Hot Stove...

...lukewarm Niners (picture of Alex Smith from sfgate.com) and a pretty ice cold Liverpool.

That's probably an accurate snapshot of the current sports situation for Mr.N personally.

The Red Sox shored up their troublesome SS position by signing Mr. Utility - Marco Scutaro, formerly of the Blue Jays. Since Nomah led the Sox from the SS position as one of the three best shortstops in the league from 1997 to 2003, the Red Sox has essentially treated the position as a revolving door. Since mid-2004, 7 players have manned the position for the Bostonians. (Well, 6, but Alex Gonzalez did it in 2006 and again in 2009.)

Now they have one of the best fielding shortstops in the league when healthy (he suffered from a nasty case of Plantar Faciitis last season), he's played more than 115 games in 5 of the last 6 seasons since becoming a full time player with Oakland in 2004. Even with his foot injury last year he only played on less game than 2008, his first year with the Jays (144 vs 145 games.)

What's more interesting is, as Peter Gammons mentions in his column, Scutaro's performance at the plate has gone up more or less every year. From an OBP of .297 in 2004 to a respectable .379 last season. Something that must have made the Red Sox FO salivate with glee is also his ability to wear down pitchers, as he lead all MLB shortstops in pitches per at bat in 2009.

2 years and $11 million gives the Red Sox solidity to a position that could almost become a strength for the team if Jed Lowrie can get healthy and assume a super utility role.

Obviously the Red Sox have some outstanding issues, such as a big bat (Bay or M. Holliday...or Adrian Gonzalez?), Ortiz's rapidly declining skills, Lowell's health concerns and possibly another starting pitcher or two. Whether the last issue is solved by a monster trade for Doc Halladay or a more buy low option of a Ben Sheets type pitcher remains to be seen.

We haven't even gotten to the winter meeting yet! So far no sign of the Yankees trying to continue their plan of buying every player in the world - although clearly Cashman's strategy worked last year. On occasion I can't stop thinking what the outcome would have been with Teixeira at 1B and Youk at 3B for the Sox if Henry and the gang had upped their bid by 5%....

Pigskin times

As for the NFL, we're in week 13 and we have 2, count 'em two, teams still undefeated; the Saints and the Colts. Theoretically we could have two 18-0 teams in Miami in January. Wonder what the 1972 guys will think then.

The Niners might actually have a shot at the post season for the first time since the Mooch era, with a pretty manageable schedule up to Christmas. Only Philly and possibly the Cardinals look like nail biting games, especially with an (almost) dominating defense and a resurgent Alex Smith at the helm of the offense.

Of course they'd have to navigate the Vikings, Saints and Dallas (plus two wildcards) in the playoffs if they get there, but in all honesty I'd be ecstatic by just a return to January football this year.

There's always next year...

Seems to be the mantra in Liverpool. Now out of the Champions League, with a shaky ownership and already 15 points behind the league leaders, 2009 seems to be a season that before Christmas has gone from "This is the year" to "well, maybe next year".

What's clear is that Liverpool's squad is paperthin compared to Chelsea's and ManU's. Without Gerrard and Torres Liverpool was as potent as a paper tiger, and now languish outside the top 4.

I still think they'll finish in a CS spot, but this season is not one for the ages.

Finally

The best pop culture v sports comparison of the day goes to Bill Simmons (again), as he compares the Cavalier's Shaq with a bald Aretha Franklin. I recommend reading his entire column, especially the dire look at the city of Cleveland's fortunes.