Day 247: And I Was Just Learning How to Spell 'Saltalamacchia!'

In 2012, Men's Journal did a poll amongst about 100 major league baseball players regarding a few topics—most hated man in baseball, most obnoxious fans, etc. AJ Pierzynski was voted baseball's most hated player by 34% of those surveyed. One pitcher said he talks a lot of shit and is rumored to be a bad teammate. These results concern me. Why, you might ask?

Well, it turns out that Pierzynski has just been signed by the Red Sox to a reported $8.25 million one-year deal for the 2014 season. Huh? They just won the World Series with a team full of nice, pleasant guys and then they go ahead and sign this meany? I don't get it.

The nearly 37-year-old Pierzynski's numbers are not bad—last year with the Texas Rangers he batted .272 with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs in 134 games. His numbers are very similar to Jarrod Saltalamacchia's, but he has about a decade on ol' Salty. The Red Sox will be the 6th team in AJ's 16-year career where he's batted a respectable .283 with 172 home runs and 800 RBIs. Probably not Hall of Fame numbers, but enough to get him paid.

But word on the street is he's kind of a douche. How's he going to react to the camaraderie that has been established in the club house? How's he going to react the first time Jonny Gomes tugs on his beard... if he agrees to grow one? I fear his ability to play as part of a team and not bitch and complain the first time he thinks he's not getting his fair share of playing time.

Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Pierzynski has changed. Maybe he's seen the error of his ways and has seen the light of a positive work place. I can only hope that's the case. There have been too many pretentious assholes on this team in the past couple of years and there's no room for that anymore.

And shit... I just learned to spell "Saltalamacchia."

Day 246: Dog Vomit and Cheaters

This was the first time in 246 days I actually thought my streak was going to end. That's what non-stop dog vomit will do to a girl. Both dogs. Gross. It was almost as gross as the accusations made by Houston Texans defender (and obvious Rhodes Scholar) Antonio Smith that the New England Patriots could only have beaten the Texans by cheating.

According to Smith, it's really the only explanation as to how Tom Brady and the Patriots managed to come out after half time, erase a 10 point deficit and go on the handily beat the struggling Texans. Or could it possibly be...ohhhhh...maybe some adjustments made by Bill Belichick and crew to find the weakest part of the defense and exploit the shit out of it? Nah, clearly the Pats were cheating.

“Either teams are spying on us or scouting us . . . I don’t know what it is,” Smith said after the loss. “We had some ways that we were going to play this week that just got put in this week, and it was just miraculous that they changed up some things that they did on offense and keyed on what we put in this week to stop what they were doing. It was things that they had never done before out here. It just seems miraculous to me.”

Smith couldn't give any specific examples of plays where he believed trickery was taking place. I guess he just assumes that any team that could come out and erase the Texan's 10 point lead had to be pulling a fast one. In fact, maybe he should go back and look at the last 10 games straight that they've lost...there must be a hell of a lot of cheating going on. Let's not even mentioned that Houston has blown five straight first half leads... that seems miraculous to me.

“You would have to be a descendant of Tonestradamus [Nostradamus] to know what we put in this week to be able to change that fast,” Smith said. “It is a specific thing that was important to what we were going to do today, to how we would call the defense. They changed it up in a way to where you were in in-decision in calling the defense that way. There’s no way . . . we have not done it ever before and they had never changed it ever before. So it was just kind of fishy how it got changed. It just let me know that something just ain’t right.”

Obviously this guy has never played for a team where a coaching staff is observant and crafty enough to make the proper adjustments to win. Yeah... that's real fishy, genius.

Day 245: Week 13 and the Playoffs Loom Large for Many.

December might be my favorite time for football. With just four weeks left to the regular season, the playoffs loom huge in the not to distant future. Some are still struggling to secure a spot, while other teams are battling for position—division wins, first round byes and home field advantage. Entering this week, there are 24 teams that are either in a playoff spot or within one game of a playoff spot. The entire AFC East, AFC North and AFC West are all in the mix, and the Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks can all clinch a playoff berth this week.

After the events of the off-season with Wes Welker leaving, Aaron Hernandez murdering someone and Rob Gronkowski recovering, I wasn't sure what to think of this Patriots team. Would it just get written off as a "rebuilding" year? At 8-3 I think the Pats have surprised a lot of people and some of the things Tom Brady has achieved with very few weapons is pretty astonishing. With last week's historical comeback win over the Broncos, I'm beginning to now think they can do anything!

The Patriots are traveling to Houston to take on the 2-9 Texans. On paper New England should have no troubles coming away with a win, but these are the games that scare me. The Pats need to be ready for some serious heat on Tom Brady—the Texans blitz almost more than any other team in the league. And with a win today, New England will guarantee their 13th straight winning season.

When I was making my picks for this week, I noticed some real great match-ups. Denver at Kansas City? I'm almost looking forward to this game most of all. Both teams coming in at 9-2 and both teams coming off a loss. The Chiefs looked defensively lost in their loss to the San Diego Chargers and maybe now they're coming back down to earth after jumping out to a stunning 9-0 record. The Broncos have something to prove after that colossal upset in chilly Foxboro last Sunday night. With a high of 54 degrees expected in KC today, Peyton should do ok... his little hands won't be cold like they were last week.

New Orleans at Seattle—another tough pick. I initially picked the Seahawks but just changed it (which will most likely come back to haunt me.) Is anyone else wondering how the hell Seattle is 10-1 riding the best record in the NFL? Well, if you go back and look at the teams they've played, you kinda get the drift. The Saints will be the first real challenge since they played Carolina and San Francisco early in the season. Plus... really? Can the universe really let the 'Hawks go to 11-1?

I'm having a hard time accepting that there are only four weeks left until the playoffs. I'm not ready for the season to be winding down... but I am ready for a Pats win and we've got some crappy weather outside today that's perfect for hunkering down on the couch!

Day 244: Here's a Movie I Can't Wait to See!

Last Monday, the Boston Red Sox were in the spotlight yet again. Less than a month removed from their stunning World Series Championship win, the Sox were given the red-carpet treatment at the Wang Theater in Boston for the premiere of 2013 World Series movie. This film "brings Boston's latest baseball championship to life with thrilling images and poignant sound that captured the drama of a special season."

I know there wasn't much I missed throughout the postseason, but having the World Series win documented always makes me happy. I have a box set of DVDs from 2004 that covers both the ALCS and the World Series and I'm not going to lie, it's kinda fun to go back to watch that fateful game on October 17, 2004 that catapulted the Sox into postseason history. Not so much for the Yankees fan in the household, but lots of fun for me.

Maybe it's the specialness of this 2013 season that makes me need to have it chronicled—the memorable season put forth by a bunch of underdogs who where just trying to rebuild a team. Maybe it's because Boston suffered such a tragic attack early in the season and this win was for the city. Or maybe it's because the World Series was won at Fenway for the first time since 1918. Whatever the reason, this Championship will hold a special place in my heart.

The 2013 World Series movie, narrated by Ben Affleck, chronicles the season starting early in spring training and follows the team throughout the season in into the playoffs. We get to see interactions between players, what they went through after the Boston Marathon bombing, walk-off highlights and an in-depth look at the postseason. And best of all we get to see a group of players who enjoy each other on the field and off.

Looking for a Christmas gift idea for me? I think I might have an idea...

Day 243: What About Ridley's Fumble-itis?

New England Patriots' running back, Stevan Ridley, has a horrible disease. For the past few months he's been struggling to overcome a bad case of fumble-itis. This disease strikes many a young running back and it's often difficult to find a cure. Fumble-itis, while infecting just one, can have a very bad effect on the whole team. Those afflicted run the risk of becoming permanent bench warmers or worse.

Ridley is a promising young running back. In 2012 he rushed for over 1,200 yards, scored 12 touchdowns and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt. He fumbled four times last season. Overall, a pretty respectable season. The Patriots had high hopes for Ridley to have similar numbers this year—minus the fumbles of course. 

That's not the case. Though 10 games, Ridley has four fumbles and it's not looking good for him to come close to matching his numbers from last year. His miscue in the first game of the season against the Buffalo Bills got him benched. And then he had a pretty good stretch... but in the last three games, things have gone down hill. He lost fumbles against Pittsburgh, Carolina and Denver.

The fumble-itis has become so bad that former Patriots' running back Kevin Faulk actually reached out to Ridley with some words of advice. 

"Don’t think about not fumbling, think about, how can I hold onto the ball? This isn’t college, this is your job. You have to figure out what’s going on, because if you don’t, you’re going to be out of a job."

Hopefully that will help cure this dreadful ailment. If not, Bill Belichick will continue to bench him which does nothing to boost his confidence. On the one hand, you want him to get back out there, back on that proverbial horse. But on the other hand, if he can't hang onto the ball, it's more detrimental to the team to have him on the field.

Stevan Ridley has great potential. The 24-year-old moves quickly and agilely and could become a real threat if he can get this problem under control. Defenses can smell fumble-itis a mile away and if all it takes it a helmet or fist to the ball to make Ridley cough it up, they'll continue to do that until every ounce of confidence this kid may have had at one point is gone.

And one other thing (and yes, I'm looking at you, Stevan)... when you have a good rush, please refrain from waving to the crowd for more cheers. Karma hates that kind of shit and so do I, so please just stop. You don't get to celebrate anything unless you're in the end zone with the ball.

Day 242: Happy Thanksgiving, Sports Fans!

I would like to be able to say that the best part about Thanksgiving is the endless supply of football games... but then I'd be a liar. The best part about the fourth Thursday of every November? Spending time with my family and eating my face off.

My predictions for the Thanksgiving games — I'm going home teams all the way:

- Detroit over Green Bay

- Dallas over Oakland

- Baltimore over Pittsburgh (this was a toughie, but I feel good about my pick.)

Best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving to all... and enjoy your food coma!

Day 241: Amazing Game-Winning College Basketball Shot

On this eve of Thanksgiving, I'm incredibly exhausted.... I've been cleaning literally all freaking day and I barely have the energy to chew my dinner. My brain has completely shut down and the probability of me actually coming up with a witty or intuitive post tonight is pretty low. Maybe I've been breathing in too many cleaning chemicals today or maybe I'm just lazy, but tonight you get to watch a video of a really amazing game-winning basketball shot.

Remember in school when there was a substitute teacher? Remember how often times that sub would push in the TV cart and cue up a movie? Well think of me as a sub and I'm offering up a (really super short) movie tonight instead of clever sports banter.

The scenario: Huntington University vs. Marian University. A game that had no meaning except to the two teams playing. With one second left on the clock, Marian sunk two free throws to take a one point lead. Huntington would need a miracle to win the game... with just one tick on the clock.

That was some shot... and some miracle!

Safe travels as you head to wherever it is that you plan to eat your weight in food on Thanksgiving! Gobble, gobble.