Good music. Ample booze on tap. The chance to see Peter Gammons and Theo Epstein sling an axe and local music gods like Kay Hanley, Bill Janovitz and Stacy Jones get down to bi'ness. Also, a fantastic cause. And the possibility of a Bud-fueled Jonathan Papelbon tearing through some of your favorite rock standards.

Seriously, does anyone need another reason to try to grab some tickets to Saturday's Hot Stove Cool Music at the 'dise?

Me neither.

In just under an hour, the BBC will be announcing the actor who will be playing the next incarnation of Doctor Who, succeeding the great David Tennant.

For nerds such as myself, this is akin to white smoke pouring from the Vatican.



Of course, I've already cast my vote of preference.

So far, 2009 has been a blur of Excedrin, Red Bull, bagels and a few glimmering bits of awesome as my memory slowly returns. But even in this subpar state, it seemed appropriate that the first video posting of the new year should be the final out of Jon Lester's 2008 no hitter, to remind us that nothing's impossible and that sometimes--sometimes--nice guys finish first.



I still can't make it past the Terry Francona hug without getting all misty-eyed. Neither should you.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year's Eve. As Red mentioned, we've got some pretty cool plans for 2009. Stick around for our 6th year of blogging.

One of the coolest Christmas gifts I received this year--besides the Wii, Guitar Hero World Tour and pair of Heidi Watney's pants filched borrowed through some connections my cousin has with her laundry service--was the DVD set of every episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. You seriously can't go wrong with this stuff, and the best thing about absorbing it all in one or two sittings is being reminded of the more obscure sketches that are every bit as funny as the world-renown bits like the dead parrot and the lumberjack song. Here's just one example:



The way Eric Idle walks through the window into John Cleese's office is easily the best "entrance" since Idle and Graham Chapman were lowered on cables into the Spam sketch.

Anyway, this is likely the last Surviving Grady post of 2008, unless Denton comes out of his gin- and strippers-induced stupor to throw up anything besides his last cheeseburger. Or the Sox make a pre-holiday move for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Or Manny finds a job. So I wanted to take a moment to once again give a laurel and hearty thank you to our readers across the world, our glorious and impossibly sexy commenters, the 2008 Boston Red Sox and, as always, the holy trinity of Watney, Remy and Orsillo.

Denton and I have some pretty cool stuff planned for 2009 (even cooler than this, if you can imagine.) We hope you'll join us. You can also get your daily dose of SG on our Facebook page.

And remember, if you must drink to excess this New Year's Eve, be safe. Let the hooker drive.

Congratulations to Jon and Ashley Papelbon on the birth of their daughter. Parker Alice Papelbon entered Red Sox Nation yesterday at 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

*tip of the cap to Alexis for the yearbook pic

...Hanley Ramirez, that is.

The Red Sox made a play to re-acquire Marlins superstar Hanley Ramirez after losing out to the rival Yankees for star free agent Mark Teixeira, league sources tell SI.com. But while the Marlins listened to Boston's overtures, Florida isn't anxious to trade its best player, and talks apparently have been aborted after no agreement could be reached.

The Marlins were said to be most interested in a center fielder, and discussions apparently centered on Boston's promising youngster Jacoby Ellsbury, talented pitching prospect Clay Buchholz and others in a package for Ramirez, who began in Boston's organization.

Since Boston is said to be happy with Jed Lowrie at shortstop, it's possible the Red Sox might have considered using Ramirez in center field.

A Bay-Ramirez-Drew outfield? As much as I loves me some Ellsbury, I'd have offered to personally push him down to Florida in a shopping cart to make this deal happen. And it would have been pretty interesting had they pulled it off. But at the very least it's further evidence that The Brad Penny Initiative wasn't the only thing Theo's got up his sleeve. After the high profile drama of L'Affaire de Teixeira, it's nice to see some wheeling and dealing at the lower frequencies--even when it doesn't work out.

Via ProJo.

As you know, we usually spend our time around here talking about the Red Sox, bashing the Yankees, or just shooting the baseball shit in general. Occaisionally...OK...frequently, we mix in a Star Wars post, a Kiss tribute, a Jennifer Love-Hewitt picture, or some other random pop-culture distraction. As far as other sports, we usually leave them alone. Especially football, Red's not too keen on the game played with the oddly-shaped ball, and quite frankly, all the talk of "tight ends" and "wide receivers" in reference to a bunch of big guys running around in tight pants make him a little nervous. But until something more newsworthy than a Josh Bard signing pops up, let's talk some pigskin.

Bill Belichick has brought three Superbowl championships to New England, along with a shit-storm of controversy, hours of meaningless interviews where he talks a lot while saying nothing, and a very hot girlfriend. This year, perhaps his finest season of coaching, leaves him and the Pats left out of the playoffs despite an 11-5 record. Throughout his tenure, several of Belichick's disciples have gone on to head coaching careers of their own, most rather unsuccessfully.

Eric Mangini - Fired by the New York Jets today after missing the playoffs at the hands of the Miami Dolphins and former Jet QB Chad Pennington. "Mangenius" was 23-26 in his three seasons with the Jets.

Romeo Crennel - Also fired today, the Browns canned him with three years left on a contract extension he signed in January. Crennel was 24-40 in his four years as Browns' head coach.

Charlie Weiss - After a 5-2 start in his first year at Notre Dame, Weiss inked a 10-year deal worth somewhere before 30 and 40 million. He finished his first season 9-2, and followed that up with a 10-2 record in 2006. But his last two seasons have been disasters; 3-9 in 2007 and 6-6 this year.

Whatever Belichick's secret to winning is, he's not sharing it with his assistant coaches and coordinators. But his girlfriend is pretty hot.

While I was expecting D-Lowe to come walking through that door, the Sox up and signed Brad Penny as a back-of-the-rotation fortifier. Yes, the same Brad Penny who spent most of 2008 on the disabled list, but also the dude who won 16 games in 2007. At $5 mil for the season, Penny's a low-risk investment that could--could--pay greater dividends down the road than A.J. Burnett. And let us not forget that the guy has also seen both Watertown's own Eliza Dushku and Alyssa Milano sans pants, making him something of a deity in my book before he's even pitched a game for us.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to remind Eliza and Alyssa that Fenway Park is a lovely place to take in a ballgame, and if stalking ex-boyfriends is your thing, there are plenty of cool blogger's apartments hotels in the area that would be more than willing to accommodate you.

Also, those of us longing for a return to the Josh Bard era have reason to rejoice.

Meanwhile, if this update on J.D. Drew's son doesn't get you all misty-eyed, then check yourself for a pulse. I know all too well what Drew went through in 2007, and I wish nothing but positive vibes and happiness to him and his family.

Rookie of the Year, MVP...and salsa connoisseur? I thought Big Papi was the salsa spokesman for the team? I guess if Manny and Wake can pimp wine, anything is fair game. Is there a hidden joke that it's "medium?"