By Ben Barker, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
When the Boston Red Sox take the field in 2010, New England will see a local nine unlike any other this decade. The days of back-to-back homeruns from Manny and Ortiz are gone. Even the replacement for Manny is gone. In a winter that was supposed to be centered on bringing back Jason Bay, Theo Epstein quietly put together one of the more balanced teams in the league – with defense as the foundation.
Opting to go with pitching and defense over high-powered offense has caused the term “run prevention” to be tossed around quite a bit.
And while the Sox were taking the road less traveled, the all too predictable Yankees once again flexed their financial muscle. Instead of bringing back Matsui or Damon, the Evil Empire added Curtis Granderson to a lineup that already boasts sluggers like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Those three bats alone should produce close to 110 homeruns for the Yankees this season.
Beating out the Yankees for the AL East title could be a daunting task for Tito and the boys in 2010. But should we expect to see the Red Sox in the playoffs at all? The answer is yes, and this [...]

By: Dan Massar, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Was Saturday’s loss to the Nets the worst in franchise history for the Celtics?  Channel 5 sports anchor Bob Halloran said on the air following the loss that an argument could be made that it was.  There’s no argument that it was one of the worst losses of the Pierce-Garnett-Allen era.  (I refuse to call them the Big Three anymore, that title belongs to the Bird-McHale-Parish trio that won 3 titles in the 80’s).  The Nets came into the game with a 5-52 record, by far the worst record in the league and it puts them in position to potentially become the worst team ever, the 1972-73’ 76ers hold the mark at 9-73.
But just how bad was it?  Pierce didn’t play, but the Celts still had two All Stars on the floor in Rondo and Garnett and a former All Star in Allen.  This was an embarrassing loss.  The Celtics had just been beaten by 20 by the Cavaliers on Thursday in a game they led by double digits.  Danny Ainge called the team out before the Nets game.  He especially went after the starters saying to reporters, “I think the onus is on the [...]

By: Ben Barker, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
While the pitching seems to be set in place for a strong 2010, the arms have really not been the concern. The biggest question mark for the Sox all off-season has been their offense.
There is no doubt that the number of home-runs will suffer with the loss of Jason Bay, but many people give that more weight than it deserves. The real question is whether or not the Red Sox newcomers will be able to fill that hole enough to put the Red Sox on the scoreboard.
Realistically, if everyone in the batting order can have an offensive year that matches their career average, the Red Sox will be fine. Will this happen? We can only wait and see.

1B – Kevin Youkilis: Youuuuuuuk! The ultimate dirt dog. Kevin Youkilis has been one of the most consistent players in all of baseball over the last three seasons, and he is only getting better. His flawless glove at first base will add to a very solid defensive infield, and with Bay leaving town, Youk should supply most of the power for Boston in 2010.
Prediction: (AVG) – .320 (HR) – 28 (RBI) – 115
2B – Dustin Pedroia: A Rookie of the Year, MVP, Gold [...]

By Jordan Liebhaber, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Sox went out with a vengeance this past off-season to acquire some depth for the roster.  Gone are Jason Bay, Billy Wagner, and Casey Kotchman.  In are Jeremy Hermida, Marco Scutaro, Ramon A. Ramirez, Boof Bonser, John Lackye, Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre, and Bill Hall.  Below is a look at each of the new additions.
Jeremy Hermida (RF): Sox GM Theo Epstien acquired Hermida from the Florida Marlins in exchange for  minor league pitcher’s Hunter Jones and Jose Alverez.  Last year he batted .259, had 13 home runs and 47 RBI’s.  As the 11th overall player drafted in 2002, the Marlins had high expectations for Hermida which have not yet been met.  His best season with the Fish was in 2007 when he hit for a .296 average, 18 home runs and 63 RBI’s.  Hermida will compete with Rocco Balldelli as a 4th outfielder and right handed bat off the bench.

Marco Scutaro (SS): In the never ending merry-go-round of Red Sox shortstops, Marco Scutaro looks to fill the void left by Nomar Garciaparra back in 2004.  Since that infamous July 31 2004 trade of Garciaparra in exchange for Doug Mientkiewicz and Orlando Cabrera, the Red [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
With the deadline to designate the franchise tags on players fast approaching, the New England Patriots gave that distinction to nose tackle Vince Wilfork.
The tag was non-exclusive, which allows teams to host Wilfork on a free agent visit and they can offer him a contract. If the Patriots don’t match it, then the team that signs Wilfork must compensate New England with two first-round draft picks.
If Wilfork signs the Patriots franchise tender, he will have a contract with the team for one year worth $7 million.
This is only the beginning though. The tag was more of a strategic move than it was a contract offer to Wilfork.
What both sides really want is a long-term deal.
Throughout the whole process Wilfork, and his wife Bianca (who is very twitter-happy about all of this), have said they want more than just a one-year franchise tag offer.
“That’s the one thing you play for, long-term security,’’ Wilfork told reporters in January. “That’s something we’re trying to get. I don’t want to be playing with one-year deals and franchise tags, because I’ll be right back at the same point I am right now.’’
Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft has expressed his interest in [...]

As the Celtics prepare for tonight’s game against the Cavs (a game that will be a much bigger test than Tuesday’s Knicks game) one of them took a different approach, focusing on his looks. Brian Scalabrine spent yesterday working on his tan. So easy to do admidst all that Boston rain right? Scalabrine took the easy, and fake route, opting for a spray tan. Luckily, he can blame it on a bet he lost with Toucher & Rich of 98.5 who bet him that they could help him get 250,000 write in votes for the All-Star game.
Maybe LeBron will be distracted by an extra orange glow? Probably not, so I hope the Celts bring their A-game, not their old-game tonight. Heres the video.

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
It’s tough to endure two Bruins-free weeks, especially considering how well they played heading into the break. But, as you all know, there’s still hockey to be watched. I present you with five reasons to pay attention to the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament:
5) Because it’s so much better than the alternative
Yes, involving the NHL in the Olympics makes for a terrible regular-season schedule, replacing the short all-star break with a
two-week gap. Yes, the competitive nature of the tournament itself hangs a shadow of injury concern over every team sending their best players to participate.
But Olympic hockey in itself is pure entertainment–something that isn’t really offered in the all-star game, which currently serves no purpose other than to collaborate the league’s top talents for a series of cheesy interviews and a painfully dull two-hand-touch scrimmage. Players actually put forth effort in the Olympics–which of course makes sense, because so much more is on the line. And the fact that something is at stake creates a spectacle that captures the interest of the viewing audience.
4) Offense!
On most nights, putting the puck in the net has been as puzzling as rocket science for the Bruins, who still rank 30th in the league in scoring. So it’s a bit refreshing to see the [...]