Red Sox fans, your next manager will be Mr. Bobby Valentine.
After an agonizing search the Boston Red Sox have finally found their man. On Tuesday evening news leaked that Valentine had been chosen for the job, but an official announcement has not been made. Valentine returns from Japan, where he was appearing at a charity event, on Wednesday night. I expect the Sox to make an announcement on Thursday, but for all intents and purposes this saga has ended. Pop the champagne, throw on your Red Sox cap and start counting the days until Pitchers and Catchers report (82)

Red Sox Nation, I know your patience is running thin. At this point, you probably wake up every day and race to the computer or TV to see: “Did the Red Sox hire a manager yet!?” As of today they have narrowed the search down to 2 candidates: Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont.

While most Sox fans are probably screaming “JUST HIRE A MANAGER ALREADY!” we need to remember to keep calm. Selecting the new manager could be the most important decision our beloved baseball team has to make this decade. Barring some kind of freak occurrence, the manager they hire will reign over the team for a bare minimum of 2 seasons and probably much longer… so this is nothing to rush into.

Valentine and Lamont both have ample Big League experience, so Red Sox fans should know that whoever we get will be able to come in and implement a new culture right away. It comes down to whoever Ben Cherington and the Red Sox owners feel is the right fit. Valentine has the big personality to work in Boston, but don’t overlook Lamont – who was named AL Manager of the Year in 1993. Either way, the Red Sox are getting a proven manager the should command the respect of the players. So try be patient Sox fans… good news should be coming soon.

No surprises here. Tom Brady was clinical on Sunday evening in Philadelphia, leading the Patriots to a 38-20 victory over the Eagles. Brady threw for 361 yards and 3 TDs including a wide open 41 yard lob to Wes Welker for one of his two receiving Touchdowns. Brady and Welker looked like they were playing backyard football, carving the Eagles secondary up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Nnamdi Asomugha had just 1 tackle, playing through a knee injury despite being carted off the field at practice just 3 days ago. Without Asomugha at full strength, the Eagles were doomed before they ever stepped on the field. Philly went up 10-0 to start the game, but their lead was short lived. Brady simply looked irritated that the other team scored first, then went out and torched them for the rest of the game.

Obviously, Gronk chipped in with another Touchdown catch, his 11th of the year. Brady also hooked up with Deion Branch for 125 yards, but the effortless connections between Brady and Welker set the tone for the offense. Once those two settle into a rhythm it really breaks down an entire defense.

This Patriots team is firing on all cylinders and with their weak remaining schedule they should be for the gunning for the top seed in the AFC.

Brady To Welker T-Shirt

It’s been a tough year for Philly’s “Dream Team”

The Philadelphia Eagles are 4-6 and now must face a red hot Patriots team on Sunday afternoon…most likely without Michael VIck, Nnamdi Asomugha and Jeremy Maclin. Vick looks like he will miss his second consecutive game with a rib injury, meaning the Eagles will rely on Vince Young to lead the offense at QB. Asomugha was carted off the practice field on Thursday with a hyperextended knee and is listed as Questionable while Maclin, Philly’s number 2 receiver, is Doubtful due to a hamstring injury.

Bill Belichick must be licking his lips going into this one. Before the season started, the Eagles were touted as the “Dream Team” after signing Micheal Vick to a $100 million contarct and luring in the likes of Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to deepen their already talented secondary. Now they meet the Pats as New England comes off their biggest blowout win of the season.

Tom Brady should have a field day against the Eagles is Asomugha does not play. As it is, opposing Defenses have failed to find an answer for the Pats’ star TE Rob Gronkowski all season. Look for Brady to connect with Gronk for another big day. I predict the Pats win convincingly 34-17.

The NBA players & owners have agreed to a new deal that will end the lockout and allow for a slightly shortened 66 game season that will begin on Christmas day. Less than 2 weeks ago, negotiations fell apart and it seemed like the NBA was doomed to miss an entire year… a stumble that could have crippled the League for the next 4 or 5 years. But somehow on Saturday the players and owners agreed to a new deal in time to save over 80% of the 2011-2012 season.

I have to hand it to both David Stern and player reps Derek Fisher and Maurice Evans. Nobody saw this coming, at least not this soon. The two sides agreed to a 10 year deal with the option for either party to opt out after year 6. An official collective bargaining agreement has not yet been signed, but we do know of several key points that have been agreed upon: significant restrictions on player salaries, stiff luxury taxes for big spending teams and a new revenue sharing program should help correct the NBA’s financial problems and encourage parody amongst the League. You can find more details about the new deal here.

Black Friday crowds at a California Walmart got so out of control that one woman pepper-sprayed her fellow shoppers. This video shows the aftermath of the incident, which happened after a group of shoppers fighting to a video game sale began pushing and shoving. Scary stuff.

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The Major League Baseball Owners and Players have officially signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will take them through the year 2016. The biggest highlights of the deal include HGH testing, expanded replay and most importantly the addition of an additional Wild Card team. Beginning 2013 there will be 2 Wild Card teams from each League. The 2 Wild Cards will face each other in a one-game playoff to decide who goes to the League Division Series. That’s where the Red Sox should really benefit.

Some say the Wild Card was originally created in 1995 because of the Red Sox and Yankees. The Sox and Yanks were consistently two of the best teams in baseball but only one could win the Division and make the Playoffs, while inferior teams from other Divisions qualified. Now, there will be 2 spots open for teams who fail to win their Division. This is huge news for the AL East, which boasts 2 or even 3 (I guess we have to count the Rays) contenders every year. The added Wild Card slot means we will probably see both the Red Sox and Yankees in many Postseasons to come.

You can find all the details about the new labor agreement here

The Patriots offense got off to a sloppy start on Monday night, as former Patriot defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel’s schemes got the best of Brady and Co. for much of the first half. New England’s offense was shutout until Rob Gronkowski found himself wide open for a 52 yard TD catch and run with just over 4 minutes to go in the 2nd Quarter.

But the Pats never looked back from there.  The final score at Gillette Stadium was reflective of pre-game expectations: New England 34, Kansas City 3

Gronk added another TD in the second half, finishing the game with 96 yards and 2 scores. The 2nd year player has 20 TD’s in just 26 career games…the quickest any TE in NFL history has reached the mark.

Got Gronk? T-Shirt

Julian Edelman returned a punt for a Touchdown and made some contributions at defensive back, filling in the Pats depleted secondary. After a shaky start that left Pats fans puzzled, Belichick seemed to make to necessary adjustments throughout the game.

The Pats front 7 manhandled first time starter Tyler Palco, never giving the Chiefs QB a chance to pose a threat.

New England moves to 7-3 on the year, taking control of the AFC East. The Jets and Bills are both chasing the Pats at 5-5 and they have to play each other next weekend. If the Jets lose that game they could be cooked… and let’s be honest NO ONE expects the Bills to make a run down the stretch.  There is still a lot of football left to play, but Pats fans have to be feeling pretty good about their team right now.

Tim Thomas recorded another shutout as the Bruins finally beat the hated Canadiens 1-0 in Montreal on Monday night. Boston dropped 2 strait games against Montreal earlier this year, so this was a serious statement game for the B’s.

Andrew Ference scored the lone goal of the night to keep the Bruins rolling (make that 9 strait wins). To really get an understanding of what the B’s are doing right now, check out this visualization of Boston’s 2011 schedule so far courtesy of ESPN.com

That row of green W’s that takes up the second half of the picture looks a little absurd, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. After a shaky start that had Boston fans bummed, the Bruins have been untouchable in the month of November. After the 3-7 start it looked like last year’s Champs might not even make the playoffs. But now it seems like this year’s squad might be even better than last year’s Stanley Cup winning unit. While it’s way too early to predict another Cup run, Boston fans will most likely watching the Black and Gold in the Postseason again this year. And if they keep playing like this, who knows? We could be rooting for a repeat after all….