E-Mail This Article to a Friend Ballpark figures for January BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Here are this month’s random musings on the wide, wide, world of sports.

NFL

• For what it’s worth, the New England Patriots have never lost an AFC Conference championship game. The Indianapolis Colts’ only conference championship since the NFL and AFL merged was in 1970 (as the Baltimore Colts), when they captured the franchise’s lone Super Bowl title. The team also won two NFL crowns pre-merger in the late ’50s (when there were only 12 teams). The Colts’ only other appearance in the conference championship was in the 1995-’96 season, when they defeated the Chargers and Chiefs to reach the title game before losing in Pittsburgh, 20-16. The Patriots, meanwhile, have won two of their three AFC titles on the road (in 1986 and 2002), sandwiching their 1997 home defeat of surprising Jacksonville in a game that turned out to be Bill Parcells’s final victory as New England head coach.

• Local fans are feeling another dash of that "no respect" feeling, noting that most of the national coverage swirling around Sunday’s conference crowner has focused on the mercurial accomplishments of Colts QB Peyton Manning. Manning certainly deserves the accolades, and the team’s back-to-back victories over the Broncos and Chiefs have gone a long way toward helping the former University of Tennessee quarterback shed his reputation for failing to deliver in the big games. It remains to be seen whether Manning can continue his hot streak and advance his team to its first Super Bowl as a resident of the Hoosier State. But there’s no question that nationally the Indianapolis team seems to be the media darling at the expense of a New England team that has quietly — yes, quietly (imagine the full-blown coverage the Chiefs or Jets or Packers would have received if they’d won 13 straight games) — established the longest winning streak in decades, featuring an explosive offensive and a fierce defensive unit that is eminently better than the one that emerged victorious in Super Bowl XXXVI. Of course, the Patriots were overlooked then, too, and it seemed to turn out okay for them, so local fans should just let the media fawn over Peyton while the frigid followers up in New England sit back and watch their heroes take care of business.

• Does anyone realistically think that Philadelphia or Carolina can actually win the Super Bowl? I think not.

MLB

• All remains quiet over on Yawkey Way, as the Red Sox appear content with their present roster heading into spring training next month. First on the slate for the Sox brass is taking care of the four key players who have filed for arbitration: pitchers Byung Hyun Kim and Scott Williamson, outfielder Trot Nixon, and DH/first baseman David Ortiz. All were crucial members of the team that went to the ALCS, although Kim has some PR fence-mending to do, given his flipping of the bird to the home folks in the ALDS, and his alleged assault of a Korean photographer back in November. Still, all four are expected to return to the fold long before the equipment truck heads to Fort Myers, although both Kim and Williamson may see a change in their roles this season. Kim may move back into the rotation as a fifth starter, while Williamson might lose the closer role (to free-agent acquisition Keith Foulke) in which he flourished during the playoffs and move back into set-up mode.

• Of the Yankees who participated in last year’s playoffs, the following have since departed the lovable Bombers team that lost to the Marlins in the World Series: top-line starters Andy Pettitte (free agent signed by Houston), Roger Clemens ("retired" free agent also signed by Houston), David Wells (free agent signed by San Diego), and Jeff Weaver (traded to LA); bullpen members Jeff Nelson (FA/Texas) and Chris Hammond (traded to Oakland); outfielders David Dellucci (FA/Texas), Bubba Trammell (FA/Dodgers), and Karim Garcia (FA/Mets); and first baseman Nick Johnson (traded to Expos). That’s a pretty significant overhaul, particularly on the pitching end, for a team that got to game six of the Fall Classic.

• Ah, greed. Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez had no takers last off-season when he was a free agent out of Texas. Only the Florida Marlins would give him a viable offer, and he accepted the one-year, $10 million deal. A year later, when the Marlins’ generosity (and, admittedly, Rodriguez’s contributions) helped Pudge secure his long-awaited and -deserved World Series ring, he responded in kind by demanding of the Florida brass a four-year, $40 million contract. When the team walked away, the 42-year-old veteran of 13 pro seasons (along with notorious agent Scott Boras) found few other takers. If wire reports are correct, the future Hall-of-Famer may end up taking the express elevator from the penthouse to the outhouse, landing in Detroit — a team that lost 119 games last season — for much lower money.

• No question that the biggest surprises in the off-season horse-trading sessions are Baltimore and Anaheim. The Angels, who like the Patriots followed up their 2002 championship season with a mediocre, miss-the-playoffs season, have become a major player in free-agent talks, in the process landing such marquee names as outfielders Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Guillen and starting pitchers Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar. Meanwhile, the Orioles, who have not made the playoffs since they won the AL East in 1997 (the last time a team other than the Pinstripers has won the division), have opened their wallets and harvested their own impressive crop of free-agent talent, including shortstop Miguel Tejada, catcher Javy Lopez, Rafael Palmeiro, and Sidney Ponson (who was traded to the Giants at the trading deadline but now returns to the Baltimore fold). Even Toronto (pitchers Pat Hentgen and Miguel Batista) and Tampa Bay (13 free-agent signings thus far) have apparently upgraded their arsenals, improving the competitiveness and balance of the AL East — and the American League overall.

• The A-Rod-for-Manny deal, like Generalissimo Francisco Franco, is still dead, as is the Nomar–for–Magglio Ordonez deal that would have followed it. But Pokey Reese is still comin’ to town. That’s good enough for me.

NHL

• The Bruins have won five in a row and are unbeaten in their last seven after Thursday’s 1-0 victory in Buffalo. For New England fans who may need to turn in a different direction for their sports entertainment after Sunday’s AFC title tilt, this is particularly good news. The B’s struggled in December a year ago, paving the way for their lackluster second half of the season and an inevitable first-round playoff exit. When the team again seemed to be heading into the tank last month (winning just three of 15 and thrice getting shut out), it appeared that management heads would roll and a team overhaul was in the works. Since the calendar flipped, though, the team has played remarkably well, and it has captured some impressive victories, including home and away wins over Detroit (arguably the best team in hockey) and Buffalo (a team that had gone 7-2-3 in its previous 12 and notched wins over Eastern Conference powerhouses Ottawa and Philly in the process).

• In anticipation of an NHL work stoppage this fall, the Bruins have but one player (Martin Lapointe) signed past this season. Not one other member of the Black & Gold will receive a paycheck after June if the league shuts down, although the team will have to scramble to compile a roster if the situation resolves before the season begins. I don’t know of any other team in the league that has prepared for the lock-out in such a fiscally responsible manner, although management’s stance is not exactly a vote of confidence that the NHL will continue in 2004-’05, nor a popular one in the Bruins’ locker room. Yet it hardly can be surprising considering the team’s history of financial sanity (management’s view) or cheapness (the fans’ view).

NBA

• The Celtics are 20-21 heading into this weekend’s action. Now lone superstar Paul Pierce’s hand is hurting, and he may have to miss some time. For Celtics fans, that’s a very disturbing turn of events. Boston is in second place in the Atlantic Division, but that’s only because the division is such a parity-laden laughingstock. The New Jersey Nets are five games over .500 (21-16), but that’s good enough for a three-game lead in the division. If the Celts were in the Eastern Conference’s other division, the Central, they would be in sixth place, nine and a half games behind division-leading Indiana. Even more mind-blowing, if the Green were in the Western Conference’s Midwest Division, Jim O’Brien’s crew would be dead last behind the division’s seven other teams, eight games behind the pace-setting T-Wolves. In fact, every team in the Midwest is above .500, and six of the division’s seven teams could very well qualify for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Celtics, though second in their division despite a sub-.500 record, would still reach the post-season if it were held today, but would be seeded a dismal seventh. On the plus side, for a team that has just three members remaining of the squad that started the 2002-’03 season, the C’s are playing pretty good ball, although maddeningly inconsistently, especially on the defensive end. Losing Pierce for any period of time, or having him continue to play hurt, could doom the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs for a third straight season.

* * *

One final thing about the AFC Championship game: while I agree that the Colts are playing great and have the talent to advance to the Super Bowl — a scenario for which the Patriots should realistically prepare themselves — I think that the home-field will work in New England’s favor, as will the defensive game plan that Manning thinks he can master but that will likely confound him despite his long week of preparation. And I think one other thing will come into play: the freshness of the respective teams. Indy will be playing its third road game in the last four, and Sunday’s game will be its 13th consecutive game since its bye week in mid-October. The Patriots’ bye week was November 9, and the team had another week off two weeks ago, so they’ve played just eight games in the past 10 weeks. Add to that the streak: 13 games in a row and counting. Playing mistake-free football has been a hallmark of this remarkable run. The devil’s advocate could say that the Patriots are due for a bad game, but that could equally be said of a Colts team that has played three straight months without a break and will have to pack up and face yet another hostile environment with potential below-freezing temps. I won’t be surprised at all if the Colts are the AFC’s representative in Houston, but I think that coaching, superior defense, and the Gillette advantage will, at the end of the day, turn the tables on the upstart Colts and ultimately yield a Patriots victory.

Or not.

"Sporting Eye" runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com