Well, if you were thinking - like some fans - that Doug Mientkiewicz may rejoin the Red Sox as a backup first baseman think again.

According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox ownership has filed a suit to gain possession of the now infamous 2004 World Series game-used ball that Mientkiewicz acquired after the final out.

The team's position: the ball is an important artifact in team and baseball history and the free-agent first baseman only acquired it because he was an employee of the organization.

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. Well maybe I do. Who cares?

In the scheme of things, it doesn't matter.Is that ball anymore important than the trophy? The Sox have plenty of other memorabilia surrounding that season to fill a museum.

Why is that ball any different than Curt Schilling's bloody sock? That piece of memorabilia went to the Hall of Fame along with Derek Lowe's shirt, Manny Ramirez's game-used bat and Keith Foulke's spikes.

And I believe it was Curt Schilling who donated it, not the Red Sox (at least that was reported by MSNBC). It would seem that the team is exercising a double standard.

Was the sock truly that of Schilling's? The uniform worn by Lowe certainly wasn't. So why all the fuss over the sphere?

You would think the Red Sox lawyers would have lots more to do this time of year like say draw up some contracts.

Speaking of which there doesn't appear to be much new on the transaction front, except for a few fans trying desperately to persuade Ramirez to stay in Boston. They have created a Web site called, simply enough, KeepManny.com.

The fans' hope is to get enough "signatures" on a petition to show Manny how loved he is in Red Sox Nation. At last count 39,350 had "inked" their name.

Though valiant, the effort will probably fall on deaf ears. Something has transpired in the slugger's world, outside of baseball, that is forcing his hand. I only wish I knew what it was.

One good thing...Brian Giles has decided to return to the Padres. Why good? He will not be the newest member of the Blue Jays, who will now focus on starting pitching - possibly A.J. Burnett. In my view they needed pitching more than hitting anway. So, maybe this isn't good news.

Oh well, the Yankees didn't get him. That's good, right? Hmm...I heard rumors that instead of pursuing a centerfielder, they would move Derek Jeter to center and sign Bill Mueller to cover third and put A-Rod back in his comfort zone. This makes too much sense. I hope it doesn't happen.

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