In fact I was asked to leave quite a few classroom for pulling similar antics

FORT MYERS, Fla. — If you think 6 into 5 doesn’t compute, Clay Buchholz figures he was faced with an even more unworkable equation last season.

“I came into camp ready to pitch,” Buchholz said Wednesday morning, “knowing I had a Hall of Fame guy [John Smoltz] that’s competing for the job, that’s new coming in, I knew he was probably ahead of me. We had Brad [Penny]. I knew he was in front of me. So I was No. 7, maybe No. 8, on the depth chart.

“So it’s a little bit different this year, knowing I have a legitimate shot to win a spot. At the same time, I’m not going to think about it like it’s my spot. I still have to win it.”

Buchholz is competing for the No. 5 spot in the Boston Red Sox’s rotation with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who had offseason back surgery but says he’s fine now. Wakefield said he expects to start, and the Red Sox said they are best served with Wakefield as a starter. -Full story

Patten On Comeback Tour With New England

The New England Patriots were notably thin at the wide receiver position in 2009, especially after the injury to Wes Welker in the final game of the regular season.

With the Joey Galloway signing marked as a bust and after severing ties with Greg Lewis before the season, New England always had a position of weakness at wide receiver.  Without a consistent No. 3 wide receiver last season and with Welker recovering from surgery to his torn ACL, what are the Patriots plans for this season to help solve the wide-receiver riddle?

A player who hasn’t played since 2008.

Yes, you heard right.  The Patriots are bringing back old friend David Patten for a reunion tour.  The only problem is that Patten isn’t the same player he was in 2004 when he had 800 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for the Patriots. He hasn’t even seen the field since 2008 when he played with the New Orleans Saints after being cut by the Cleveland Browns in training camp last season.

So what can the 35-year-old Patten bring to the 2010 New England Patriots?

On the field, your guess is just as good as mine.  At the least, he provides competition for the likes of Brandon Tate, Sam Aiken, and Julian Edelman.  One thing the 13-year veteran can bring to this year’s Patriots is accountability on the field and a steady presence in the locker room in which they so desperately missed with the departures of Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel.

So with Patten on board, the Patriots hope he can bring the same kind of skill and poise he did in his stretch with the team from 2001-2004.  They also hope he can replicate his 2007 numbers where he caught 54 passes for 792 yards and three touchdowns with the Saints.  

Of course something in between his 2007 numbers and the stats he put up last season (none) would be fine for Bill Belichick and the iffy wide receiving core.

Red Sox equipment trucks has arrived in Ft. Myers!…

Panting Manning- Cry Baby walks off field without congratulating Brees or other Saints: http://bit.ly/8YTWRV

Cosmo’s 1982 Sexiest Man Alive outwits Mass Democrats and sneaks in the back door. Coakley falls asleep at the wheel and Taxachusetts  finally speaks up against the system . This time loud & clear!!

DRAMA AVOIDED

There will be no arbitration showdown between Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox.

The Red Sox closer and the club came to terms on a one-year deal this afternoon, according to multiple reports. The Globe’s Tony Massarotti confirmed that Papelbon will receive $9.35 million in 2010, with the deal reaching $9.5 million if incentives are met. The terms were first reported by ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes.

The Red Sox have also come to terms with relievers Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen, according to the Globe’s Amalie Benjamin. A baseball source told Massarotti that Delcarmen will receive $905,000 next season, including an additional $15,000 if he pitches 65 games.

-Full Story

New England Flops In First Round Of Playoffs

Amid the initial anger and frustration from New England Patriots fans following the 33-14 debacle at Gillette Stadium, New Englanders must have seen this coming.

They just didn’t want to admit it. 

Bill Belichick’s squad was overpowered, under-prepared, and out-matched by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.  It was obvious for all to see.  The defense failed to tackle or clog the holes at the line of scrimmage allowing Ray Rice and Willis Mcgahee to run wild on the Patriots defense all day long.

Randy Moss was a non-factor for New England’s offense as was the entire Patriots rushing attack. It was a sad day for Patriots faithful as the realization that the past decade of success is now over and that the present day Patriots aren’t up to snuff. 

New Englanders will look for someone to blame, maybe Bill Belichick for allowing Wes Welker to play at the horrible Reliant Field in Week 17 or Bill O’Brien for not opening up his offensive playbook enough to riddle the Ravens defense.  But the blame cannot solely be placed on a single player or coach for the ending of  the 2009 season.  What lies ahead may be the most important off-season for the New England Patriots and their franchise since the 2002-03 off-season when Rodney Harrison was snatched up by Scott Pioli to help solidify the New England secondary.

The Patriots need help in the receiving core, linebacking corps, and secondary.  The old mantra of the tough-nose and indestructible Pats is long gone and if Robert Kraft and company don’t want to washed away with the current tide of the NFL, they will need to pony up in free agency, with their own players seeking extenisions, and in the draft.

Tom Brady is getting older, Welker will be recovering from surgery, and it’s clear Moss is not the same player he use to be.  If the Patriots want to take advantage of their skilled players in this short window of opportunity, they need to go the extra mile and make some sacrifices to benefit the franchise in the short-term and long-term.

The Patriots need to evolve with the new decade if they want to play the same brand of football they did in the past decade.  Time will only tell what route they decide to go. 

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