The starters outside of Lester and Buchholz are either worn down or overrated and sometimes both. Beckett has given no indication that he can return to his CY Young caliber form. Matsuzaka has never fulfilled what was expected. John Lackey may stabilize this year or the Red Sox may have wasted a massive amount of money. Lackey was not horrible, but for the amount he received, you do not want that to be the barometer. That gauge should be used for the eternal Tim Wakefield, whose days with the club may be numbered according to reports from Red Sox camp.

Team MVP Kevin Youkilis has moved to third base full time, but has never thrown across the diamond to Gonzalez. Pedroia and Scutaro, or Lowrie make a solid double play tandem no matter the combination. The offensive potential of this infield is almost unfair, and Gonzalez will make these players even better. His ability to scoop balls out of the dirt is unequaled.Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew make a fine defensive group on paper, but Ellsbury is considered average at best and Drew cannot stay on the field. That could change, as this is his walk year.

Red Sox faithful may look forward to an outfield rotation with Mike Cameron in the mix. He looks to be in great shape and more time off should help him to keep his 38 year old legs rested. The three left handed hitting outfielders means Cameron can spell them all and keep them fresh. This is a left handed heavy line up, so any way to mix it up with a righty will be welcomed.

David Ortiz somehow overcame the inevitable and finished strong in 2010. The impression is that he is around for nostalgia’s sake, and a stronger lineup that no longer leans on him.

Jerrod Saltalamacchia has been handed the starting catching job although he has done little to earn it. The Red Sox scouts are experts at their craft, so do not be surprised if he finally becomes the player everyone expected him to be. Do not be surprised either if Varitek ends up playing 130 games between DH and catcher. Far more than his legs can handle anymore.

The Bullpen should be their greatest asset, but Papelbon struggled for stretches last year. There is also a reason why Bobby Jenks is no longer with the other Sox. He’s lost some zip and his attitude has come into question. Daniel Bard is probably a future closer, but is really untested. Francona may need to lean on him this season more than he should.The injury history of this squad is long and that cannot be avoided. Francona did an admirable job filling holes and mixing and matching last year, and he may need to do more this year.

This team is just as likely to lose half of their starting lineup and pitching staff as they are to win 100 games.

This is a guest post from Jason F. of My Red Sox Yankees Tickets where you can buy Red Sox tickets against their biggest rival.

The new-look Knicks recently improved their record to 2-1 after they took their talents to south beach and came back down 15 to beat the Heat. I know its early but theres no doubt that the Knicks are BACK!!

They really gotta do something and change the way MMA is scored and this was just another example of whats messed up in MMA.

Hughes has been on a roll lately running through Renzo Gracie and two of his top students but I still think Penn takes this rubber match.  Penn is coming off back to back losses for the second time in his career and I just don’t see him losing three fights in a row. Both men are fighting at a high level but I gotta give the edge to BJ Penn this weekend. Look for BJ to get the better of Matt Hughes in the striking game and put this fight away early.

I’m not even a Phillies fan but I tuned in to last nights Phillies vs Reds playoff game just to see how Roy Halladay would handle the pressure of the playoffs.  As he breezed through batter after batter it was pretty clear that Roy Halladay was made to pitch in October.  Fittingly he has earned the nickname Doctober.

The game wasn’t too big for Roy as he rolled through one of the best hitting teams in the National League with ease.  While I was watching last nights game I just had the feeling that I was watching something special unfold. The way Halladay was throwing last night I knew he had a chance to make history.  Surely enough Roy pitched a No Hitter and it will go down as one of the greatest pitching performances of post season history.

Congrats to Roy! It was an amazing performance.

Jose Aldo has looked nothing but dominate since his arrival to the WEC.  Everyone is calling him the next great thing and all.  His knees are devastating (ask Cub Swanson), his leg kicks leaves his opponents bruised and battered for weeks (ask Uriah Faber), and he has the hand speed and power to match (ask Mike Brown). So why would anyone pick against Jose Aldo?

If he wasn’t fighting Manny Gamburyan then Jose Aldo would be an easy choice.  Gamburyan is a nightmare match up for Jose Aldo because Manny has takedowns, punching power and submissions.  Manny is going to be bigger and stronger then Aldo and he will bring an end to Jose Aldo’s reign of terror before it even begins. This will be one of the biggest upsets of the year so tune in Thursday night September 30th.

Upset Pick #1

Charlie Brenneman takes on undefeated Johny Hendricks.  Johny is a huge favorite and I just don’t understand why.  Charlie is a tough kid and pure gamer.  Brenneman will come ready to fight and its not going to be as easy as most people think.  Charlie is a tough kid and I just got a feeling he will pull of the upset.  I don’t have any logical reasoning behind this but its a gut feeling and I’m stickin with it.

Winner- Brenneman

Upset Pick #2

Matt Hughes vs Richardo Almeida. Here is a no brainer I’m going with the UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes aka the Gracie killer.  I’m not sure if you call this an upset but according to the betting line it is. Matt Hughes has already beaten Matt Serra, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie and whats to say he’s not going to be Ricardo Alemeida.  If you ask me Almeida is probably the best match up for Hughes out of all the Gracie guys Hughes ran through but I still don’t see him beating the all time great.

Winner – Hughes

Favorite Pick #1

Junior Dos Santos takes on Roy “Big Country” Nelson.  This is fight is just a no brainer, Junior Dos Santos’s boxing is just too good.  The only thing to debate here is whether Nelson’s large body falling to the canvas will be louder then the roar of the crowd.

Winner – Junior Dos Santos aka “Dos Dos”

Favorite Pick #2

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen.  After all the shit Sonnen has been talking for months its about time Anderson Silva gets the chance to shut him up.  Silva has remained pretty quiet leading up to the fight and that isn’t good for Sonnen.  That means the Spider is focused and is not playing into Sonnen’s hands by responding to those insane comments.  Good Luck to Sonnen. Hes gonna need it.

Winner – Anderson Silva

There you guys go!

• Silva
• Dos Santos
• Hughes
• Brenneman

UPDATE: Sorry guys.. Result one wrong.  Charlie Brenneman couldn’t pull off the upset.

After the fight the MMA messages boards where flooded with some fans celebrating and while others were mourning.  All in all what I did learn from the fight was that NO ONE is invincible.

Related articles

• Fedor Emelianenko Suffers First Real Loss, Strikeforce No Match For UFC (bleacherreport.com)
• Werdum Upsets Fedor in First Round (everyjoe.com)

I know its only Wednesday but this fight doesn’t have that big fight vibe, well Fedor’s fights never have that big fight vibe.  You would think if the greatest fighter in the world was about to fight someone people would be talking about it.  I guess it just goes to show what a terrible marketing job Strikeforce does for its fighters and fight promotion.

Fedor said “I’m not a UFC fan”, maybe he should start being a UFC fan so people outside the hardcore fans and the Russian community actually care about his fights. I’m pretty sure all the hardcore fans are going to tune in to see Fedor but I don’t see any causal fans tuning into this fight card.  Outside the Fedor fight it doesn’t really offer much other then watching lady beast Cyborg Santos crush another female opponent.  They better start feeding her male fighters just to start making her fights  competitive.

Anyway tune in Saturday night and watch the greatest fighter no one cares about battle it out with another lesser opponent.  This one should end in a brutal knockout but if it doesn’t you might get to witness one of the greatest upsets in MMA history.

Related articles

• Fedor Emelianenko: I’m not a UFC fan (canada.com)
• Strikeforce Fedor Emelianenko Vs Fabricio Werdum Preview: Fedor Remains Emperor (bleacherreport.com)
• Fabricio Werdum Has a ‘Good Surprise’ for Fedor Emelianenko (video) (ballhype.com)

Chuck needs this victory bad and if he can get the W then we’ll start seeing the Iceman’s name being thrown in their with Machida, Rashad Evans, Shogun and all the other top light heavyweights in the UFC.  Well maybe not right away but if Chuck can manage to string together 2 or 3 victories then he’ll be back in title contention.

Related articles:

• Chuck Liddell Plans to KO Rich Franklin, Wants Tito Ortiz in Return From Surgery (ballhype.com)
• Chuck Liddell Plans To “End The Fight As Early As He Can” At UFC 115 (bleacherreport.com)