It's going to be a bit of a scaled-back week here at BSMW, as I try to get a few things done, and also recharge a bit heading into the new year.

The Patriots scored a 31-21 win over the New York Jets last night on the Finale of ABC's Monday Night Football. There is some concern however, over the health of Tedy Bruschi who left the game last night with a leg injury. Reports after the game varied a bit, Channel 5 reported it as a "very serious" injury, while on Fifth Quarter, Michael Felger said that Bruschi was laughing and without a wrap in the locker room after the game, while on the same station Steve Burton was trying to make things appear grim, and stir up controversy by questioning Bill Belichick's use of Bruschi on a kick coverage team. On WEEI, Pete Sheppard and company reported that Bruschi was seen walking out of the stadium after the game with a slight limp, but no crutches, and carrying his own bags. On WBCN, Gary Tanguay's crew picked up on Belichick saying that Bruschi's leg "tightened up on him" to indicate that perhaps this wasn't a extremely serious injury.

You can get the stories on the game from both the New England and New York point of view from the following links:

• Patriots Daily Links Page

• New York Sports Pages

The Red Sox have lost out on free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood. No word on when the press conference will be scheduled to spin and discuss it....

Get your Red Sox links below:

Red Sox Daily Links Page

From the weekend, I would be remiss if I didn't point out these two especially egregious examples of the Red Sox and Globe attempting some PR damage control in wake of Johnny Damon signing with the Yankees last week. The first is in an unsigned editorial that appeared on Saturday entitled Steinbrenner's folly. The second, and much worse, is from a character named Sam Allis, and entitled Exit, Stage Left. He opens with a cheap shot that would make Dan Shaughnessy or Ron Borges jealous.

You can't call the departure of Johnny Damon for Yankee Stadium a case of brain drain because there isn't much brain to drain. Any doubts about that were put to rest with the removal of his tresses in a tony Manhattan hair salon, and we now see he closely resembles an early hominid of the Middle Paleolithic Era.

Steve Bulpett reports on the Celtics dropping the first game of their West Coast road swing, 118-111 in Seattle, despite 43 points from Paul Pierce. Shira Springer has the story for the Globe. She also has a look at Delonte West, who appears ready to take his game to another level. You can get the view from Seattle on the game from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle Times. Bulpett's notebook reports that Tony Allen won't be rushing back into action, while Springer's notebook looks at Kendrick Perkins earning his role as a starter.

Check more sports action from the West coast here:

The sports schedule for the weekend is below and to the right, and again, you can click on it, and it will pop into a separate window where you can print it out. I've included events from now through Monday, as I assume most people have Monday off from work.

If you're outside of Boston and looking for what NFL coverage you're going to receive on Saturday, check the maps for the CBS Early Game, CBS Late Game and Fox Coverage.

For the weekend, you can check in here and get links on the following pages:

• Patriots Daily Links Page

• Red Sox Daily Links Page

• New York Sports Pages

• Bay Area Sports Pages

Earlier this week, SI handed out their 2005 Media Awards Bill Griffith and Jackie MacMullan both received mentions in the article.

Susan Bickelhaupt in the Globe talks to Wendi Nix about her possible conflicts reporting sports and being married to Red Sox Co-GM Ben Cherington. Earlier this week, John Molori also had a conversation with Nix on the same topic.

RedSoxNation.net has an interview with Ryen Russillo which was posted last night. Russillo talks about how he got into sports media and what the future holds for him.

The Sports Law Blog has a report on U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, who made a statement before the House of Representatives honoring Steve Belichick for his positive contributions to sports.

Dan Shaughnessy Watch reminds us why the site exists.

Steve DeOssie gets some credit for his claim on SportsFinal last Sunday night claiming that Johnny Damon was offered and would accept a $53 million dollar deal from the Yankees. He had it at 5 years, but Damon himself said it was originally a 5 year offer and he took 4 so he could get to free agency again.

Mike and Mike

Michael Holley and Michael Smith again formed a solid combination working together this week after Dale Arnold took a few days off. On Thursday they had a great show, with a one-two punch of guests that included former Patriots coordinators Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis. Both were great interviews, with a contrast being that Crennel was limited in the contact he can have with the Patriots and his friends there, while Weis talked about how great it is that he is not in competition with the Patriots and thus can root for them, talk to them, and visit them.

C'mon, Guys

It was the week of guest hosts on WEEI, and Friday morning saw the combination of Steve Buckley and Tom E Curran. It was one of the better morning show combos of the week. There was a moment however where I was disappointed that baseball guy Buckley didn't step up and make a correction. A caller just prior to 9:00 AM made the claim that we shouldn't be surprised to see the Red Sox tearing it all down, because John Henry went into Florida, where the Marlins had never won a World Series, won one there and then dismantled the team to save money, and that he was doing the same thing here. The hosts let the statement stand, even though it was Wayne Huizenga who did those things with the Marlins, not Henry. That should have been made clear and not allowed to stand as an unchallenged fact.

What Was He Thinking?

On Thursday came the tragic news that Tony Dungy's 18 year old son had been found dead. At Bill Belichick's press conference in the morning, Steve Burton asked Belichick for reaction on the news. Well, asked might be pushing it, Burton's technique of questioning usually comes in the form of a statement. (That's an issue for another time) In this case it was "Tony Dungy's son died this morning." Belichick then did the best he could to respond to it, expressing sympathy and saying their prayers would be with Dungy and his family.

That query, as awkward as it was, was appropriate. Unpleasant or not, it gave the coach a chance to make a bit of statement from the organization in support of the Dungy family. That was something that Belichick was prepared for.

Now we get to the stunning part. After Belichick answered, Burton followed up with another "statement". He said that "they" said it was a suicide and then proceeded to state the rumored manner of death. Belichick really had no followup for that, how could he? He just added that obviously Burton knew more about it then he did and said it was tragic.

A few things about this...first, at the time of the press conference, it had not yet been officially reported as a suicide. Yet Burton was here, in an official press conference bringing up the topic as fact and then giving totally unnecessary and unconfirmed details, which were speculative. What did he expect from Belichick?

I'm certain that there was no malice on Burton's part. He strikes me as a good guy. But the followup was incredibly thoughtless and comes across as Burton being eager to share that he knows something about the situation that the rest of the people in the room didn't know. That exchange was excised out of the official transcript of the press conference from the Patriots but can be heard on the audio version which is still posted at Patriots.com.

Ordway Knows Basketball

In case you missed it, Glenn Ordway said that Ricky Davis "sucks". Read the rebuttal on the BSMW Full Court Press page. It's clear that Davis does not suck and doesn't even in the last month where Ordway insists that he does, repeating that claim on Thursday. Don't you dare question Ordway's hoop knowledge, or you risk being mocked on the air in the afternoons...

Bradford's Move Working Out

Last week we mentioned the job that Rob Bradford has done since moving to the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune. This week, I asked Bradford how the move has gone, and what the biggest difference he has found in the job.

"The biggest difference is the amount of time and energy I am able to devote to one focus (in this case, the Red Sox). True, between the group of Eagle-Tribune newspapers the circulation is bigger than where I came from. And I think The Trib might have a little higher profile in the Boston circles from the great work done by guys like John Tomase, Hector Longo, Mike Muldoon, Tim Bresnahan, and Bill Burt even before I arrived. But I really think that my job description has changed, and that is the impetus for any perceived change in production.

"I've talked to Mike Reiss about this, since he was in a similar situation. A lot of times we might have a great idea in regards to a Boston-based story, but might not either have the time to execute it because of other responsibilities or would have to do so in addition to helping in the office/laying out the paper/covering locals. It's no knock on anybody, but is just the reality of the job we signed up for.

"The Red Sox are obviously the biggest story on most days of the year around here, and I think credit should be given to the paper's management in embracing that. Now, if I don't hold up my end of the bargain and produce something other than what they can pick up on the wire than the plan won't work. And that brings up another challenge. It's hard not to get sucked into going head-to-head with the Boston papers on the everyday stuff, when a lot of times the real object for the suburban papers is to find the story readers won't find in the Herald or Globe. Sure, sometimes that may be a "scoop" for the big story of the day, but a lot of times it has to be dressing up a Wally the Green Monster outfit.

"The guys are at The Lowell Sun are great, and I miss working with them. But to get a chance at making a dent in one of the nation's most intense beats has been pretty satisfying.

Now I just have to find a way to manage my cell phone bill."

Rumor of the Day

Here's a little tidbit from FoxSports.com in the middle of a piece from Ken Rosenthal:

The Cubs and Orioles also have engaged in three-way discussions with the Red Sox in which Tejada would go to the Cubs and Ramirez to the Orioles, according to another source. The package the Sox would receive is unclear, but conceivably could include Prior, shortstop Ronny Cedeno and center fielder Corey Patterson.

Sports Media Reporters from around the country:
(Many of them seemed to take the week off...)

Phil Mushnick, NY Post - Classic Case of Ill Will

Jim Williams, DC Examiner - From TV to radio, sports options good for the holidays.

Bob Raissman, NY Daily News - On MSG, Thomas is MIA.

William Houston, Toronto Globe and Mail - TSN will take a close look at the feuding, Terrell Owens-like American players.

Tom Hoffarth, LA Daily News - Bowling for dollars suits ESPN fine.

Jay Posner, San Diego Union Tribune - 'MNF' just won't be quite the same.

Have a great weekend...

The Patriots continue their preparation for Monday night's game against the New York Jets in the last Monday Night game to be broadcast on ABC. Christopher Price notes that the loss in Miami last year to the then 2-11 Dolphins is still fresh in the Patriots minds and they don't want a repeat this week. Tom E Curran has a thorough analysis of the Patriots defensive play on first downs this season and how an improvement in that area is probably the single largest reason for their turnaround. Albert Breer also looks at the Patriots success in avoiding giving up the long play as of late. Dan Pires has more on the Patriots resurgent defense. Alan Greenberg notes that the Patriots confidence is building, which as Bill Belichick points out, drives aggressiveness.

Nick Cafardo says that Tedy Bruschi deserves to be a runaway winner of the Comeback Player of the Year award. Who can argue with that? As Nick points out, Tedy could be the comeback player for all time. Ian M Clark examines the Patriots linebacking corps, and sees a whole lot of experience back there which is key to the success of the team. Michael Parente looks at the hard work Josh Miller has put in, which gave him serious consideration for the Pro Bowl for the season he has had this year.

Chris Kennedy's notebook has Bill Belichick offering up some Monday night memories. Hector Longo's notebook observes that the Patriots have been on a record run these last three games. Parente's notebook has Belichick giving credit to Eric Mangini for his role in the defense. In Curran's notebook, he talks to injured safety Guss Scott. John Tomase's notebook has Belichick and the Patriots offering condolences to Tony Dungy on the loss of his son. Cafardo's notebook has Rosevelt Colvin talking about his season and not making the Pro Bowl.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell and Stephen Harris report on the Bruins 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Banknorth Garden last night. Douglas Flynn says yes, that really was the Bruins on the home ice last night. Kevin Paul Dupont believes that for the Bruins to turn things around, it needs to start in net. Mick Colageo looks at the Bruins going with Hannu Toivonen in last night's first game of a crucial home and home series with Toronto.

Karen Guregian looks at the signs that Alexei Zhamnov could be emerging from his season long slump. Fluto Shinzawa has David Tanabe getting over his disappointment at not being named to the Olympic team. Shinzawa also has more on Alexei Zhamnov. Elsewhere, Burrell's notebook has Sergei Samsonov talking about getting Zhamnov going. Flynn's notebook reports on Keith Primeau getting his first goal with the Bruins. Harris' notebook has Brian Leetch making a statement with his three assists last night.

Gordon Edes reports on the Red Sox pursuit of free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood. Michael Silverman reports that the Sox are after both Millwood and seeking a trade for Troy Glaus. Rob Bradford says that life will go on for the Red Sox, and they were prepared for a Damon departure. David Borges explores why the Red Sox media will miss Johnny Damon. Chris Snow's notebook and Silverman's notebook report on the Red Sox signing backup catcher John Flaherty away from the Yankees.

Peter May and Steve Bulpett look at the struggling Brian Scalabrine, who admits that the catcalls from the crowd have started to get to him a little bit. Scott Souza has the Celtics feeling pretty good about themselves going into a short holiday break and onto a long West coast trip. John Howell looks at the broadcasting duo of Heinsohn and Gorman, and how they just keep going and going. Bulpett has a quote from Doc Rivers about Kobe's 62 point game being too easy, and Bulpett's notebook has a few notes on the Celtics who are off until Monday night when they play the Sonics in Seattle.

The New York Sports Pages still have plenty of Damon, and also Jets/Patriots and other items of interest.

Check back around noon for another edition of BSMW SporTView...

The Celtics finally managed to win two games in a row, becoming the last NBA team to achieve that simple mark. They defeated the Utah Jazz 101-89 at TD Banknorth Garden and now sit at 11-14 as they prepare for a tough five game West coast road trip next week. Shira Springer says that the win made for a happy locker room following the game and heading into a bit of a holiday break. Steve Bulpett notes that a few in-game corrections brought about this win for the Celtics. Shalise Manza Young notes the strong play of Delonte West in his first game back from the concussion of Saturday night as a key in the win for Boston. Mark Murphy has more on the play of West, who filled up the box score with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists 3 steals and 2 blocks on the night.

Murphy also looks at rookie Gerald Green remaining patient and saying that his game has improved three seasons worth since he arrived here. Peter May has a look at Utah coach Jerry Sloan, who has been at the helm of the Jazz since 1988, and isn't yet used to having a young, struggling team. You can check the Salt Lake Tribune for more on last night's game from the Utah perspective. Ron Chimelis reports that the grandson of Dr. James Naismith wants to sell the original rules of the game of basketball, which was invented by Naismith for $10 Million dollars. The notebooks focus on Tony Allen, who has apparently suffered another setback from his knee injury and was not in uniform last night. Springer's notebook reports that Allen could be "shut down" for an unspecified period of time. Bulpett's notebook says that Allen will give it a go at practice today to see how the knee reacts. Young's notebook has more on Allen as well as the return of West.

Michael Felger has a look at how veteran cornerback Artrell Hawkins has stepped in off the street and filled the hole at safety for the Patriots who had had a revolving door at the position since losing Rodney Harrison. Michael Parente has more on Hawkins. Cafardo has more on Hawkins role in the new Patriots four corners defense. AP writer Howard Ulman also has a look at Hawkins. Tom E Curran has a look at the Patriots receiving duo of Deion Branch and David Givens and how the pair compliments one another nicely in terms of style.

Alan Greenberg analyzes how Tom Ashworth and Nick Kaczur have filled in for Matt Light, who was finally placed on IR last night, ending his season. Nick Cafardo looks at Tom Brady and Richard Seymour being named to the AFC Pro Bowl team. Chris Kennedy has more on the duo being honored with their third and fourth appearances respectively.Felger looks at Adam Vinatieri's streak of 100 point seasons being put in jeopardy this year. Eric McHugh looks at the Patriots offense getting back in gear.

Cafardo's notebook has more on Matt Light being placed on IR. Curran's notebook looks at the strangely empty injury report for the Patriots. Felger's notebook has more on the Patriots Pro Bowl selections. Parente's notebook also looks at that topic.

Chris Snow and Michael Silverman look at the exit of Johnny Damon from the Red Sox and how this leaves with team with a gaping hole. Tony Massarotti notes that the Red Sox ship seems to be sinking and that this ownership group is setting a bad pattern of letting players leave because of an unwillingness to pay them. Bob Ryan says that we should remember that Damon didn't owe the Red Sox or Boston anything, he was a free man to take the best offer, which is what he did, and we should remember all that he did for the team while he was here. Gordon Edes insists that it didn't have to end this way. Up to a few days ago, even the Yankees didn't think they had a chance at Damon. The Hartford Courant has a whole section of articles devoted to Damon to the Yankees.

Silverman reports that John Henry passed on a final chance to keep Damon in Boston. Rob Bradford says that it is time for plan B for the Red Sox, but we're not sure what that is at this point. Alex Speier writes that the Red Sox are going to have to act quickly to avoid a winter of discontent among their fan base. Jimmy Golen writes on the Red Sox facing life without Johnny. Garry Brown looks at the huge hole facing the Sox in center field. Ron Chimelis has no idea what the master plan is.

Joe Haggerty also writes about the impact of the bearded one leaving Boston. Lisa Wangsness talks to fans angry about Damon leaving for the Evil Empire. Bill Reynolds says Damon will no longer be the fair-haired boy in Boston. Silverman & Massarotti talk to Bronson Arroyo and Terry Francona about the loss of Damon. David Borges wonders just how this all came to take place in this manner, Damon to the Yankees. Steve Buckley (subscription only) looks at the spin going on from the Red Sox after Damon's departure. Art Martone has more on the Red Sox and their insistence that they will be fine despite having no center fielder, leadoff man or shortstop at the moment. Chad Finn gets a shot from the Globe of listing out some possible replacements in center.

Check the stories and reaction from the big apple on the New York Sports Pages. Also, David Scott has a special Damon edition looking at all the media coverage of the events of yesterday.

Snow's notebook has newly signed Rudy Seanez hoping to make amends for his last, brief stop in Boston. Silverman's notebook has the Red Sox expressing interest in Kevin Millwood.

Stephen Harris looks at the importance of the Bruins next two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nancy Marrapese-Burrell notes that Glen Murray misses his linemate and friend Joe Thornton, across the country in San Jose. Mike Loftus and Harris look at Brian Leetch feeling snubbed by the USA Olympic Hockey selections. Harris' notebook has winger Marco Sturm heading for his third Olympics with Germany.

NESN has Bruins/Maple Leafs at 7:00. TNT has Cavs/Bulls at 8:00 and Mavs/Kings at 10:30. ESPN has the Las Vegas Bowl of BYU/Cal at 8:00. ESPN2 has the Poinsettia Bowl of Colorado St./Navy at 10:30.

The Red Sox lost a little more of their Idiot culture last night, as Johnny Damon agreed to a contract with the New York Yankees. It was yet another PR blow for the Red Sox this offseason, and you've got to wonder how they're going to try to soften it.

You can check the links from around New England on the Red Sox Daily Links page. You can also get the reaction in New York on the New York Sports Pages.

Michael Felger has his Patriots Insider, which today has a look at Mike Vrabel who has made a seamless move to inside linebacker. He also has a number of other items, such as speculation among insiders that Bill Belichick's contract might actually run through 2008. Felger admits that that is just a guess, however. Nick Cafardo's Midweek Report has a look at the offensive line, which has been in transition all season. Plenty of snide comments from Cafardo about the "secret" methods used by the Patriots coaches. Eric McHugh says that the Patriots defense is looking more familiar to what we've seen in the past. Michael Parente says that we will see a "different" Jets team this Monday night. Tom E Curran looks at Deion Branch doing some work in the community.

Cafardo's notebook reports that a Matt Light return this season is "iffy". Felger's notebook looks at Patrick Pass winning the Pro Bowl fan voting at fullback. McHugh's notebook says that this week will be a normal week of preparation for the Patriots.

Bob Ryan has a look at the Celtics as they attempt tonight to end their distinction of being the only team in the NBA not to have won two games in a row this season. Mike Fine has a look at how the Celtics are dealing with the loss of Dan Dickau and having Delonte West banged up again. Stepping to the forefront has been Marcus Banks. Steve Bulpett looks at the progress Banks is making...with Doc Rivers right in his ear. Banks says all the right things in admitting that he needs the guidance from his coach. Peter May has more on Banks and the tough love he gets from Doc Rivers.Michael Muldoon also has a look at Banks and his strong return to the Celtics. Bulpett's notebook has Delonte West shaking off the cobwebs from his concussion and practicing with the team. Scott Souza has a look at the Celtics youngsters as they struggle to find some consistency.

Yesterday afternoon on WEEI, Glenn Ordway proclaimed that Ricky Davis "sucks". The BSMW Full Court Press swings into action on this proclamation.

FSN has Celtics/Jazz at 7:30. ESPN has Toledo/UTEP in the GMAC Bowl at 8:00. ESPN2 has a College basketball triple header, with games at 6:00 (St John's/Duke) 8:00 (Illinois/Missouri) and 10:00 (Arkansas/Texas Tech) FSN has North Carolina/Southern Cal at 10:30.

Dan Roche of CBS4 is reporting that Johnny Damon has agreed to a four year deal with the Yankees.

The following is also on the top of the main page for Boston.com:

BREAKING SPORTS NEWS: The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes is reporting that centerfielder Johnny Damon has agreed to a 4-year contract with the Yankees. The agreement is contingent on Damon passing a physical. --Developing

I suspect the Extra Bases and Clubhouse Insider blogs will be updated soon.

Check in on the Red Sox Daily Links page, as the feeds get updated as stories are added.

The New York Sports Pages might be worth keeping an eye on as well. Jon Heyman of Newsday already has the story up - Four years, $52 Million.

As you might expect, SoSH was overloaded when I went there to check reaction.

The Celtics bounced back nicely last night after their dreadful loss in Chicago on Saturday night. At TD Banknorth Garden last evening the 14-10 Warriors were in town, and the Celtics rose to the occasion, especially in the fourth quarter, as the defeated Golden State 109-98. Shira Springer notes that an alley-oop from Paul Pierce to Ricky Davis with just under seven minutes left in the game really sparked the Celtics onto the win. Steve Bulpett credits the work on the offensive glass, which netted the Celtics 27 second chance points as a key to the game. Shalise Manza Young adds that the Celtics did everything that Coach Doc Rivers could've asked of them last night.

Steve Buckley (subscription only) has a look at big Al Jefferson, who while sometimes displaying the game of a man, is still just a 20 year old kid. Buckley notes Jefferson's burning desire to be a great player. Peter May says that it all comes down to rebounding, which is about effort. So it would seem that on the nights that the Celtics put forth the effort, they're successful. So why have they still not won two games in a row yet this season? Lenny Megliola says that the Celtics are in disarray, and the blame starts with the head coach. Bill Reynolds says that it is obvious that the Celtics (and Bruins) just don't count in the way that they used to anymore. The point guards remain banged up for the Celtics. Buckley looks at Delonte West, who was still a little dizzy after his fall in Chicago on Saturday night. Bulpett reports on Dan Dickau undergoing achilles tendon surgery today.

Springer's notebook reports that training camp invitee Will Bynum is having a terrific season in the NBDL.She also looks at the health of the Celtics point guards. Bulpett's notebook has Paul Pierce urging patience, as he realizes it will take time for his young team to learn to play together. Young's notebook has more on the point guard issues. You can get a look at the game reports from out west on the Bay Area Sports Page.

The Patriots are coming off their biggest win and best performance of the season, and are still looking to improve before hitting the playoffs. John Tomase says that for the final two games it is going to be business as usual, with no plans to rest starters extensively. Jerome Solomon says that this is just another week at the office for the Patriots, despite next Monday's game having no real impact on the standings. However, even Bill Belichick has to smile at the improvement of the defense. Joe McDonald notes that the Patriots are hitting their stride, but they have not hit their peak just yet. Alan Greenberg writes that Bill Belichick may have finished his shopping already, but he's still got plenty on his list when it comes to his team. Chris Kennedy has more from Bill Belichick, insisting that this will be a normal week of preparation. Howard Ulman of the AP also says that rest isn't part of the plan this week.

Jonathan Comey says that it was hard to see this kind of turnaround happening, but it has happened...the Patriots are their old selves. The BSMW Game Day Rear View takes a look back at the Tampa game, and says that we're in for another interesting January. Gerry Callahan (subscription only) writes about the pressure that will continue to be on Peyton Manning and the Colts, even though a perfect season is no longer on the line for them. He says that the Patriots performance on Saturday coupled with the Colts struggling in a game they were trying to win, has to breathe new hope into New England fans. This was a very good column from Callahan, who shows again that when he writes sports, he's pretty darn good. Dave Goldberg says we could very well be headed for Pats/Colts III. Eric McHugh notes that while the Patriots may not be looking ahead to the playoffs, the fans and media certainly are. Karen Guregian looks at Tedy Bruschi, who appears to be finally all the way back to vintage Tedy after missing the first part of the season.

Solmon's notebook looks at Patrick Pass winning the fan Pro Bowl balloting at fullback. Tomase's notebook has Bill Belichick savoring the play of his team from Saturday. McDonald's notebook has more on Bruschi's improvement, which has come as no surprise to his teammates. McHugh's notebook looks at some goals and milestones a few individual Patriots could reach in the final two games.

Follow the Jets this week as they prepare for the Patriots on the New York Sports Pages.

Kevin Paul Dupont looks at the USA Hockey team being announced, with no Bruins making the squad. Nancy Marrapese-Burrell and Stephen Harris look at coach Mike Sullivan choosing to give his players some more rest rather than cracking the whip on them.

Tony Massarotti says that Tony Graffanino accepting arbitration has sort of put the Red Sox in a bind, as they do not know exactly what they'll do with him. He also reports that the deal with reliever Rudy Seanez is all but a formality now, and that he should officially be a member of the team this week. David Heuschkel doesn't seem to think it is a done deal just yet, as he reports on the Braves making an offer as well. The Globe notebook reports that Wade Miller will not be back with the Red Sox next year, and looks at other items of business the team has going currently. I'm ignoring a column from He Who Must Not Be Read simply because it's not worth my bandwidth to link to it.

The issue of whether Wendi Nix and her employer, channel 7 face a conflict of interest now that her husband Ben Cherington is a Co-GM of the Red Sox is a topic that has generated quite a bit of discussion as of late. John Molori's Media Blitz explores this topic and talks to Nix about how she feels about the matter.

ESPN has the New Orleans Bowl, with Southern Miss/Arkansas St at 8:00. OLN has Avalanche/Predators at 8:00.

Purely an unscientific guess here, but I think that households across New England yesterday fell on one of two sides while watching the Colts play the Chargers. One part wanted the Chargers to put an end to all the undefeated season talk right then and there for the Colts. The other part, and I believe the larger segment of the two, wanted the Colts to win that game and their next two and finish at 16-0 going into the playoffs. Now I certainly know quite a few people who wanted nothing more than the Colts to do down yesterday. But I think the majority of New England fans were looking forward to a second round matchup between an unbeaten Colts team and a Patriots squad that seems to be finding itself at the right time. The game still has a very good chance of happening, but a little bit of the lustre will have been taken off of the game now that the Colts no longer will be unbeaten. In fact, there's a good chance they lose next week in Seattle as well. The Globe had Nick Cafardo report on the Colts game yesterday, and he looks at the Chargers managing to make the Colts a bit of a one dimensional team, for a day at least.

So what do the feelings of New England fans mean? Did our desire to see the Colts go undefeated mean that WE wanted to be the ones that had a chance to ruin this dream season for Indianapolis? Or were we hoping that the pressure of being 16-0 and being in the playoffs would cause the Colts to feel a bit more strain and increase the Patriots chances of the upset? Does the loss really change anything? Not in the big picture. As noted, it simply takes some of the lustre off a possible second round meeting between the two clubs. It would still be a huge game should it come about, but it has been slightly tarnished by yesterday's results.

For the Patriots, Michael Felger has his Report Card for Saturday's 28-0 win over the Buccaneers. Jerome Solomon looks at the Patriots being able to turn things around in their last three games and takes a peek at the postseason picture. Tom E Curran says that it is just about set in stone that the Patriots will be hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round. Alan Greenberg notes that the Patriots timing appears to be perfect in putting things together just in time for the postseason. Michael Parente agrees that the Pats are peaking at just the right time. Jim Donaldson looks at the Patriots treating another division title as no big deal.

Albert Breer says that feeling is still that the Patriots season will come to an end with that second round game in Indianapolis, but that he wouldn't bet his loose change on it. John Tomase notes that as usual, it is the little things that count, he lists out some small things that were being done wrong earlier in the season, and notes the changes now. Bill Burt says that any Super Bowl hopes that the Patriots still harbor will need to be based on their defense playing as it did Sunday. Christopher Price lists out his 10 things that we learned from Saturday's game. Dan Shaughnessy says that the Patriots are going to beat the Colts in the playoffs. The signature of his column reminds us that he also predicted that the Red Sox would run away with the division this season. Tomase notes that the Buccaneers didn't quite look as good as Bill Belichick made them out to be.

Shira Springer looks at another critical point of the season coming up for the struggling Celtics, who lost by 32 points in Chicago on Saturday night. Mark Murphy says that getting consistent on defense is the Celtics biggest problem right now. Also in Springer's article and in a note from Steve Bulpett is the news that Dan Dickau suffered a ruptured achilles tendon in Saturday night's loss. The Herald also has Ricky Davis doing a great deed for the community.

Steve Conroy has a look at the Bruins, who also lost Saturday night. He notes that the B's have problems with their first line, goaltending and getting off to slow starts, but he also insists there were some positives in the 3-0 loss to the Flames. Kevin Paul Dupont says that the eight day NHL trade embargo for the holiday might be too much for the Bruins and some of their players to bear. Be sure to check out the BSMW Power Play Bruins Blog, where they are looking for your opinion on what the Bruins need right now in order to improve.

Tony Massarotti reports that Tony Graffanino is leaning toward accepting salary arbitration and remaining with the Red Sox. He also reports that the Red Sox and Cleveland have not had substantive trade talks involving Coco Crisp for weeks now. Rob Bradford examines what makes Crisp attractive to Boston.

Michael Vega and Jeff Goodman report on Boston College's 80-53 win over Texas Southern yesterday. Lenny Megliola says that a visit from Texas Southern was just what the doctor ordered for BC. Goodman's notebook looks at Akida McLain getting in sync for the Eagles.

Check out the New York Sports Pages and Bay Area Sports Pages for more NFL, NBA and Hot Stove baseball talk.

FSN has Celtics/Warriors at 7:30. ABC has Packers/Ravens at 9:00. ESPN2 has Pepperdine/Kansas at 7:00 and Indiana/Charlotte at 9:00.

Welcome to the second edition of BSMW SporTView. Last week, the feedback was positive, though a couple people expressed a wish to have a chart of sports events this weekend rather than having me go over each event in the blog entry. The result is the chart to the right below. You can leave it in the entry, or if you click on it, it will pop up into a separate window, which you can leave open on your computer for quick reference. You could also print it out to keep near your TV for the weekend.

Football widows beware, this marks the NFL's first weekend of Saturday/Sunday coverage.

Jim McCabe and Jim Lazar have their weekend NFL picks. You can also check the selections of the Globe sports writers. Double D and I.M. Bettor also look at the action.

Patrick Hanrahan and Steve Britt file fantasy columns.

Ira Miller in the San Francisco Chronicle has a great column looking back at the snow game, and how it changed the lives of so many people involved.

Over the weekend, you can check in on the Patriots Daily Links Page and Game Day Rear View as well as Reiss' Pieces for Patriots updates.

Be sure to also check in on the following:

Red Sox Daily Links Page

BSMW Full Court Press - Good stuff on WEEI's efforts to talk Celtics this week.

BSMW Power Play - Create a Bruins wish list.

Sports Media Reporters from around the country:

Note: some of these may require free registration. The easiest thing to do is use the FireFox browser with the BugMeNot extension...it will fill in all that stuff for you.
• Richard Sandomir, NY Times - Show Proves Less Knicks Is More, More or Less.

• Bob Raissman, NY Daily News - Media now mum on Tiki's sked.

• Neil Best, NY Newsday - Giving MNF a proper send-off.

• Phil Mushnick, NY Post - Tenacious Tom.

• Bill Conlin, Philly.com - Caught in Spin Cycle.

• Jim Williams, Washington Examiner - A-Team tackles Skins-Boys

• Ed Sherman, Chicago Tribune - BMW to drive off with Western sponsorship.

• Barry Jackson, Miami Herald - The good, bad and ugly of '05.

• Michael Hiestand, USA Today - ABC alters studio complexion with celebrity guests.

• Larry Stewart, LA Times - ESPN's Smith Stays Close to USC.

• David Barron, Houston Chronicle - Astros' new road voice won't be named till '06.

• Tom Hoffarth, LA Daily News - SI writer ready to own up to his story.

• Chris Zelkovich, Toronto Star - Skating's TV figures in death spiral.

Anyone else think that it is curious that all four major New York papers have a sports media columnist, while both major papers in Boston have cut theirs in the last year or so?

Media Bits from This Week:

This week's sign of the apocalypse: Bill Simmons, the ESPN Page 2 Sports Guy appeared on WEEI with Dennis and Callahan on Tuesday morning. They were able to joke about Simmons referring to them as "Aryan monoliths" in the past. The appearance was to promote Simmons' local book signings this week. Simmons then spent Wednesday with Michael Felger on ESPN Radio Boston.

If ESPN Radio Boston just had a better signal, I'm convinced they would take some listeners from WEEI. In fact, if I were to create a "plan to beat WEEI" (perhaps a future column) the item at the top of the list would be to get a station with signal strength. This week, The Drive with Mike Felger was very good, with Simmons one day, and Bob Ryan on another. They served as a welcome respite from soap opera sports radio.

The WEEI/Mike Adams studio "takeover" was mildly amusing at times, downright annoying at others. What gets me is that some apparently weren't sure if this was a stunt or not. The station spent weeks setting this up. How about Butch Sterns giving the story attention on the FOX25 news? Not like Butchie has anything to gain from giving the station some more pub.

Good job Butch, you've just earned yourself more Big Show appearances in the coming weeks. Maybe you can put another addition on your house. You did say that WEEI paid for your last one, right?

Trust me, it's no coincidence that Wednesday marked the end of the fall ratings book. Nice little soap opera/publicity stunt that the station pulled to try to make a final push to close out the period. Can't blame them, and as I said, it was mildly amusing at times. Only Mike Adams could pull something like that off for that length of time over a show.

The 2006 WEEI Whiny Awards will be held on February 28th at TD Banknorth Garden.

Wednesday afternoon's Big Show segment with Jamie Most, which had Glenn Ordway telling stories from his days doing Celtics games with Jamie's father Johnny Most, was a true highlight of the week. Great memories and sound clips from my youth, including Johnny setting his pants on fire, and trying to pronounce the names of Yugoslavian players over in Madrid in 1988.

Rob Bradford is kicking butt and taking names at the Lawrence Eagle Tribune. It doesn't always get noticed because of the ET's weird online publishing schedule, but he has been at the front of every story this offseason, including an exclusive with John Henry, the fact that the Red Sox hired a consultant to examine Lucchino's role with the team, the Sox being interested in Jeremy Reed and today's story about a Coco Crisp trade with Cleveland being contingent on Nomar signing with the Indians.

Finally the Boston Globe Reader Panel sent out the following questionnaire recently:

The Boston Globe and Boston.com are considering launching a special online section called Sportsplus in early 2006. Sportsplus would be the essential resource for news, opinions and discussion about New England's sports teams, produced daily by the country's best sports writers. Would potentially include:

a) Daily columns by Bob Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, Jackie MacMullan or other Boston Globe sports columnists
b) Sports feature stories, pre-game and post-game analysis
c) Sports articles from opposing teams' newspaper web sites
d) Daily Blogs such as Reiss's Pieces, Extra Bases and Net Minders
e) Game-time Blog by Boston Globe reporter
f) Blogs by players and managers
g) Opportunities to submit questions and comments directly to Globe sports writers
h) Monthly online chats with sports writers from The Boston Globe
i) MP3 recordings of live interviews
j) An email that alerts you about the subjects of new articles
k) A scrolling banner on the Sportsplus home page that highlights key articles or breaking news
l) Access to archived articles from The Boston Globe, including organized collections of articles
m) Access to archived photos from The Boston Globe, and the ability to create your own photo gallery, screen saver or electronic greeting card
n) Poll other subscribers on subjects chosen by you
o) Opportunities to attend live interviews of players, coaches and managers
p) Opportunities to attend live player panel discussions
q) Opportunities to be in the audience during NESN broadcast tapings
r) Venues for subscribers to meet at games

If this potential product were launched, the exclusive content and access provided through Sportsplus would be available for free to those who subscribe to The Boston Globe printed newspaper. Others could subscribe to Sportsplus for a low monthly or annual fee. Those who do not subscribe to The Boston Globe printed newspaper or the Sportsplus section of Boston.com would no longer have access to Boston Globe sports columnists or the other benefits noted in the previous question through the main Boston.com web site. Based on a fee of $5.95 per month, or $49.95 per year for access to Sportsplus, what would you do?
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While there are some intriguing ideas here, I don't see this going over very well should it be implemented. In fact, some people may rejoice that they can no longer read certain columnists...

The Globe Ombudsman might be a good person to contact to voice your opinion on this.