Everyone Has Hope Today

It's Opening Day today, ladies and gentlemen. Hope you all enjoy the day. I'll stop in at Professor Thom's with my Red Sox friends to usher in the 2011 season. Unfortunately, I have to leave after the first three innings or so, as I have a background acting gig in a movie tonight in Times Square.

Thankfully, I'll have my cell phone to follow the conclusion of the Red Sox game in Texas.

Let's do it!

Old Hoss Wishes You a Happy Opening Day

My buddy Pete Nash has a great retrospective of Opening Day pictures, including a great one of Old Hoss Radbourn flipping the bird to the camera (top row, far left) on Opening Day, 1886.

Check it out at Deadspin.

Bill Madden is a Big Fat Idiot

Most baseball pundits are picking the Red Sox in 2011 to win the World Series, AL Pennant or AL East (or some combination of the three). I am as optimistic as just about any of them.

But of course, you'll always have your doubters, and in that category is one Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. (I also realized I hadn't added anyone to my "Big Fat Idiot" series in nearly two years. Welcome to the club, Billy.)

I have never been a fan of this writer. He's been a professional Red Sox basher since the 1980s. He's gone out of his way to rip the club, whether they have deserved it or not. And for some reason beyond my comprehension, they actually inducted this guy into the Hall of Fame last year in the writer's wing. (Wonder who he paid off to make that happen?)

But Madden has taken his Sox bashing to a new level this spring.

He is actually picking the Red Sox to finish third in the AL East, behind even Tampa Bay.

Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays, who got slaughtered in the free agent market last year, losing Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and their whole bullpen, and were forced to trade Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, and they will finish ahead of the Red Sox, according to this guy.

Madden has the Red Sox winning just 88 games, and that's one game less than they won in their injury-riddled 2010 season. (Most pundits have the Red Sox in the 95-102 games won area.)

So let me get this straight, Billy boy. The Sox add Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler, and get back Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Jacoby Ellsbury from a year lost to injuries, and they will win one less game?

What the hell has Madden been smoking? Nothing probably. He just likes going against the Red Sox. I don't say that every New York sportswriter is biased against the Red Sox, but Madden has shown over the years he has no use for the team. For whatever reason.

So, you want a good laugh? Read this.

I can't wait to see the Red Sox stick it to this asshole come October.

Your 2011 Opening Day Lineup

For tomorrow afternoon at Texas. Courtesy of Extra Bases:

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Carl Crawford LF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
David Ortiz DH
Mike Cameron RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Marco Scutaro SS
Jon Lester P

J.D. Drew sits with C.J. Wilson on the mound, as he is particularly tough on lefties.

Lineup's still pretty damned good.

My Old Stomping Grounds Is Now...

The home of the MLB Fan Cave.

The former site of Tower Records Greenwich Village on the corner of East 4th Street and Broadway is now the new home of the "MLB Fan Cave."

You may have heard that two people would be picked to watch every single MLB game in 2011 (2,430 in all plus the playoffs), and be paid to do it, too. It's called "MLB Dreamjob." I had more than a few people encouraging me to enter it, but I would have to give up my Trivia Night and background acting jobs in order to do it, so I passed.

Mike O'Hara and Ryan Wagner were selected, and will be watching the games on 15 TVs at the former Tower store. It will include a pool table, bar, '50s diner, memorabilia museum, fantasy baseball counter, and pitch-speed tester.

Well, at least they are putting the old Tower site to good use. I'll have to stop by and check it out.

That location is also where I watched Dave Henderson hit the home run in the 9th inning of Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS, and it's also where I was when the Red Sox took a 5-3 lead in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the World Series two weeks later. (Sure doesn't seem like 25 years ago.)

Good luck, gentlemen.

As The Bell Is About To Ring For 2011

My friend Adam, who I have quoted many times on this blog, sent me his thoughts on the Red Sox for 2011 today, and I thought I'd pass them along to you.

I still see the AL East as a close three-team race. A lot will depend on injuries.

The Sox look good on paper. But they still have question marks (all teams do). Here are a few:

(1) Boston's line-up is overwhelmingly left-handed. While this is not generally a problem (most pitchers are right-handed), the AL East is home to some of the better lefties in the AL: Cash Cow, Price, Romero, Cecil, and Matusz. Also, it makes the Sox susceptible to left-handed relief match-ups in big spots.

(2) The rotation. This has been mentioned before, but a lot will depend on how well Beckett and Lackey bounce back. Lester is legit and I don't see Dice-K as a problem. While Buchholz is good, I don't expect his results to be as good as they were in 2010. If all goes well, the Sox could have one of the top rotations in baseball. Even if Beckett and Lackey struggle, Boston's rotation should still be good--but maybe not as good as the other AL contenders' rotations.

(3) The bullpen. They look good on paper. But bullpens are tough to predict. How good are Paps, Jenks, and Wheeler? Wheeler is a pretty extreme fly ball pitcher. How well will he do at Fenway? Jenks had good secondary numbers last year. He was hurt by BABIP, which could be bad luck (although his LD rate was up). As for Paps, who knows? Dannys Reyes is a LOOGY. However, his numbers against lefties last year weren't great (5.21 BB/9 v. left-handed hitters). Albers is nothing special.

The Sox do appear to have bullpen depth in the minors, though. Atchison, Aceves, and Doubront are decent pitchers.

(4) Catcher. Jarrod Saltalamacchia/Jason Varitek. 'Nuff said. If Salty can play average defense and OPS around .750, the Sox will be OK at the position. He's no lock to do either. His career OPS is .701.

(5) Defense. Drew, Crawford, and Pedroia (assuming no loss of range due to last year's injury) are good defenders. Gonzalez is good, but not as good as Youk, at 1B. Youk isn't likely to be as good as Beltre was at 3B last year. Scutaro is average at best at short. So far in his career, Ellsbury is a better corner OF defender. Salty has been solidly below average at catcher. There's a chance that the Sox may be below-average defensively at three premium positions: C, SS, and CF. I'd really rather see Lowrie start at SS. He has much more upside than Scutaro, and I don't see him getting more than 250 AB as a "super sub" (assuming everyone is healthy).

Overall, if healthy, the Sox should be a lock for 95-97 wins. Last year's team was decimated by injuries, had a historically bad bullpen, a poor defense, and still won 89 games, despite a struggling Beckett and Lackey. While I don't see this year's team as being that much better than last year's team on paper (except in the pen and bench--Cameron, McDonald, Lowrie, and Tek are a great bench), the Sox would have won the division if they hadn't lost so many good players to injuries. So if they're healthy this year, I expect them to win the East.

Trivia Q&A: March 29

We had a lighter crowd than last week, with 13 teams taking part in Trivia Night. But we had a very vocal crowd as well.

We had some strong scores for Elizabeth Taylor Trivia, as I guess many folks went straight to Wikipedia right after I announced the Special Category on Monday! The scores were generally good throughout the night.

Going into IQ Trivia we had a tie for first place, but it was the third place team, E=MC Hammer, who pulled out the win, as they were the only team to get 4 of the 5 questions correct and wound up winning by three points with 44 total. Congratulations to them on their very first Trivia Night victory.

We had a tie for second, so we broke the tie when I asked both teams to add up the ages Liz Taylor was when she won both of her Oscars. She was 28 when she won for "Butterfield 8" and 34 when she took the prize for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" The team of Cereal Whores guessed 62 on the nose. The team of These Have Always Brought Me Luck (And I'm Not Talking About White Diamonds) took third place.

Best Team Name: The Old Fogeys (It was a rough night for team names.)

Current Events
1. What legendary guitarist of a classic English rock band recently told Uncut magazine he regretted forming his group because it wrecked his health, giving him hearing, knee and wrist problems?
2. What company announced last week it was buying T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion?
3. Jose Socrates, prime minister of what country, resigned last Wednesday after his country's parliament rejected his government's deficit-cutting plan?
4. An air traffic controller was suspended after he had fallen asleep while on duty last week and two planes had to land without supervision at what US city's airport?
5. What national historic site was enlarged last Friday when the Department of the Interior acquired a 95-acre golf course where a major battle was once fought there?
6. Thirteen record companies that are suing a file-sharing online company are demanding as much as $75 trillion in their lawsuit. What company are they suing?
7. Earlier today, the US Supreme Court began hearing arguments in the largest sex discrimination suit ever, brought by over 500,000 women against what company?

Elizabeth Taylor Trivia
1. Name one of the two films Liz Taylor won an Academy Award for. (2 points awarded for naming both.)
2. What religion did Liz Taylor convert to in 1959?
3. Who was Elizabeth Taylor's first husband?
4. What entertainer's two children was Elizabeth Taylor the godmother of?
5. What TV character did Liz Taylor lend her voice to, and only one word at that?
6. Who is the only woman to appear on the cover of People magazine more times than Liz Taylor?
7. For what film did Elizabeth Taylor become the first actress to make $1 million for a movie?

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. It took 25 years for the stock market to reach its pre-October 1929 peak once again after the infamous crash.
2. The "Mona Lisa" painting has no eyebrows or eyelashes.
3. Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's second wife, was beheaded on charges of witchcraft.
4. There are more germs on a toilet seat than on a car steering wheel.
5. Al Pacino's real first name is Alfredo.
6. The actor George Burns lived to be 100.
7. Leon Trotsky, one of the founders of Russian communism, once acted in a Hollywood movie.
8. The capital of Michigan is Ann Arbor.
9. The kilt, closely associated with Scotland, was actually invented by an Englishman.
10. A human has more DNA material than a green pea does.

General Knowledge
1. "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" is what state's nickname? ( 1 pt)
2. What is the largest city in population in Northern Ireland? ( 1 pt)
3. What legendary comedian nearly lost his life while freebasing cocaine in 1980? ( 1 pt)
4. Before the current NFL lockout, which was the last of the four North American sports to have a lockout? ( 2 pt)
5. Besides "The King's Speech," what 1998 Oscar-winning film starred both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush? ( 2 pt)
6. "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" was written by what American playwright? ( 2 pt)
7. 2,300 miles of The Tropic of Capricorn runs through what country? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. Which distant planet experiences 42 earth years of constant summer followed by 42 earth years of dark winter? ( 3 points)
2. Which current European capital was once called Lutetia by the Romans? ( 4 points)
3. A person who is an enophile enjoys what? ( 4 points)
4. What director was nominated for a record 12 Academy Awards, and won three times? ( 5 points)
5. In 1965, what legendary English rock band changed their name from The High Numbers to the name they achieved worldwide fame with? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Pete Townshend; 2. AT&T; 3. Portugal; 4. Washington, DC; 5. Gettysburg; 6. LimeWire; 7. WalMart.

Elizabeth Taylor Trivia
1. "Butterfield 8" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf;" 2. Judaism; 3. Conrad Hilton; 4. Michael Jackson; 5. Maggie Simpson; 6. Princess Diana; 7. "Cleopatra."

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. true; 2. true; 3. false, adultery; 4. false; 5. true; 6. true; 7. true; 8. false, Lansing; 9. true; 10. false (pea has five times more).

General Knowledge
1. Minnesota; 2. Belfast; 3. Richard Pryor; 4. hockey (2004); 5. "Shakespeare In Love;" 6. Tennessee Williams; 7. Australia.

IQ Trivia
1. Uranus; 2. Paris; 3. wine; 4. William Wyler; 5. The Who.

Cute, and Not So Cute

Here's a cute item for the young tyke in your life who loves baseball: baseball flash cards.

Doug Keith has put together the 26 letters of the alphabet in the shape of players and fans alike on flash cards called "B is for Baseball: Alphabet Cards." For instance, the letter A is an Oakland A's player holding a bat in the shape of an A. And for the letter B, an umpire and manager are in an argument nose-to-nose in the shape of a B.

"B is for Baseball: Alphabet Cards" is a nice little item, and if I had any young kids, I'd certainly use them!

And on a more serious note: uniforms that were supposedly worn by Gary Cooper in the classic film "Pride of the Yankees" currently in circulation are forgeries. More from Hauls of Shame.

Here's The 25

The Red Sox have set their 25-man roster for Opening Day. They have settled the bullpen, sending Alfredo Aceves and Hideki Okajima to Pawtucket (how the mighty have fallen), and purchased the contracts of Dennys Reyes and Matt Albers.

So here is the 25-man roster that will open the 2011 season in Texas on Friday afternoon:

Pitchers
Jon Lester; John Lackey; Clay Buchholz; Josh Beckett; Daisuke Matsuzaka; Jonathan Papelbon; Daniel Bard; Dan Wheeler; Bobby Jenks; Tim Wakefield; Dennys Reyes; Matt Albers.

Position Players
Adrian Gonzalez; Dustin Pedroia; Marco Scutaro; Kevin Youkilis; Jed Lowrie; Carl Crawford; Jacoby Ellsbury; J.D. Drew; Mike Cameron; Darnell McDonald; David Ortiz; Jarrod Saltalamacchia; Jason Varitek.

Remembering An Icon On Tuesday

The Special Category for this Tuesday night's Trivia will be "Elizabeth Taylor Trivia." In honor of the passing of the iconic actress last Wednesday (we ironically had her in a question last Tuesday) we will have seven questions on her life. We've done this before with the recent passing of legends, such as Paul Newman and Michael Jackson.

BTW, I never knew Elizabeth Taylor recorded an album. (Actually, it is a score composed by the recently-deceased John Barry based on TV special the actress did in 1963.)

The Q Train lightning round is back with "True or False Trivia."

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"The Land of 10,000 Lakes is what US state's nickname?"

We get going right after 9 PM, and we've had some big crowds the last few weeks, so getting to Professor Thom's early might be a good idea. Hope to see many of you on Tuesday night.

The Chasshole Smears Stan The Man

Murray Chass, who was once a sportswriter and is now a bitter old man who despises bloggers but has a blog of his own, wrote a shameful column about Stan Musial recently getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama and how he didn't deserve to get it.

Stan is one of baseball's (as well as America's) better citizens, and The Chasshole (as we unaffectionately call this clod) talks about a time when Curt Flood was turned away from Stan's restaurant back when they were teammates in the early 1960s. It's a putrid column that the great baseball writer Joe Posnanski wrote a very eloquent rebuttal and defense of Stan the Man and what a complete moron Chass is.

Take the time to read it. Click here.

There'll Be Other Trophies To Win In 2011

Twins 9, Red Sox 8. 8-1 lead in the eighth goes up in smoke thanks to some lousy Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks pitching and some equally lousy defense by some guys who won't be on the Opening Day roster.

The four-time defending Mayor's Cup (pictured) winners see their trophy go to the other side of Ft. Myers. (With thanks to my buds at Surviving Grady for the pic.)

Got a sneaky feeling this won't be the last time I'll be complaining about Jenks in 2011.

Give Kids a Break This Summer

My friends at The Fresh Air Fund are looking for families to sponsor kids and give them a summer they will never forget.

If you'd like to take part, please click this link, and it will tell you how to make it possible. The Fresh Air Fund has been helping inner city kids since 1877, and they can't do it without your help.

They are good people and I am proud to support them.

T Minus Six Days

The Red Sox trimmed their roster down yesterday by sending Ryan Kalish, Andrew Miller, Randy Williams, Rich Hill, Brandon Duckworth, Michael Bowden and Scott Atchison to the minors. Kalish makes sense as he'll get far more at bats at Pawtucket than he'll get with the Red Sox. Atchison had one more option remaining, but figures to be back up in Boston at some point.

Daisuke Matsuzaka donated $1 million to the Red Sox Foundation to help Japan in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck his native country.

BTW, did you know that the Red Sox have lost eight straight games in spring training? No, neither did I.

Pedro's Heading For The Smithsonian

A painting done of future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez is heading to the Smithsonian Institution, courtesy of Peter Gammons.

No, Gammo didn't paint it, but it was purchased by him and he is donating it to the museum. It was painted by Susan Miller-Havens and it is called "El Orgullo y La Determinacion." That is translated as "Pride and Determination."

The portrait is of Pedro in a Dominican Republic uniform rubbing up a baseball on the mound. The painting is part of a show called "Recent Acquisitions" show and debuts at the Smithsonian tomorrow.

And elsewhere, guess who's employed once again? Yes, the man who stole the Mets' money over the last few years (no, not Bernie Madoff), Oliver Perez, as he was signed by the Washington Nationals to a minor league contract after he cleared waivers. Just a bit ironic that his last game in a Mets uniform was against the Nats last week, and two guys who won't be on the Nats Opening Day roster blasted home runs off him that sealed his fate. I guess they liked so much what they saw that Perez was worth taking a gamble on.

I couldn't help but think of that adage about raising your sons to throw left-handed, as there will always be a market for any pitcher who throws left-handed. I honestly don't have a clue what the Nationals are thinking here.

Somehow, I don't think anyone's going to be doing any portraits of Oliver Perez anytime soon.

I Report. You Decide.

A new video debuted recently called "This Is Boston" which is the "anthem" for the 2011 Red Sox season. It features all different Red Sox players and fans in it.

Any video that includes Heidi Watney has its merits.

But I must admit I am no fan of rap music (there's not a single rap song in my iPod), so take this "comedic" video for all it's worth:

Trivia Q&A: March 22

We had a wacky night of Trivia on Tuesday night, with 18 teams coming in and filling up Professor Thom's. Once again it's great to see so many folks coming in on Tuesdays and enjoying the Trivia Nights!

We did "Celebrity Math" for the first time, and gave the Q Train the night off (it will be back next week). With many edits in the days before we finally did it last night. The scores were very low, with only two teams getting at least 6 points out of 10. However, overall most people seem to like the category, but my buddy Chris and I will fine tune it for the next time we do it, which should be some time in April. Hopefully the scores will improve then.

Just before IQ Trivia we announced the winner of Best Team Name, and by vote of the Thom's staff on hand, the team of Remember To Tip Your Bartenders and Servers Well was picked, and the bar booed the choice in unison, chanting "No tip!" Never saw such vitriol from the Trivia players, but Jim our bar manager said to me to pick another team and give them the prize of a pitcher of ale. I announced it and the bar broke into applause. I think Jim saved the night! (We picked "I Tried To Use 'Penis' As My Password But The Computer Said It Was Too Short.")

Despite being picked the original Best Team Name winners, Remember to Tip Your Bartenders and Servers Well wound up winning the night overall and by two points. They were also one of the few teams that got at least 3 questions right in IQ Trivia. It was their second win in three weeks and my congratulations to them.

Second place went to Your Mother's a Whore, Scott Walker, who were just two points behind at the end with 36 points, and staged a nice comeback in the last two rounds. Third place was a tie at 32 points between John Quinn Supermooned Me and You've Just Been Ousted As The Mayor of Planned Parenthood.

Current Events
1. What actor was fired by the company he does commercials for over tasteless remarks he made on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami?
2. What talk show host lost a legal battle to keep Natalie Holloway's mother from testifying in a defamation suit two men brought against him in the Holloway case?
3. English soccer club Fulham are putting up a statue of what late pop singer outside their London stadium next month only because he was friends with the club's owner?
4. What controversial NFL player will try out this week with Sporting Kansas City of MLS?
5. NASA's Messenger spacecraft made history last Thursday as it became the first space probe to orbit around what planet?
6. What Hollywood superstar actor testified in a NYC court last week against a woman accused of stealing over $60,000 from the sale of two paintings by the actor's father?
7. Warren Christopher died last week at the age of 86. He was secretary of state during the entire first term of what US president?

Q Are You?
1. This woman was born in Wynewood, PA in 1958. She's a rock guitarist, singer, producer and actress. She's best known for her number one single she and her band had in 1982, and three of her albums have gone platinum or gold.
2. This man was born in San Diego, CA in 1931. He's one of the most respected actors of his generation. He began his career doing episodic TV and theater in 1959 before moving to films. He's won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1983, as well as two Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.
3. This man was born in West Baden, IN in 1956. he's an NBA Hall of Famer and coach. He was his team's number one pick in 1978, three-time NBA MVP and champion, 12-time All-Star and he was also NBA Coach of the Year (with a different team) in 1998.
4. This man was born in Queens, NY in 1926. He's one of the great male vocalists of jazz and standards, and he's won 15 Grammys in his storied career, two Emmys, the Kennedy Center Honors and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
5. This man was born in Dunwoody, GA in 1974. He's been a TV and radio host, producer and actor. He's hosted a number of highly-rated reality shows, two syndicated weekly radio shows and currently a nightly gossip show on the E! channel.
6. This woman was born in Cleveland, OH in 1966. She's an actress and former fashion model. She's won an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe and SAG Award, and an historic Academy Award in 2001.
7. This man was born in Denver, CO in 1977. He is one of MLB's best pitchers, a 7-time All-Star who has pitched two no-hitters, won Cy Young Awards in both leagues and led both leagues in wins.

Celebrity Math
1. The Brady Bunch children plus the Partridge Family children?
2. Larry King marriages multiplied Elizabeth Taylor marriages?
3. Meryl Streep total Oscar nominations divided by Katherine Hepburn Oscar wins?
4. "Rocky" movies minus "Rambo" movies?
5. "Simpsons" seasons plus "South Park" seasons? (2 pt)
6. "Friday the 13th" movies minus "Halloween" movies? (2 pt)
7. "Saturday Night Live" seasons divided by number of Kardashian sisters? (2 pt)

General Knowledge
1. What NFL team plays their home games at Soldier Field? ( 1 pt)
2. According to the New Testament, how many days did Jesus spend fasting in the wilderness? ( 1 pt)
3. What is India's most populous city? ( 1 pt)
4. Dr. Heywood Floyd was a character in what 1968 Stanley Kubrick film? ( 2 pt)
5. Emerald is the traditional birthstone for what month of the calendar year? ( 2 pt)
6. Evacuation Day is a holiday celebrated every March 17th in a county of what eastern US state? ( 2 pt)
7. Which Oscar-winning film holds the record with more than 300,000 people used as extras? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. When "The Odd Couple" opened on Broadway in 1965, what future Academy Award-winning actor teamed with Walter Matthau as Felix and Oscar? ( 5 points)
2. The 1967 film "Head" was co-written by Jack Nicholson for what pop music group? ( 4 points)
3. Which game, now a popular sport, was originally called "wiff waff" in the late 19th century? ( 4 points)
4. "Chunkylover53@aol.com" is the email address of what popular TV character? ( 3 points)
5. The technology standard Bluetooth is actually named for a 10th century king from what country? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Gilbert Gottfried; 2. Dr. Phil McGraw; 3. Michael Jackson; 4. Chad Johnson (Ochocinco); 5. Mercury; 6. Robert DeNiro; 7. Bill Clinton.

Q Are You?
1. Joan Jett; 2. Robert Duvall; 3. Larry Bird; 4. Tony Bennett; 5. Ryan Seacrest; 6. Halle Berry; 7. Roy Halladay.

Celebrity Math
1. (6+5) 11; 2. (8x8) 64; 3. (16 divided by 4) 4; 4. (6+4) 10; 5. (22+14) 36; 6. (12-10) 2; 7. (36 divided by 3) 12.

General Knowledge
1. Chicago Bears; 2. forty; 3. Mumbai; 4. "2001: A Space Odyssey;" 5. May; 6. Massachusetts; 7. "Gandhi."

IQ Trivia
1. Art Carney; 2. The Monkees; 3. ping pong; 4. Homer Simpson; 5. Denmark.

Trying To Get Back To Respectability

The Mets took a couple of small but necessary steps to gain some much needed respectability the last few days when they released two players who summed up their recent futility: Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez.

They are the symbols of the regime of Omar Minaya and the Wilpons, and they had to go. Period.

They were probably the two worst signings in the history of the franchise, and neither had any place on the Mets, especially Perez, who was given every opportunity to make the team this spring and promptly blew it. He had an awful winter in Mexico, so I surprised to see him in a Mets uniform this spring. But he was making $12 million in the final year of his three-year deal, so obviously the Mets were reluctant to eat that kind of money. They will be munching down $18 million between the two, but they did what was necessary for the franchise and that was a good thing.

The Phillies claimed Castillo off waivers on Sunday, with Chase Utley having knee problems and may start the year on the DL. My guess as to Perez' next stop: independent ball. (I saw a stat the other day that Derek Lowe, who the Mets were close to signing three years ago, is third in the NL in wins over the past three years. The Mets passed on him because he wanted a four-year deal and resigned Perez for about the same money per year. Ugh.)

More and more, I believe the Mets are at a point the Red Sox were in during the 2001 season: they need to be sold and fresh, new blood at the top needs to run the team. (And we know how the sale to John W. Henry went.) I believe Sandy Alderson as GM is a good move, but he needs a full season to evaluate players and shake up the franchise. The two players being released this weekend also tells me that Alderson is calling the shots as far as personnel moves go, and that is a very good thing for the franchise.

But having the Wilpons at the top is a black cloud over the franchise, and even if they beat this $1 billion lawsuit that's hanging over the heads concerning the Madoff Ponzi scheme, it won't change most fans' minds about the way the team has been run. It's been shoddy at best, with awful player and front office moves that have sunk the Mets into a laughing stock position.

I predict the Mets will be sold by the Wilpons by the time 2011 is over, as they will finally have no choice to but to get as much as they can. This lawsuit will get very messy for them. And for the fans, it's the best thing that could possibly happen.

The last few days have been a glimmer of hope for Mets fans. The team got rid of some deadwood, but more of it needs to go. Like at the top.

Two Special Categories Are Better Than One

We're going to something a little different this week with Trivia Night.

The Q Train will take this week off, and we will instead have two Special Categories. The Q Train will return next Tuesday night.

The first one will be the March edition of "Q Are You?" the category where I give you clues to a current celebrity, and you tell me who I am talking about.

The other Special Category will be "Celebrity Math." I will ask you to add, subtract, multiply or divide some numbers concerning celebrities, TV shows, movies, that sort of thing, and you have to give me the number it comes out to. The first four will be worth one point each, and the last three, a little bit more difficult, will be worth two points. (So it will match the regular Q Train's worth of ten points.) Should be an interesting category, and it could become a regular feature if it goes well.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
What NFL team plays their home games at Soldier Field?

We get going at just after 9 PM on Tuesday night. We've been getting some bigger crowds lately, so I hope you get in early enough to get a table! See you tomorrow night.

Did We Ever Get Mooned Or What?

Just wondering something. That was one helluva moon out the past two nights.

When the sun shining bright outside, it's sunny.

When there's lots of clouds in the sky, it's cloudy.

When the rain is coming down hard, it's rainy.

So when we have a moon like last night, shining brighter in the night sky than any full moon over the last 19 years, shouldn't we say it was "moony" out?

I know, I have way too much free time on my hands.

With thanks to my friend Ellie for the cool photo.