Teixeira Update--2:10 pm--Yankees involved??

2:10: SI.com's Jon Heyman is reporting that the race for Teixeira has now involved the Yankees along with the Nationals and Red Sox.  Teixeira is said to be "seriously considering signing with New York."

--Jon Heyman

My take: All along I thought that Boras would involve the Yankees somehow and he is using them to drive the price up for the Red Sox.  No worries

1:26pm: The Boston Globe is reporting the Washington Nationals' latest offer is 9 years, $180 million while the Red Sox is at 8 years, $170 million.

--Nick Cafardo

12:40 pm

Washington Post: "One Nationals spokesman I just talked to said that as far as he knows the Nationals have no announcement today regarding Teixeira.

--Chico Harlan

12:24 pm: The Washington Times is reporting that a decision on free agent Mark Teixeira is due to come down today and it is reportedly down to the Red Sox and the Nationals.  

"A major league baseball source has told The Washington Times' Thom Loverro that there will be an announcement today regarding the future of free-agent Mark Teixeira.  While the source declined to discuss specifics, there are strong indications that the Red Sox will announce that they have signed the highly-coveted slugger, who has been courted this offseason by several major-league clubs, including the Angels, Orioles, and Nationals"

Please stay tuned to Carpenter's Corner for further updates.  If the announcement comes down today, I will have it.

Free Agency Post-Teixeira

Free agency isn't just all Mark Teixeira.  After Teixeira signs(I'm still convinced he will sign with the Red Sox when it is all said and done.  Theo has coveted him for the last two years and when he wants to sign someone badly enough he usually gets the job done.  The only free agent he hasn't signed when he has shown tremendous interest is Jose Contreras.), there will be many dominos that will fall.  Here are ten key free agents that will still be out there after Teixeira signs.

1. Manny Ramirez, OF(Type A FA)

--There has been a contract offer on the table from the Dodgers ever since free agency began.  Will he cash in for 3 years or have to settle for 2?  There is no guarantee that he won't pull the same stunts once he gets paid just like he did in Boston.  Others that have publicly shown interest are the Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, and Phillies.

Prediction: Angels(3 years, $65 million)

2. Brian Fuentes, CL(Type A FA)

--The former Rockies closer has an offer to go to St. Louis and join famed pitching guru Dave Duncan.  He has also said he is interested in pitching for the Angels being a California native.  

Prediction: Angels(3 years, $30 million)

3. Derek Lowe, SP(Type A FA)

--He'd be a perfect fit in Queens to be the #2 starter behind Johan Santana being an innings-eater and slotting John Maine in the #3 hole.  But, his high price tag might scare off Omar Minaya(reportedly Boras is asking $18 million per year).  He has stated he wants a return to Boston, but after the Red Sox sign Teixeira will they have enough money to spend on Lowe?  The Phillies also have expressed interest.

Prediction: Mets(4 years, $60 million)

4. Bobby Abreu, OF(not offered arbitration)

--Since being released, there has been nothing much to report on Abreu.  The Cubs need an outfielder as do the Mets.  He would also be a good fit in Tampa, but he might be too expensive.  The White Sox might show interest if they trade Jermaine Dye.  

Prediction: Mets(2 years, $30 million)

5. Ben Sheets, P(Type A FA)

--Teams seem to be scared off by his injury past and not willing to commit to a long-term deal with Sheets.  The Yankees showed early interest, but the signings of Sabathia and Burnett have taken them out of the race.  Teams in his home state of Texas, particularly the Rangers, have shown interest as well.

Prediction: Rangers(3 years, $36 million)

6. Adam Dunn, OF/1B(not offered arbitration)

--After being not offered arbitration by Arizona, it has been widely rumored he will go to the Cubs.   He would really fit in as a DH in the AL with the Angels or Rays who are looking to upgrade their offense.  The Nationals, with Jim Bowden, are looking for a splash and Bowden has been in love with Adam Dunn ever since he drafted him with Cincinnati.

Prediction: Nationals(5 years, $90 million)

7. Pat Burrell, OF(not offered arbitration)

--His knees have made him really slow in the field, but he can still hit for power despite his amazingly high K rate.  Like Dunn, he would be a great candidate for a DH role.  

Prediction: Rays(1 year, $15 million)

8. Oliver Perez, SP(Type A FA)

--He was mediocre last season, but pitched well down the stretch.  Another Boras client means a big contract.

Prediction: Dodgers(3 years, $45 million)

9. Orlando Hudson, 2B(Type A FA)

--If the Yankees ever do the much-rumored Cano deal to LA, Hudson could land in the Bronx.  He is a Type A FA, so if he goes anywhere Arizona gets draft picks.  

Prediction: Diamondbacks(2 years, $25 million)

10. Jason Varitek, C(Type A FA)

--Will the Red Sox bring him back as a backup or a starter?  It all depends on if they can trade for a young catcher.  There really isn't a big market for Tek.  Teams showing interest outside of Boston are the Mets, Dodgers, and Marlins.

Prediction: Red Sox(1 year, $10 million)

Picking up the Pieces while Shoveling Snow

--This season is Bill Belichick's best coaching job of his career.  Here are just some players who have missed significant time: Tom Brady, Laurence Maroney, LaMont Jordan, Sammy Morris, Adailus Thomas, Ty Warren, and Rodney Harrison.  There is no way they should be sniffing the playoffs, but with a Ravens loss on Saturday night combined with 2 Patriots wins and they play the AFC East winner in the first round.

--Peyton Manning is having an MVP-type season.  Leading the Colts to 8 straight wins and the No.5 seed in the AFC while having a defense that couldn't stop Rutland High School's ground game is quite a feat.

--If Jordan Hill can dominate Gonzaga inside, what will Hasheem Thabeet do tomorrow?  It should be an awesome game tomorrow afternoon at Key Arena between UConn and Gonzaga.  Ten years ago, they played in the West Regional Final in Phoenix and both programs have taken off since then.

--Anyone have 22-5-4 in the Bruins first 31 games pool??  I'm loving the future of Kessel, Lucic, and Blake Wheeler.  

--I can't believe the Celtics have come out with even more intensity than last season.  This is quite a special start to the season.  Rajon Rondo should be an All-Star.  Ray Allen is on track after a slow start to last season while Pierce and KG are up to their old selves.  Wouldn't it be great to go into the Christmas Day game with the Lakers 27-2?

--Something tells me the best bowl game(non-BCS edition) will be the Holiday Bowl matchup between Oklahoma State and Oregon.  They better have replacement light bulbs in the Qualcomm Stadium scoreboard.

--Best BCS bowl game: the one no one will watch.  The Orange Bowl will be great between Cincinnati and Virginia Tech.  All others will be blowouts in favor of Florida, USC, Texas,  and Alabama.

--Where will Pedro Martinez pitch next season?

Here's to a great sports(and shopping) weekend and, as always, be on the lookout for #25 in a Red Sox uniform for the next 8 years.

***Check out the Northeast Sports Network online at http://www.neksports.net.  NSN is your source for Vermont sports news and information.  Throughout every season, there are numerous video and audiocasts of the best high school and college sports action around the state of Vermont.  Listen to the Jack Healey Show weekday mornings from 6 am-9 am and The Big Sports Show with host George Commo from 9 am-11 am.  Both shows can be accessed on http://www.nsnradio.net.***

As Scott Boras' World Turns

Well, this has been quite a night.  This is how fast contract negotiations can change.  I was on an emotional high trying to picture Mark Teixeira in a Red Sox uniform for the next 8 years.  Channel 5(Boston) sports reporter Mike Lynch breaks the story that John Henry, Theo Epstein, and Larry Lucchino were flying to Texas to conduct face-to-face negotiations with Teixeira and agent/villian Scott Boras.  I mean, when you hear that wouldn't you theorize that if things were that close then a deal MUST be close.  

As I kept refreshed my browser on SoSH and Google news every 20 seconds(or so it seemed), every moment got more and more anxious.  How much was Teixeira going to sign for?  How good would he look in a Sox uniform and would he bat 3rd?  Would this have an affect on how the front office would fill out the remaining roster spots?  But, not much was going through my mind other than: We are about to sign the cornerstone of the franchise for the next 8 years.  There were reports that other teams were offering more money, but Teixeira must really want to come to a winning organization and be close to his family in Maryland.  I was also gushing about an infield of Kevin Youkilis, Jed Lowrie, MVPedoria, and Teixeira for the foreseeable future.

Oh but how things change.......

Adam Kilgore of Boston.com posts at 10:46 PM EST

"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him.  After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be much of a factor"

How crushed was I after reading this?  Probably about as much as Game 7 of last year's ALCS.   This is how I think the events of the evening turned out:

Henry: "Scott, we are willing to go above our initial offer of 8 years/$160 and are even willing to come down to meet Mark at his home, meet his family, and sell them on the merits of playing for the Boston Red Sox.  After hearing what we have to say, I believe he will want to be a part of the organization.

Boras: "Sure, I can do that.  I can meet you in Texas this evening.

Boras: "Brian, this is Scott Boras.  I have a meeting with the Red Sox brass tonight and I am confident a deal will be done by the end of the meeting.  This is your last chance to get in the fold.(hangs up).  Tony(Reagins, GM of the LA Angels), this is Scott.  The Red Sox are coming down to meet with Mark and I am confident a deal will be done tonight.  This is your last chance to improve your offer.

(Henry and the crew finish their sales pitch)

Henry: "Mark, here is our last offer.  We believe you will be the cornerstone of our franchise for the next 8 years.  We are willing to go to $23 million AAV as we believe you are worth it.

Boras: "Thanks for coming down, but I have two offers on the table that are higher than what you are offering.  Can you go to $25 AAV?"

Henry: "Scott, I just went $25 million more than I originally offered.  I can't go any higher than that so good luck to you Mark."

This is how fast negotiations can turn.  Is this just a negotiating ploy or are the Red Sox out as fast as they were seemingly all-in?  Stay tuned to Carpenter's Corner for more of the hit show: "As Scott Boras' World Turns"

Edit: 1:08 AM

Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports has some comments from Boras: "The Boston ownership was kind enough to request and travel to meet with Mark Teixeira.  While it was a very positive meeting, Mark was candid and advised he is in the process of making a decision and is now attempting to eliminate some teams."

Might there be some light?  

College Basketball Thoughts while trying to forget that it's raining in December....

--December 20th should be an incredible day of college hoops.  2:00 brings Duke vs. Xavier at the Meadowlands and Michigan State vs. Texas in Houston.  4:00 is UConn vs. Gonzaga in Seattle and Davidson vs. Purdue in Indianapolis.  The nightcap pits Syracuse at Memphis at 6:00 from the FedEx Forum.  Mark that on your calendar in lieu of Christmas shopping.

  

--More points scored at Ford Field: UNC Tar Heels or 8 combined games of the Lions?

--The team that has most surprised me this year is Michigan.  They have two high-quality wins(UCLA, Duke) that will help them get an at-large berth to the NCAA's.  Runner-up: Xavier.

--My Wooden Award candidates:

1. Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

2. Stephen Curry, Davidson

3.  Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

No one else is even close as this point.  Griffin dominates whoever is guarding him and is a guaranteed double-double every night.  Curry is Mr. Everything for Davidson and Hansbrough's resume speaks for itself.  If Luke Harangody of Notre Dame gets healthy then he can challenge for a spot.  

--Is there a coach who gets more out of what he has than Davidson's Bob McKillop?

--Devin Ebanks really impressed me on Tuesday night.  He shut down Stephen Curry for stretches at a time and asserted himself very well on the offensive end.

--Look out for Siena this week at Pittsburgh.  They have a veteran club that returns most everyone that beat Vanderbilt easily in the NCAA Tournament.

Hello World!!

Hello everyone. My name is John Carpenter and I would like to welcome you to my little corner of the Internet called Carpenter's Corner. I will be posting my thoughts on a main topic in the sports world while touching on all of the hot topics of the present. If you don't know me already, I am 25 years old and currently living on Long Island. I am a Rutland, Vermont native and a Western Carolina University graduate(Class of '05). I am a huge Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, and Bruins fan. I follow UConn hoops religiously as well.

Since the MLB Winter Meetings are taking place in Sin City as we speak, this seems like a logical place to begin. CC Sabathia has reached a preliminary agreement with the New York Yankees on a 7-year contract worth $161 million dollars. The Yankees are also reportedly close to signing AJ Burnett to a 5-year deal for around $90 million and are also in on Derek Lowe and/or Ben Sheets. To me, this signals that they don't have nearly the confidence in their younger starters(Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, etc.) that they had at this time last year. They had a chance to trade for the best pitcher in baseball in Johan Santana, but GM Brian Cashman felt that the steep price in prospects and also signing him to a lengthy and expensive contract extension was too much. Would they have traded for Santana if Sabathia wasn't a free agent this offseason? With the past results of big free agent pitcher contracts(Mike Hampton, Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown), I would be very careful in giving out such long-term expensive investments to starters.

That's enough about the Yankees. Let's turn our attention to the Boston Red Sox. It is no secret that GM Theo Epstein has lusted after free agent Mark Teixeira since he was a Texas Ranger. He is the perfect cornerstone for any franchise: a young switch-hitting 1B who has both an elite bat and Gold Glove-caliber defense. The Red Sox always have a threshold in contract negotiations that they stick to religiously, but this is a player you need to make every effort to add to your ballclub. At this moment, there are rumors that he has been offered an 8-year, $180 million contract by the Washington Nationals. Now Teixeira, a Severna Park, MD native, could take the obscene amount of money offered and have a chance to stay close to home. But the Nationals have been terrible since they moved from Montreal and show no signs of competing for the forseeable future. Why wouldn't you take, say, an 8-year contract at $160 million to go to the Red Sox and have a chance to win a World Series every year? As Herm Edwards famously said: "You play to win the game."

--I love the K-Rod deal for the Mets. 3 years and $37 million is a fair market deal for the best closer available. Omar Minaya wasn't done yet as he acquired former Mariners closer JJ Putz to set him up. That gives the Mets the best 8th-9th inning combination in baseball. Now, all they have to worry about is how to get to them when Johan Santana isn't on the mound.

--Went to the Garden last night to check out the latest edition of the Stephen Curry Show. Boy, was I impressed. He showed me he is a complete basketball player by his passing ability and his defense.

--I can't believe that Graham Harrell didn't get invited to New York as a Heisman Trophy candidate. His statistics(4,747 yards, 41 TDs, and 7 INTs) rivaled those of finalists Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and Colt McCoy of Texas. The award will go to Tim Tebow in the end.

--Is Andre Tippet and Vincent Brown available and in game shape? The Patriots are trending that way it seems.

--Good to see the Bruins back and playing great hockey. Milan Lucic and Phil Kessel are sure fun to watch. Former Vermont Catamount Tim Thomas has really found himself in net and made a nice career for himself.

Question of the Week

--Each week, I will pose a question that I would like feedback on. To start off, here is my first installment:

What suggestions do you have for this blog? Any constructive criticism is both welcome and encouraged. Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

Hopefully the next time I talk to you, we will be welcoming our new 1B to Boston for the next 6-8 years.

-John