Is Shaun Ellis a mole?

I love the Patriots' Shaun Ellis signing, but there's like 5% of me that thinks he's in on a big scheme concocted by Rex Ryan and the Jets.

Here's the idea: Sexy Rexy pretends he doesn't want Ellis, knowing full well that Ellis is the exact type of free agent that Bill Belichick loves. So Ellis signs with New England and acts like a model teammate for four weeks, but in practice the week before the big Jets-Pats game, he "accidentally" takes out Tom Brady and puts him on IR. Then, when confronted about it in the Pats locker room, Ellis gets a crazed look in his eye, admits it was all part of Rex's plan and then throws Belichick through a barber shop window.

Admit it, you can't completely rule this scenario out.

Top 5 songs I've seen live

Live, "White, Discussion"
2007, Boston
"White, Discussion" is the forgotten hit from Live's breakout album, Throwing Copper. You still hear "Lightning Crashes," "Selling the Drama," "I Alone" and "All Over You" on rock radio these days, but never this one. Before the band broke up, Live regularly used the song as an encore closer, featuring blinding strobe lights and Ed Kowalczyk screaming, "Look where all this talking got us, baby!" This performance at the Bank of America Pavilion (or whatever that place was called at the time) was particularly intense, but it's not on YouTube, so here's a version from the year before in Germany:



Chris Cornell, "Black Hole Sun"
Oct. 31, 2005, Lowell, Massachusetts
Audioslave played a Halloween night show at Tsongas Arena, and to start the encore, Chris Cornell came out   wearing a Jason mask and carrying an acoustic guitar. He performed a mix of Audioslave and Temple of the Dog songs, but the highlight of this mini-set was the Soundgarden classic "Black Hole Sun," which turned into a giant lighter-waving sing-along.

$103 million down the drain

Measuring run production in baseball (or proof Ichiro is overrated)

I was listening to Felger and Mazz on the radio the other day, and Tony Massarotti was talking about how overrated Ichiro Suzuki is. Mazz's basic premise was that Ichiro's high number of hits doesn't mean much, because he doesn't score a lot of runs.

I had some issues with this argument, mainly the comparison of hits to runs scored. After thinking the issue through, I realized it's more fair and thorough to compare the number of times a player gets on base to the number of runs he produces, either by driving them in or by crossing home plate himself. So I devised this formula:

(runs scored + runs batted in - home runs) / (hits + walks)

(A home run counts as both a run scored and a run batted in, so subtracting home runs from the sum of runs scored and runs batted in ensures that this formula doesn't inflate run-production numbers.)

The resulting number represents how many runs a hitter produces each time he reaches base. For example, Alex Rodriguez led the majors in 2010 by producing 0.845 runs each time he reached base.

Radiohead, The King of Limbs: My review

The King of Limbs is Radiohead's latest album, which I picked up over the weekend for only six bucks. I'm glad I didn't pay any more than that. Here's a one-sentence review of each of the eight tracks on The King of Limbs:

"Bloom": This song has a repetitive, awkward drum beat that critics will invariably hail for "pushing rhythmic boundaries" and lots of bland, ambient noise that "introduces the listener to this new sonic world in which The King of Limbs lives."

"Morning Mr. Magpie": This song has two sections comprised of a repetitive, awkward electronic beat, broken up by a slower, acoustic but equally repetitive section in the middle.

"Little By Little": Oh my God there's actual bass and guitars and a verse-chorus-verse structure and I hope this marks a turning point in the album!

"Feral": Nope.

"Lotus Flower": I liked the remix better.

"Codex": Sorry, I fell asleep during this one.

"Give Up the Ghost": And this one.

"Separator": With its disco beat and almost-catchy chorus, this song is the best so far and I can't wait to hear the rest of the al-- oh, it's over already?

NFL players locked out from concerts, too

The NFL lockout means players can't enter the league's stadiums for any reason: to work out, meet with coaches or even attend concerts.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports about this unforeseen consequence of the NFL lockout and its effect on Kenny Chesney's tour, which will stop at 10 NFL stadiums this year:

"If you're in the NFL [players union], you can't go to your stadium, you can't work out at your stadium, you can't talk to your coaches," says Chesney, who has 10 NFL venues (including Green Bay's Lambeau Field) on his 2011 itinerary. When he played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' home turf last week, "we had all baseball players there. We had a lot of Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees who were down there for spring training." 

"But at West Palm [Beach], we had a ton of NFL players. I saw [guard Steve] Hutchinson from the Vikings. If we were to play the Dome up there, he couldn't come to the show."

This rule is almost as ridiculous as the Star Tribune's use of brackets in quotes. Does the NFL really think locked-out players are going to buy concert tickets in a ruse to access their teams' workout facilities?

Furthermore, how would they enforce this rule? All an NFL player needs to do is throw on a trucker hat and a pair of aviators and they'll blend right in with 70,000 other Kenny Chesney fans. Is Bob Kraft gonna man the Gillette Stadium entrance to make sure Tom Brady isn't sneaking in to see Taylor Swift?

Foggy math in San Francisco

I was searching for San Francisco tsunami news this morning and stumbled across a story in the San Francisco Examiner about a moronic but very lucky high school kid who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and survived with just some bruises.

The article contains this passage:

The teen joins more than 1,400 others who have jumped from the bridge since it opened in 1937, according to the Golden Gate Bridge transit district. Of those, only 2 percent survived, and only 4 percent of those who survived were able to walk again.

The purpose of the paragraph is to show that surviving the plunge without dying or becoming paralyzed is very rare. Mission accomplished, right?

Technically, but I did the math, and 4 percent of 2 percent of 1,400 people is ... one person. That paragraph would have been way better if it said, "The teen is only the second person ever to jump off the bridge without dying or becoming paralyzed." In fact, isn't that such an interesting fact that you'd probably lead with it?

No wonder they can't get anyone to pay for the Examiner these days.

ESPN might want to change ads on this Oregon story

Which baseball team should you root for?

Choosing which baseball team to root for usually isn't a choice at all. It's typically something you're born into (like, you root for who your family roots for) or based on where you live.

But if you ever find yourself without a home team to root, root, root for, this flow chart can help. Take a look at some of the decisions you'll have to make (and which clubs they lead to), then check out the full chart to see which baseball team you should root for:

• If you cheer when the Jumbotron says so and not a moment sooner, are not ashamed to eat sushi at a baseball game and prefer raspberry appletinis, the Angels are the team for you.
• If you are watching baseball to pass the time until football camp, and you think this country is being ruined by Democrats, you should root for the Rangers.
• And of course, if you have no soul, you're a Yankees fan.

Click the image to find out which baseball team you should root for.

George Mason marching band covers Rage Against the Machine

This video is too good not to share. The George Mason marching band, Mean Green, plays a Rage Against the Machine medley, including "Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name." Check it out:

Scientology spies and other dirty laundry

Charlie Sheen is getting all the headlines, but it hasn't exactly been a great couple of weeks for the Church of Scientology, either.

First, if you have a couple hours to kill -- seriously, it's nearly 25,000 words long -- check out The New Yorker's profile on Hollywood screenwriter and Scientology defector Paul Haggis. Among the many accusations against the church in this article:

• Church officials ordered manual laborers to do several favors for Tom Cruise, including customizing his SUV, painting his luxury motorcycles and renovating his airport hangar. When one of these laborers escaped the church's California compound and fled to Texas, Scientology officials followed him.

How not to use social media

Remember the good ol' days when all journalists talked like Al Capone, kept bottles of whiskey in their desk drawers and had little cards that said "PRESS" in their hats? That's not the case anymore (except maybe the whiskey in the desk part).

Another thing that has changed for journalists: They're not the only sources of information anymore. Not by a long shot. Any idiot kan strt up a Blog or @twitter acct. in a matter of mins theese daze. And for every person who has built a successful blog without any formal journalism training, or used Twitter to advance their career, there are many more who end up making themselves look silly.

Cases in point: Texas Gov. Rick Perry and economics researcher Barry Ritholtz.

Let's take the Texas governor first. Mediabistro's All Twitter blog reports that Perry has blocked Texas journalists from following his Twitter account, @GovernorPerry.

Who's Heidi Watney hot-tubbing with?

I follow NESN Red Sox reporter Heidi Watney on Twitter, and this morning I noticed this Tweet from her account, posted sometime around midnight:

We can take JP's boat out n go fishing n drinking! Or a hottub n drinks... Whatever... Fun n drinks ;)

The Tweet has since disappeared from Heidi Watney's Twitter feed. It was likely meant as a direct message to someone, and the "JP" is probably Toronto Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia, who has been flirting with Heidi Watney on Twitter recently.

On Feb. 12, for example, he posted, "Is it bad that I have a crush on [@heidiwatney] even if she works for boston??" The following day, Watney responded, "Not only is @jparencibia9 very sweet but he's a pretty good cornhole partner too! We made a good team :)"

Liverpool at Fenway Park in 2012

Liverpool will play at Fenway Park in 2012.

Tom Werner, chairman of Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox, said in a spring training Q and A that his soccer team would play at the home of his baseball team next year, according to Boston.com. There was no mention of an opponent for the Liverpool Fenway Park match.

A Liverpool Fenway Park match would follow in the footsteps of last year's Futbol at Fenway friendly, which pitted Celtic FC against Sporting Lisbon. There has been no word if there will be a Futbol at Fenway event in 2011.

New England Sports Ventures, owners of the Red Sox, purchased Liverpool in October 2010 and named Werner chairman the following month.

Red Sox 2011 lineup: What should it be?

The 2011 Red Sox are stacked, but this plethora of talent presents a problem: how to make a lineup that maximizes their potential.

The subject of the Red Sox 2011 lineup has come up in several discussions with friends in recent days, and there hasn't been much agreement. So here I'm going to spell out what my Red Sox 2011 lineup would be, and why.

Leadoff
The natural inclination is to go with Jacoby Ellsbury or Carl Crawford here, because of their speed. But Crawford didn't lead off in Tampa Bay, and Ellsbury is a question mark because of his injuries last year. Will he be able to return to his pre-2010 form? Quite possibly, but do you want to find out by taking away at-bats from the other monsters in the lineup? That's why my pick at the top of the Red Sox 2011 lineup is Dustin Pedroia. He actually has a better career on-base percentage than Ellsbury and Crawford, as well as decent speed (20 swipes in both 2009 and 2008).

Movie review: The Town

Something bad happened late yesterday afternoon. To take my mind off it, I watched "The Town" last night. Mission accomplished.

"The Town," directed by and starring Ben Affleck, kept me entertained throughout. It's about four expert stick-up artists from Charlestown, one of whom (Affleck's character) wants to put an end to his criminal ways in search of a better life. But of course, a loose-cannon sidekick and an Irish mob boss manage to throw some wrenches into those plans. (And by "wrenches," I mean "guns.")

NFL playoff seeding rules: Fine just the way they are

The NFL playoff seeding rules are under fire thanks to the Seattle Seahawks, who managed to snag the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs despite their 7-9 record.

Under the current NFL playoff seeding rules, the four division champions in each conference get the top four playoff seeds. The Seahawks won the championship of the lowly NFC West, so they got the fourth seed -- and a home game -- even though the two wild card teams (New Orleans and Green Bay) had much better records (11-5 and 10-6, respectively).

There's an outcry over the NFL playoff seeding rules this year because the Seahawks are the first losing team to ever win its division. But, as Tom Jones would say, it's not unusual for division winners to have worse records than wild card teams. In fact, this year marks the fourth consecutive time it has happened. Take a look:

Surprise! Brett Favre says he's retiring

Brett Favre of Minnesota Vikings says he's retiring after 20-year career - ESPN: "Brett Favre says it's time for him to call it a career."

In other news, the sky is blue and the Earth revolves around the sun.

Also, ESPN's recent SEO efforts are laughable. "Brett Favre of Minnesota Vikings"? Gee, thanks for clearing that up, Worldwide Leader. For a second there, I thought you were writing about Brett Favre, the famed Yakult Swallows second baseman.

The top 5 songs I got for Christmas

Music usually makes up a decent chunk of my Christmas gifts, and that was once again the case this year. Even though 2010 wasn't exactly a banner year for music, I still managed to get a couple good albums with some really great songs on them. Here are the five best:

5. "On The Ocean" by Guster
Guster was one of my favorites back when the band was just two acoustic guitarists and a bongo player. Then, with the 2003 album Keep It Together, they went electric, added a full drum set and turned into every other pop-rock group of the last two decades. (There were some exceptions, such as that album's "Red Oyster Cult" and the Ganging Up On The Sun track "The New Underground.") This year's album, Easy Wonderful, still has the pop-rock sound, but there's a darker tone on some songs that recalls the good old days -- and "On The Ocean" best exemplifies this sound.