Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Just trying to empty the trash from my mind before the final weekend of summer. Perhaps you beachgoers are sad, but ever since I got out of school, I can’t wait for Labor Day…College Football...the NFL so close you can smell it…Hoops and Hockey on the horizon...Life doesn’t get any better! Anyway…

Who had a worse August…the Red Sox or Pluto?

Sox lefties of the past and future take center stage today. David Wells will most likely be traded any minute now. If we can get a serviceable prospect or player back, I’d consider it a victory for Boston’s Boys of Summer. Good luck to the team hinging its post-season hopes on those overburdened 43-year old knees.

While wishing Wells well on his way out of town, say a little prayer for John Lester. I’ve heard from a couple of doctors who don’t like the sounds of this story. In the meantime, I’ll refrain from making any “can we still get Roy Oswalt� jokes…damn, too late!

O.K. So maybe the transition was a bit insensitive, but I bring Oswalt’s name up because the size of that contract he signed (5-years, $73-million) doesn’t bode well for a team like the Red Sox that’s looking to rein in spending. After a year or two of free agent sanity, it appears baseball owners are about to embark on another round of spending madness. If the philosophy on Yawkey Way doesn’t change, be prepared for another year of Kyle Snyders and Kason Gabbards. Maybe even Matt Clement will take his skirt off and join us at Fenway.

By the way, I know hopes are high for the Papelbon, Hansen, Lester and Delcarmen quartet, but where are the position players? Please tell me Theo “Inept�-stein hasn’t pinned his future batting order on the Dustin Pedroias of the world.

I’ll have a more detailed Patriots post next week. For now, suffice it to say I think 13-3 or 12-4 is where they’ll finish. If you think I’m aiming too high, take a peak at that schedule and try to make a reasonable argument against me? Who do they lose to?

In baseball, they talk about being strong up the middle (Catcher, SS, 2B & CF). In football, everything feeds off the head coach, the QB and the men up front. In Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, the O-line and D-line, the Pats are as good as you can get up the middle.

If you put a gun to my head and forced me to guess right now, I’d say Colts vs. Cowboys, but with each passing day, my dream/nightmare scenario looks more and more possible…Patriots vs. Cowboys in Super Bowl XLI

Clue me in. I don’t get why the Carolina Panthers bandwagon is so crowded. Did anyone else see the Jake Delhomme I saw in the NFC Championship game?

I’m not sure how good BC will be in 2006, but the best college gridiron show in New England can be found in Durham, NH. The UNH Wildcats enter the season ranked #2 in the country in Division 1AA (that’s the level where the kids actually have to go to classes) and feature the most exciting passing combo since Steve Young and Jerry Rice. If you can’t get to the NH coast to see them in person, you can catch Junior Ricky Santos (39-passing TD’s, 7-rushing) and David Ball (24-TD receptions) a couple of times on WMUR (Channel 9 in Manchester). Trust me, you’ll enjoy the show.

I’m really looking forward to the Celtics season. I think you’re going to love Sebastian Telfair, but not as much as the wide open C’s he sets up for easy hoops are going to love him.

And for the first time in a long time, I’m actually optimistic about the Bruins.

That’s it for now…I’ll be back to discuss some of these topics in greater detail as they unfold! Till then, what are your thoughts?