26, spent his first few years with the Saints - recording 128 catches in 2004 and 2005 - and then spent last year in Philly. I don't know much about him, other than he's a game-breaking talent who can stretch the field for Brady and the offense. Read more from the Globe's Mike Reiss here.

A couple of links for your reading pleasure:

- The loquacious Curt Schilling has finally found an outlet that's right up his alley. His daily blog is actually a pretty good read with some good insights into the game.

- Alan Greenberg, a former Patriots beat writer, died suddenly last week at the age of 55. Didn't know much about his work, but this piece will tug at your heartstrings, especially if you have kids.

Back in the Saddle

To my three loyal readers, I hereby proclaim that Hardball Heaven is back on track. (That's the new Mrs. Brady on the right - my little bribe to get y'all back in the fold). We got a little derailed there because, well, what's there to say about college basketball and NASCAR? Thankfully, the two Boston sports teams who dominate the news year-round are back with a vengeance.

The Red Sox, of course, have begun spring training in postcard-perfect Fort Myers, Florida - meaning the sensation that is Dice-K is in full swing. We'll get to that circus in a minute.

The Free-Spending Pats

First, though, how about them Patriots? You know, that team that doesn't spend any money? Less than a month after that gut-wrenching loss to the Colts in the AFC title game (I still haven't come to terms), the Patriots have made themselves better with a flurry of moves and signings not seen in my lifetime.

I can't remember an NFL free agency period quite like this one. Just like baseball, the money is flowing like beer at a frat kegger. Just before the frenzy began, I was reading an ESPN column that listed all the prominent free agents and predicted which teams they might end up with. To my dismay, our Patriots were nowhere to be found on the list. Then, a couple days later, we start hearing a buzz that Adalius Thomas - the monster linebacker from the Ravens - is traveling to Foxborough to meet with the Pats. Evidently, Thomas liked what he saw and heard from Bill Belichick at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, and Belichick and Scott Pioli liked what they saw of Thomas on tape as they prepared for a potential matchup with the Ravens in the playoffs. Just like that, one of the best free agents was a Patriot. But that wasn't all.

In the coming days, the Patriots signed two players away from division rival Miami - RB Sammy Morris and WR Wes Welker, and they also added veteran TE Kyle Brady to compensate for the loss of Daniel Graham to the Broncos. Morris makes sense because Corey Dillon is officially an ex-Patriot. The jury's out on whether Laurence Maroney can be the man full-time (something tells me he'll be working out extra-hard this offseason), but Morris should be a nice addition to a rotation that includes Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans. I'm thrilled with Welker. Think of him as a younger Troy Brown - in other words, a human Swiss Army knife. He's one of the best punt/kick returners in the league (so the Pats can remove Maroney from that role), and he'll be a dangerous option for Tom Brady. He had a career-high 67 receptions in 2006, and he even kicked a field goal for the Dolphins a couple years ago in an emergency situation. Kyle Brady, on the other hand, is well-known by Belichick and is by all accounts one of the better blockers in the league.

Oh yeah, one other move. Right before the free agency madness began, the Pats slapped the franchise tag on CB Asante Samuel, who had a tremendous year in '06. While I'm sure Asante isn't pleased - considering the dollars being thrown around - here's hoping the Pats and Bob Kraft do the right thing and give the kid the money. He deserves it.

Daddy Brady

While we're on the subject of our football team, we must address the recent developments surrounding our all-world quarterback. As we all know, Brady split up with B-list actress Bridget Moynahan a couple months back and recovered quite nicely, taking up with Victoria's Secret lingerie model Gisele Bundchen. (Can you imagine telling your buddies that you're banging a Victoria's Secret lingerie model??)

While Tom's busy frolicking with the Brazilian bombshell, Bridgie lands a haymaker with the announcement that she's pregnant and Tom's the dad. Brady didn't make a statement for what seemed like eternity, but then eventually came out and said he was excited and looking forward to being a father (right). Of course, all the skeptics around here started speculating that this was all planned by Moynahan, and it certainly looks that way. Her TV show, which had been canceled, all of a sudden has been renewed. Amazing what a little publicity does for ya. Meanwhile, Brady's still romping around Paris with Gisele, and rumors are flying that she's now pregnant. Her family actually came out this week and said it's not true. Still, for a guy who's devoutly Catholic, and squeaky-clean, it's been a tough couple months for Tom. But again, he is bedding a Victoria's Secret supermodel, so it can't be all that bad.

Three-Ring Circus

And finally, the reason we exist here at Hardball Heaven...

Red Sox camp is in full swing, and stories abound. A quick, high-level recap:

Dice-K: the Nation stopped in its tracks for his two-inning debut against the mighty Boston College Eagles. NESN pre-empted regular programming to show the folks back home in frigid New England what this guy was all about. The first batter, who also doubles as BC's punter for football season, lined Dice-K's very first pitch for a double. After that, though, he was pretty impressive. My initial observations - he's got a million different looks and arm angles, his fastball isn't overpowering but it's got insane movement, and his off-speed stuff is well above average. He's only going to get better. The big question is not his ability, but how well he can handle the transition to America and MLB. Something tells me he'll manage just fine thanks.

Curt Schilling: say what you want about the Big Shill, but can you imagine if Pedro was still on this team and all the attention was being bestowed on Dice-K? Schilling has willingly taken a backseat, though his contract negotiations were news for a few days. He took to the airwaves a while back and said that he was planning to play another year beyond this one, which is his final contract year in Boston. That left open the possibility that the Sox would try to get him signed to a deal before this season began. Wisely, in my opinion, they decided not to throw millions at a guy who's 41 years old. They'd rather wait, let him be extra-incented this year, and then try to get something done. Schilling was obviously disappointed, and some fans felt they should have signed the guy for his Bloody Sock heroics alone. I think this is the right move.

The closer, or lack thereof: all in all, the Sox' roster looks pretty damn solid. They will be better offensively with Julio Lugo and JD Drew in the lineup, and their pitching is much-improved. It's the tail end, however, that is still a glaring concern. They're auditioning any number of guys for the closer role. Joel Pineiro. Brendan Donnelly. Craig Hansen. Mike Timlin. Unfortunately, the best closer on the team is now a member of the starting rotation. Jonathan Papelbon was abolutely lights out last year before he got hurt, and the Sox' medical people have made the call that starting is better for him health-wise. Still, don't you get the nagging feeling that he may return to his previous role? I'd still like to see them make a move for Washington's Chad Cordero (and I still want Helton, too) so they may not be done just yet.

Jon Lester's return: And last, we'll close on a positive note. Jon Lester, who had his season cut short last year with a shocking diagnosis of a form of cancer, looks pretty damn good for what he's been through. You knew listening to him last year after he found out that he had the mental and intestinal fortitude required to battle this, and battle he did. He looks great, and could be a very welcome surprise in 2007.

The Diceman Pitcheth

Here it is, courtesy of the Boston Globe - the very first picture of Daisuke Matsuzaka in the home whites. The Dice Man threw 44 pitches of live BP yesterday, and from all accounts looked pretty impressive. He also scratched his arm three times, adjusted his belt four times, picked his nose twice, and did not use the resin bag once.

RIP, DJ

Shocking to hear that former Celtics guard Dennis Johnson collapsed and died today from a heart attack. DJ was a much too young 52. In addition to being one of the most interesting-looking people in the NBA with that strange red hair and the freckles, he was also one of the most underrated players in NBA history. Sick defense, clutch offense. Won a championship in Seattle in 1979, the same year Larry Bird began his career with the Celtics. Starter on the greatest five ever assembled in the 1986 Celtics (Bird, DJ, Ainge, Parish, Walton, McHale). Five-time all-star. Three championship rings. And yet not a Hall of Famer.

As a star-struck kid following those 80's Celtics teams, DJ was a joy to watch. He always played with his chest puffed out, and his offense got better the bigger the game. It's also been great to hear some of the stories about DJ today. He had the real common-man touch. One guy told a story about how DJ was shopping in his family's store, and his Dad was a big Celtics fan so he started a conversation. Next thing you know, the guy invited DJ to come to his son's 11th birthday party and DJ showed up and had cake and ice cream. Pretty cool.

Here's hoping Red and DJ can watch over those ping-pong balls.

I Knew It!

It's official. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter have had a falling out in their relationship, with A-Rod complaining that he used to sleep over at Jeter's place 4 or 5 times a week. 4 or 5 times a week. Interpret amongst yourselves.

Four Beautiful Words: Pitchers and Catchers Report

I miss football, dammit. It's Patriots football and Red Sox baseball that rule year-round here in Boston, and when you think about it, it's both amazing and embarrassing how long our two winter sports teams have been completely irrelevant. Thankfully, the void between the end of the football season and the start of spring training is only 12 days. That's the amount of time the local college hoops teams, hockey teams, Bruins and Celtics have to strut their stuff in front of maybe a few more eyes. It's the Black Hole of sports. I just can't get into college basketball ('cept for Final Four), I love college hockey, I watch the Bruins sparingly and I haven't watched a Celtics game all year long - though it's becoming more tempting as their car wreck of a season continues. After tonight's tough 2-point loss to Minnesota, the Celtics, folks, have officially lost 18 consecutive games. Very hard to do, but the injuries this team has suffered this year have absolutely ravaged them. If you're wondering, the NBA record is only five defeats away. Both the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995 (remember them?) and the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets lost 23 games in a row. So as far as the NBA goes, we're already salivating over the potential choice between Ohio State's Greg Oden and Texas' Kevin Durant. (even though we're also students of history - and remember that lotteries haven't always been kind to us (Tim Duncan in 1998 and Massachusetts State in forever).

Praise to the Lord, this is the week where we'll see the obligatory photo in the Globe or Herald of the Red Sox truck leaving for Fort Myers. Pitchers and catchers report on Friday and it's time to put baseball back on the front-burner until early November.

It's going to be very interesting to see how this team gels in 2007, and I think one thing in our favor is Terry Francona's ability to to bring people together. This is what the lineup currently looks like:

Coco Crisp, Julio Lugo, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia. Not too shabby. The open questions are leadoff, the order of 6 through 9, and the unknown quantity in Pedroia, who some reports say has dropped more than 20 pounds. Youkilis, overrated in my book, may also see some time higher up in the batting order. This is why acquiring Helton made so much sense in my mind because he stretches the lineup. As far as bench players, we've got Wily Mo, Alex Cora, Eric Hinske and Doug Mirabelli. Not inspiring, but the regular lineup is much improved.

The pitching rotation looks pretty sweet with Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Wakefield, and maybe Jon Lester all in the mix. Would have been nice to grab one more No. 3 or 4 lefty starter during the offseason. Lester's recovery from non-Hodgkins lymphoma will be closely monitored.

The closer sweepstakes looks like it's on again and will be a source of daily debate. With the Sox sticking to their plan to make Papelbon a starter, the likely candidates for the role are Mike Timlin, Julian Tavarez, Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly, and Craig Hansen.

An Unremarkable End to an Unremarkable Season

In one of the sloppier, duller Super Bowls ever - played in a constant pelting rain - Peyton Manning and the Colts (and Bill Polian, ugh) finally won the Big One, 29-17, over an overmatched Bears team. Peyton also took home the MVP for his troubles, mostly because they couldn't well give it to a no-name safety (I still can't remember his name) who made the biggest pick of his life against Rex Grossman as the Bears were driving and trying to take the lead. The other standouts for the Colts were the two running backs, Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes.

This was one strange game. The Colts completely dominated in plays run, time of possession and total yardage, and yet Chicago was somehow still in it until Grossman threw his fateful interception to Kelvin Hayden, who promptly raced into the end zone to seal the deal. When we think about this one 20 years from now, we won't remember any Manning heroics. There was no glorious Adam Vinatieri field goal to bring confetti from the roof. We'll remember the two Colt RBs, we'll remember Devin Hester's electric TD on the opening kickoff, and most of all, we'll remember the rain. And maybe Prince. And, okay, his dancing Twins.

For those of us still smarting that the Patriots lost - and the gnawing thought that they easily would have won another Lombardi for the trophy case at Gillette Stadium - remember this. Brady 3, Manning 1. And we of course can't wait to see LaDainian Tomlinson play for Bill Belichick in the Pro Bowl soon.

After that, all eyes turn to baseball.

Ah, That's Better...

Sorry 'bout that first picture of Prince with his 80's poodle mullet thing. Here he is in more recent times with his hot Twins. Yow.

Fourth quarter is just underway - Colts lead, 22-17. A Colts TD would please me greatly.

Purple Rain

Now, if I had bet on things like 'Prince will open with 'Let's Go Crazy' I'd be doing alright. Unfortunately, I did not - and I was one of many thousands of Americans who lost an opportunity to win some square money when Adam Vinatieri missed that chip shot right before the half. Traitor Bastard. Honestly, the greatest clutch kicker in the history of the world is lining up a 20-something yarder, and I'm thinking it's okay to start wondering how I'll spend my 250 clams and not tell my wife about it. And then he pulls a Rich Karliss on me. Another bastard from my past. Bare-footed, even. But, as my Mom always told me, there are people worse off than me. Just got off the phone with my Dad and he lost $500 on the missed FG. And then he told me the waitress at the place he's at lost $1000. So I'm calming down.

Colts lead a rainy, mistake-filled game 16-14. I actually feel bad for the teams and fans that have to sit through this - they had gorgeous weather all week long, and now it's raining pretty good and nobody can hold onto the pigskin. Actually, screw that - I almost did a split on ice this morning in my driveway and I can't feel my toes right now. They can deal with some wussy showers.

By the way, allow me a quick media commentary note. I was an early reader of Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sports Guy, back when he used to send around 'live diary' emails of Patriots games. He was really good back in the day, and he pioneered the sports blog on his old Digital City Boston website. He's since gone on to greener ($$) pastures, and good for him. When he's on, he's one of the best. But I have to say, his coverage this week in Miami has been absolutely lame. He's written a column every two or three days, and the submissions have been half-assed. Walking around radio row. Some observations on Miami. How him and his old intern bumped into Anna Kournikova at a party. It's almost like something happened to him down there - maybe one of his patented colds or the sniffles or something set in. Warrants mentioning. For some good yuks, check out his Wikipedia page, which some ingenious sole took the time to write (I claim credit for the first line of the second paragraph - seriously).

Da Colts

We're minutes away from the kickoff of Super Bowl XLI, and I'm going with my head over my heart for once this year. The Colts will win the game, and Peyton will have his day in the sun - or at least the light rain. Not that I wouldn't love to see the Bears win, though. A Chicago triumph would diminish that sour-apple loss the Pats suffered to Indy a fortnight ago.

The first prop is out of the way - the Bears win the coin flip, and Devin Hester is stretching his legs. Here's hoping for a good game.

And that was prescient - Devin Hester just returned the opening kick of the Super Bowl for a touchdown. Un-freaking-believable.