Sadly, the Johnny Damon era in Boston has ended. Johnny was both a terrific player and an amusing character, especially during the past two seasons. Damon's defection to the Yankees leaves the Sox with two holes - centerfield and the leadoff spot in the lineup. The Red Sox made Damon a very generous offer (4 years, $40 million) but the Yankees did what they do best and outbid the Red Sox. I was fully expecting this to happen. I think Damon would have taken a little less to remain in Boston, but an extra $12 million is a little too much to pass up. I can't fault Johnny for taking the extra money, but I will be fiercely rooting against him from now on. It would have been great to keep Damon, but losing him is not the end of the world. Damon covered a lot of ground in centerfield, but that was largely offset by his weak throwing arm. Dwight Evans is 54 years old and I think he could outthrow Damon if given the chance. AL baserunners never hesitated to go from first to third on a single to center or tag up on a shallow fly ball in Damon's direction. Damon's departure from the leadoff spot is a much bigger loss for the Red Sox. Damon reached base 252 times last year via either a hit, a walk or a hit by pitch and scored 117 runs. This is tough to replace. However, if Mark Loretta can return to 2004 form, he could be just as effective in the leadoff spot. In 2004, Loretta reached base 275 times and scored 108 runs. He was on base 247 times in 2003. The other silver lining lies in the fact that the Red Sox will save a lot of money in centerfield that they can spend on pitching or a power hitter. I think the Yankees will get their money's worth in 2006, but will Damon be worth $13 million per season in 2008 and 2009? Damon's success is based largely on speed and he is at the age where he will start losing a step or two. I don't forsee Damon stealing many bases or running down long fly balls in the cavernous Yankee Stadium left/center field in 2009.

What's next? I am very intrigued by the possibility of the Sox trading for Seattle's Jeremy Reed. Reed was a big disappointment in 2005 (.254, 3 HR, 45 RBI, 61 runs) but he is only 24 years old and has a tremendous upside. I see him like a stock that has fallen from $20 to $10 in the past year but could rise to $40. If the price is right, I would not hesitate to make a trade and pencil him in for Opening Day. If the Sox pick him up and he ends up being a disaster, they can trade for a veteran prior to the trading deadline. Some of the other names mentioned are Coco Crisp, Corey Patterson and Mark Kotsay. I love Coco. He's only 26, batted .300 last season, runs very well, has sneaky power and has a very amusing name. The price for Crisp may be too steep for the Sox right now. Corey Patterson was once a rising star, but I think the reality is that he will never reach the heights that were expected. He bottomed out at .215 last year and he strikes out as much as Mark Bellhorn. Kotsay is a solid player. He'll make some spectacular plays in the outfield and give you a .290, 15 HR, 75 RBI type of season. I've heard Ken Griffey's name mentioned, but I can't imagine the Sox taking the risk given his health situation and the $40 million-plus left on his contract.

The wheeling and dealing is far from done but it appears that the Red Sox have improved on the pitching side but are weaker offensively. This does not account for future moves or a possible trade involving Manny Ramirez. I like the way the bullpen is shaping up. Foulke should be healthy and ready to resume the closer's role. Timlin and Seanez were both solid in 2005. If Guillermo Mota can return to his Dodger form and the Sox can pick up a quality lefthander, they could have one of the better bullpens in the league. If Schilling is healthy and Papelbon pitches in 2006 like he did at the end of 2005, the rotation will be very good. A Schilling-Beckett-Clement-Wakefield-Papelbon rotation would be at least 50% better than what they had for most of last season. I'm of course assuming that David Wells is traded, that Bronson Arroyo doesn't beat out Papelbon for a starting job and that Roger Clemens doesn't sign with Boston. I don't really believe that Clemens will sign with the Red Sox. If he wants convenience, he'll remain in Houston or sign with Texas. If it's about money (when is it ever NOT about money with Rocket?), he'll wind up with the Yankees. The lineup is very soft right now, but we still have no idea who will be at shortstop or in centerfield. Only DH, catcher and second base appear to be etched in stone.

We'll probably know a lot more about the team's 2006 prospects in a month or so. But even then, the question marks will remain. If Loretta, Schilling, Foulke, Lowell and Mota return to 2004 form, the Red Sox could be a 100 win team. If they all repeat their 2005 performances, even the Wild Card is a stretch. Something in between is more likely. Some of those 2005 disappointments will bounce back, some won't.

The Patriots are finally getting healthy, at least relatively speaking. The defensive front seven has been phenomenal the past three weeks. Granted, the opposing offenses have been weak, but the absolute domination of the line of scrimmage says a lot about how the defense has progressed during the season. Bruschi is starting to play like the Tedy of old. Seymour looks healthy. Wilfork is becoming a force. McGinest is making his usual late season surge and Roosevelt Colvin looks like a premier pass rusher for the first time since his horrific hip injury in 2003. The secondary remains suspect, but they are playing better, aided by the strong pass rush. The offense is also getting closer to full strength. Having David Givens and Deion Branch on the field at the same time gives the Pats a top-notch 1-2 punch at the receiver position. If all goes well, both Graham and Watson will be ready for the postseason. Dillon and Faulk are both back and appear healthy. Tom Brady has more than enough weapons to win another Superbowl. The problem, of course, is the offensive line. Having Tom Ashworth back in the lineup helps, but with both Dan Koppen and Matt Light out for the season, New England's chances for a three-peat have declined dramatically.

The key to beating the Colts, should they battle the Pats in the playoffs, will be the pass rush. New England's patchwork secondary simply cannot cover the speedy Colt receivers if Manning is given time to throw. If, however, the Patriots can pressure Peyton, he will probably make mistakes. At the very least, they will pick up some sacks. Manning is not mobile and New England's pass rush has been relentless of late. Pass protection will be the key for the Patriot offense as well. Dwight Freeney can dominate a game all by himself. Brady is a little more mobile than Manning, but he's not going to be successful running for his life. I imagine that Belichick would feature Faulk and the tight ends against Indy. Quick plays and ball control, as San Diego proved, is the key to beating the Colts. New England and Indianapolis would be a great matchup. I hope it becomes a reality.

I guess I have to talk about the Celtics. What can I say? They have been a huge disappointment so far this year. I was not expecting miracles. They are a young team and I expected some rough nights, but 10-14 is not what I had hoped for through this point of the season. Paul Pierce is having what would be an MVP caliber season if he were playing for a contender. Ricky Davis is playing the best basketball of his career. Unfortunately, the rest of the team has been remarkably inconsistent. LaFrentz, Blount, Perkins, West, Banks and Jefferson have all played well at one point or another, but they have been ineffective (and in some cases horrible) more often than not. There is still a reason to be optimistic. If the Celtics can get two or three of the aforementioned six players to contribute on a nightly basis, they should finish the season above .500 and compete for the division title (they are only a couple of games behind now). If not, Pierce will eventually wilt under the weight of carrying the team and the Celtics will be on their way to 50 losses. To be honest, it could go either way.

After threatening to give up on Jeremy Jacobs' Bruins and the NHL for years, I finally quit the NHL "cold turkey" three seasons ago. I didn't mind that the Bruins were losing. What bothered me was that Jeremy Jacobs didn't care about winning (here is the LINK to my full explanation if you are interested). Well, I can tell you tell you now that I couldn't be happier that I gave up on the NHL. Last season's strike was unforgiveable and thanks to Jacobs, the Bruins are an embarrassment. As if things weren't bad enough, this season they basically traded superstar Joe Thornton for a couple of skate blades. If I hadn't given up on the Bruins before, that would have been the nail in the coffin. Let me be clear, I take no pleasure in seeing the Bruins lose. In fact, it pains me that the great Bruins fans are forced to suffer this way. No one deserves a winner more. Maybe someday Jacobs will sell the team to someone who cares about winning and the Bruins can regain their past glory. In the meantime, Bruins fans are only making things worse by continuing to pay top dollar for a "99 cent store" product.