Someday you'll find it . . .

Ten free minutes for me, 10 free ainbowray onnectioncays for you:


1. I think I've made it pretty clear I want Manny Ramirez batting cleanup for the 2007 Boston Red Sox . . . but even I have to admit that those apparently unfounded Jake Peavy-to-Boston rumors briefly had me daydreaming about a Peavy-Matsuzaka-Beckett-Schilling-Papelbon rotation. How sick would that be?

2. I know it's popular to claim his personality is as bland as his ubiquitous grey hoodie, and his reluctance to share even the most minute details regarding his team would drive me mad if I were a Patriots beat writer. Still, I have to say I'd pay good cash for a ticket to listen to one of Bill Belichick's increasingly frequent press-conference dissertations on the history and finer tactical points of football, and anyone who doesn't find that stuff insightful, compelling, and of great interest to New England football fans probably shouldn't be covering the sport in the first place.

3. Let's get something straight: I'm not entirely opposed to the Sox signing J.D. Drew. He's an immensely talented player, and I thought Gammons hit it on the sweet spot today when he compared him to Fred Lynn. What bothers me - even more than any concerns about his makeup, which are justified if perhaps exaggerated - is that it appears he's coming as a de facto replacement for Manny, when what the Sox should be doing is slotting him in as the much-needed No. 5 hitter behind Manny.


4. Every time I see Matthew McConaughey in those "We Are Marshall" commercials, I can't help but be impressed that Wooderson got his act together and grew up to be a football coach. I'm guessing he loves those college girls, too.

5. I've banged through about half of Charlie Pierce's tome on Tom Brady, and I'm enjoying it even though his writing level exceeds my pea-brained comprehension by such a great distance that sometimes I can't see his point with a telescope. The religious stuff in particular eludes me, but this much I have gathered: 1) Lloyd Carr is a bigger boob than he appears to be, which is saying something. 2) There's a pretty decent chance Drew Bledsoe eventually would have lost his job without Mo Lewis's violent intervention. 3) The author isn't the only one who seems to believe Brady is destined for grander things beyond football.

6. Call me vindictive, but my teensy little heart gets all jacked and pumped every time Pete Carroll's Trojans gag away a big game and that old familiar "Golly, what the heck just happened?" look returns to his face. The Rose Bowl isn't a bad consolation prize, though.

7. I say the Celtics start letting Rajon Rondo and Gerald Green learn on the fly with 35 minutes of PT per night, allow Doc Rivers to do his oblivious routine from the sidelines for the rest of the season, and pray that it all adds up to Kevin Durant or Greg Oden in Celtics Green a season from now. Maybe it's a gamble to bank on the ping-pong balls falling your way - whatever did become of Tim Duncan, anyway? - but it's better than a paper-thin 8th seed and a late-lottery draft pick.

8. How come we haven't heard Eric Gagne's name in much hot-stove chatter so far? Seems like in a market where marginal middle relievers are commanding multi-year, multi-million deals (hello, Baltimore), a once-dominating if injury-prone closer might pique some team's interest. I'd love for the Sox to take chance on him, provided the price is reasonable or the contract is incentive-laden.

9. Trap game? C'mon, you know better. The Pats could start Gene Mruczkowski at tailback today, and I'd still pick them to whup Matt Millen's hapless Lions by at least a pair of touchdowns. Let's be humble and call it . . . oh, 34-10.

10. As for today's Completely Random Baseball Card:



Can't honestly say if I'd vote for him for the Hall of Fame or not - I believe he was a juicer, but I also believe that hardly puts him in the minority among his contemporaries. But I do wonder if he's as skinny these days as he is on this '89 card. It's entirely possible, assuming he's cut back on the andro and various other so-called vitamins.