Just make some stuff up, the peons won't know

I was just shaking my head when I read the Yahoo headline/sub-header for Dan Wetzel's column 'Perfectly Miserable - A dull game, a dead crowd and a grind-it-out victory. Pats coach Bill Belichick wouldn't have had it any other way.'

STOP IT!

We all get the fact that a team going for a never before accomplished 16-0 record is going to be in our face week after week; but can we at least keep it real.

The Pats won a 20-10 grind it out game against a very weak NY Jets team. Ironic that Belichick wouldn't want it any other way in lieu of these facts, heading into the contest:

• Tom Brady came into the game with 45 TDs thrown and was on pace to surpass Peyton Manning's 2004 single season TD record of 49. Brady average 315 yds/gm, 3.4 TDs/gm, a 70.2 comp. %, 5 INTs, 4 fumbles all for a 123.5 rating.
• Randy Moss had 82 receptions, 1264 yards (97.2 yds/gm), and 19 TDs.
  
• The average score of their wins was 38.7 to 17.1, a 20.6 point differential.
• Laurence Maroney was the 40th ranked rb in Yahoo fantasy leagues. In ten games, he averaged 52.7 yds/gm while scoring 2 TD's. He carried the ball 12.6 times a game, netting 4.2 yds/carry.

Ok, I think can safely say that the Pats would love to play every week in nice weather, allowing Brady and Moss turn up the pressure on defenses and jump out to an insurmountable lead.

These two will end up in the top five in MVP voting. Maroney will simply be known as the soft underbelly; when experts argue why future powerhouses would beat the 07 Patriots. He is even more of a liability than the Pats aged linebacker core of Seau 38, Bruschi 34 and Vrabel 32.

It's obvious that the fabled Belichick would not prefer to play in Ice Bowl II anytime soon. The 07 Pats deserve to be in the debate for greatest team ever, but the Purple People Eaters and the Steel Curtain; teams that truly preferred and performed at maximum output in cold miserable games are turning over in their graves right now.

Yea we know how much the Pats love to "grind it out". I bet they are just wishing they can see an Adrian Peterson vs Laurence Maroney match-up in the Super Bowl. Afterall, even if 'All Day' Peterson is better, the Pats have that superior rush defense...Oh wait they don't! The Vikings D gives up 3 yds/run to the Pats mortal 4.3 yds/run.

Is this all getting too real for you?

Ok, you can go back and suck on Belichick's teet with Wetzel as he writes, "Here's the thing about Belichick, the stuff that gets lost in all the hoopla around his hoodies, his handshakes and his histrionics: As much as he looks like a guy who's having no fun."

Alliterate away and after all an attitude awaits alluminously. Oh sorry, I thought we were playing the mindless alliteration game. I know before that we were playing 'Here comes the airplane.'

It's like they say in Young Guns 2, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is there's only expletive for dinner. The good news is there's plenty of it.

Thanks to Wetzel, I now know that the ideal game strategy is a blood and guts grind it out game in the snow. Nevermind Brady going 14-27 with 0 TDs 1 INT and 5.2 yds/attempt and Moss going for 79 yards and no TDs. As long as they can only get 26 carries for 104 yards out of Maroney, it's all gravy.

I mean it was good enough to beat the 3-11 Jets by ten points. There has not been a stronger strategy since France built a fortress on the French/German border to keep Hitler out.

Excuse me, I have to go look up histrionics in the dictionary now.

Fit Santana for his pinstripes if the new Sox stay in the drawer

As the Minnesota Twins push for the best deal for Johan Santana. The two teams in the running are the Red Sox and Yankees.

The Yankees current offer seems better than the Red Sox offer. The Yankees have upped their ante to include the heralded top-prospect Phil Hughes (SP) with Melky Cabrera (CF), and a "2nd tier prospect"; although the speculation is they will break down and give up a top-tier prospect like pitcher Ian Kennedy instead. The Red Sox on the other hand are willing to give up outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury or starting pitcher John Lester; but not both in the same deal.

Do the Red Sox really want Santana? Let's assume for the sake of argument that they do, and that they aren't simply trying to make the Yankees pay more for Santana. Then what is going through their mind that they think Ellsbury and Lester are so special as to compromise getting their chances of getting Santana?

Assuming the good ole adage that good pitching beats good hitting holds true, as it almost always does then getting Santana would put the Red Sox miles ahead of those dreaded Bombers. Just imagine Santana and Beckett; arguably the two best pitchers in baseball when they are on, come playoff time. Oh not to mention they would be backed by ManRam and Big Papi. Don't forget that Papelbon can shut the door on opponents as well as any closer in baseball.

That said, the hold-up is the Sox don't want to include Lester and Ellsbury in the same trade? That would be like the Angels in the early 90's turning down a trade for Roger Clemens because they could not part with Jim Abbot and Gary Disarcina in the same trade. That's right an elite ace for two young serviceable players with bright outlooks that still pale in comparison to the Hall of Famer at hand.

Early reports were that Ellsbury and Lester were "untouchable." That's rich. I would expect Mr. Epstein to do his best Chip Douglas (Cable Guy) impression for Bill Smith (Twins GM) anytime.

"I'm just jerking your chain; Wake up little Snoozy, smell the smelling salt!" Jim Carrey in 'Cable Guy'

Lester has for career numbers: a 4.57 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and .278 BAA. Those numbers won't even get him drafted in most 200 player fantasy baseball leagues. If I were Bill Smith (Twins GM),

Ellsbury on the other hand is just a glorified cog. Or in other words he was in the right exciting place at the right time is all. He's a Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, Mark Bellhorn or Todd Walker; only younger and a hot prospect. Jacoby is 6'1" 185. It's no wonder he hasn't hit for more than 7 home runs in college, the minors, or majors.

Red Sox nation is just sloppily high on Ellsbury because he hit .353 in his 116 at-bats. But it's one thing for the fans to overstate their fan ship for Ellsbury, it's another thing for Epstein (Red Sox GM) to pretend he's the next Tony Gwynn though.

Holding onto Ellsbury and Lester because they've had recent high-profile success on their World Series run reminds me of the time I didn't want to sell my $5 Beckett-priced 1992 Fleer Rookie Sensation Darren Lewis card because I thought he might actually be worth a lot more in the long run. Unlike that card, Ellsbury and Lester may end up having some long time worth. But let's just say that offering Santana for them is the equivalent of throwing a Jackson at the card owner.

Santana is realistically going to have his contract extended for between $20 million to $30 million per season to waive his no-trade clause in his contract. At $30 million, that's $1 million a start. It is debatable whether he or any pitcher is worth that, but obviously the Red Sox are past that fact if they are continuing to indulge in trade talks.

If I were the Red Sox, I would say OK you want Lester and Ellsbury. Who else do you need to make this happen? Because quite frankly Ellsbury and Lester do not even match-up to Hughes and Cabrera.

But hey, I don't even like the piss-ant empire that is Red Sox nation. So feel free Mr. Epstein to pretend that two mediocre players are more important to hold onto while your nemesis gets Santana. That would be a nice four point turnaround as they say in basketball.

Spoonfeeding the reformed Sean Taylor turnaround dribble

In the wake of Sean Taylor's murder, we constantly heard from the media that Sean Taylor was turning his life around, by "all accounts" even. Somehow the fact that all his people; teammates, former teammates, friends and family had only positive things to say about him was proof of this.

My thought to all this was: I'm not buying it. Nobody wants to talk bad about a contemporary or loved one that was just murdered. It's like telling a girl she's fat in her dress to the tenth degree.

The media told us Mr. Williams was spending a lot of quality time with his girlfriend and 18 month old baby. Whoopdy-do. You don't have to be the greatest guy in the world, or even of good character to spend time with your family. It is well he was doing those things, but that is only one part of the story. I have met countless gangsters and/or thugs whom you could have said this about. Family relations DO NOT erase the subculture or even overground cultures they are engaged in.

Was Mr Williams really doing that 180 degree turn? The only answer at this point is, perhaps.

Was he making a great turnaround? Was Mr. Williams founding charity organizations with his millions? Was he going back to college to make something more of himself after he was out of the NFL? I don't know and I'm not going to even google it because I know that the media would have told us so many of times already in their zest to sell his turnaround. Alas, the the highest way they could glorify him was to say he was spending time with his girlfriend and baby.

It's not that I was thinking Mr. Williams had or had not made positive strides to improve himself. But I was not giving into the fallacy of logic that he had some quality family relationships and therefore everything else must be dandy.

Skepticism is important. I was not going to overlook the high rate of felons that have came from the University of Miami and the NFL. I was and am willing to withhold judgment about the circumstances around his murder in lieu of a little thing called proof of wrongdoing.

My skepticism has already been validated by the recent announcement that four suspects were arrested in the Williams murder case. Their ages: 17, 18, 19 and 20. That somehow does not match up with the "demons in his past" argument that has been the popular explanation for his murder. Sure sounds like the 24 year-old had very likely found new people to get in trouble with. Maybe or maybe not; but my best guess is yes!

We can eulogize Mr. Williams good points, but until he is exonerated of any wrongdoing we can stop glorifying him as making such a great turnaround.

By the way, there will be no disclaimer that Sean Williams did not deserve to die. I will not cave to the idiots that think just because you cast any negative light on Sean Williams that you have to prove you are not implying he deserved to die. It's worse than pointing out that you have the freedom of speech when you are in the middle of casting a controversial opinion (By the way I won't remind you of my freedom speech rights either).

The bottom line is we will find out much more about Williams as time goes on. In the interim we can use the Williams murder to discuss how to improve ourselves as a society. But I will not pretend the world has lost a great man, when I just don't know or am not even inclined to believe so.

Murder is a gross thing, no matter who's involved; if we want to seriously talk about how this can be prevented then ok. But spare me the Taylor was this grand guy talk. It makes a mockery of those that do all the right things without this world's glorification.

Mostly brilliant, slightly shortsighted: Introduction to 'The Shots Heard Around The World' sports blog

Hello and welcome to my sports blog. Those that come across this blog, I suggest that you add it to your favorites links. I will be opining logically in a way that politically correct radio show hosts dare not. I will keep a cool candor that shock jocks seeking ratings and consequently dollars would deny is possible.

Mostly Brilliant, Slightly Shortsighted refers to my general opinion about my writing abilities. I have to admit that I plagiarized the phrase. I plagiarized it from one of my more artistic alter-egos. But do not insinuate that I am bi-polar; for it is not so. I will simply not be your one-dimensional comic book character. Expect to see a range of personality from me.

Quite honestly, blogs generally bore me. Facts are scant, opinions detached from reality, the writing amateurish, and the integrity of the authors' viewpoints often questionable. Nonetheless, we do see all types of atrocities committed by all types within the sports realm, to say nothing of the wonderful accomplishments. Therefore, I do think the world desires witty, intelligent banter from individuals who put a premium on telling the truth in a world that has a tendency to defer from it. Enter myself, make room Dan Patrick, please. Don't worry I'm not taking any of your money. Yet.

I will be objective as circumstances dictate, but the very nature of sports reporting and/or commenting requires a level of subjectivity; to say nothing of how overstating things occurs when rooting for or against someone or something occurs. Fortunately, I believe I have a better ability to seperate my emotions from opinions then most. I believe that comes from my early love for analysis of systems and things and then later on my retuning to that love through the study of the science of critical thinking. Sure I will use satire and hyperbole as inspiration hits; but one thing you can count on is that I won't be transparently ignorant under the pretense that I have an important moral point that only serves to soothe my depleted sense of conscious or otherwise biases.

I would point out my level of training. After graduating in business, I took a couple journalism classes and did an internship. This has helped my writing immensely, though I won't describe the differences here.

In short, thank you for reading and let's watch the moons change paths.