Dolphins Loss Gives Patriots Breathing Room At The Top

So much for the Miami Dolphins making a run to the top of the AFC East.  A week after many Dolphins players were saying they were in perfect position to supplant the New England Patriots from their spot atop the AFC East due to a manageable schedule for the Fins’ and a tough one for the Pats, Tony Sparano’s gang lost grip of an “easy” win over the Buffalo Bills with a 31-14 drumming on Sunday.   

With 24 points in the fourth quarter, the Bills overpowered the Dolphins as the Bills improved to 4-7 with the Fins falling to 5-6, tying themselves with the New York Jets for second place in the division, 2 1/2 games behind the first place Patriots.  

So, even if the Pats do lose to the undefeated New Orleans Saints on Monday, the Patriots could afford a loss next week to the Dolphins and still maintain control of their destiny atop the AFC East.  But then again, Bill Belichick and company never lose two games in a row and haven’t lost a game in Foxborough since Nov. 30 last year.

Also, lets not look past the Saints on Monday as a solid game from the Patriots could break the Saints perfect season and give the Pats a lot of breathing room in the division.  Silly Dolphins, you had your chance last season without Tom Brady under center for the Patriots, this is Mr. Brady’s and New England’s division now.  

C’s Put The Heat On Ice In Miami

With the turkey and stuffing digested into their system, the Boston Celtics hit the road to start a four-game road trip with a contest against Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat on Sunday.  The C’s showed up in style in Miami, providing the stuffing and gravy to win their fourth straight. Boston improved to 13-4 on the season with a 92-85 victory over the Heat at American Airlines Arena on Sunday.  

Kevin Garnett looked like the KG of old with 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting, with eight rebounds as Garnett notched his second 20-point game of the season.  The Celtics, despite a meager 12-point third quarter, managed to hold off Wade and the Heat in the fourth quarter with solid play from Rajon Rondo, 12 points with 11 assists, and a key three-pointer from Ray Allen in the final two minutes.

Kendrick Perkins set up the perfect screen for Allen on the crucial three-point play as the Celtics big man added 14 points of his own with a team-high 13 rebounds and three blocks.  Boston has now won nine of their last ten contest with the Heat and will look to extend their four-game winning streak to five on Tuesday when the C’s head to Charlotte to take on Larry Brown and the Bobcats.



(AP Photo)

Who Will Fill The Void Left By Alex Gonzalez?

Theo Epstein’s Achilles heel during his tenure as general manager for the Boston Red Sox has been the shortstop position.  Epstein has overseen and assembled two championship teams in Boston but in his time in the front office at Fenway Park, he has never been able to find an answer to the riddle of shortstop.

With the midseason acquisition of Alex Gonzalez last season, all the problems seemed to be solved, at least temporarily, as the Red Sox shored up their defense and had a steady .300 hitter in two months at Fenway.  The Sox proceeded to be eliminated from the playoffs in three games and the time for decision making had snuck up on Epstein and the Red Sox for 2010.  

Step one.  The Red Sox declined Gonzalez’s $6 million option for 2010.  A no-brainer.  But when Epstein and company pretty much stated that they were looking for better options, Gonzalez did the smart thing and secured himself a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays with a $2.5 million team option in 2011.  

So now the Boston Red Sox are in a little bit of  a predicament with their ever-revolving door at shortstop.  With no “backup” option available anymore, what lies in the cards for Boston?  Well, hot shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias is merely 19-years-old and is not slated to be playing in the big leagues until 2011 or 2012.  So whose the stop-gap for Iglesias?  Who will stop the bleeding?

For many Sox fans, Gonzalez was their guy.  He provided stability at the position with sure hands, a calm demeanor, and an inconsistent bat.  But many fans were willing to overlook the shaky offense in lieu of a superb-defensive shortstop.  

Theo Epstein thought otherwise, or at least we think.

Maybe the Blue Jays deal snuck up on Epstein like the snatch on a mouse in a trap.  Yes, the cheese may not have been that good, but we were use to the smell, the texture and the consistency.  At least Gonzalez was our bread and cheddar.  So why wouldn’t the Red Sox bring back Gonzalez at the $3 million a year?  Who knows.  But now we are left with a few viable options.

Marco Scutaro.  A 34-year-old coming off of a career year in Toronto, will demand a multi-year contract from the Red Sox.  Boston will be careful in offering Scutaro a deal for only one reason.  He will cost the Sox two draft picks.  Scutaro is a Type A free agent which means if the Blue Jays offer him arbitration, which they will, the team that signs him will have to forfeit two picks called “sandwich picks” to the Blue Jays in exchange.  Epstein values his draft picks more than any other general manager which could stop this signing from happening.  

But the wildcard in this situation is whether or not the Sox offer Billy Wagner, a Type A free agent as well, arbitration.  If they do, the Sox may not feel as bad about giving up two picks since they will receive two others if Wagner signs elsewhere, assuming someone will sign him and he doesn’t accept arbitration with the Red Sox.

One thing is for certain though, Epstein is looking to upgrade his offense and Scutaro would be an improvement offensively over the likes of Gonzalez, Nick Green, and Julio Lugo.  In 2009, he hit .282 with 12 home runs, 60 RBIs, 90 walks, 100 runs scored and a .379 on-base percentage as Toronto’s shortstop.  But buyer beware, as the 34-year-old had the best season of his career and his career averages are well, quite average.

Another option that looms as a possibility for Boston is signing Khalil Greene, a power hitting shortstop who spent the beginning of his career with the San Diego Padres before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals last year.  They could also sign Miguel Tejada for his bat but rumors have it that Tejada is no longer viewed as a shortstop in the MLB and could be moving to third base next season.

The Sox will not be in market for Adam Everett or Bobby Crosby as they are looking to improve and not get worse at the position in 2010, they would rather go ahead with an uncertain Jed Lowrie than sign any of the middle-of-the-bag players available.  

So with Scutaro and Greene as the only two plausible free agent shortstop replacements, Boston’s only other option would be to trade for one.  There are rumors that the Cincinnati Reds might be involved in a fire-sale this offseason, unloading talent and money to anyone willing to take on a hefty contract.  This could bring second-basemen Brandon Phillips to Boston and move Dustin Pedroia over to his natural position of shortstop.  Also, their is talk that the Sox are interested in acquiring Dan Uggla from the Marlins and either plugging him at third or second, and if the latter is true, it would move Pedroia over to the shortstop void.

Although it may seem like their is a laundry-list full of options for Theo Epstein and the Red Sox at shortstop, there simply just isn’t.  The free agent market is thin all the way around and the market for shortstop is even thinner.  With Alex Gonzalez now off the board, the Sox best bet may be offering Billy Wagner arbitration and signing Marco Scutaro.  

Hit or miss, bust or not, Scutaro could be the stability the Sox need until the shortstop of the future, Jose Iglesias, is ready to kick in with the big boys.  Until then, stop the bleeding, sign someone to a two-year deal and focus on other needs of the ball club.   

But then again, this is your weakest link Mr. Epstein, you should have something up your sleeve if you want management and the fans to know your serious about winning in 2010.  But as always, after two championships in a span of five years, in Theo we trust.  

Allen To Be Back With Celtics In Time For Heat

Father first, professional basketball player second.  

That’s what Ray Allen has been this weekend as Walker Allen, Ray’s two-year-old son, has been in the hospital with health issues revolving around his diabetes.  Allen went to the hospital after the Celtics victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night and missed practice on Saturday to be with his ailing son.  Allen’s status for Boston’s four-game road trip was up in the air before he rejoined his teammates on Saturday to fly down to Miami with the squad.

The Boston Celtics are set to square off against the Miami Heat on Sunday with the help of guard Ray Allen but rest assure his mind will be elsewhere.

Which is understandable and exactly where it should be.

Boston Forward Sidelined Again With Injury

The Milan Lucic fight club will be out of action for a month as the Boston Bruins forward suffered a high-ankle sprain Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild.  

Lucic missed a month earlier this season with a broken finger and returned for four games before sidelining himself once again with an injury.  Since his return, the Bruins were 4-0-0 as the 21-year-old scored two goals as his play sparked the Bruins physically and offensively.  

The B’s lost 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils on Friday in a shootout as the Black and Gold added Vladmir Sobotka to the lineup in place of the injured Lucic.  The Bruins (12-8-5) have no time to sulk as the Ottawa Senators come to the Garden on Saturday to take on the B’s.

Boston Celebrates Holiday Weekend With Win Over Toronto

With Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas court-side to watch their hometown counterparts, the Boston Celtics didn’t want to disappoint as the two Patriots gear up to play their biggest game of the year on Monday.  

The Celtics certainly didn’t disappoint with a 116-103 victory on Friday night over the Toronto Raptors to extend their winning streak to three games, their longest since starting the season 6-0. Ray Allen led the way for the C’s with 20 points as Rajon Rondo added 12 points, 11 assists, and four assists to dish the Celtics another victory.  

Boston’s monstrous 33-point third quarter set the tempo in the second half and quieted the rumors that the “old” Celtics were merely a first half team.  They outscored the Raptors by 16 in the third to jump out to a 15-point advantage heading into the final quarter.  The Celtics bench added 36 points, led by Rasheed Wallace who had 15 of his own, as each Celtics starter had at least 12 points each.  

The Boston Celtics (12-4) squared off against familiar foe, Hedo Turkoglu, who scored 20 points for the Raptors, who have lost six of their last eight games.  The Green Team will now start a rough stretch in their schedule with seven of their next eight games on the road starting with a Sunday tipoff against Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat.

(AP Photo)

So much for the idea of Alex Gonzalez joining the Red Sox at a reduced rate
as a backup. The shortstop signed a one-year deal withe Blue Jays, according to
published reports.

The move could still impact the Red Sox, however, since the Gonzalez signing
decreases the likelihood that the Jays will retain Marco Scutaro, who has drawn
the interest of the Red Sox, according to colleague Michael Silverman.

Scutaro’s agent told the Herald yesterday that the Sox are atop his client’s
list, though as a Type A free agent, signing him would cost the Red Sox
compensation.-Herald Report