Notes from the Coast:

Word is that the Red Sox plan on signing ageless wonder Jason Varitek to a 2 year extension at $10 million a year. I think it is a great idea and a no-brainer but I can't help but be a bit worried. When Varitek retires in 2 years what will the Red Sox do then? They can’t be all that enamored with the catchers in their minor league system because they just signed Doug Mirabelli to catch Tim Wakefield again next year. Mirabelli is 37 and Varitek will be 36 in April. We all know what happened in 2006 when Varitek got injured during the second half of the season, so let's hope the Red Sox have another back-up plan for the back-up catcher position.

• A Huston Street in Boston, MA? Aside from the never ending Johan Santana saga, the rumor mill for the Red Sox has been slow this off-season. However, the Hot Stove may have a little flicker left. The latest is that Coco Crisp could be dealt to the Oakland A’s for Huston Street. Street is a great young reliever who won the Rookie of the Year award a couple of years ago. If the Red Sox make this deal, they would have a more effective replacement for Eric Gagne and solidify their bullpen for years to come.
  
• There is a post on Rajon Rondo's Yardbarker blog which claims that Celtics second year point guard uses his $300 daily stipend to support his gambling habit. If this is true, I’m sure the Celtics aren’t thrilled but I do think that maybe they should be more concerned with rookie Glen Davis possibly spending all of his $300 allotment on food. Even though 'Big Baby' has been playing and practicing a lot more lately, he also seems to be gaining more a lot weight. Check out this video of him trying out for the Washington Wizards before the NBA draft last summer where Davis looks a lot thinner. Even with a bad hip flexor, he still managed to lose 45 lbs for the draft after crash-dieting and working out. Such dramatic weight fluctuation is not a good sign for a young professional athlete.
• Putting a positive spin on the Randy Moss alleged battery charges. After playing for pennies and having an All-Pro season, Moss may try to break the bank again next year. Whether the allegations are true or not, the bad press may provide the Pats a little leverage in their off-season negotiations with Moss.
• Seeing Chad Jackson return kicks for the Pats during the Jaguars play-off game last week was a bit of a surprise and pretty much confirms that both Troy Brown and Donte Stallworth won’t be back with the Pats next year. This is probably Troy’s last year and when the Pats sign Randy Moss for more money in the off-season, it will make it harder to sign Donte too.
• I thought the Celtics loss to the Washing ton Wizards last Saturday night was bad until the Detroit Pistons got killed by the lowly New York Knicks 89-65 on Sunday.
• No pick-up for the Celtics after the non-guarantee contract deadline of Jan. 10th, so now we'll have to focus on the NBA trade deadline in February for any frontline or point guard help.
• Why are the Atlanta Falcons and Pete Carroll even talking? They just got burned by Bobby Petrino (a college coach who couldn’t handle the NFL) and Carroll’s past success on the professional level is lacking, so why in the world would you even entertain the idea of giving him complete control of your organization? More importantly, what is Pete Carroll thinking? He has rebuilt a great program at USC and already has 'complete control'. Besides, he is one of the highest paid coaches in college and probably makes more than some NFL coaches. If he is just talking, what kind of leverage could he be gaining with USC? If Pete Carroll is smart, he'll stay in college, make millions, and forge a legacy for years to come.
• Again, my AFC and NFC title game predictions for this week: Pats over Bolts 33-10 and the Pack over the G-men 17-14. Go Pats!