THE STORY THAT WOULD NOT DIE

Enough already! The Red Sox are equally ridiculed and criticized, by the same host, caller, writer, etc for both letting Damon get away even though he was ridiculously overpaid. Hmm. So they were smart not to pay him $13 million a year, and yet they were stupid for not paying him whatever it takes to keep him here even if it threw the entire salary structure on the team out of whack. Whatever. And these bozos who ask why the Sox did not come back and offer four years and eleven or twelve million per season: PUH-LEEZE!

How many times did the Johnny Damon/Scott Boras Show go into hysterics at the mention of a home town discount?. Damon made it clear he was taking the money. This mysterious team that no one has any leads or leaks on that offered five years and more money is so obviously a fictional creation of the uber-agent and yet the idiotic media people eat it up like it was the word of God. The more I think about this deal, the more I like the options it presents for the Sox.

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FIXING A HOLE:

Very simple solution here folks: Juan Encarnacion, David Murphy, and Adam Stern. All for less than $6 million per season total. Encarnacion could hit $30 homers in Fenway, move to RF when Nixon gets hurt for the umpteenth time, and cover left field when Manny is being Manny. Murphy deserves a shot. The Braves thought Jeff Francoeur was not ready, and look what he did.

Give the kids a chance, I say!

Adam Stern is raw and maybe a year away, but again, give him a shot in center, he already has shown he can catch anything out there, and bat him ninth and tell him to steal every single time he reaches base. He needs to play to learn.

With a rotation of Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Wakefield, and Bronson Arroyo/Matt Clement/David Wells/Jon Lester/Abe Alvarez/mystery free agent signing (Kevin Millwood?), the Sox will not need to score 1,000 runs this season. The Yankees, with their rotation, took the Baltimore approach of adding bats instead of arms this season (Yo, Octavio Dotel is gonna be smoking outta the pen, if he gets healthy by July, if he gets his groove, if he avoids pressure situations, if he can beat out Felix Heredia for a roster spot). Great choice. Look where it got Baltimore last year.

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COMMUTER UPDATE:

OK, no idiots today on the train talking about trading Kevin Youkilis straight up for Albert Pujols (Duh, I don’t know why the Red Sox don’t make that deal!), but the whacko on her cellphone going into graphic detail on the train about the birth of her child and fluids and all the disgusting details. Talk about a desperate plea for attention!

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BACK IT UP:

This is a wonderful off-season for the Patriots to find a long-term backup for Tom Brady. As impressed as I was with Matt Cassell in the preseason games, and with Doug Flutie nearing the end of his time as a pro player, the list of solid veterans and talented players in the wrong system, situation, or in need of a good coach is staggering. Some of the names who may be available this off-season include:

SOLID VETERANS:

Kerry Collins, Oakland: His value is as a veteran backup, not as a starter.

Brad Johnson, Minnesota: Unfortunately for the Vikings fans, Dante Culpepper will be back.

Brett Favre, Green Bay: Hey, if I were a cheesehead, I would want to be rid of him. Think Dan Marino before he finally hung them up and accepted he was no longer the best quarterback in the league.

OODLES OF TALENT:

Joey Harrington, Detroit: Quack. Joey the Duck has oodles of talent, but maybe not the broad shoulders to carry Matt Millen and the Lions much longer.

Kyle Boller, Baltimore: How much longer will they wait on Boller? Remember, the Ravens traded their future number one along with other picks to the Patriots to draft Boller. That number one turned out to be Vince Wilfork.

J.P Losman, Buffalo: Another highly regarded draft pick withering under the expectations.

Any of these guys could learn a lot from Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. They are all worthwhile risks.

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LINK OF THE DAY:

No, not Link Jarvis, king of the your mother jokes from high school, but my link of the day:

Dr. Z on MNF. The crustiest old dude on the NFL beat rips the American Institution a new you-know-what in his typical, Jersey, acerbic manner.

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