Besides considering the Chargers legitimate contenders after defending their home turf (I'll still see how they do on the mean fields in Pittsburgh), the game opened up a whole other set of issues which become Baseball related. First and foremost, since his Super Bowl ring and MVP, Peyton Manning has been ousted in the first round two more times. Before his ring, he failed to get past the division round in his career, despite always having great... Vince Mercandetti

Had I been able to get to this web site, I would have said the Cardinals would beat the Falcons three days ago. It was one of those games where I went from absolutely confident about Atlanta to deciding they had no chance of a victory. All you had to see was the early Matt Ryan mistake and Cardinals touchdown to know they were going to win. Give a non-confident team confidence right off the bat, at... Vince Mercandetti

Chances are that Theo Epstein is not content with the Red Sox lineup as it is currently composed. He reportedly inquired about Hanley Ramirez, but Florida is not interested in trading the face of its franchise. Carlos Beltran seems like a good fit, but the New York Mets are a legitimate World Series contender, and they are not strapped for cash, so they have no need to trim payroll. Trading Beltran would weaken the Mets lineup. If... Jeff Louderback

Who will be the 2009 version of Jonathan Papelbon, Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson? The aforementioned players attended Boston's annual rookie development program in the winter and during the regular season made their major league debuts and significantly contributed to the Red Sox.The program - which started today and continues through January 16 at Boston College - is a 13-day camp where Red Sox major league and minor league coaches instruct highly regarded... Jeff Louderback

Editor's Note: Dave Fernandes' humorous stories related to the Red Sox and baseball first appeared in the comments section on Ian Browne's Brownie Points blog. Dave will periodically write his comedic columns on this site throughout the off-season. Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was a huge fan of Pete Rose, so when it came time for a hunting trip, Paps felt elated to have the all-time hit king join him in the woods of Maine with... Dave Fernandes

Editor's Note: This is the fifth column in an off-season series detailing the best Red Sox players from A-Z, one letter at a time. Each column includes tidbits about some of the players whose last names start with the respective letter, not all of the players. At the end of the series, I will compose the list and you can vote on the all-time Red Sox team. To review the previous columns, go to the Categories section... Jeff Louderback

Staying home tonight? If so, you can mildly alleviate your severe case of baseball withdrawal with two programs on MLB Network.At 8 p.m., World Series Highlights will feature the 2004 fall classic between the Red Sox and Cardinals. At 9:30 p.m., Red Sox Memories: Part 1 (which MLB Network describes as "A Five Part Series Looking Back at the Greatest Players, Teams and Moments from Red Sox History" will air. The same shows can also be seen... Jeff Louderback

I rarely believe anything I read in the New York Post, which is the major metro newspaper world's version of the National Enquirer. After all, sportswriters for the Post are under pressure to fill the pages with outlandish stories that capture readers in a city with three more reputable publications - the New York Times, Newsday and the New York Daily News. That said, Joel Sherman's column in today's Post makes a whole lot of sense. Simply... Jeff Louderback

This year, I hope to see the following things happen:The Red Sox sign a power hitter to take some of the pressure off David Ortiz. I suggest Manny Ramirez, who is a free agent. It's been almost six months since they've had someone that opposing pitchers (and traveling secretaries) genuinely fear on their roster. And Ramirez can be had for cheap, only around $20 million. There are no buyers. So Boras has lost his leverage and now... Andy Wasif

A spectacularly special salutation during this calendar reset to you, my dearest friends, family, community organizers, home owners, former home owners, Mormon polygamists against gay marriage, bailout recipients, Clients 1 through 8, Ponzi scheme investors, Joe the Plumber, Rod the Corrupt Politician, Bristol the Unmarried Pregnant Teen, Orenthal the Prisoner, and Obamagirl: With the smell of Christmas wafting throughout my domicile ??? baked ham, green bean casserole, and Mom???s homemade meatloaf ??? invading my olfactory senses only... Andy Wasif

On the calendar, the new year officially begins when the clock strikes midnight this evening. For me, though, 2009 will not debut until that day in February when Red Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Speaking of the new year, instead of writing resolutions in a baseball column, I think it would be more appropriate to type my Red Sox-related expectations for the upcoming season.For classification's sake, I will write each expectation and accompany it... Jeff Louderback

New Year's Eve is tomorrow, but my holiday travels are over. After an enjoyable six days visiting family in southwest Ohio, I am back in warm and sunny central Florida, awaiting the start of spring training. Until then, I will at least have the debut of the MLB Network to stave off my severe case of baseball withdrawal. If you haven't heard, the MLB Network hits the airwaves tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET with the first broadcast... Jeff Louderback

Welcome to the Hot Stove League, Boston, it's nice to have you. I still have some outlandish yet realistic ideas of trading Matsui, signing Manny and trading for Figgins or signing him next year and moving Jeter to left concepts, but for now I'll be happy knowing the Yankees took drastic measures to get over the hump. This was the first week I truly started to feel Baseball withdrawel, and hopefully the MLB Network will help me... Vince Mercandetti

The Red Sox have signed Brad Penny to a one-year deal, according to the Boston Herald. The same article by Sean McAdam also indicates that the Sox have signed Josh Bard, who will be a candidate for the backup catcher's role. Penny is a low-cost, high reward addition for the Red Sox. The Boston Herald reports that Penny's deal includes a base salary of $5 million, and up to $3 million in incentives if he pitches 160... Jeff Louderback

Pitching wins World Series titles. Let me expand that. Pitching and defense wins championships. Though a team must have enough offense to support the arms, it will most likely finish ahead of a ballclub that scores a multitude of runs (unless, of course, that team has superb starting pitching; but there is currently no team that does both). This is why Theo Epstein is wise to think twice and even three times before trading Clay Buchholz, and... Jeff Louderback

Editor's Note: This is the fourth column in an off-season series detailing the best Red Sox players from A-Z, one letter at a time. Each column includes tidbits about some of the players whose last names start with the respective letter, not all of the players. At the end of the series, I will compose the list and you can vote on the all-time Red Sox team. To review the previous columns, go to the Categories section... Jeff Louderback

There seems to be some confusion here: All of a sudden the Yankees, by spending "423 million" on Free Agents, seem to be buying championships and abandoning the youth movement somehow. Brian Cashman is now a liar, Yankees' prospects are overrated and the New York payroll is a billion dollars. No wait, that's just what some fans and even "experts" would like you to believe. Let me start off with the biggest misconception of all. The Yankees... Vince Mercandetti

It's almost like the Yankees spending money short circuits people's brains. Can all that green really cause people to become blind? I guess we're seeing what a poor economy can do to some rationale. Let's get a few things straight about this whole situation. First of all, if Peter Gammons, a known Red Sox supporter, can admit the Yankees aren't "bad for the economy" or "bad for baseball" as some moronic fans seem to want to pin... Vince Mercandetti

Let's be rational, Red Sox Nation. For those of you susceptible to believing the doomsday propechies of media hacks like the Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti, the sky is plunging at an astronomical speed and the Red Sox are bound for third place in the American League East. All because the Yankees have signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, tying up about a half-billion dollars. As an informed and even-keeled Red Sox fan, I am not... Jeff Louderback

Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports wrote that Mark Teixeira's decision to sign with the Yankees was a staggering blow. That he authored this article is no surprise. He is a longtime Boston media personality, and the Boston media is known for its sensationalism. The New York Post has nothing on the New England print and broadcast media.That Teixeira is in pinstripes, and not with the Red Sox, is a shocker - at least to me. I thought... Jeff Louderback