Super Bowl Prediction

"This is the end of the innocence."

Alright, Super Bowl next week...

Colts 41, Bears 24

That's all for that.

Ok, on to more important things:

Ok, it's been over 50 days now since the initial statement Theo Epstein made about coming to an agreement with RF J.D. Drew, and yet still, he remains unsigned. Now it wasn't like everyone didn't see this coming for obvious reasons ("let's pay a guy $14 mil a year for five years who has stayed healthy for an entire season twice" would be #1 on the list), but now we're almost in February, and this guy still isn't here? You know what, the Sox made a bad move. In fact, they made a horrible move here. Again, I have to go back to my original logic. Drew opted out of a deal with the Dodgers that would have paid him $33 million over the next three years so he could test the free agent market. It was because of that move that, suddenly, he was worth $13-14 million a year. It's not because his skills have gone up, or he shows a great amount of potential, but he priced himself in that range because he said he was worth that much. Granted, when you have Scott Boras at the helm, you know you are going to be paying on a premium. That's why the guy is so good at what he does, and that's why he's the most powerful agent in sports. Drew Rosenhaus looks like a fairy to the way Boras operates. Anyway, getting back to my point. The Sox now are coming around to the fact that they were going to pay this joker all this money, and they don't even know if he can play out his contract. So, they are trying anything they can to get out of it, but here's the problem: Say the Drew deal falls apart, and he winds up on another team (has already garnered interest from San Francisco of all places), what are you going to do now? Trot Nixon is long gone to the Tribe, and the list of available free agent RF's is getting kind of slim (Jeromy Burnitz, Michael Tucker, and Bernie Williams...giddeup!). The only logical thing that would have to happen is if the Sox called up David Murphy, who has been groomed to play CF once they figure out how to get rid of Coco Crisp, from AAA Pawtucket to play in right. First of all, this guy is an outstanding prospect, and he has seemingly limitless potential, but can you really start two rookie position players on a team with a payroll of $140 million? I think Murphy needs another few months, because once the trade deadline comes around, you know the Sox will be looking to get anything they can for Coco, meaning there will be a spot open for Murphy to take over. So, I guess what I'm trying to say here is that the Sox are stuck. They made a terrible move, now they're going to have to live with the consequences. You have to give Drew his money, because basically, they have opted out of any kind of reasonable alternative left. Oh Theo, where did it all go wrong?

While we're on the subject of baseball, did anyone realize that Barry Bonds still has not technically signed with the Giants yet? Could this be more fantastic? I know that this issue has been beaten to death, but I just have to say I hate Barry Bonds. Not even for the fact that he took steroids (I know nothing's been official except for the positive amphedamine test, but I got two words that will back me up:...come on...come on!), but for the simple fact that he is allowed to run his little masquerade out in San Fran while Giant fans turn a blind eye to the whole thing. To a point, I kind of understand where they are coming from. I mean think if David Ortiz were to ever be mentioned to the degree Bonds has been mentioned about taking steroids, would you automatically start hating him? Probably not. Remember all those times he came through for the Sox? You can't automatically discount all of that can you? Anyway, the Giants were basically a nothing team and had been a nothing team going all the way back to the times of Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell in the late 80's. Then, they Giants got Bonds from Pittsburgh, and he resurrected that franchise. So, obviously, the Giant fans are going to be a little hesitant about throwing their star down the river. Anyway, the whole notion that he hasn't signed with anyone has me absolutely giddy. Do you have any comprehension for how great this would make baseball? Here you have a guy who has obviously done something wrong (no one in their right mind, while stating the truth, could ever say the words "I'm tired" in one press conference ninety thousand times like Bonds did), and now, you prevent him from breaking the immortal home run mark set by Henry Aaron. All this talk about him not being caught is one big sherede. Baseball, for the longest time, turned a blind eye to all of it. The Sosa/McGwire race, the increasing home runs, they didn't care. They were getting record numbers at the stadiums (apparently not just chicks dig the long ball). Now, with Congress breathing down their necks, baseball is doing everything in their power to seperate themselves from any kind of accomplishment Bonds has, or any kind of record he breaks. The thing is, baseball has let this go on for too long, and now they are going to have to face the consequences of a junkie breaking one of the single greatest records in the history of American sports.

Can anyone please explain what the NHL All-Star game was doing on a Wednesday night? Are you kidding me? Look, I am fully aware that hockey may not get the biggest draw, or have the most interest of any sport, but it's still one of the four major sports in this country. It still has a rabid fan base, and now, most importantly, it has marketable players! What else could this league possibly ask for? In the last two years, there have been three guys (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin from Pittsburgh, who single-handedly stopped that franchise from moving to Kansas City, along with Alexander Ovechkin from Washington) who have taken over the game. Now, when you add guys who are solid veterans (Martin Brodeur, Jerome Iginla, Joe Sakic, Paul Kariya are great examples) and the new wave of up-and-comers (the three mentioned earlier, plus Dion Phaneuff from Calgary and Eric Staal from Carolina to name a few) you're talking about a league that has right around the same level of marketable talent as the NBA. Call me crazy, but hockey is one more superstar away from becoming a huge success again. Crosby is obviously the best thing to happen to the league since Gretzky. Here's a kid who's 19 and already is getting consideration for the Hart Trophy in his second year, leading the NHL in scoring. I mean there is a gigantic wave of the future that is coming right now on the NHL, and to not be outdone, the veterans are continuing to play world-class hockey despite the recent trend. To have one of the major sports' all-star game not only on a Wednesday, but on Versus, a channel that only half the country can get, is appauling. The NHL needs to realize that having a majority of their nationally televised games on a widely unavailable channel is not the best route to go for them. Instead, they should have been shopping around the league while taking less money than they had originally hoped for. Hockey needs to make a compromise and bite the bullet somewhere along the lines. If they were able to get, say, a 3-year deal with ESPN/ABC at a bargain basement price, at the end of the deal, I am almost 100% positive that the league would have gotten a ton more exposure, thus making its asking price for a new deal with ESPN or another major network much more lucrative. The NHL will start having games on NBC, but really, I can't enjoy any kind of sport on NBC outside of golf. I don't know what it is, but when I watch it, I just feel like everything is ancient. It's all very old-fashioned, maybe too old-fashioned for their own good. Also, the announcers all being around 70 doesn't help that image much either.

Anyone see the State of the Union?...Yeah, me neither. Just thought I'd bring that up to prove that I did know about it, but managed to stay off of the low channels to avoid that guy. Is it 2008 yet?

Is it my imagination, or is Dunkin' Donuts about to take over the world in about five years? I look at it almost like a plague (it's a good plague, I can't hate on DD's). It may destroy everything in its path. Now I know that Starbucks is still "the trendy place" to get your mocha cocoa lattes or whatever the hell (I was quoting Lady Marmalade, but I would not be in the least bit surprised if that's actually offered). But the times are changing. Slowly, Dunkin' has been making its way across the country, and everywhere it's gone, it has destroyed the opposition, even Starbucks. Here's my theory on this. As a New Englander, I take pride in basically anything that represents where I'm from. The Pats, Sam Adams, Aerosmith, stuff like that. Anyway, DD's was a big part of my life growing up. Who doesn't remember Coffee Coolatas? I don't even drink coffee and I was completely addicted to those. So as more and more people like me continue to migrate across the country, the demand for DD's will start growing and growing. Right now, there is one Dunkin' in Columbia on Broad River Road. Let me tell you something. If you're a northerner down here, and you ever get lonely, go to the Dunkin' Donuts. There's going to be twenty kids there just like you! It is the Yankee haven. The key here is that Dunkin' Donuts has a phenomenal overall quality. Sure, Krispie Kremes taste good out of the oven, but from what I can gather, their coffee blows, which was their downfall when they attempted to set up shop in Massachusetts. People are no longer impressed with Krispie Kreme. They've had them from the supermarket, and there really isn't much of a difference after you put them in the microwave for a few seconds (the "reccomended" time is eight seconds, but I've done ten, and the difference is negligible). Starbucks is amazingly expensive, and also, is a complete yuppee-fest. We're talking about Dunkin' Donuts here. Styrafoam cups, "Cup of Joe," "Mucnhkins," Boston Cremes the way they were meant to be! (By the way, you can insert any kind of Tim Allen grunt anywhere in this general vacinity.) This is the blue-collar breakfast place. You want a dozen donuts and a decaf, you go to Dunkin' Donuts. You're not finding any dozen donuts at Starbucks. They may have some kind of flan pastry thing going, but no crellers. I am almost positive you will not be walking out of a Starbucks with crellers. So as the northerners go on and take over this country (I mean I think it's about time we did, don't you? How many more southern presidents can you possibly stomach?), so too will Dunkin' Donuts. At least this is my dream. Sure, people have aspirations for world peace and illness treatments, but I like to think of myself as "Joe Everyman," and Joe Everyman wants a GD jelly filled donut and a decaf!

I think if you are having Tic-Tacs, and you are within 5-10 feet of someone you know, you are obligated to offer some. Let me tell you, I got snubbed the other day. Granted, I had only met this person one other time, but it was a friendly exchange, at least so I thought. When she broke out the Tic Tacs and had at least 15 without offering me any as I sat next to her...well all bets are off now. I think that should be a common courteousy if you're going to shake around your little maraca and distract the bejeezus out of me while I'm trying to find out if I'm going to get screwed over on Social Security (the answer to that by the way is a resounding "yes"). I understand that, perhaps, you may not be the giving type, and if this is the case, I have a suggestion for you: Chew Lifesavers! Mentos! Anything that doesn't sound like it should be played by Tito Puente! I mean it's the little things people. Letting someone go ahead of you in traffic, leaving short, succinct voicemails, holding doors open for people, offering up the last beer. It's those little things that we seem to have taken for granted, and now, with a select few of us still out there (you really have to find us too, it's almost like looking for the "Lost City" or an American Condor at this point), these little things which I hold near and dear to my heart are being threatened to be completely abomished from society. We need to watch out for each other. There is an "I" in American, but there is also a "man," and a "care," and a "rican," which means that this is not about just you, it's for everyone, especially the kids. You gotta cherish the kids!

Take it easy everyone. Peace.

~Mell-o