Time to catch up on some extremely random lists of five:

Five best defensive center fielders to play for the Red Sox in my lifetime:
1. Coco Crisp: Yes, sometimes he took curious routes, but I've never seen a outfielder so consistently spectacular as Crisp in '07.
2. Fred Lynn: Fragile but fearless. Even his home run trot was graceful.
3. Damon Buford: And unlike most recent Sox center fielders, he could throw.
4. Darren Lewis: Jimy's pet. Got robbed of a Gold Glove by Bernie Williams, a lesser defender.
5. Jacoby Ellsbury: Worry he's going to bust his wrist on one of his diving catches.

Five players linked to steroids who would get my hypothetical Hall of Fame vote:
1. Roger Clemens
2. Barry Bonds
3. Mike Piazza
4. Alex Rodriguez
5. Manny. Sigh.
Hat tip: Jon Heyman.

Five Red Sox pitchers who had at least some major league success without a major league fastball:
1. Mike Boddicker. Won 39 games in two-plus seasons with the Sox.
2. Dana Kiecker. Won eight games for '90 AL East champs, including a huge one in late August. Still not sure how he did it.
3. Kevin Morton.
4. Paul Byrd.
5. Tim Wakefield. Yep, a total cop out. I know you guys can come up with 10 more, at least.

Five enjoyable Twitter feeds, non-Globe division:
1. Steve Rushin
2. Pete Carroll. He Tweeted from the Sox-Angels game last week. Rooting for the Angels, of course.
3. Shaq. Impossible not to like him after reading his Tweets.
4. Heyman. Lots of opinionated baseball updates.
5. Ahem. C'mon. It crushes my soul that I have fewer followers than the SportsGal.

Five of the 10 most similar hitters to David Ortiz in baseball history according to baseballreference.com:
1. Richie Sexson. Uh-oh.
2. Danny Tartabull. Yikes
3. Mo Vaughn. I don't like this list.
4. Cecil Fielder. I really don't like this list.
5. Ryan Klesko. What, no Kent Hrbek?

Five of the 10 most similar hitters to Terry Francona in baseball history according to baseballreference.com:
1. Thad Bosley. Lots of good names on this list. Not a lot of production.
2. Carlos Quintana. Probably the only first baseman in Sox history whose approach was to hit a single to right field.
3. Dane Iorg. He was no Garth Iorg.
4. Broderick Perkins. A Strat-O-Matic favorite after hitting .370 in 1980.
5. Hosken Powell. He was no Bombo Rivera.

Five upcoming free agents I'd like to see sign with the Celtics (one major pipe dream included):
1. Ron Artest. Yep, he's certifiable. He'd also be an awesome sixth man.
2. Chris Anderson. The Birdman would be a perfect fit.
3. Antonio McDyess. Shoulda come here when Denver let him go.
4. Matt Barnes. Toughness off the bench.
5. Shelden Williams. On the off chance his career is salvageable. Hey, there's not much to choose from. Danny Ainge has his work cut out for him.

Five who pitched for the 1999 Red Sox. Or, thanks, Duquette, for never surrounding Pedro with legitimate talent:
1. Kirk Bullinger
2. Tim Harikkala
3. Bob Wolcott
4. The loathsome Mark Portugal
5. Marino Santana. By the way, did I mention Mark Portugal was loathsome? It's true.

Five Red Sox' No. 1 prospects according to Baseball America, 1998-02:
1. Brian Rose, 1998: 15 wins, 23 losses, 5.86 ERA in parts of five MLB seasons.
2. Dernell Stenson, 1999: Met a brutal, tragic demise just as it seemed he was breaking through with the Reds.
3. Steve Lomasney, 2000: Got both of his big league at-bats with the '99 Sox.
4. Stenson, 2001.
5. Seung Song, 2002: Never pitched in majors, but did appear in three Futures Games.

What say we fire off a few Random Lists of Five to close out the week . . .

Five players on my Hall of Fame ballot (you know, if I had one):
1. Rickey Henderson. Because my name isn't Corky.
2. Alan Trammell. A travesty that he doesn't get more consideration. His career adjusted OPS is 10 points lower than Cooperstown lock Derek Jeter's, and Trammell's four Gold Gloves are legitimate.
3. Bert Blyleven. All right, I'm convinced. The numbers don't lie.
4. Tim Raines. The second-best leadoff hitter of his era, I'd love to see him inducted the same year as friend and fellow ex-Expo Andre Dawson, who would be No. 6 on this list.
5. Jim Rice. For sentimental reasons more than an actual belief that he deserves it. I don't think he will make it, and the margin of exclusion will be heartbreakingly narrow.

Five players I hope aren't back with the Patriots next season:
1. Deltha O'Neal. The modern day Elvis Patterson. I should just list him five times.
2. Matt Cassel: It was a joy watching the kid this year, but if he's gone, it probably means two things: Tom Brady is healthy, and the Patriots own a couple more quality draft picks.
3. Ben Watson. The ultimate tease. Tell me, what exactly does he do well, other than make hustling tackles on long interception returns?
4. Larry Izzo. Seemed invisible this year, and has no value at linebacker.
5. Tedy Bruschi. It's cold to say it, and it will be sad to see the admirable final link to the '96 Super Bowl team go, but it's time . . . and it has been for a while.

Five major decisions Bill Belichick has been correct about in the face of conventional wisdom:
1. Brady over Bledsoe.
2. Richard Seymour over Koren Robinson/David Terrell in the 2001 draft
3. Drafting Stephen Gostkowski after letting Adam Vinatieri leave as a free agent.
4. Believing in Randy Moss.
5. Giving Matt Cassel his chance rather than adding someone from the Simms/Culpepper/Rattay junk pile.

Five semi-recent Patriots draft-day decisions I'd change if I had a time machine and the inclination to revise NFL history:
1. Pass up tight end Daniel Graham with the 21st pick in 2002; take safety Ed Reed instead. (He went 24th to the Ravens.)
2. Pass up tight end Ben Watson with the 32d pick in 2004; take safety Bob Sanders instead. (He went 44th to the Colts.)
3. Pass up defensive end Marquise Hill with the 63d pick in 2004; take tight end Chris Cooley instead. (He went 81st to the Redskins.)
4. Pass up wide receiver Chad Jackson with the 36th pick in the 2006 draft; take wide receiver Greg Jennings instead. (He went 52d to Green Bay.)
5. Pass up tight end David Thomas with the 86th pick in the 2006 draft; take cornerback Cortland Finnegan instead. (He went 215th to Tennessee.)

Five members of the 1987 Glens Falls Tigers
1. Doug Strange
2. Chris Hoiles
3. Kevin Ritz
4. Steve Phillips (Yes, that Steve Phillips. The ESPN numbskull.)
5. John Smoltz

Five players I'd rather the Celtics picked up than noted carcinogen Stephon Marbury:
1. Joe Smith
2. P.J. Brown. He's said he's retired, but you know Pierce, Allen and KG are still in his ear.
3. Candace Parker
4. Terry Duerod
5. Conner Henry

Five ESPN personalities I don't loathe:
1. Karl Ravech. It's good comedy to watch the pained expressions on his face when John Kruk or Steve Phillips says something particularly stupid.
2. Scott Van Pelt. Seems like a genuinely good dude who likes sports.
3. Gammo. In fact, most of their baseball analysts are insightful and/or entertaining, including Stark, Olney, and Keith Law.
4. Keyshawn Johnson. Always thought he'd end up a Patriot at some point.
5. Can't really come up with a fifth off the top of my head, but I'll take suggestions. [Edit: How'd I forget Jaws? He's the best.]

A Troy Brown tribute edition of Random Lists of Five . . .

Top five most clutch Patriots of all time:
1. Adam Vinatieri. There are three last-minute, game-winning field goals in Super Bowl history. He's hit two of 'em. Next question.
2. Brown.
3. Tom Brady. Obviously tempting to put him higher, but he gets a demerit here for losing a playoff game to Jake Plummer.
4. Kevin Faulk. Somehow, he cured his fumbleitis and became amazingly dependable in big situations.
5. J.R. Redmond. An unsung hero of the Snow Bowl and the first Super Bowl, and a lost cause the rest of his brief career.

Top five NFL players out of Marshall:
1. Randy Moss.
2. Brown. But to Moss's credit, he always refers to himself as the second-best receiver ever to come out of the school. Classy.
3. Chad Pennington. Imagine if he had a fastball.
4. Ahmad Bradshaw. Part of the Giants' stellar '07 draft, he was a steal with the 250th overall pick.
5. Jermaine Wiggins. Gotta go with the East Boston kid over underachieving QB Byron Leftwich.

Top five most memorable plays of Brown's career, all of which you surely can still picture in your mind's eye:
1. The blocked kick/lateral to Antwan Harris against Pittsburgh.
2. The 23-yard catch that set up Adam Vinatieri's winning field goal against the Rams.
3. Stripping the football from the Chargers' Marlon McCree after an interception.
4. The 82-yard TD in overtime to beat the Dolphins.
5. Catching a pass from Drew Bledsoe -- as a defensive back.

Cranking out a few Random Lists of Five while wondering if Dale Arnold got play-by-play tips from Glenn Geffner . . .

Five quality pitchers on the not-so-quality 1982 Cleveland Indians:
1. Bert Blyleven (3,701 career strikeouts)
2. Rick Sutcliffe (1984 NL Cy Young winner)
3. John Denny (1983 NL Cy Young winner)
4. Ed Whitson (126 career wins and an epic beatdown of Billy Martin)
5. Rick Waits (Welcome at all 1978 Red Sox reunions)

Five members of the "offensive juggernaut" 1978 Red Sox who had an OPS+ below 100:
1. Rick Burleson (70 OPS+, .295 OBP . . . just horrendous. And he led off.)
2. Jerry Remy (81 OPS+, .321 OBP . . . how did Rice knock in 139 runs with these two out-makers supposedly setting the table?)
3. George Scott (83 OPS+, 12 homers, .305 OBP . . . this is the end, my friend.)
4. Butch Hobson (92 OPS+ . . . he was hurt, okay? Geez, back off already. We don't diss Clell around here.)
5. Jack Brohamer (65 OPS+ . . . not a regular, but he did get 244 mostly worthless at-bats.)

Five conclusions drawn from the first half of the baseball season:
1. Erik Bedard doesn't really give a bleep.
2. If Lance Berkman isn't the game's most underrated great hitter, then Chipper Jones is.
3. Hank Steinbrenner is a joint gift from the the comedy and baseball gods.
4. Josh Hamilton has as much pure talent as any player I have ever seen, with the possible exception of Junior Griffey.
5. It's just not as much fun without Papi.

While we wait for Suzyn Waldman to reveal that she, too, had an illicit, repulsive affair with Roger Clemens, how about we crank out a few Random Lists of Five . . .

Five best ERA+ seasons in baseball history:
1. Tim Keefe, 1880, 294 ERA+. I have no freakin' idea who Tim Keefe is, but I assume he probably played with Mike Timlin at some point.
2. Pedro Martinez, 2000, 291 ERA+. Pedro also has the ninth-, 18th-, 27th-, and 32d-best seasons. Sandy Koufax's best season, 1966, ranks 56th all-time in ERA+. There's something to be said for dominating during the steroid era.
3. Dutch Leonard, 1914, 279 ERA+
4. Greg Maddux, 1994, 271 ERA+
5. Greg Maddux, 1995, 262 ERA+

Five early surprises this baseball season:
1. Philip Hughes's injury/incompetence. I thought this kid would emerge as the No. 2 starter the Yankees need. Instead, he's giving Yankees fans Sam Militello flashbacks.
2. That Miguel Tejada can still play. He looked cooked last year, and that he skipped age 32 entirely didn't bode well for a comeback.
3. That the Arizona Diamondbacks are this good. Webb, Haren, Owings, Johnson, Scherzer. That could be a championship rotation.
4. Papi's struggles. But he's coming around. (Crossing fingers.)
5. Nate McLouth. Um . . . who?

Five 1985 Tidewater Tides, who were notorious for trashing the hotel next to my family's summer house every damn time they visited Old Orchard Beach, Me.:
1. Kevin Mitchell. He terrified me.
2. Billy Beane. Mitchell probably terrified him, too.
3. Lenny Dykstra. Too dumb to be terrified.
4. Randy Myers. Too busy carving up the latest woodchuck he trapped to be terrified.
5. Calvin Schiraldi. You could see the terror in his eyes.

. . . and five more:
1. LaSchelle Tarver. Got a cameo with the Sox in '86, and came to Jim Rice's aid armed with a Louisville Slugger during an incident at Yankee Stadium that season.
2. John Gibbons. Soon to be the Toronto Blue Jays' former manager.
3. Rick Lancellotti. Minor league slugger from the mean streets of Concord, N.H.
4. Wes Gardner. Straightest fastball ever, though John Wasdin might dispute that.
5. Rodney "Buckethead" Craig, TATB Ombudsman.

Five songs my ears are always happy to hear:
1. "California Stars," Billy Bragg and Wilco. I think it's been on the last seven or eight CDs I've burned.
2. "You Could Be Mine," Guns 'N' Roses.
3. "Please Forgive Me," David Gray. "White Ladder" is probably my favorite album of all time, for sentimental reasons mostly.
4. "Friends in Low Places," Garth Brooks. Reminds me of my favorite bar in college, $1.50 pitchers of Schaefer on Thursday nights . . . and some Friday mornings full of regret.
5. "No Woman, No Cry," Bob Marley. His charisma was hypnotizing.

Five "True Yankees" of the new millennium:
1. Kevin Brown
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Kyle Farnsworth
4. Karim Garcia
5. Randy Johnson

Five players selected immediately after Chicago high schooler Kevin Garnett in the 1995 NBA draft:
1. Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, C, Vancouver. He's gotta weigh four bills these days.
2. Damon Stoudamire, PG, Toronto. One thing Isiah Thomas got right.
3. Shawn Respert, SG, Portland. He's long since out of the league, but his unsung former Michigan State backcourt partner, Eric Snow, has carved out a decent career.
4. Ed O'Bannon, F, New Jersey. Didn't pan out due to bad knees and mess of a shot.
5. Kurt Thomas, F/C Miami. A pro's pro.

Five favorite venues I've seen a sporting event:
1. Fenway. Of course.
2. Wrigley Field. For a day, it was fun to part of Lee Elia's 15 percent.
3. The old Garden.
4. Montreal Forum. The only time I went was for Patrick Roy's infamous final game. What a scene.
5. Alfond Arena, Orono, Me. The place where I realized how much fun hockey could be live.

Five players in the starting lineup during Tim Wakefield's Red Sox debut, May 27, 1995:
1. Mike MacFarlane. At least he wasn't Dave Valle.
2. Troy O'Leary. Leading off, no less.
3. Luis Alicea.
4. Reggie Jefferson.
5. Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes. Found his niche in Japan.

Five players most similar to Derek Jeter, according to baseballreference.com:
1. Barry Larkin. The perfect comparison, and in my mind a Hall of Famer.
2. Alan Trammell. Should be in Cooperstown. Didn't get close, and neither did Whitaker.
3. Ray Durham. Doesn't seem to fit, does he?
4. Ryne Sandberg. But how was his fist pump?
5. Arky Vaughn. No relation to Mo.

Five favorite Topps baseball card sets:
1. 1987. Yup, with the weird wood paneling. And thanks to mass overproduction, they're about as valuable as my socks. You can probably still get packs of them at Grand City.
2. 1978. Many of my first memories as a baseball fan relate to these cards.
3. 1956. Someday, I'll get that sweet Clemente I always wanted. And a Jackie Robinson, too.
4. 1975. Color combinations only a 5-year-old could love.
5. 1985. Because that Oddibe McDowell Olympic card was going to pay for my college education, I just knew it.

Five Red Sox I really hated, and no, "hate" is not too strong a word, and yes, they all played for the reprehensible 2001 team:
1. Mike Lansing. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.
2. Carl Everett. Not the good kind of crazy.
3. Dante Bichette. Not a slugger. A slug.
4. Shea Hillenbrand. Stupid is as stupid does.
5. Ugueth Urbina. You know it's a rotten team when the guy who slashed people with machetes and tried to light them on fire might not be the most despicable person on the roster.

Five players drafted ahead of Indiana State junior-eligible forward Larry Bird in the 1978 NBA draft:
1. Mychal Thompson, F/C, Portland. Probably the only University of Minnesota player who talked more than McHale.
2. Phil Ford, G, Kansas City. Those Ford-Birdsong-Wedman KC teams were great fun, but an eye injury and booze abbreviated Ford's career.
3. Rick Robey, C, Indiana. Dealt to Phoenix for DJ. That worked out okay.
4. Micheal Ray Richardson, G, NY Knicks. He had Magic's skill set, but snorted it all away.
5. Purvis Short, F, Golden State.

Five Celtics I'm $*%&# at right now:
1. Doc Rivers. At this point, the clipboard is merely a prop.
2. Kevin Garnett. Maybe the big-game reputation isn't so unjust after all.
3. Paul Pierce. This is starting to feel a lot like the infamous Indiana series.
4. Rajon Rondo. Any point guard worth his crossover must get a better shot with 7.4 seconds remaining to play and the game up for grabs.
5. Sam Cassell. Pass. Please. Just once. Cripes.