Will he stay or will he go?

For the foreseeable future, the Boston Red Sox will always be a big player in the free agent and trade markets. As much as Red Sox fans hate to admit it, their team exhibits a lot of the traits they used to decry about the Yankees.

When they see a player they want, they make an effort to get him, sometimes at all costs.

And that’s why, for as long as he’s a prospect in the Red Sox organization, Portsmouth’s own Ryan Westmoreland will continue to be mentioned in possible trades.

So when we hear that the Red Sox plan to take a shot at trading for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, don’t be surprised if Westmoreland’s name surfaces as part of a potential deal, as it did when Toronto shopped Halladay last season.

The same goes for any other major trades the Red Sox might pursue. Clearly they value Westmoreland, as evidenced by the $2 million signing bonus they’re paying him, but sellers in the trade market love prospects. And as far as prospects go, few in the Red Sox organization are as promising as Westmoreland.

I’m sure most of Portsmouth is with me in hoping that he stays put and, eventually, makes his major league debut in a Red Sox uniform.

(Although if he were traded to the Brewers, that would be my second choice.)

But the reality is that baseball is, above all, a business, and if the Red Sox see dealing Westmoreland as a solid business move, they’ll pull the trigger.

Unfortunately, for as long as Westmoreland is a pro baseball player, he and his family and friends will have to deal with the stress and uncertainty that goes along with being potential trade bait.

Middletown beats Portsmouth

Ace reporter Josh Krueger, who is on the road to New Hampshire for a Thanksgiving feast, just informed me that the Middletown football team ended its 13-year losing streak to rival Portsmouth with a 19-13 road victory.

Details to follow ...

Hope all are having a nice Thanksgiving.

Rogers loses 26-20 in overtime to St. Raphael

Trevor Vasey scored on a quarterback sneak from a yard out to lift host St. Raphael Academy to a 26-20 win in overtime over Rogers in Pawtucket on Wednesday night at Max Read Field.
Damion Rodrigo had two touchdowns on 1-yard runs and Christian Savage romped 51 yards for the Vikings' other touchdown in the Division I pairing.
Rogers piled up 355 rushing yards, with Savage amassing 193 yards on 32 carries.
Rogers finished its season at 2-9 overall, 2-6 in Division I.

Thanksgiving updates

Not going to tonight's Rogers-St. Raphael game in Pawtucket? Not heading out to Portsmouth or Tiverton on Thanksgiving morning? Check back here for updates after the games.

Any predictions?

Portsmouth has beaten Middletown in 13 straight years, but the Islanders have perhaps their best team in recent years. The Patriots, meanwhile, are coming off a loss to Rogers, which lost 36-6 to Middletown in the season opener.

The Vikings are hoping to keep that momentum alive tonight against the Saints at Max Read Field. St. Raphael is having a tough go of it, just 1-6 in Division I.

Before Tiverton and Central Falls meet at midfield for their postgame feast, the Tigers are seeking their 11th straight win the the rivalry. And coach Bob Murray insists his team isn't looking forward to Tuesday's playoff opener.

Heart of the Lions

Who could have guessed Browns-Lions would be, arguably, the most entertaining game in Week 11? Two one-win teams took the field battling for, well, pretty much nothing.

Admittedly, I didn't watch the whole game. Why would I, especially when my Packers were playing at the same time? But I did see the end, and I'm glad I switched over.

Down to their last play, or so we thought, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford ran around behind the line of scrimmage for, seemingly an eternity before hurling a pass in the end zone while taking a nasty hit.

The pass fell incomplete, but the Browns were flagged for pass interference, giving the Lions one play from the 1-yard line with no time on the clock.

After taking the afforementioned hit, Stafford stayed down, and eventually was helped off the field, grimmacing in pain while his left shoulder hung at his side. Backup Daunte Culpepper came on to the field to lead the Lions on the final play.

Stafford, however, was able to re-enter the game thanks to a Browns timeout (nice call, Mangenius) and threw a touchdown pass, his fifth of the day, to tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

An extra point later, Lions win 38-37.

It was quite the enjoyable game for me on two fronts. Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, a proud member of my Disgruntled Goat fantasy football team, caught seven passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. And, more importantly, I picked the Lions to win, unlike Scott Barrett, who for the second straight week was on the wrong side of a one-point game. So, I now boast a three-game lead over Scott in our friendly Daily News competition, and Rick McGowan moved into second place, one game ahead of Scott.

What a game!

Just win, baby!

The Raiders pulled out an improbable win today against AFC North leader Cincinnati, which means the Patriots could be in line for a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They're both 7-3 on the season. The San Diego Chargers, who have won five straight, are also 7-3 and lead the AFC West.

Sanchez loves the Pats

For the fourth time today, Mark Sanchez hooked up with a Patriot on a pass play. This time, Brandon Meriweather picked off the rookie, who was being pressured by ... you guessed it, Leigh Bodden, among others.

Sanchez came into this game with 9 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those numbers are now 10 and 16. Not exactly "Broadway Joe" numbers.

Bodden completes trifecta

Leigh Bodden just tied a Patriots record with his third interception of the game. On play-action, Sanchez threw another perfect pass to Bodden, who didn't have to make too much of a play. Asante Samuel also had three picks in a game, on Nov. 26, 2006.

Pats a sitting duck after 3 qtrs.

This game is looking a bit like the Colts game. Not in the fact that the Jets are moving the ball in the way Peyton Manning does, but that the Pats are just letting another opponent hang around way too long. After throwing for more than 200 yards in the first half, Tom Brady has cooled off.

New York has pulled to within 24-14 and getting the ball to start the final 15 minutes. If the Patriots defense wanted the challenge of stopping the Colts last week, it didn't get that chance. But here's another. Let's see it happen.

Did I speak too soon?

Just like he did in Week 2, Mark Sanchez drove the Jets down the field to start the second half and scored. This time, after a disastrous first half, the rookie marched his team 80 yards on 11 plays in 5:15. He hit Jerricho Cotchery with a 29-yard scoring pass. It was nice coverage by Jonathan Wilhite, but just a better throw and catch.

Game is now 24-14 ... time to be nervous? Nah!

A small consolation

The Jets blocked a punt deep in New England territory and returned it 4 yards for a touchdown, and Stephen Gostkowski missed a 40-yard field goal try with 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter. That makes it a 24-7 game in favor of the Patriots. The blocked kick was the only point of light for a New York team that is struggling offensively.

Sanchez and the Jets have two first downs and 34 total yards. Those are not misprints. New England, meanwhile, has racked up 272 total yards. Tom Brady has thrown for 221 of those, including a TD to Randy Moss.

I guess the Pats defense answered the call after being talked about all week.

Old friends?

Do Leigh Bodden and Mark Sanchez know each other from their collegiate or high school days? Because they look like they're having a nice game of catch in the back yard.

New England goes up 21-0

Laurence Maroney redeemed himself somewhat with a 2-yard touchdown run that put the Patriots up 21-0. The drive was highlighted by a 45-yard pass play from Brady to Welker on third-and-3. And that play was made possible by Moss, who had the attention of the safety, allowing Welker to break free down the field.

Pats up 14-0 at the end of 1 qtr.

On the final play of the first quarter, Tom Brady hit Randy Moss on a quick out for a 4-yard touchdown. Revis was in coverage, but he gave him a 5-yard cushion. Too much.

Through 15 minutes, the Patriots are dominating this game. Wes Welker has been fantastic, catching three passes for 51 yards and rushing once for 11 yards.

Pats defense comes to the rescue

After Laurence Maroney fumbled, the Patriots defense got the ball back and put seven points on the board. Leigh Bodden picked off Mark Sanchez, on a pass intended for Jerricho Cotchery but closer to the fans in the front row, and returned it 53 yards for the game's first points.

Sanchez looks flat out awful. His passes are all over the place, and New England is certainly happy that one landed in the arms of Bodden.

Revis wins Round 1

Darrelle Revis, who vocalized his domination of Randy Moss in the first meeting, won Round 1 against the Pats reciever. On third-and-3, Brady looked for Moss down the right side, but Revis was there to break it up. To be honest, it looked like the pass was a bit underthrown.

Inactives for the game

Patriots
Fred Taylor, RB
Shawn Springs, CB
Sammy Morris, RB
Rob Ninkovich, LB
Stephen Neal, OL
Matt Light, OL
Sam Aiken, WR
Jarvis Green, DL

Jets
Kevin O'Connell, QB
Erik Anige, QB
Justin Miller, CB
Vernon Gholston, LB
Ryan Fowler, LB
Kenwin Cummings, LB
Matt Slauson, OL
Ropati Pitoitua, DL

New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

Here's to hoping we can all put fourth-and-2, and the weeklong talk about the decision, behind us.

It's a bit overcast here at Foxboro, and there's a little chill in the air. The Patriots are trying to avenge a Week 2 loss to the Jets, and they'll have a little extra help this time. Both Wes Welker and Jerod Mayo missed the game with injuries.

The Jets, led by rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, started hot but have cooled off of late. That includes a 24-22 loss last week to the Jaguars in which Jacksonville kicked a last-second field goal. On the Monday following the loss, it was reported that Jets first-year coach Rex Ryan cried about the defeat.

If the Patriots have their way, he'll be spilling more tears after today.