In 2007, after an 18-0 season, the Patriots deserved to win the Super Bowl against the Giants, but didn’t. In 2012, they are lucky to be in the Super Bowl, after an almost undeserving win against the Ravens. This time it’s the Giants who look to be the deserving team, after beating the Packers and 49′ers at home. Yet the Patriots are favored by three. Maybe the oddsmakers feel Tom Brady got his bad game out of the way, and the artificial turf and domed stadium will be perfect for what the Pats do best, stretch the field and pass, pass, pass. Indy is the scene of Belichick’s most criticised call, fourth and four, but also the site of a great goal line defensive stand & subsequent sprint by Willie McGinest. Perhaps the best thing going for the Pats is the two-week Super Bowl break that could disrupt the rhythm of Eli Manning. But if Eli continues his excellent play, NY will prevail 30-24.

The Red Sox era is over. Gone are Papelbon, Theo and Terry Francona. All that remains is Big Papi. The current owners will celebrate the upcoming 100th year of Fenway Park, and the successful business they created (including two WS trophies), but a likely losing and listless 2012 season will force them to sell and bring in “fresh eyes” for the rabid fans of Boston. There will be no “Occupy Fenway Park”. Present ownership are too savvy & slick for that. Lucchino will go on to be named the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, where he will once again be perched slighly above Theo Epstein, the better to annoy him.

The Red Sox may win 100 games in 2011, which would be quite a feat. The last time Boston hit the season century mark was in 1946. This may mean nothing come playoff time, but for the legion of fans watching night in and night out in New England and across the country, it means a long stretch of great winning baseball serving as a needed tonic to the bad global & national news/crisis. It’s the sports sections that sell those newspapers!

Sports writers can be wicked, and even worse, contrarian. Dean Cafardo suggests the Yankees should retaliate against Papi for what amounts to an offense by his great personality, or because a few errant, accidental pitches thrown by Lester. JD Drew and others are dogged by the media for not playing hard (and running themselves into the ground a la Pedroia & Youk), Ellsbury has to disprove that he is not soft by playing reckless–he will run himself into an injury and out of a big contract instead–the only thing standing in the way of a Red Sox Championship this year are injuries and the pig-headed macho philosophy that occasionally rears its ugly head in pro sports. Fans want to see Nathan Horton and the best players play the game, not get knocked out by the game.

WEEI is totally messed up! Mutt & Merloni are boring. There is only so much that ex-athletes can do. They are not broadcasters. Merloni may represent the Boston everyman, complete w/ his ‘dees, ‘dems & ‘dont’s speaking style, but he is not entertaining. Michael Holly, a true star, and the former reason to listen to WEEI midday, is diminished on the Big O show, which some programming genius thought needed two broadcasters, and then a dash of the prehistoric Mikey Adams, who at best belongs overnight. Yes, it’s the age of pander but it’s still broadcasting and people that can speak well, ask a thousand questions, have ideas and are funny are in short but necessary supply.

Oh sure, everything is fine now, the Red Sox are winning, but let’s not forget the hysterical scapegoating that happened when the Red Sox were 2-10 to start the season. Because when the going got tough, these guys were thrown under the bus awfully quick by the Boston sports media and certain meanspirited fans. #1 Scapegoat, Dice-K. #2 Scapegoat, Saltalamacchia. #3 Scapegoat, Jacoby Ellsbury. #4 Scapegoat, Marco Scutaro. #5 Scapegoat, Carl Crawford. If and when the Sox start losing again, these five will be the first to go under the scrutiny knife…

The Red Sox run a buttoned up, disciplined and family friendly organization. Pretty much every major decision fits logically, and very carefully, into their overall scheme of baseball-think. And then there is the Carl Crawford deal, and before that John Lackey’s $82.5 million. Adrian Gonzalez makes sense, as he’s their kind of player. Josh Beckett too (the $68 million extension). But no one saw the Crawford/Lackey deals coming. They smack of a desperation and illogic kept otherwise under wraps at Fenway. Lackey is a cheap knock off of Beckett-a Texas hothead-and at a higher price. Why? For the same money Boston could have instead chosen to sign and keep Jonathan Papelbon, an extremely popular, iconic player that helped deliver a WS and is second best only to the great Mariono Rivera, over the past four years. Meanwhile, there is no real place for Crawford on the team. They don’t need another speedy outfielder w/ no power, they already have one in Jacoby Ellsbury! Ellsbury was illogically moved to left field last year to make room for Mike Cameron, then an accident occured for him running down a fly ball in unfamiliar turf, then the Red Sox tried to scapegoat him over his incurred injuries–and now they are moving him out of leadoff (after a great Spring Training) to hamfist Crawford somewhere, anywhere in the lineup.

Maybe the Red Sox haven’t lost their lovable, underdog, and dramatic ways. A start of the season six game losing streak is JUST WHAT THEY NEEDED to get their historic mojo back. They need to play with a paranoid chip on their shoulder. Okay calm down, we don’t need to go another 86 years without a WS victory, but maybe this greatly expected season had to be knocked down a few pegs by an all too willing Red Sox Nation.

Topic: Awful advertising and bad promotions are driving away the NESN tv audience. Why do you need to endlessly promote the Red Sox in-between innings, we’re already watching the game at that point! It looks and feels like state-run tv. Viewers have clickers, and we’re not dumb in spite of what your promotions and advertising department are assaulting us with. “We’re All In”, groans weird beard Youk (and enough with the Youk close-ups everywhere, that chin needs a wide shot at best). “Order restored”, “We won’t rest until….”, it’s more likely we will all need rest after being lulled to sleep by the ceasless black and white funereal imagery also know as a NESN promotional campaign. Are they styled to run in conjunction with a Veteran’s Day sale? Then, a seamless transition to bad advertising–can Ace Tickets make another commercial? Ever? How about one where the green screen doesn’t bleed through behind Remy! How about a radio show on tv? D&C on tv is bad enough, but promotions directed by who? Or more likely, what? Interns? Mrs Clay Bucholtz? Linda Pizzutti’s friends? Tom Werner–time to parachute in!

Now we know what it feels like to be the Yankees. Expected to win. Paid to win. Damn well better win. Gone is the paranoia, anticipation and precious hope that defined generations of Red Sox fans. The Red Sox are now supposed to win. It’s not a game anymore. It’s big business. Winner take all. Every time. The losses won’t be agonizing, so much as they will be unthinkable and outrageous! Fire the manager! Fire Big Papi! Long suffering Boston fans will morph to insufferable, just like their New York rivals. There’s no turning back. The team has created a financial beast that cannot be reversed, only increased, to shore up the debt, no doubt until one very sad day years from now when Fenway Park will probably have to be torn down to build a bigger beast.