This is why it's alternatingly frustrating, depressing and gut-wrenching to be a Red Sox fan. Every so often, the brass makes a personnel decision that leaves you scratching your head and wondering what the very point is of caring for a team that so blatantly doesn't love you back.

The Red Sox of the past few years (all right, the past 75 years) have carried on their roster a collection of prima donnas, headcases and ne'er-do-wells. In the last few seasons, though, they've been blessed with some legit "character guys" or "gamers" -- guys who will play through pain, disappointment and general screwiness at the hands of management. They've had 3 of those guys the last couple of seasons; now it seems they've done right by one, continued the farce with another, and sent the other one packing.

The Good: Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's been a starter, a closer, a mopup guy, a setup man, a stopper -- sometimes all in the same week. He's griped a little but always been there for whatever they needed. But now it finally looks like they've put him in the rotation for good. At least until something better comes along and Wake goes back to the bullpen until they need him for a spot start and the whole wacky roller coaster ride begins anew.

The Bad: Lou Merloni. Local kid, dependable infielder, has a knack for clutch hitting. He'll never have the tools to be a superstar but the Framingham kid can play, and everyone in town loves him. So why do the Sox continually make him prove himself worthy of a roster spot? He's spent the past four years burning a rut in I-95 between Boston and Pawtucket; now they've brought in 2B Todd Walker as the designated starter and brought in infielders Cesar Crespo and Damian Jackson to fight Lou for the backup role. What does any of these guys bring to the table that Lou couldn't provide, given regular playing time and a simple vote of confidence from the top? I'd love to find that out.

The Ugly: Brian Daubach. Man, this one hurts. Sure, Daubs was capable of some seemingly-endless, unfathomable slumps, but no one gave more of himself to the team than him. And now he's a free agent; the Sox let him walk rather than submit to a salary arbitration that would possibly end up costing too much. And it stinks. Sure, they just nabbed Jeremy Giambi from the Phils. And they'll bring in some stopgap 1B like Travis Lee or Brad Fullmer (I have a gut feeling it'll be Lee) to try to match Tony Clark's production, if that's the right word (it's not). But you don't replace someone with the fire and the soul of Brian Daubach just anywhere.

Much has been made of new GM Theo Esptein's question marks - his age, his youth, his inexperience - but the moves seem almost Duquettian in their search for trees while neglecting the forest. And that's why every offseason brings the heartache and anxiety that all Red Sox fans must feel.

And it's not even technically winter yet.

Apparently, that thing I watched Monday night was the official weekly Patriots game. I was under the impression that it was just a Tennessee intrasquad scrimmage, and that the Patriots would show up later. But it seems this game counts in the standings.

I won't panic about the Pats yet; they can still win the division by winning the last two games. The Jets never scare me, and the Dolphins will be in town next weekend freezing their little flippers off (watching Miami in December's kinda like watching the Red Sox in September). The only problem is that the Pats can't beat good teams.

On the other side of that equation are the C's, who can't beat bad teams. At least this week. They put up their annual stinker against the Heat, and lost AGAIN to the Bulls on Monday, making the Bulls like 45-6 against Boston since Jordan left and they should have been the easiest game on the schedule. I just don't understand what the Celts have against beating Chicago, and I'm glad we don't see them again.

Frank Hughes of ESPN engages in some wishful thinking and says there's a chance the Lakers will miss the playoffs. He points out they need to go 34-23 (now 34-22 after losing in Minnesota) just to win 44 games, which would have gotten them the 8th spot last season.

Is it OK to dream about this yet? That a team with two unfathomably unhappy superstars and a coach who really thinks he's the greatest ever can flop this spectacularly? Sure, we're all waiting for LA to press a button and turn it on somehow...but shouldn't they do it soon?

An intriguing subplot: If the Fakers do miss out on the playoffs, how will the NBA rig the draft lottery so Saint LeBron can split time between the Knicks and LA?

I don't want to bore you with a lot of fanfare or "I'm back!" nonsense, or make vague promises to start regular updates, which you won't believe anyway. Let's just talk sports. Here's a little Q&A on the C's as they hit the season's quarterpole.

How good are these guys, really?
You know...I still don't know. They're 16-7, perched precariously atop the Atlantic Division, have a winning road record...but it still doesn't feel like they're in the league's elite. They have 2 legit All-Stars and a few other guys playing better than in the past...but it doesn't feel like they've hit their stride. They simultaneously feel like they're playing over their heads and like they haven't hit their full potential. It's strange but true.

How's the Vin Baker thing going?
Ugh. I've never seen so many rebounds bounce off a guy as I have this year. Throw in sluggishness, poor shooting and the fact that I could outrun him down court, and you have a full-fledged distaster. That said, he's shown signs of life in the past few games...but that's the kind of thing you say about Mark Blount or Kedrick Brown, not a guy who's being paid billions of dollars.

Who's been the biggest surprise this year?
Tony Battie's been playing fantastic ball the last few weeks. He's still a better-than-average rebounder, totally unafraid to go up against 3 opponents on the board, but he's scoring this year! He got his career high the other night (24) and his 8-footer from the baseline is absolute money in the bank. And it's always open, since the other team is (understandably) waiting for the 3-pointers to come flying in.

Yeah, about that. Are they still launching 3's from all points?
Oh yeah. Like a wise man said, they are what they are. And what they are is a team that likes to fling it. Now here's the thing. Some 3's are good...the "make-an-extra-pass-to-find-the-open-guy" 3 is always appreciated; the "Pierce-slashes-in-and-makes-the-defense-collapse-around-him-leaving-Delk-or-Antoine-alone" 3 is becoming a personal favorite too. What I could do without is the "just-brought-the-ball-upcourt-and-Delk-chucks-it-before-anyone-is-in-rebounding-position" 3-pointer (and it's not just Delk). The Eskimos have 300 words for snow; Celtic fans have 300 terms for the 3-pointer. It's like Darryl Dawkins naming the dunks.

How about some quick thoughts on the roster?
Paul Pierce: Continues his elevation to the leasue's best. Still disappears for short stretches, but always comes back and is always good for at least 20. Antoine: Seems to be happy being the second option; he's loading up on the rebounds and assists and can still carry the scoring load when Paul is off. Eric Williams: Maddeningly inconsistent on offense, and his defense isn't all it used to be, but nobody on the team works harder or dives for more loose balls. Walter McCarty: The sparkplug. He singlehandedly beat the Hawks a few weeks ago without scoring a point; his defense took Glenn Robinson (who was on pace for 50) out of the game, out of the building, and put him on a bus to Hartford. That's the Walter experience. Delk/Shammond Williams: The two-headed not-exactly-point-guard's been better than expected. See above comments about launching 3's prematurely, but they're also willing to drive to the basket and dish out the ball like a point guard should.

How's the officiating been?
God-awful. Tommy Heinsohn's been known to blame referees for sunspots and the 1918 Spanish Influenza, but this year, I think all his criticism's been warranted. The Celts have gotten the screw job on a number of nights, like last week against Phoenix. Pierce got slammed to the floor by Amare Stoudamire, knocking 2 teeth out of his head -- no whistle. Two minutes later, Vin Baker got hit with a flagrant foul. If the NBA gives its stars star treatment by the refs (it does), it's got to go all around. That's all I have to say on this subject.

So how far can this team go in the East?
The jury's still out. No one in the East scares me too much; they'll still have problems with Philly and Jersey, but they can more than hold their own with the Orlandos and Detroits of the conference. They'll be in the playoffs, they'll get some home court advantage...past that, it's hard to say.