Sox Reel in Slugger Gonzalez

The Red Sox have taken the first step in addressing what I believe to be their biggest problem right now. Last month, I made a post explaining why I'm sick of the Red Sox and how they won't spend money on big free agents. Days after hearing rumors that we went hard after Mariano Rivera, we learn that Boston has reportedly locked up slugger Adrian Gonzalez in a trade with the San Diego Padres.

In exchange, the Padres will likely receive a combination of prospects from Boston including coveted pitcher Casey Kelly. The acquisition of Gonzalez may mean that Boston's efforts for Adrian Beltre are passed -- with Gonzalez the new first baseman, Kevin Youkilis will likely revert back to his old position at third base.

One more move -- such as the signing of Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth -- would make this offseason quite a successful one for the Red Sox and restore their offense nearer the caliber it once was. If they are able to do so, Sox fans can be invigorated with a new sense of excitement that just wasn't there last season.

Savard to Return Tonight

It's official, folks. Savvy will be back on the ice tonight as the Bruins try to get revenge on the Tampa Bay Lightning after losing to the Bolts last month. Savard hasn't seen any game action since the conference semifinals against Philadelphia last May. No word yet on which forward he will replace, but there is some early speculation that Savard will have Tyler Seguin on his wing in an attempt to create a duo similar to the one Savvy had when Phil Kessel was his winger. Kessel scored 36 goals as Savard's winger in his last season with Boston.
 

Rondo = Sweetheart

It's Rajon Rondo's mother's birthday. What is Rondo going to do? He's going to bake her a cake of course! But don't forget to eat a slice of it first before you give it to her. I mean you worked hard on that thing, take some for yourself! That Rondo. Always dishing out presents to everyone else. He's the NBA's Santa Claus. And he can bake cakes, too. My burning question: what the hell can't Rajon Rondo do? He's the most valuable person in the world, perhaps. Or at least he's in the discussion.
 

It's Been Real, Sturmy

The time comes for all hometown heroes to move on.

Reports surfacing today indicate that the Bruins are sending veteran winger Marco Sturm across the continent to the LA Kings in return for conditional draft picks. For Sturm, it ends a 5-year tenure with Boston during which he had some big highlights. We all remember his monstrous overtime goal in 2008 against the Montreal Canadiens. We remember his Winter Classic overtime winner and some of the most epic photos that were taken in recent memory from Fenway. Excluding his 2008-09 injury-plagued campaign during which he played just 19 games, Sturm notched 22+ goals in each of his seasons with the Bruins. He finished his B's career with a +24 rating and 106 total goals.

Most of the Garden faithful may have seen this move coming. When asked about Thursday's transaction, avid Bruins fan Matt Goodwin took the high road in sending #16 away.

"I'm not upset by it. I like the team now as it is, and getting Savard back will be clutch," Goodwin explained. "Sturm had his great moments, he was consistent, but we have new younger talent now."

The evidence is there. The Bruins are in a pinch making room for a guy like Savard on their roster. Who do you cut? It's a tough call. Having to make another move to allow Sturm into the mix just didn't seem to fit the mold. At 32 years old and coming off ACL surgery, it seemed that the time was right to part ways. Thanks for the memories, Sturmy. Best of luck in LA. See you in the Cup finals (Bruins-Kings was my preseason prediction for the finals).
 

Wait, Where the Hell is Qatar?

For those of you whose news feeds and Twitter scenes haven't already been blown up by the news, the winners of the bids for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups have been announced. To the stunning disappointment of Americans who wanted the Cup in the latter of the two tournaments, neither event will be taking place in the States. So who got it? 2018 goes to Russia. Not really too interesting to me. But the 2022 Cup is going to take place in Qatar. Qatar. Where/what the hell is Qatar?

Time for a little worldly lesson for everyone who was in the same boat I was regarding Qatar. It is a small Arab country located on the northeasterly coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south. Other than that border, the Persian Gulf is what surrounds the nation. The picture above is of Qatar. Hey, I mean, that's not bad. Looks like a fairly beautiful scene. It is the smallest country to ever host the World Cup. Its land area is 4,416 square miles. If you want to put that in perspective, you could fit more than 800 Qatars inside of America. They have 1.7 million inhabitants. 3.8 million people live in Los Angeles alone. From a financial standpoint, the US obviously has a way higher GDP because of how excessively large we are in comparison. But when you look at the per capita numbers that divide that number over the population, Qatar is a fairly rich nation. Our per capita number is $46,381. Qatar has a per capita of $83,840. They have said the stadiums and everything will be fully air conditioned. Things will be nice. I'm actually somewhat excited for this World Cup.

I know it's 12 years away and I'll have passed the age of 30 by the time this thing actually happens, but I bet there will be plenty of hype when it comes. We're coming off one of the most hyped cups in a while this year in South Africa. Obviously I would have loved to see the tournament come to our own soil, but good for Qatar. I had literally never heard of them before this morning. Now they're putting themselves on the map. For all I know, they may have literally been omitted from maps beforehand. So they're putting themselves on it in every definition of the phrase today. Congrats, Qatar.
 

Seeking Redemption

The last time the Boston Bruins visited the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, they dropped Game 6 in a colossal Eastern Conference Semis collapse against the Flyers. Tonight, they will look to rid themselves of the bitter taste that has lingered for the past 201 days since that dreadful seventh game.

It will be the first meeting of the season between Boston and Philadelphia, and the hope is that the B's can use the energy surrounding this matchup to snap their current skid. Having accumulated a record of just 1-3-1 in their last 5 games and slipping down the Eastern Conference ladder, a win against the first-place Flyers would do great measures for getting this team back on the right track.

They won't have Marc Savard just yet, but Savvy has said that he feels ready to move forward and is very close to returning to game action according to reports. That theory can be supported by the team's most recent transaction, clearing Matt Hunwick and his $1.45 million cap hit in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Boston needed to clear $1.4 million to make room for Savard, so the move seems synonymous with the impending return of the star centerman. Either way, Boston will look to kick it back into their early-season gear tonight against the team that so devastatingly ended their magical run six months ago.
 

Fantasy Hockey Special: Forwards

Over 20 games into the season, it's officially time that you can cut bait with certain players and consider them "busts" if they're not producing yet. In contrast, there have been many surprise hot starts and many of them have died out, but a select few have kept up the pace and have emerged as top break-out candidates. Forwards are the offensive leaders of your teams, but it is a fickle position and has to be monitored carefully. Some players, like Kovalchuk and Spezza, have been off to slow starts but they're still worth owning and you should grab them if they're available. Some slow starts, however, are just too bad to ignore. Here are the Studs and Duds so far this fantasy season:

Average Joe's Gigantic Update

I have a terrible tendency to write posts and never post them. I hope that trend does not continue here.

Because I got a crapload of stuff to talk about.

1) Victor Martinez
Let's think about this. Yes, I would much rather have had him hang out for a few years. But I have had some time to dwell on this, and it may be okay. This allows us more money to upgrade at other positions and got a top-notch guy in the outfield/third (or first) base. It might not be a bad idea to give Saltalamacchia a chance. Better yet, re-sign Varitek; he knows this pitching staff better than anybody.

Case in Point

Yesterday, I made a post discussing Rex Ryan's coaching style and how that isn't the prototypical championship style. And while a commenter did point out that Bill Parcells operated in a similar style, Parcells last won a Super Bowl in 1991. So, to be clear, I meant that the overwhelming majority of football coaches set a more strict and no-nonsense precedent with championship football teams. Can Rex break the mold? Possibly. But I digress. A Darrelle Revis interview on ESPN last night told me all I need to know about why the New York Jets aren't built for championships, starting from the leadership positions on the squad.

Chris Berman asked Revis, "What would a win over the Patriots mean for the New York Jets?" What did the Jets' superstar corner reply?

"It would mean that we accomplished everything we want this year."

Coincidentally, Tom Brady just got through saying in an interview that the Patriots "haven't accomplished anything yet" being 9-2 and tied for the AFC East lead. Because the Patriots know that the goal is to win championships. I just get that feeling about the Jets organization that they're so concerned with their image, with the media hype, with Week 2 Super Bowl victories and with trash talking that their vision of the ultimate goal is foggy. It was a smashing success to make it all the way to the AFC Championship game last season with a rookie quarterback. The standard was set from the start in New England, who won their first title with a guy who -- for all intents and purposes -- was a rookie. Super Bowl or bust. That's our mindset. Is it the Jets' mindset? Maybe. But it seems like Revis is more concerned with making people into slouches and winning regular season hype. You absolutely never hear a Patriot say that they have accomplished everything they wanted to accomplish by Week 13. Period. Just saying.
  

B's Ship Hunwick, Acquire Cohen

Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is expected to announce to reporters tonight that the team has traded defenseman Matt Hunwick to the Colorado Avalanche for former Boston University defenseman Colby Cohen. The move is largely due to the Bruins' necessity to make salary cap room on their roster with the return of Marc Savard impending. Hunwick ($1.45 million) was rumored to be a potential player to go for the past few weeks. Cohen, the owner of an entry-level contract with Colorado, will have a friendlier salary to clear up a little room for Boston.

In three seasons with the BU Terriers, Cohen tallied 25 goals and 53 assists for 78 total points. He won a national championship in his sophomore season (2008-09). At just 21 years old and having played just 3 NHL games, the Bruins will hope to bring out the potential in Cohen, who was a second-round draft selection by the Avs in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Even with the move, the Bruins' forwards will all need to be on high-alert in the coming games. The team is struggling and the return of Marc Savard will mean the demotion of one of the forwards on this squad. Hunwick's departure will serve as no sigh of relief to any player in that locker room.
 

Rex Continues the Banter

Rex Ryan has always been notorious for his playful and sarcastic manner in every situation. He's a light-hearted guy who we love to hate here in New England. I won't sit here and be a hypocrite about it. If I was a Jets fan (phew), I probably would love Rex. He's funny sometimes. There's no denying that. But in the aftermath of a Thanksgiving Day victory over Cincinnati and awaiting a monstrous Monday Night Football showdown next week with the Patriots, Ryan does seem a little but more playful than usual.

"I never realized how similar I am to Tom Brady," Ryan told reporters this afternoon. "The obvious physical appearance would be the first thing. The fact that he's married to a super model [Gisele Bundchen]? Hello? Yes, I'm also married to a super model."

Boar Domination, Round Two

I made a very similar post to this one long ago in September. I said that Gore would go silly on the Saints in a Monday Night Football matchup. Needless to say, he did (29 fantasy points in my league, anyway). Well, I'm making the round two prediction. He'll have his 2nd best game of the season tonight. Is that mainly because I need him to perform for my fantasy team tonight and I'm being optimistic? Probably. But the Niners need this win to make the playoffs. You can kiss it goodbye if they lose to the Cards tonight. But a win gets them back within a game of the Rams for first place and, amazingly, they would still be in striking distance at 4-7. Guess who is second-worst in the NFL when it comes to limiting opposing fantasy running backs? Arizona. Guess who has allowed opposing backs to tally fantasy totals of 25+ points on SIX occasions (including their last 4 games) this season? Arizona. Gore is coming off just his second game of the season in which he failed to rush for 40 yards. The last time he did that, he bounced back with that monster game against the Saints I just mentioned. All the signs point toward another breakout week for the man I like to call Frank Boar. So I'll just make that prediction because I have been slacking when it comes to making predictions to keep you entertained. Gore goes for 20+ fantasy points tonight. He might even sniff 30. At least 2 touchdowns. It's bold and I'm asking a lot and this could flop on its face. But I'll even give you a predicted stat line. 29 carries for 163 and 1 touchdown. 6 receptions for 47 and 1 touchdown. That would be 33 points. I'm reaching for the sky with this one, but I have faith in you Frank Boar.

  

The Real Black and Yellow

Rumor has it that Barstool Sports told this kid they weren't going to feature this video. Well I'm not making that same mistake. Isn't it pretty unmistakeable how legit this remix is? I mean this is the illest thing that has rolled through the remix scene since the Randy Moss mix. But this is actually the work of some kid. It'll go viral soon. Barstool messed that one up if they really did see it and turn it down. But I'm sure you can count on El Presidente to throw it up there tomorrow or something and claim he rules the world.
Quick side note about Barstool Sports. Speaking of "mortal locks" that will actually pan out... I would throw down a dime on Barstool crashing and burning within the next year. I think the appeal will wear off sooner than later. They're on the downslope of the hill of life. El Pres is getting less funny and, frankly, I think the Stoolies will start to tire of his excessive cockiness and (let's be honest) poor sports knowledge. He's basically good for an occasional laugh and stalking college girls for pictures. All things must end sometime -- if I were a betting man, I'd bet on the empire falling before too long. Just my opinion. It's not like UB is some smashing success and we obviously won't overtake them or anything. Two completely different blogs. Pure speculation on my part. And maybe a little bit of my grudge against the presidente came into play.
Anyway, rate this outstanding Bruins remix. Vote 1 for my dog could sing a better remix than this. Vote 5 for I would rather queue up this version in my iTunes playlist than queue up Wiz Khalifa's version.  

Didn't Pay For This!

The bad news is that Andre Johnson is on my fantasy team and he's probably going to get suspended. But hey, we didn't even pay for this bonus act. I was watching the Andre Johnson - Cortland Finnegan fight and a football game broke out. That's when it became so noticeable that Cortland Finnegan is a little bitch, got tossed around most of the game by boss man Andre Johnson, and then had to literally play smash-mouth football at the line. Thought process: Well, I can't defend this guy... so maybe I'll just blast him under the chin. Keep talking Cortland. Let me know when you guys can score a point or stop an opposing offense. I'm disappointed in Tennessee and I like the Titans, but Finnegan brought them down a few notches. I still love you Andre. Hopefully you don't get suspended. But if you do... well, I don't know what I'll do.