After months of soul searching, it seems the answer is clear.

Since September of 2011, we have all become privy to A LOT of information regarding the Local 9 and everyone who has ever worked for the team. Things became painfully obvious that these players were not role models, they are not to be revered as the Kings of Boston, and no matter what the Fenway centerfield sign says the number of attendees to the game is, fans are proving this to the team daily.

The Red Sox, the Boston Red Sox, used to be a team. Period. Nothing more to that sentence.

When there was a slump, it was a team effort. The team wasn’t hitting, the pitchers were missing their marks, etc. No one assigned blame to specific names for the most part.

Since “The Collapse”, this team has become a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of “he did it” or “who did it?”.

When the team fell apart, it was Josh Beckett, John Lackey, and Jon Lester eating chicken and swigging beers in the clubhouse. It was Tito Francona popping pills in a hotel room before coming to work.

This year there is no unity on the Red Sox. It is painfully clear everyone is playing in the historic jersey for the paycheck coming in each week. Players don’t seem to enjoy each other for the most part, the players don’t like the manager, the manager is treading lightly so as not to open himself up for a mutiny, the suits don’t care about any of them.

There has been a ton of talk about why exactly Bobby Valentine was ever brought to Boston. It seems the thought was that he would provide some flair and take the heat off of the players a bit, which he hasn’t, and I don’t blame him.

Adrian Gonzalez is starting to be picked apart for not doing a damn thing when a leader is needed on or off of the field. This isn’t San Diego amigo and for the paycheck you are getting, you better start to figure out how things work in Boston.

Josh Beckett continues to do simply stupid things. “My thumb hurts, I am going to my own doctors” ended up being nothing but a simple complaint with no merit. Now his lat (“the whole lat”) is the problem but he is out playing golf two days before he skips his start due to that injury. But hey, his 2-3 record with a 4.45 ERA should hold his spot in the lineup, right?

Will Middlebrooks was called up while Kevin Youkilis hit the DL and in six games the kid has batted .346 with three homers and 9 RBI. Youkilis, in the 18 games he played has hit .219 with two homers and 9 RBI. Yet, Middlebrooks is already being told that when Youk returns, he gets his spot back automatically.

If you look at the Red Sox stats so far for the season, only four players are hitting better than .300, David Ortiz, Ryan Sweeney, Middlebrooks, and Dustin Pedroia.

Is it a case of players getting fat and happy with their long, overpaid contracts? Most likely. Papi usually seems to be exponentially better in a contract season and this continues to ring true in 2012 with his team leading seven homers and 23 RBI.

It is time the Red Sox cut ties with the dead weight on this team. Changing things up and finally admitting that this is what they are doing is exactly what this team needs to do. If they simply trade players like they did with Marco Scutaro in the offseason and call it a salary dump, fans won’t get it. If you trade away the cancerous parts of your organization, which will undoubtedly cost them a lot of money and continue the trend of Boston paying for players to play against them, and call it that, real baseball fans will understand.

This 2012 Red Sox team issue goes much deeper than the sport and the city. This team is absolutely UNLIKABLE and the fact that they are 12-18 with only four wins at home out of 14 tries only pushes for closure.

Ben Cherington needs to put the ax blade to the grinder and get to work and tell the fans and media what he is doing. Put some fear in the hearts of the team, if they even care.

It’s time to cut off the fat and gut the gutless.

It’s time for a new era in Boston baseball.

In just about any series that gets to a Game 6, things always seem to be in favor of the team that has the 3-2 advantage. Winning back-to-back (or back-to-back-to-back for the Hawks who were down 3-1) crucial games for the team down 3-2 just seems an almost impossible accomplishment.

The Celtics are hoping to holy hell that this rings true tonight.

To most Boston fans and those in Vegas, Game 5 was somehow favored to the Hawks following the drudging the C’s put on Atlanta in Boston in Game 4. Vegas had Boston GETTING 1.5 points, which worked out for the Green (pun intended) with the Celtics losing Game 5 by a single point in a crazy final 10 seconds.  If you decide to bet on the Celtics in Game 6, you better believe home court will be a factor.

With each player in the lineup having shown glimpses of greatness, most of the talking heads of the NBA media have started to put Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat already.

There is no doubt tonight will be a huge test for both the Celtics and Hawks. Game 6 will either clinch the series for Boston and give them a few days to rest before the next series or it will give Atlanta a massive sway of the momentum heading back to Atlanta for Game 7, and no one can like those odds for Boston.

We can only hope that the Big 4 (3.5? What are we calling them these days?) realize the dire need to win tonight’s game and put it all on the floor at home with a raucous crowd and get one win closer to raising Banner 18.

The picture that started it all for Strasberg.

If you are a fan of baseball and baseball history, then Baseball Fantography: A celebration in snapshots and stories from the fans is a must have for you.

This creation by Andy Stasberg is the true definition of looking at the history of the game both on and off the field. With pictures of many of the most fan favorite players of the past decades, all caught doing something other than playing baseball, this book for all ages really covers all avenues of the sport and it’s characters.

From the pictures of Babe Ruth’s gravestone to a 1975 picture of Willie McCovey with the San Diego Padrettes, Jim Rice blowing Bazooka bubbles, Don Zimmer and his wife in front of their Christmas tree, Mickey Mantel doing his best Munster impression to, of course, the fabled Fenway Park manually operated scoreboard, this book gives you a behind the scenes visual to mthe fun of the sport of baseball.

This book is more than a rental or one to download on your Nook, it is a visual masterpiece that will certainly be a conversation piece for any sports enthusiast. No fan of the history of the game of baseball can truly boast a complete collection without this literary treasure.

UNFORGETTABLE IMAGES OF OUR NATIONAL PASTIME

BY THE FANS. FOR THE FANS.

BASEBALL FANTOGRAPHY

A CELEBRATION IN SNAPSHOTS AND STORIES FROM THE FANS

To see samples of the snapshots, please visit address www.Fantography.net.

The two cases of Tommy John surgery opens up two slots in the rotation and unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the Boston media has full on hit the panic button.  Ben Cherington, completely handcuffed by the ownership made only token offers to Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt and instead hit the bargain bin and signed a series of what his predecessor referred to as “low-risk high-reward” signings.  That basically means that he signed a ton of pitchers who are either washed up or never lived up to their potential and hopes that one of them will pan out.

Given that Daniel Bard is the likely fourth starter, having converted to a starter after three dominant seasons out of the bullpen, there is only one spot in the rotation left open.  Injuries, mostly minor, have left only a few likely candidates for the remaining slot and so we’ll take a look at those who are still in the running.

Aaron Cook:

(Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis)

In what was apparently a salary dump, Ben Cherington traded Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies for Aaron Cook.  While the merits of trading your starting shortstop for a hopeful fifth starter with a career 4.53 ERA and who went 3-10 with a 6.03 ERA last year are rather questionable, Cook is now in the running for the fifth spot.  Red Sox fans may remember Aaron Cook as the man who pitched game four of the 2007 World Series for the Rockies.  Primarily a sinkerball pitcher, he also features a workable slider and an occasional curveball.  Cook’s best year was undoubtedly 2008 in which he went 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.344 WHIP, which earned him a spot at the All-Star game.  That said, he’s been on a slide every year after that with his ERA increasing by almost a run each year.  Leaving Coors field and moving to a different league may help him a little, but I still don’t expect Cook to contribute very much to the team.  At best, he may be a functional fifth starter, what he has been for pretty much his whole career. At 33, he’s not going to get much better.

Andrew Miller:

Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Red Sox signed the former first round pick last year and became enamored with his stuff.  Bringing him up to fill in an injury rattled rotation, Miller met mixed results.  The 6’7 left hander’s best start came August 25 against the Texas Rangers in which he went 6.1 shutout innings against the Texas Rangers giving up only three hits, walking two, and striking out six.  His worst start was his next, a week later also against the Rangers in which he went only one out into the second inning and was shelled for six runs before being pulled.  All told he finished last year with a 6-3 record and a 5.54 ERA.  The potential is there for Miller.  His fastball hits 95, but flattens out and becomes difficult to control at that speed.  His secondary pitches, a slider and a rare changeup, also have promise but he sometimes loses all ability to locate them.  Control is probably his biggest issue; he has a 5.4 BB/9 career rate.  He’s only 26, so he has growing to do, but he’s had 6 seasons in the league now and has failed to post an ERA under 5 in all but one season.  The window is closing on Miller and as he ages he will go from untapped talent to washed-up.  Also hurting Miller’s case is an elbow sprain that has kept him from the spring games.  Will he finally live up to that potential this year?

Vincente Padilla: 

Seems like Padilla has been around forever doesn’t it?  At 34, without a doubt the firey Nicaraguan’s best days are behind him.  The last time he was an All-Star, the best players on the Sox were still Nomar and Pedro.  Still, perhaps the front office is attempting to emulate the necromantic success the Yankees had last season when they were able to call forth the careers of Colon and Garcia from beyond the grave.  To be fair, Padilla has had a better history of success than Cook or Miller.  From 2002-2003 he won 28 games with 261 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.45 to go with a nice 1.227 WHIP.  He was the Dodgers opening day starter as recently as 2010 and he is certainly entertaining, if nothing else.  Padilla throws a good fastball that sits around 93-94 to go with a 70 mph curve and, best of all, a 50 mph eephus pitch.  That’s correct ladies and gentlemen, Padilla will occasionally loft up a 50 mph offering in hopes of freezing the batter.  Hey, it worked beautifully against Mauer back in Padilla’s spring debut on March 5^th.  The biggest issue with Padilla, other than his age of 34, is that he has a bad attitude.  He lead the league in hit batsmen back in ’06 and his antics on the mound have started more than one fight.  Other than that, he’s had trouble staying healthy and has only started 16 games in the past two years.  Best case scenario?  He throws a 4.25 ERA, wins 10 games, and only starts one or two fights.  Hopefully with the Yankees.  For a 5^th starter, I’ll take that any day.

Junichi Tazawa:

AP Photo

An outside shot at the rotation, Tazawa, unlike the previous pitchers mentioned here, could actually be considered a prospect.  Dominating in the Japanese Corporate league after high school, Tazawa skipped the Nippon Professional Baseball draft in order to come directly to America and signed with the Sox at the tail end of 2008.  During the injury-plagued 2009 campaign, he went on to start a few games for the Sox, the highlight being six shutout innings against the Yankees with only two walks and two Ks on August 22.  Tazawa also made a few relief appearances last year, having missed all of 2010 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.  His stuff is promising, he throws a low nineties fastball, with fairly good command, an average curveball, a slider, and a forkball that can be devastating.  If Tazawa can stay healthy and avoid the Daisuke issue of nibbling at the plate, he can be an effective 5^th starter.  If not, it will be back to the minor leagues for some more seasoning, where he has performed very well thus far. He is, after all, only 25.

Felix Doubront:

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Last but not least is my favorite to make the rotation, Felix Doubront.  The Red Sox seem to like the cut of this tall left hander with the 94 mph fastball.  Doubront has shown promise; he posted a 4.32 ERA back in 2010 over 12 games including 3 starts and averaged a promising 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.  Last year he met with a few hiccups in relief, ending with a 6.10 ERA, yet he only pitched 10.1 innings and if you take away the September 4 appearance against Texas, his ERA becomes 3.6.  Other than a good fastball, Doubront throws an impressive changeup and a curveball that is absolutely filthy when he can control it.  If Valentine is smart he’ll hang on to Doubront and if I were in charge he’d be my pick for the 5^th starter.  While Padilla might fare better, Doubront has more potential and is still only 24.  It’s hard to make a prediction for a guy who’s only made three career starts, but I firmly believe that if he becomes everything he can, he could one day be a solid 4^th or 5^th starter for the Red Sox.  Heck, he may even become a 3^rd starter one day.

Who knows?

Holy crap, huh?

The Denver Broncos have agreed to a deal with free agent Peyton Manning for five years at a staggering $96 million dollars.

Let that sink in…

(Cue muzak)

OK.

$96M over five years breaks out to $18M in 2012, $20M in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and $19M in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Um, yea. That just happened.

Mind you the fact that Peyton Manning has no played contact football in a year and a half. He has nerve issues that could never heal or heal perfectly, or be career (or even life) threatening at the wrong hit.

And then there is Tom Brady. The Golden Boy, New England’s God, the only guy in New England loved by dudes and chicks alike.

In 2010, the New England Patriots extended Brady’s deal four years for $72 million (average of $18M per season). Sure, that’s not chump change… unless you’re Peyton Manning.

That deal covers the Patriots QB through 2014, when he will be 37 years old.

Brady had made it very clear at the onset of that extension that he plans on playing football until he is 40 years old.

Undoubtedly, this statement has been ringing in the back of Manning’s head when he probably threw a fifth year across the table at John Elway. Why is that fifth year so important? Manning turns 41 on March 24, 2017. Meaning the fifth year he is 40 years old for the entirety.

Brady is one year younger than Manning and certainly has less health issues at this point in his career. One could argue that Brady’s magic number would now become 41 year of age to dual out Manning and both contractually finish in the league at the same time.

The Tampa Bay Rays haven’t flown under anyone’s radar since the improbable run to the World Series in 2008. And with a Wild Card berth last year you would think they’d still be considered a force to be reckoned with.

But with a media circus following Bobby Valentine’s every move and the Yankees being… well… the Yankees, it’s easy to miss just how good the Tampa Bay Ray’s look heading into 2012. And that’s just the way they like it.

Lineup

The reason the Rays were able to snag the wild card in 2011 was a result of just about anything other than their line-up (707 runs scored). The anemic offense only produced a .244 team batting average, which was worse than any team in the majors, save for the Seattle Mariners.

The consistency and power this line-up does have is generally channeled through Evan Longoria, but with Longoria posting a dismal average of .244 in 2011, the line-up struggled to keep any consistency through the season. Longoria will have to establish himself as the .300 hitting, 30+ home run belting hitting machine that the fans, front office, and coaches all know he can be.

If Longoria can put it together for 2012 he’s still going to need some help, and he may find it in the electric Desmond Jennings. Jennings came on strong in August of last year (.333, 7 HR, 9 SB), and could be looked to for a much needed spark at the top of this line-up.

Rotation

The true strength of this team in 2012 is going to be the depth and poise of this young pitching staff, and it starts with ace lefty David Price. With two 200+ inning seasons under his belt David Price will look to cement himself as one of the most reliable lefties, if not overall pitchers, in the majors in 2012.

Behind him will be a cast of veterans and youth that should supply innings, quality starts, and depth to a rotation that may very well be one of the best in the league in 2012.

“Big Game” James Shields locks down the number two spot in the rotation, and with his filthy change-up, provides a solid one-two punch with Price. Beyond that is last year’s Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson, and many writer’s favorite for Rookie of the Year in 2012, Matt Moore.

With Jeff Niemann (11 – 7, 4.06 ERA in 2011) and Wade Davis (11-10, 4.45 ERA in 2011) rounding out the cast of possible 5^th starters this has the potential to be one of the best starting rotations in 2012.

They will certainly need the depth in the rotation, as this bullpen looks prone to streaks and getting overworked.

Bullpen

Kyle Farnsworth has always had closer velocity, and with career bests in ERA (2.18) and Saves (25) in 2011 it would seem he’s finally combined that velocity with some consistency. However the history books are littered with flame-out flame-throwers failing to repeat results as a closer from year to year.

Setting up Farnsworth will be Fernando Rodney, but with the emergence of Joel Peralta last season (2.93 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 8.1 SO/9) don’t be surprised to see Peralta get a chance at setting up Farnsworth the moment Rodney (1.69 WHIP in 2011) begins to get himself into trouble.

Another instrumental part of this bullpen will be it’s middle relief, and no pitcher’s rebound is more important for the Rays than J.P. Howell whom had a rough season in 2011 after returning to action for the first time since 2009. When Howell is on, he has demonstrated the ability to be one of the toughest bullpen lefties in the league (9.9 SO/9, 2.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP between the ‘08-’09 seasons).

But in 2011, Howell failed to even show a glimpse of that kind of arm, posting an atrocious 6.16 ERA and an even more unsettling 1.57 WHIP.

Prediction

With Hellickson and Moore slated to get a lot of innings in 2012 it’s anyone’s guess as to whether their young arms will be able to carry the workload and help this team pitch it’s way into another playoff berth. In 2008 the Rays had 4 starters go wire to wire with no injuries. I don’t see that happening with this 2012 squad.

Price and Shields should provide quality starts more often than not, but Hellickson and Moore could be asked to carry too much of the slack beyond the top two spots in the rotation and could expose this already suspect bullpen that can ill afford to be getting into games earlier than the seventh inning.

On top of all of that, residing in a division with two of the most patient line-ups in baseball in the Yankees and Red Sox certainly won’t help that cause.

 Final: 89 – 73 (3^rd Place)

Another season removed from the post Vernon Wells era, and the Mike Napoli error, the 2012 Toronto Blue Jays look to make a name for themselves in the AL East that isn’t preceded by “4^th place” or “perennial basement dwellers”.

2011 was a solid step in that direction, finishing 81-81 on the season. But can John Farrell continue to mold this once one-dimensional team into a fundamentals first, speed machine that will give pitchers fits? Or will this be yet another Blue Jay team that prays to the altar of the long ball?

Line-up

While the bats of the Blue Jays have been traditionally mighty, there has been a changing of the guard ever since John Farrell put on his Jay’s uniform. It could be argued that he’s the most important body in a Jay’s uniform in 2012.

His background as a pitching coach has turned this swing-first-ask-questions-later team into a group of smart hitters and base runners. In 2011 the Blue Jays finished with over 100 stolen bases for the first time in a decade. This is part of a philosophy of disrupting pitchers by making them throw more and giving them more to think about on the hill.

This strategy has some serious upside for this club in 2012 and beyond, but it relies heavily on this line-up being more disciplined, consistent, and productive at the plate.

Rotation

With a one-two punch like Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow it’s not unforeseeable that this rotation turns out to be better than people are expecting. The success of this rotation is going to depend on whether or not pitchers can stay sharp for five or six innings a game on a regular basis.

While Romero and Morrow are excellent pieces for this rotation, it’s only Romero that has the make-up to go the distance. Romero has pitched over 200 innings in both of his full seasons in the majors, whereas Morrow has yet to record a 200 inning season yet. Working against Morrow is his bread and butter (10.2 Ks per 9 in 2011), but if he can reduce his walk totals there could be some room to be a threat to go seven innings more often.

 Bullpen

The true strength of the Toronto Blue Jays over the past 5 years has been there ability to produce a deep, versatile, and effective bullpen. The one struggle that seems to eclipse the strength of this bullpen is the starters lack of quality starts and the inevitable overuse of any and all arms available in the bullpen.

With Sergio Santos shutting the door (13.1 K per 9 and 30 saves in 2011 w/ White Sox) and Fransisco Cordero setting him up (1.02 WHIP last year, his lowest since 2002) there are serious reasons to respect, fear, and bank on this bullpen. It all comes down to how the starters in before them preform.

 Prediction

There are some real reasons to be excited about this team, but most of them aren’t looking like they’re quite ready to gel yet. Combine the youth up and down this roster with the fact that the Jays dwell in the AL East and there isn’t much sense in seeing the Jays get past 4^th place in this division.

 Finish: 83- 79 (4^th Place)

Andrew Bailey:

We’ll start by examining the biggest player acquisition made this offseason. Bailey has the makings of an elite closer.  He won Rookie of the Year back in ’09 and was an All-Star in both 2009 and 2010.  His best pitch is his fastball, hands down.  It sits in the mid-to-upper 90’s, moves well, and he can put it wherever he wants.  Second is a low 90’s cutter that he often throws for the K.  Finally is a pretty good curveball that he uses mainly to keep hitters off balance.  At only 27, Bailey is one of the best young closers in baseball and should prove to be a force in the Boston bullpen.  The trick of course is staying healthy.  He has hit the disabled list more than once in his young career and for the Red Sox to get the stable closing presence they need, they are going to need him to stay off of it.  The second caveat is the man that Bailey is replacing.  Though he had rough patches last year, one Robert Andino comes to mind, Jonathon Papelbon was one of the best closers in baseball.  Can Bailey replace Papelbon?  That remains to be seen.

Mark Melancon: 

In another attempt to fix last year’s horrific bullpen, one of the first moves Ben Cherington made this offseason was trading Jed Lowrie for Houston’s closer, Mark Melancon.  Red Sox fans may remember Mark Melancon from his early days as “the next Mariano Rivera”, a title that has been given to just about every new Yankee reliever regardless of talent or experience.  Last year was Melancon’s first in the league fulltime, posting an impressive 2.78 ERA, 8.0 strikeouts per 9 innings, and a nice even 20 saves over 71 games.  He’s got a good fastball which hovers in the low to mid 90’s and a lot of movement, but where he really shines is his curveball.  He throws it in the low to mid 80’s and it is as good as anyone’s, a devastating out pitch.   Melancon, according to numerous scouting reports, also has a phenomenal pitcher’s makeup, meaning he’s confident and tough as nails.  If all goes well, the Melancon-Bailey combo could be one of the top in the AL.

Cody Ross: 

Anybody who followed the San Francisco Giants in their improbable rise to world champions 2 years ago knows the name Cody Ross.  His postseason performance, especially in the ALCS in which he hit .350 with 3 homeruns, 3 doubles, and 5 RBIs against some of the best pitchers in the game, was among the best in recent memory.  He’s not a star by any means, his best season was probably 2009 in which he hit .270 with 24 homeruns and a .790 OPS, but he’s a solid right handed hitter who has a penchant for coming up big in the clutch.  More importantly, Ross has grit.  He’s a scrappy, likeable guy who, by all reports is fitting in easily in the Red Sox clubhouse already.  He’s exactly what this team needs in the outfield, especially given last year, someone who will work for whatever he gets.  I am a big fan this signing.

Ryan Sweeney: 

The other player acquired by the Red Sox in the Josh Reddick trade is, in many ways the opposite his probable platoon partner, Cody Ross.  He’s 6’4 225 lbs to Ross’ 5’10 195 lbs.  He hits left, Ross hits right.  While Ross will surprise in spite of his smaller frame, the giant Sweeney’s season best homerun total is 6.  What Sweeney will do, however is hit for average with a nice career average of .283.  One thing Sweeney does have is potential.  He’s still only 27 and he was regarded as the best prospect in the White Sox farm back in ’07.  If the keen eyes of Bobby Valentine or Dave Magadan can tweak his swing to get more power out of that hitter’s build, he could become a force.  Remember, before he fixed his swing in 2010 the most home runs in a season Jose Bautista had ever hit was 16.  Not to say Sweeney will see that drastic of a jump at the age of 29 like we saw with Bautista, but you never know when something will click.

(Globe Staff Photo/Wendy Maeda)

Bobby Valentine:

I saved the best for last.  I am a big fan of Bobby V.  Following the collapse of the 2011 Red Sox and the very revealing interview of Jon Lester in which he stated that because Francona was so laid back the players took advantage of him, the owners went out and got the complete opposite to be the new manager of the 2012 team.  Critics will say that Bobby Valentine is a loud mouthed, egotistical, show off who will be very poor at handling his players and will be constantly offending and butting heads with his players.  They may be right.  Bobby is a bit of a narcissist; he’s gone so far as to claim he invented the wrap sandwich.   But what everyone can agree on is that he is one of the keenest minds in baseball today.  He can often detect flaws in the mechanics of pitcher and hitter alike and when he was an analyst for ESPN his comments were generally quite incisive and pointed.

While I loved Francona, I would peg him as the best manager in Red Sox history, it was a change that needed to happen.  Valentine is as different from Francona as it gets and already players are noting that the spring training drills and games all have a sense of urgency to them.  We won’t know if this is an effective coaching maneuver until the season starts.  Hopefully it will allow the Sox to avoid the slow start that has crippled them the past two years. But I like that he’s making them work.

There weren’t too many changes to the roster this year, but that’s a good thing.  As awful as 2011 ended, the Sox were the best team in the game from April 14^th to August 31^st.  The talent is still there.  The only thing they really changed up was the attitude.  And after last year, that’s what really needed a shake up.

Might Pierce be the best bang for the buck? Does anyone want him? Are his 2.5 years worth giving up young talent for another team?

Call me biased, but it makes sense.

As I wrote the other day, trading Rajon Rondo should be the furthest idea from a possibility. His young talent, athleticism, and pure leadership when he is being treated right is unmatched.

The whole effort of the Celtics for the past four seasons has been to let Rondo spend time with The Big Three and learn leadership. He has done that but has not been allowed to shine, knowing that his team is getting older around him and knowing that “bridge years” will be his best years. One could also assume it is pretty difficult to lead a team when you are constantly being the main conversation for a trade.

Pierce has two more years left on his contract after this year. His skills are variably where they have been in past years despite his 34 years of age. Any team looking for that final piece to fulfill the puzzle should be making offers for him.

Of course, this is not a popular opinion. Pierce is the longest tenured current Celtic. Long-time Captain of the team. Stuck with us through the good times and bad. Dealt with Antoine Walker. The man’s a saint.

But his ability to add to what he can to other teams make him the Celtics’ most valued asset, hands down. His scoring and leadership are not going to help this team get anywhere this year and he will only get older over the next two.

The easy out to this trade conversation to start building for the future to trade away Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen. However, it is painfully obvious that KG is not worth very much on the market and Ray Allen is borderline. I am sure the Celtics are seeing offer for both but nothing worth becoming a lottery team.

It’s almost inevitable, especially by writing this piece, that the Celtics don’t move Pierce and trade Rondo for who-knows-what. Unfortunately, trading Rondo may only be the second worst decision Danny Ainge has ever made (see: Perkins, Kendrick).

Going into the 2012 season there are very few reasons to be excited if you’re an Orioles fan. But to be clear, there are still things to be excited about.

 Lineup

The power supply is certainly in this line-up, even if it’s a tad inconsistent (especially to compete in the AL East). But with Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, and Adam Jones  there is certainly some consistency to be had in the top of this order.

The problem lies in Mark Reynolds (.221), Chris Davis, (.255), and Matt Weiters (.261) driving in those ducks on the pond.

Even with Reynolds running into 37 home runs, he was one of the least efficient sluggers in baseball (Just 86 RBIs), and continued his streak of leading the league in strikeouts with 196 (only 75 BB).

This line-up will have trouble finding any consistency if someone can’t become the RBI machine in the 4 spot that they need (All of Baltimore is looking at you Mr. Wieters).

Now onto the bad news. (Wow… That was the good news?)

 Rotation

This rotation may be one of the worst in the majors on paper.

With Brian Matusz coming off of a dismal year (1-9 with an ERA of 10.69), there doesn’t seem to be anyone ready to pick up the slack.

Tsuyoshi Wada brings some fresh blood to this rotation, but the 5’11″ 170lb lefty is 31, and has a form that conjures the specter of old friend of the Sox Casey “Eat More Donuts” Fossum.

The rotation behind these two consists of some youthful arms with upside that still haven’t really shown that upside.

The most intriguing of which is former Ranger, Tommy Hunter whom is one year removed from posting 13 wins and a 3.73. Hunter has the form of an innings eating horse at 6’3″ 280lbs, with some polishing he could be the cement this rotation needs.

 Bullpen

There isn’t a lot to look at in this department, but the few proven arms hanging around the bullpen this season all seem to have something to prove.

Kevin Gregg is back as the de facto closer. With some success in this role, it’s his job to lose. As far as who’ll be gunning for Gregg’s job it’ll be between perennial set-up men; lefty Darren O’Day and righty Matt Thornton.

With Darren O’Day healthy (6-2, 0.88 WHIP in ’10) and Matt Thornton a WHIP machine last year (1.35) O’Day will be first in line to snatch any save opportunities not slotted for Gregg

 Prediction

The Buck Truck had some serious bright spots last year, even if it was as a spoiler rather than contender. But notorious hard-ass Buck Showalter will have himself a slightly more confident group to mold in 2012.

That being said, they are in a division with Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay. Not to mention Toronto has made strides in reshaping that ball club into a new entity. Something that Baltimore has only done in the uniform department this year. (Sweet unis though)

Finish: 73 – 89 (Last Place)