Small wonders

Ten free minutes for me, 10 free throwaway lines for you . . .

1. Every time I'm awed by what Kevin Faulk has become -- in essence, the running back version of Troy Brown, circa 2000 -- I flash back to 1999, when he arrived in New England during the frustrating Pete Carroll regime. Back then, Faulk looked like the second coming of Jon Vaughn, an outstanding kick returner who was too small and mistake-prone to ever be considered a long-term contributor as a running back. In his NFL youth, Faulk was anything but Mr. Reliable. But here he is, a versatile and valued role player juking his way through his 10th season, having outlasted such fellow '99 draft picks as Andy Katzenmoyer, Michael Bishop, and Tony George, among others. It's credit to both Faulk and the current Patriots' coaching staff that he has become such an important and dependable piece of the puzzle.

2. I suppose I could be talked into the thought of Matt Holliday on the Red Sox, if only because his Coors/road splits were a little more balanced this season than in the past and I think he's a good enough hitter to do some damage no matter where he plays. But about that other Colorado "slugger" the Sox are speculated to have interest in . . . well, let me put it this way: If Garrett Atkins -- he of the .328 on-base percentage in '08 -- is calling Fenway home next season, it's only because Mike Lowell didn't recover from his hip injury, Kevin Youkilis suffered a horrific beard malfunction, and about a half-dozen other superior alternatives at third base fell through for one reason or another.

3. Of all of the encouraging developments for the Patriots the past two weeks, the most important, other than perhaps Richard Seymour's return to Beasthood, is this: Matt Cassel is undeniably improving, not only at the big things (like, say, throwing game-winning touchdown passes), but the small things as well. When Cassel first took the reins when Tom Brady's knee was turned into Grade D lunch meat, he had the obvious flaws of inexperience. He was much too quick to give up on the play and scramble -- now he's definitely picking his spots better. He also has a better feel within the pocket as -- he deftly stepped into a couple of throws yesterday when the rush was coming from behind him, and he's no longer blindly scrambling into sacks. He's actually becoming poised and confident, two of his predecessor's greatest traits.

4. All right, you've convinced me, dear readers: The Red Sox should not be suckered in to the Jake Peavy sweepstakes. He's had elbow issues, he's benefited from playing half of his games at a pitchers' park, he's been awful in the postseason, and chances are the cost in terms of players and prospects would be much too high. Consider me corrected.

5. I have to admit, I'd have paid more attention to the World Series had I known Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena would be 0 for 29 to this point. They're the Canseco/Vaughn of their time, and I hope Cole Hamels keeps the oh-fer going tonight. Yup, I think you could say the Rays are officially the enemy now.