Red Sox Add the Flyin' Hawaiian Shane Victorino

The Red Sox made another move to bolster their 2013 roster during the Winter Meetings on Tuesday.  Free agent Shane Victorino was signed to a three year, $37.5 million contract, just a day after catcher Mike Napoli received a free agent deal for the same number of years, but at $39 million total.

The signing of the Flyin' Hawaiian should seal the door shut for the Sox to sign anymore outfielders this offseason.  They have had their eyes set on talent such as Josh Hamilton, Nick Swisher and Cody Ross, who became a free agent after his one year contract in Boston expired.

With Ryan Sweeney on his way back after a hand injury and Daniel Nava making waves as a mid-season call-up last year, why the Sox were so eager to sign outfielders is a mystery.  The club signed Jonny Gomes for a couple years at a total of $10 million, adding to a deep, veteran outfield that collectively could provide a pretty good spark for the offense.  But finding the right balance, and playing guys when they're hot, or as "hot" as they can be at this stage in their career, will prove difficult for Sox manager John Farrell.

The Sox next target is a top shelf starting pitcher, and reports indicate they're looking for a short term, big money deal with someone in the very near future.

Any Parent Who Makes a Video Like This Should be Arrested Immediately

This has to stop.

I don't know who the hell thinks these videos are funny, but its an absolutely ridiculous trend that comes about whenever a player gets traded in sports or when there are too many campaign ads on TV.  Its the dumbest thing I have ever seen.

What parent sits their kid down in front of a camera, makes them cry and then posts in on the Internet?  Just what kind of sick bastard does that?  Do they get enjoyment out of this?  Look, the kid's life clearly sucks as it is if he's got you for a parent, guy, so don't make matters worse and make him cry over something as idiotic as Mike Napoli signing with the Red Sox.

This is not news.  This is the only time I will post something like this because its so disturbing that I can't ignore it anymore.  If you want to watch a stupid viral video about a big news event, skip the crying, traumatized kid and go straight for Taiwanese animation next time.

WBZ-Boston Reports End to NHL Lockout Out of The Blue

Social media can make anything seem believable these days.  As long as enough people read something, enough people will then talk about that something to make it seem like common knowledge.  In this case, Steve Burton of WBZ-TV, Boston's CBS affiliate, has decided to go ahead and announce an imminent end to the NHL lockout.

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times -- I hate writing about the lockout, but what if this complete shot in the dark is true?

Burton, the go-to sports reporter on the WBZ nightly news, reported that "an unannounced meeting was held [Monday] with a high-ranking official from each side and significant progress was made towards salvaging the hockey season." 

As always, there are two sides to this statement.  On the one hand, you gotta believe, now 80 days into the lockout, the two sides are going to run out of thing to argue about.  They have had to go over the same things a thousand times over by now, so how many more times can they run through the rigmarole?  But on the other side, the two sides have met with federal mediators who lasted about 48 hours until they said, yeah, you know what, these two sides have nothing in common and are so far apart that we're just going to call it quits.

Burton states that "his sources" told him of the news, but did not go into naming them.  But to his credit, his sources were the one that supplied him with the information to boldly break then-Bruins rookie Phil Kessel's testicular cancer in 2006.  But, at the same time, Sports Illustrated reporter Sarah Kwak asked deputy commissioner Bill Daly if there was a single morsel of truth to the report, and he wasn't a terrible human being, I'd be inclined to believe him.

"Not even a single morsel."

You make the call, but I'm staying cautiously optimistic while living in the fantasy world of NHL 13 where Adam McQuaid now plays for the Philadelphia Flyers and Claude Giroux averages a goal a game nearly halfway through the season.

Red Sox Get Their 'First Priority' in Mike Napoli

The Boston Red Sox solidified a contract with free agent Mike Napoli Monday afternoon, giving him 3 years and $39 million.  Napoli figures to platoon at first base and catcher, splitting time with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and their first free agent signing David Ross.

Is Napoli a good pick up?  I believe so.  His $39 million contract is comparatively cheaper, and the Red Sox are very wisely trying to keep contracts down to three years or fewer.  Josh Hamilton, who the Sox are still courting, is asking for a mega-deal, and Boston is making an exception to their rule, but stating they are only willing to go up to five years.

Napoli's pitches per place appearance stands at a 4.41 average, which is well above the league average of 3.82, but his average has been slumping of late. Of course, when you look at his numbers, and factor in that he will play in Fenway Park, he's due for a good offensive year.  In 2009, he hit .272 and in 2010 posted a .238 average.  Then in 2011 he hit .320 followed by a .227 average in the 2012 campaign. 

He seems to have an off year then come back much stronger.  In terms of home runs, he's been good for min-20s there, and as a right-handed hitter who absolutely dominates left-handed hitters, that Green Monster seems just a little bit closer.

We'll have to wait and see what Napoli can do in a Sox uniform, but I'm optimistic that this will work out and put the Sox back on the right track.

Teddy Bear Toss - Coolest Event In Pro Sports

You're looking at over 21,000 teddy bears raining down on the ice in Calgary. The Calgary Hitmen, of the WHL, held their 18th annual "Teddy Bear Toss" on Sunday night.

The Teddy Bear Toss has helped give over 213,000 stuffed bears to children through local hospitals and charities in the Calgary area since 1999.  The Toss occurs when a member of the Hitmen scores the team's first goal.  Sunday night, it took less than 15 minutes for the Teddy Bear goal, and took another 45 minutes for the bears to be swept up.

Watching this video is nothing short of amazing.  The Scotiabank Saddledome only seats 19,000, but over 21,000 bears were collected in just one night.  Its one of those feel good stories in sports, and its an awesome hockey story in a time when you can't even find an okay one.

ESPN's NHL Week 8 Simulation - The Good Teams Suck

Week 8 NHL '13 simulations are in, and the results are pretty surprising so far.

I have been trying to avoid writing any NHL news for a while, holding onto hope that my next post could be about the end of the lockout.  Since that's no where in sight, I'm taking a different route by reporting the season simulation that ESPN has been conducting to fill the void.

As it stands right now, the Islanders, Senators and Capitals sit atop the Eastern Conference.  Wait, what?  The Islanders finished 34-37-11 last season, second to last in the East.  And Montreal somehow has 30 points already?  Give me a break.

The scene in the West makes a little more sense, but this time, it's who's missing from the top that's surprising.  The Kings, Red Wings and Blues are currently 12, 13 and 14 respectively in the conference, all with under 20 points.

The Bruins aren't even on anyone's radar, either.  They're in dead last in the East, and their only glimmer of hope comes from Tuukka Rask's three shutouts.  Looks like avenging their first round playoff exit is a pretty far stretch right now, but the season's just getting started.

Ed Reed Thinks NFL is Turning into Powder Puff

The Steelers found a way to win over the Ravens Sunday afternoon led by 15-year veteran quarterback Charlie Batch.  The game came right down to the final seconds, as Shaun Suisham solidified the 23-20 win as time expired.

The Steelers offense never really seemed to get rolling, as it took them nine minutes into the third quarter to get their first touchdown.  They were stymied in enemy territory a couple times, including an Ed Reed interception just shy of the Steelers end zone.  The pick was good for Reed's 61st in his career, but following the loss, that wasn't even in the back of his mind.

Following his one-game suspension for repeated violations of player safety rules, Reed was understandably upset as he could not help his team to a victory.  After the game, he chose to put some of the blame on the league's back.

He was asked about the rules "protecting" offensive players, and his response was influenced not only by the loss, but by the bias of a hard-hitting defender.

"It's definitely changing the game," Reed said. "It's become an offensive league. They want more points. They want the physical play out of it, kind of. They want like powder-puff, to where you can just run around and score points cause that's going to attract the fans. I understand you want to make money, but bending the rules and making the game different, you know, it's only going to make the game worse."

The only thing the rules do to "protect" players is say that you can't bash their heads in with your own head.  No where do they state you cannot hit a person with as much force as you deem necessary.  Tough loss for the Ravens.