A New Direction

Hire Millen started off as a jumble of ideas revolving around fantasy sports and the sports world; there was also supposedly an emphasis on Detroit.  The result was a bunch of brilliant posts about everything and anything. Our lack of purpose and focus was similar to that of the Detroit Lions, and just like the Lions, Hire Millen sucked. So in the true spirit of Matt Millen, we’re completely overhauling Hire Millen midseason.

No Longer will Hire Millen be a subpar gumbo of Michigan sports. We’re switching to a straightforward approach: ALL LIONS. Yes. It sucks.

What does this mean? Basically no more posts about Cowboys or Spartans. Everything is being put on the back-burner while we watch the tragedy of the Lions season unfold. Sure it took nine losses to decide that Hire Millen should be all about the Lions instead of everything else, but that simply means you got to skip 9 weeks of sketchy adjectives describing the pisspoor efforts of the Lions.

Some new features: (Yes, finally something that you can count on weekly!)

Game-time Live Blogs: Subject to blackout

Matchup Previews: Looking ahead to the next Lions loss the day after they lost.

Game Reviews: Breaking out a magnifying glass and looking very closely at how terrible the Lions are.

And of course, Lions news will be updated throughout the week.

So let’s enjoy the triumphant failure that is the Lions season, and remember to tell all your friends about Hire Millen.

Lions' Dreadful Play Has Breeded True Apathy in Fans

It's a moot point to say that the Lions have reached rock bottom as a team. Every year they redefine just what "rock bottom" is, anyway. Last year it was blowing a 6-2 start to the season by not even breaking even with a .500 season. This year, it's been a thoroughly abysmal season, from start to now. At 0-9, you have a Lions team in which the players come in each Sunday, with a feeling that some how, some way, they're going to lose the game. Some might say they have looked good for full quarters on certain occasions but that is likely a product of teams dropping their intensity once they've put up 21 points to the Lions' zero.

What's a shame is that two factors that should be working in favor of the Detroit Lions, are rendered irrelevant by their ghastly on-field performance:

1. This country is addicted to football - Whether it be high school, college, or the pros, we never seem to get enough of football in this country, much like the way Europeans are to soccer. With it only being one day a week for fans of NFL teams, there is not that sense of boredom that the casual fan might get with baseball or hockey.

2. Detroit is a addicted to sports - Metro Detroit is an area that takes its sports teams very seriously (even if they aren't the most educated of fans). You get that same sort of blue-collar mentality approach towards the teams, too. In Pittsburgh, it results in a ravenous, blood-thirsty fan base who lives for their Steelers. In Detroit, well, not so much.

For years I have been hearing out of Detroiters, "I'll watch the Lions this Sunday, but I don't really invest myself emotionally." I've never really believed that until this year. For one, they haven't even had the chance to watch them on television two home games (Redskins and Jaguars) since the Lions can't sell out the games. But I think even if every home game is televised, the average sports fan in Detroit will simply find something better to do on Sunday because its no longer entertaining. There is no star power, save Calvin Johnson, on this team to speakof that would compel a fan to watch. We've gone through the "Will they go 0-16?" watch before in 2002 and ironically enough, the 12th game of the season that they actually won was blacked out.

It's one thing to be passionate about a football team and its another to simply hope they win. At this point, Lions' fans could truly care less. Winning at this point in the season does them no good, rather hurting their chances at a #1 pick. Hopes for the future dwindle each year as we assume progress but get regress. For some fans, tuning into the Lions would be simply for the sake of laughing at their foibles. But that no longer seems to be the case: The Detroit Lions have become a joke that no one is laughing at any more.

Oh and don't bother pointing out the irony of me writing about the apathy fans now have towards the Lions. I'm well aware of it.

Joe Dumars is a Crazy A**hole

Yes, I said it.

Joe Dumars shocks the world with another surprising move in his 8th year as the Pistons President of Basketball Operations. This time, he calmly traded away the 2004 Finals MVP, Mr. Billups, along with beloved Antonio McDyss and the rather dark Cheick Samb for Allen Iverson. Look, I really understand what the man is trying to do. In 2010, there will be a ton of superstars in this league that will become free agents, and Joe is trying to free up some salry space so he can try to get at least two of them. Here are the nominees: Lebron James, Nash, Ray Allen, Ginobli, Amare Stoudamire, Dirk Nowitzki, Bosh, T-Mac, Yao, Michael Redd. You can see why GM's are licking their chops for a slice of this group of studs, and hopefully, Dumars is preparing to sign a couple of these guys. Personally, I would love to have Dirk or Bosh on Detroits squad, a big man to play the perimeter with the young backcourt in place of the aging Rasheed Wallace.

Heres the bad news. This deal will probably affect Deatroit's postseason negatively. I used to the fact that there has not been a point guard in the East able to match up defensively with Chauncey Billups ever. He has been able to either post up or drive on these Eastern point guards since joining the Pistons. Now theres Iverson, the relentless scorer and scrappy point guard that adds speed to the starting lineup. There lies the problem. Offensively, Detroit has been using off-the-ball screens and cuts to free up mainly Rip and Rasheed so they can make their 15 ft. jump shots. Will Iverson be able to run the offense, distributing to the open man and take over when necessary. This is the test that he must pass if he wants to become the next Mr. Big Shot in Detroit.

Alright, I'll give Iverson some credit. He used to be my favorite player in the league after Micheal Jordan retired if that means anything to you. The man is an incredible athlete an has had to carry his team offesively on his tattooed shoulders ever since he was drafted #1 in 1996. Nine All-Star appearences, a couple of scoring titles, All-Star MVP, regular season MVP. He has averaged 27 ppg, 6.5 apg, and 3.8 rpg. If he can have these numbers in Detroit, then by all means, Dumars is a god. I just dont think that AI can thrive under this style of basketball, a defensive mindset and slow but efficient offense. Iverson has always been a pleasure to watch, and if he is reading this, in the words of Eminem and Trick-Trick.....Welcome to Detroit City.

What not to Wear: Stadium Edition

This picture made it onto Chris Cooley's official blog. The shirts are nice, but my favorite part is their hats. Nothing says "I love the Lions" like a hat that screams "Our other teams don't suck!".

I hate people that wear different in-state sports apparel to a game. Hockey jerseys are a cardinal sin, especially in Detroit. Who wants to see some drunk asshole in an Yzerman jersey catch a foul ball in Comerica Park? Nobody.

Here is a comprehensive list of these infractions from tolerable to egregious.

1. Non-sports related clothing that is your teams color.
2. Non-sports clothing of a neutral color.
3. Jersey of a player that is no longer with the team but was not a star. (Warning: Ben Wallace jersey wearers may try to convince you that they are wearing a Rasheed Wallace jersey. Stare them down and keep repeating "NO".)
4. In-state collegiate gear of similar color to your teams. (I.E.: Michigan Football sweatshirt at a Tigers game. This is still frowned upon, but you won't look absolutely ridiculous.)
5. In-state collegiate gear with no color relation to either team on the field.
6. Out-of-state collegiate gear (You went to Ohio State? Well you're in the wrong fucking state.)
7. Home-made fan shirts. The Tigers game is not 'The Price is Right', dress accordingly.
8. Hockey Jerseys.
9. Any combination of the items mentioned above.

Anyway, those t-shirts are great. I am 100% behind the Lions going for the perfect 0-16 season. Then on draft day, we can sit down and watch the Lions organization fail even without Matt Millen.

Rayhawks and Catwalks: Why this World Series is so hard to Watch

It has been a relatively slow week for NFL fans, but ESPN has managed to make the most of it by filling Sportscenter with the same special reports all week. If you aren’t up-to-date I will recap the week for you. Tony Romo needs attention, Tom Brady’s knee is feeling under the weather, and Santonio Holmes loves to blaze upon that weed. Nothing really out of the ordinary. It’s unfortunate that the current NFL headlines are so incredibly uninteresting, but for some reason they are only slightly more nauseating than the World Series coverage of the Rays and the Phillies. Fox and ESPN were obviously so thrilled with the prospect of a Dodgers vs. Red Sox World Series that they still have not accepted that neither team is involved. So instead of the major storylines that a Sox/Dodgers series would have brought up, we’re treated to the same amount of airtime dedicated to a series with nothing really going for it.

ESPN has scrambled to find ways to make this World Series as interesting as a Dodgers/Red Sox series would have been. The end result was a few modifications to their coverage. The changes have boiled down like this: The story of Manny Ramirez vs. his former team was replaced by a number of ridiculous stories about the Rays’ personnel. Case and point: Rocco Baldelli. Unless you have a degree in some sort of bioscience, or you have repeated high school biology more than twice, then you’ve heard the word “Mitochondria” more in two baseball games than you have in your entire life. It’s not like I don’t care about Baldelli’s ailment….OK that’s a lie. I really don’t care. Probably the easiest change for sports media was the change from Joe Torre to Joe Maddon. Two things I learned about Joe Maddon in the last week:

1) “He’s a baseball guy through and through.” A far cry from the other MLB managers that are implicitly not baseball guy’s.

2) He is a calm manager with a soothing aura. This either means that Maddon is a holistic healer, or he is actually some sort of medical ointment. (Joe Buck leads me to believe he may be a bit of both.)

Fox and ESPN have seen a significant ratings boost coming from the demographic of women age 18-24 that wear pre-frayed MLB hats with a ponytail through the back. This is due to constant coverage of Evan Longoria, James Shields, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, and the other white guys under 30 on each team. Research, however, still shows that this demographic would have been more receptive to a Cubs/Red Sox World Series, solely because over 85% of women that fall into this demographic currently own a pre-frayed Cubs or Red Sox hat. There are some Yankee hats in the mix too, but nobody really cares about the Yankees anymore.


The real success of the Tampa Bay Rays’ season has been overshadowed by the World Series media feeding frenzy. Apparently the significance of the Rays making it to the World Series is no longer important. Now everything is about “The Trop” and its’ catwalks, or efforts to make the Rays fans look legitimate. The Tampa fans are definitely the worst part of this World Series. A team without tradition finally makes it to the big stage, and the fans are trying to start some traditions of their own. Leave it to Tampa Bay to make blue mohawks and cowbells their tradition. Instead of coming to games equipped with baseball knowledge, Tampa fans, like Carrot Top have resorted to awful gimmicks to make them unique.

During the agonizing wait for the end of World Series coverage, there are some bright spots. There’s more football this weekend. Coverage of the Cowboys has subsided for the moment, even with Tony Romo struggling to get his team on every television in the US. The Lions loss this week will be over quickly, meaning that all three Lions fans will be able to pass out assured that their Lions won’t win.

There actually is some great baseball being played, but it is hard to disregard the Fox sportscasters and just watch the game. So while there is no football being played, I suggest watching the World Series in another language if possible, or playing Deadspin sportscaster bingo during the games. And don’t forget to cash in on your free taco on Tuesday 2-6 pm local time.

$5 bet that Joe Buck will say that mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell.

Spartans Must Be Wary of Maize and Blue

Let's face it. The Spartans got their rear ends handed to them by the Buckeyes. The nation finally saw how dangerous the backfield of Pryor and Wells can be, with Terelle running around everyone and Beanie running through them. But as the saying goes "We fall so we can pick ourselves back up." The men in green and white will have to do just that when they travel to the Big House this Saturday.

There is no denying who the better football team in the state of Michigan has been this year so far. At 2-5, the Wolverines have looked downright embarassing every time their spread offense steps onto the field. They have been outscored 130-195 with a billion turnovers. On the other end, the 6-2 Spartans has played a more traditional style of football, controlling both the clock and the line of scrimmage on both ends. However, recent history has favored the Wolverines. The Paul Bunyon Trophy has belonged to the maize and blue for 6 straight years now, and if the Spartans are not careful, I feel that the Mr. Bunyon may stay in Ann Arbor for another year.

Even though Michigan's season is in Joe the plumber's toilet, and the Spartans already have a bowl bid, I feel that UM will play their best football this Saturday. Even last week the Wolverines were led the #3 Nittany Lions for an entire first half before the slaughterfest. If their offense could stay on the field longer and not give up terrible field postion, their defense may win them two more ball games.

As long as MSU continues to play virtually penalty free football and control the line of scrimmage (with the exception of last week) they should have fairly reasonable control over the game and most importantly the clock. Ringer is due for another good day on the ground, but the game will be decided on the play of the each teams starting quarterback. Between Steven Threet for UM and Brian Hoyer (yes, Dantonio said he was going to start), whoever has less turnovers will win this game.

Fun fact: The four immediate predecessors of Rich Rod has lost their first meeting against MSU

Ohio State Loss Alarming For Spartan Fans

Watching Saturday's rout from the fourth row of the student section gave me some perspective on where this Michigan State program is right now: This is a good team still, yet one that is far from being a "great" one. The tandem of Beanie Wells and Terelle Pryor was far more than the Spartans could handle. When put their attention on stopping Wells, they'd just get burned by Pryor. And when they put their attention on covering Pryor, Wells would punch it up the middle for an eight-yard gain. Play after play after play. This Michigan State team was completely overmatched and I believe that even if they had played a good game, Ohio State still would have beaten them soundly. 

While I agree that Dantonio has brought some much-needed respect and honor to this football team, it is also clear that it will take a few years until he his able to bring in the kind of talent that is necessary to compete with Ohio State and Penn State. Each win helps this program garner

 some respect from recruits

 but fans must know that this is a gradual process. Beanie and Pryor are symbolic of the benchmark for recruiting that will help turn Michigan State into a perennial powerhouse. The Spartans may not be there yet, but the path to get there should be awfully fun to watch.

The Zoo Crew

We all know that pre-seasons in professional sports mean little to nothing, but sometimes it shows which teams have come ready to play. The Pistons have started this year's pre-season with a 4-1 record, with the help of some key secondary players. By giving the bench solid playing minutes this early, coach Michael Curry is turning the spotlight away from the veteran Pistons on to bench squad known as the 'Zoo Crew'. These guys have proven that they are prepared to step up to fill the older players shaved minutes.

Rodney Stuckey was one of the more neglected rookies at the beginning of the 07-08 season. After some dazzling performances toward the end of the regular season and taking control in some playoff games, he now has everyone in the league's attention. So far this year he is averaging 12.5ppg, 5.8apg, and a rookie 3.0topg, along with a stellar 23 point performance against the revitalized Miami Heat. With Chauncey Billups' age becoming a factor, Stuckey should be seeing increased playing time throughout the regular season, preparing him for his eventual takeover of the starting PG position.

Aaron Afflalo didn't see a lot of playing time last year, but he made his minutes count. Straight out of the UCLA basketball program, Afflalo also spent his first year in the NBA coming off the bench along with the rest of the Zoo Crew. Now that he has been given more of a leash, he has been one of the leading scorers so far this year. Averaging 11.5ppg, he still maintains a 1.00 3pt%, .708fg%, and .750ft%. If his 3-point shooting stays hot, it will give the Pistons the extra fire power they need when the starters are depleted.

Amir Johnson had some important desicions to make at the end of the Pistons 07-08 season. Though he is 6-9, Amir only weighs 210lbs, making him a very lean PF. Instead of packing on pounds, Amir decided to make his game more flowing, almost looking like a young Tayshaun Prince. He has averaged 4.8ppg and a solid 1.00bpg/spg in the preseason, showing that he is ready to start getting more reps with the starters.

Jason Maxiell has so far been the most productive bench player for the Pistons. His attitude on the court can be summed up by his block on Kevin Garnett in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. He fights for every rebound and is not afraid to barrage defenders with mid-range jumpers when he isn't slamming the ball in their face. Not only is he effective on offense, but his defensive presence has already helped the Pistons win many key regular season games in the 07-08 season. He is averaging 9.3ppg and 3.0rpg this preseason.

These guys along with Walter Herrman, Kwame Brown, and a still developing Cheikh Samb are the ones who will lead the Pistons at the end of the season. Although the starters have proven their abilities to win year after year, they still have not overcome their Eastern Conference Finals slump. Whether you blame it on Rasheed's lack of interest or Chauncey's big shot drought, without a solid bench performance the Pistons can count themselves out come the end of May. Trades have made the Eastern Conference tougher, but with some heightened playing time during the regular season, it is very possible that the Zoo Crew will mature into a threat to be reckoned with regardless of who is on the court.

Romo's Pinkie out 4 Weeks

I woke up this morning and read the news about Tony Romo’s pinkie finger. I promptly donned my Gucci sunglasses and diamond earrings and sat down for a press conference.

“It’s really unfair (sob) it’s really unfair. That’s my teammate, that’s my quarterback.”

Tony's fantasy owners and Dallas fans alike are mourning the loss of Romo for 4 weeks, but when that wait is over, Dallas fans should still be worried.

The Romo pinkie wound added insult to injury (or is that backwards in this case?) to the embarrassing Dallas loss vs. Arizona on Sunday. The game was touted as an epic matchup of the league’s most explosive offenses. What actually occurred on the field was quite different.

The Cowboys offense was stymied early by the pressure looks of the Arizona defensive line. The first 3 possessions for each team were plagued with turnovers and lacked any effectiveness whatsoever. Kurt Warner looked bad, Tony Romo looked awful. With Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator, Tony Romo usually puts points on the board in his first possession, but not this week in the desert. Romo struggled to complete a pass in his first few possessions and he couldn’t seem to hold onto the ball.

It was not until the last minute of the first half that an offense would put points on the board. A 55-yard TD connection with Patrick Crayton tied the game up at 7-7 before halftime. Arizona’s first half touchdown came from a kick return on the opening kickoff.

Both offenses came out of hibernation for the second half, with Romo and Warner each throwing two touchdown passes.

The game came down to a 52-yard field goal attempt for Nick Folk, which is in his range, but he struck the upright with a relative chip-shot earlier. With all of Dallas hoping that Folk’s confidence wasn’t shattered by the miss earlier, the whistle blew for the last play of the game.

Folk missed.

But Arizona called a last second timeout, so Folk had another chance.

Folk’s second kick was good.

Allow me to stop and ask the NFL a favor. Please stop the Mike Shanahan last second timeout. Sure it is strategy, but it seems to me like its bordering on the Bill Belichick’s idea of strategy. It’s frustrating for fans, and it’s frustrating for coaches that believe it is dishonorable. Until the NFL makes a change, I can only hope that it backfires on any coaches that use it.

Fast-forwarding through the overtime, Romo breaks his pinkie, then Arizona blocks a Dallas punt and returns it for the win.

Is it possible that Dallas is not who we thought they were?

Is it possible that the NFC East is not who we thought they were?

The Redskins looked to be the most solid team (not the most talented) in the NFC East after their past two games, until they dropped one against the Rams.

It is going to be determined in the 4 weeks Romo is out whether the Dallas Cowboys are a team that can come together and win without the offensive production they are used to. Dallas has not played well for three weeks now, and if the Cowboys aren’t putting tallies in the win column during Johnson’s tenure, we’re going to see Big D fall apart faster than the financial system.

Northwestern Game Holds Key For Spartans' Season

I firmly believe that the outcome of this game will have a significant ripple effect on the rest of the season for Michigan State: 

Spartans Lose: A loss to Northwestern tomorrow and the annual "Spartan Slide" takes hold once again. They would lack the intensity and confidence to really take it to the Buckeyes and lose the ability to beat a clearly superior team. The players wouldn't give up on Dantonio, by any means, but the luster of the Ohio State and Michigan games would certainly disappear. 

Spartans Win: But a win against in Evanston tomorrow, and the Spartans may just have themselves a very special season in front of them. Heading into the Ohio State game next Saturday with both teams 6-1 would do wonders for this program and it would help put the Spartans in the national spotlight, considering that game would be THE game to watch that week. If somehow they pull out a win against the Buckeyes, you would see some meaningful November games in East Lansing for the first time in a long time.

I do think Sparty will prevail tomorrow because the whole team believes in Dantonio and they will simply want the game more than the Wildcats. If and when Northwestern stacks eight in the box, just as Iowa did, it is up to Hoyer to stretch the field with his duo of talented wideouts in Dell and Cunningham. What I've seen is that Hoyer is superior on the road, for whatever reason and I think this game will be no exception. 

My Pick: Michigan State 27, Northwestern 21

LCS Predictions

ALCS: Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays

An intriguing match up, considering the newfound rivalry between the two teams. In fact, this is the first actual rival the Rays/Devil Rays have ever had in their brief history. That being said, Fenway Park is more imposing to visitors than Tropicana Field, depsite the Rays gaudy 57-24 home record. The Red Sox have Big Papi. The Rays have Carlos Pena. There is so much to like about the Rays: their work ethic (Shields is a workout freak), affable Manager Joe Maddon, and the rest of the gang which are too numerous to mention. But the Red Sox have the experience, whereas the Rays have gumption. Last year in the World Series, the Red Sox brought their experience and the Rockies brought their gumption. Pitching under pressure wins championships and Boston will do just that.

Red Sox in Six

NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Dodgers have much to like about them, including the lovable Manny who may be despised in Boston but is adored in Los Angeles. Not to mention, they're coming the 97-win Chigago Cubs with two games being at the occasionally raucous Wrigley Field. The Phillies on the other hand, have one of the best infields ever assembled (Utley, Howard, Rollins) and just enough starting pitching to get by in the National League. Now that Lidge has finally recovered from his blast in the '05 NLCS courtesy of Prince Albert (I still think that ball is travelling), he's got the 9th inning on lock. The only way I see the Dodgers winning this series is if Manny continues his torrid pace and starts to hit homers with guys on base. He is good enough to take over a series with his bat -- I just don't think he will.

Phillies in Six

Favre Still Comfortable in Wrangler Jeans

It's two days before the 39th birthday of the gunslinger, and he has yet to have a statement game while wearing the Jets green-and-white (NY Titans gear not applicable). Now with Broadway Brett on the J!E!T!S!, New York has forgotten about baseball for a moment and the media is ready for the Jets and Giants to take over. Understandably New Yorkers are excited about how the football season is going, after all look at the situation one year ago:

The Yankees just lost the ALDS in 4 games to Cleveland
The Jets are 1-4 and the only consolation is Spygate

The Giants are 3-2 after starting the season with 2 losses

Those jumping on the Jets bandwagon, please allow me to burst the bubble. Brett Favre is about to be 39 years old. I must admit when Brett was in Green Bay (for the majority of my life) I had a pretty serious man-crush on him. Man-crushes aside, this level of success cannot last. The “breakout” game for Jet Favre was a complete anomaly. The whole game against Arizona looked like a game of Super Tecmo Bowl. The credit for the six touchdowns should play out like this:

50% Jets Wide Receiving Corps

25% Arizona Secondary

25% Brett Favre

Brett was throwing TD passes that were easier than the one he threw in the Wrangler ad. His receivers made Arizona defensive backs look worse than the Little Giants. Regardless, Favre can still play after all these years but he is not Drew Brees. He has done well while getting to know the team, and he will have a great year (for his age and under the circumstances).

The real issue is defense for the Jets. They dropped a game vs. Matt Cassel in his first start since high school, and then let the Chargers manhandle them. The AFC is not the league it was last year, and the Jets have a ridiculously easy schedule. They should make the playoffs for that reason alone.

I see this season for the Jets ending like the Yankees’ season last year: a very early exit from the playoffs.

But Brett fans shouldn’t worry, once he retires after next season he’ll still be a familiar face on Monday Night Football - during Viagra commercials.

Wilford Brimley = Joe Tiller ?

Probably.

Red Sox have established a pitchers' haven in Boston

If we can try and look past the Varitek dropped ball incident, we'll see that the only storyline that matters is the emergence of Jon Lester. After an inspirational comeback from cancer in the fall of '07, one that he himself would like to be forgotten about, Lester has been nothing short of an ace. When you consider the arms on that team: Beckett, Wakefield, Matsuzaka, it seems remarkable that he made the jump from No. 4 to No. 1 in such a short period of time. With Beckett having a down year, someone had to fill the role of the consummate ace of the Red Sox and Lester did just that, posting a sparkling 3.21 ERA with 16 wins, one of which he yielded zero hits. Thus far in the postseason he made quick work of the Angels by not allowing a single earned run in 14 innings; his fastball reaching an improbable 97 mph in the later innings. He has firmly cemented himself into a rotation that already had a pair of aces in its hand.

So what is to be made of this Red Sox pitching staff? Certainly it is the best we've seen over a five-year span since the Braves of the 90's. In fact, once October is over and the Red Sox are once again World Champs, you could make a case that it's better than that Atlanta rotation. In 2004, there was Pedro, Schilling, Lowe. In 2007-2008, there is Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, and Papelbon. These pitchers have all answered the call of performing in the postseason in an era in which one bad October start can totally derail a pitcher's confidence.

As you guessed, the common denominator here is the core of managers. At the top is Theo Epstein, who at 34, has accomplished far more than any of us could have dreamt. Nearly all of his moves have paid off, most recently his outsourcing of Manny to the Dodgers (Speaking of which, that trade has paid immediate dividends for BOTH teams, something that seems quite rare in pro sports). Then you have Terry Francona, who's postseason resume speaks for itself. The real culprit here though is pitching coach John Farrell. Although he wasn't there in '04, he has been with the Red Sox for three years and has fostered a superb pitching staff, from top to bottom. In fact, the only blip on his radar was Eric Gagne but you could easily chalk that up to being a lost cause judging by his success, or lack thereof in Milwaukee this year. Farrell has helped mold Dice-K from an extremely hyped, yet unproven starter to a bonafide star.

If the adage "Pitching wins Championships" wasn't clear enough to some of the other GMs (yes, I'm talking to you Dombrowski) look no further than the Red Sox. This is a dynasty in the making and whereas the Yankees won their championships in the late 90's with clutch hitting and adequate pitching, the Red Sox have fine-tuned a rotation with enough depth that will probably make Octobers for the next few years a little less exciting for the other 29 teams' fans. Yes, Red Sox nation is a prosperous one indeed.