Five years ago, Branch held out during the final season of his rookie deal before the Patriots traded him to Seattle. Since returning to New England last year, Branch has admitted to being much happier by returning to where his career took off. Through the course of the process, Branch realized he was best suited to stay with the Patriots.

Welker, who is in the final season of his contract, hasn't held out or brought up his desire to work out a new deal. At his most revealing times, he's said he wishes to stay in New England, and he credited a lot of his success to quarterback Tom Brady.

Branch, who is again in a contract year, could be in a position to lend some advice to Welker, but the elder statesman said Welker hasn't ever let the contract come up in conversation.

"There's nothing to talk about right now, nothing contractual," Branch said. "This is all about playing ball. He'll have to deal with that. Everybody has to deal with their situation once the season ends with contract talks. There's nothing to talk about really."

Branch said he dealt with it in the same way — never making the contract an issue with his teammates.

"Even when I was going through it, I never talked about it because there's nothing to talk about once the season starts," Branch said. "I think all of that stuff will take care of itself once everything is settled and the season is over to get in there and get it done."

But if Welker asked Branch for some advice?

"Honestly, I'll talk to Wes about anything, but as far as his personal business, that's his business," Branch said. "I don't do the contracts, so I can't sit up and say, 'Hey, yeah, you have to do this and do that.' I think as far as contract talks, none of that will be going on now until after the Super Bowl."

The most perplexing part of this year’s Red Sox-Yankees season series has been Mr. CC Sabathia. How in the world can you go 0-4 with a 7.20 ERA against the Red Sox and 17-3 with a 2.40 ERA against everyone else? How? It's ludicrous.

Still, it's just not within my fibers to ever bet against Sabathia. How could you? That said, it's good to know that if he continues his season of stink against Boston on Tuesday night, the Red Sox are in a good position to sweep. That's awesome.

But, as you well know, you can't predict baseball, so I'm prepared for an A.J. Burnett no-hitter on Thursday night.

Read the entire conversation by clicking here, and check back with NESN.com after the series for the wrap-up conversation.

Neil called for two Yankees wins over the weekend, and he's no doubt disappointed in the outcome. So I figured what better time to talk with a Yankees fan than when he's feeling down and out, right?

So, Neil, if you're to try to recap your feelings after that three-game set, what do you say?

Neil Keefe: Honestly, I don't know how to describe how I feel. Just weird I guess. Weird because a series against Boston obviously has a lot on the line for the Yankees and for me, but even with the Yankees losing two of three, they are still just one game back and lead the wild card by seven games (eight in the loss column). So, while you're probably thinking that this email was a way to check on me and make sure I'm OK after wasting four-plus hours of my life to watch the Yankees lose in extra innings after going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, well don't worry, I'm fine …

Obviously, I liked the Yankees' chances to win the series after winning on Friday night. You never see the Yankees come back against Jon Lester like that, and you never see Boone Logan do his job like that, and it felt like solid momentum going into Saturday. CC Sabathia disappointed everyone on Saturday. His being 0-4 against the Red Sox but 16-2 against the rest of the league is discouraging, but I'm tired of hearing about how if John Lackey is back, the Red Sox are dangerous. Three earned runs in six innings is back? I realize that's a quality start, but it's still a 4.50 ERA. I will take the Yankees against Lackey every day, twice on Sunday and twice in the ALCS if they are to meet then.

(Side note: Why is everyone talking about the two teams' seemingly inevitable matchup in the playoffs like I did in the last sentence of that last paragraph? The difference with me is that I only did it because I knew I was going to write this side note. I'm pretty sure both teams still have to (1) make the playoffs and (2) win their respective division series before meeting. I don't like that everyone thinks it's automatic that they are going to play each other in October. And if they do play each other in the ALCS, prior to Game 1, I'm pouring water all over my computer and setting my phone on fire, so that I have no connection to the rest of the world.)

Sunday night was the dagger. I have seen too many poor outcomes come in the form of Yankees-Red Sox Sunday Night Baseball to know it was a good idea to stay away from Fenway on Sunday night. I was right. The only problem was that I had to sit through four painful hours of the ESPN crew, which in their first season together has only accomplished being even less objective than the Fox crew. The Yankees had their opportunities to open up the game and didn't get a single hit with runners in scoring position, and it's hard to win any game like that. The Red Sox protected their home field in the series by winning two of three, but I only wish the Yankees would have done the same when they played the Red Sox in the Bronx. They do have a chance to do so in late September.

I know you're probably looking for some crazy rant from me that will have you wondering if I have slept since Josh Reddick's double early Monday morning, but this is about as sane and composed as it gets for me.

Hurley: Seriously, I have to say I'm more than a little disappointed. Is this really Neil Keefe, or has a reasonable, rational person hacked his email account? A world with a sane and rational Neil Keefe is not world I want to be a part of.

Probably the craziest thing you said is that it's not a foregone conclusion for the Yankees and Red Sox to meet in the ALCS. They're far and away the best teams in the AL, and Cliff Lee is no longer on the Rangers (were you aware the Yankees tried to sign him but failed?). Unless Verlander can pitch every game of the ALDS for Detroit, it would take a minor miracle for any other team to make the ALCS. Well, that, or Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon could completely melt down in the final two months of the season. (I mean that both figuratively and literally. The two players combined to lose 50 pounds of water weight this weekend. Garcia looked like he was pitching from inside a sauna on Sunday night. Not a good weekend for high definition television. Not. At. All.)

But let's get to CC Sabathia. You mentioned that he's 16-2 against teams not named "Red Sox" but 0-4 with an ERA over 7.00 against Boston. I imagine you've watched every single pitch that's come out of CC's massive left hand this year, so I'll ask you what's so different about his starts against the Red Sox? I don't think he was particularly horrible on Saturday afternoon, but at the end of the day when you look at the score sheet and it says seven earned runs in six innings (and the other side says John Lackey outpitched you!), it was obviously a bad day.

What's the deal with CC against the Red Sox, and if he's pitching Game 1 of the ALCS in Fenway, are you nervous (well more nervous than your usual, frantic self)?

Keefe: Well, I thought they were going to meet in the ALCS in 2005 and 2007, and in 2009, too (even though you claim the Red Sox were always going to lose to the Angels that year, which is your excuse for the 2009 Red Sox) but it didn't happen then, either. Yes, they are far and away the best two teams, but crazier things have happened … like Bubba Crosby and Gary Sheffield running into each other in the outfield, or a rainout for a night game that allows Joel Zumaya to throw 1,000 mph in the shadows in an afternoon playoff game at Yankee Stadium, or when a pitcher who allowed one earned run in 24 innings (Joba Chamberlain) is suddenly attacked by midges and gives up a 1-0 lead without giving up a hit. So, while there is a lot of baseball left to be played in August and September, there is still the ALDS, and it's no sure thing both teams will advance.

(Keep in mind, since 2001, the Yankees have only advanced to the ALCS when they play a team from Minnesota in the ALDS, and it doesn't look like Minnesota will be in the playoffs this year. The last time they advanced on a non-Minnesota team was when they beat Oakland in 2001. That was 10 years ago. I'm not saying the Yankees won't win their division series, because I think they will. I'm just stating facts.)

The CC Sabathia versus Boston matchup puzzles me, but it's not like he hasn't pitched well against the Red Sox in the past. I want to back this up statistically, but I'm actually too scared to open his Baseball-Reference page since I'm actually not in that depressed of a mood and I don't want to get in one. I really don't have an explanation for his struggles other than the Red Sox obviously know something that no other team in the league knows. It's almost like when Andy Pettitte was tipping his pitches to the Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series. There has to be something. No other team even looks like they have a chance when they face CC, but the Red Sox seem to be all over everything from him.

When Jacoby Ellsbury is hitting a three-run bomb off arguably the best lefty in the league, there's a problem. (How much of a joke is this Ellsbury for MVP talk by the way?) Granted, it was a Yankee Stadium right field home run in Fenway Park, but you get the point. Sure, you can blame it on CC's location, but it's kind of odd that he is having an all-time season, yet is 0-4 in four starts against one team. Aside from his first start against the Red Sox in April (5 2/3 IP, 1 ER), he has been terrible against them, and it's not like that start was anything special either since he put 14 men on base in those 5 2/3 innings. I honestly don't know what it is, but if this inevitable ALCS matchup is going to happen like you seem to be so certain it will, then he needs to figure out what is wrong, or Larry Rothschild needs to figure out what's wrong.

To get to your real question: Am I nervous? Umm, is Francisco Cervelli deserving of a major league roster spot? Is that a real question? My level of nervousness on every postseason pitch can't be fathomed by most people, and my level of irrational thinking during the second season is off the charts, so yes, I'm more than a little nervous. I'm kidding, but also not really kidding about taking myself off the grid for a Yankees-Red Sox ALCS this fall. I would probably have to delete my Twitter account as well.

Like I always say, when the Yankees and Red Sox play, there is way more pressure on the Yankees and their fans. If they win, it's "whatever" because they were supposed to win anyway. And if they lose, it's the end of the world because they were supposed to win. If you care about my well-being, you will pull for a Yankees-Indians or Yankees-Tigers or Yankees-Rangers ALCS. And if you do so, I will gladly help you out during the NFL postseason.

For Part 2 of this conversation, click here.

It's something he's continuing to do, as evidenced by a recent appearance in New York.

Torre, 70, spoke at the Hard Rock Cafe this week, and he shared a story from the 2000 World Series against the Mets. The world knows that Roger Clemens threw a broken bat barrel at Mets star Mike Piazza, and it's also known that Clemens later claimed that he thought the bat was the ball.

While that explanation never really made too much sense, Torre shined a little light on Clemens' state of mind after the incident.

According to WFAN's Neil Keefe, "Clemens went into Torre's office where [Mel] Stottlemyre and [George] Steinbrenner were in the middle of the first inning and just began crying like a baby and saying that he didn't mean to throw the bat at Piazza."

Watching the replay on YouTube, it doesn't appear to be much of an accidental act, so with the throwing of the bat and the denying and the crying, you have to imagine that certain influences were affecting Mr. Clemens' mood at the time.

Ryan has become a media gold mine with his outlandish remarks, lofty goals and improbable predictions. But the rookie head coach has backed up everything that has come out of his mouth, and his team is one win away from playing in the Super Bowl.

There is never really an ideal time to put together a list of the 10 best quotes from Ryan, since the list could change following any press conference. And even though he is sure to make headlines again between now and the Jets’ final game of the season, here are the 10 most memorable quotes from Ryan since he replaced Eric Mangini in East Rutherford, N.J.

10. Ryan wasn’t going to be bossed around after becoming head coach of the Jets, and he certainly wasn’t going to be pushed around by the fierce competition in the AFC. Ryan took the Jets’ job with a promise to be himself and be successful.

“I was just going to come in and be myself and hope that the
organization and the coaches and the players and everybody else
realized that’s who I am. If you can go to work every day
with a smile on your face, you’re probably successful.”

9. Trash talk comes out of Ryan’s mouth just about every time
a microphone is put in front of it. But there is a reason for all the
optimism from Ryan, and he explained why he talks up his team.

“I just build our guys up. If it’s trash talking that I believe in
our football team, then, yes, I agree with that statement. I’m the
biggest trash talker there is. I don’t disrespect anybody else. I just
have confidence in our football team. I don’t mean to be disrespectful
at all to opponents.”

8. The Jets faced a must-win game in Week 16 against the
Colts to keep their playoff chances alive. During a media session
leading up to the game, Ryan turned into a comedian by asking the Colts
to rest their players to give the Jets a better chance to win.

“We’re going to start with the injury report. [Peyton] Manning, [Dallas] Clark, [Joseph] Addai,
Reggie Wayne, [Dwight] Freeney, [Robert] Mathis, [Gary] Brackett. … All those guys will not
play. Tom Moore, Howard Mudd and [John Teerlink] should get more
extended Christmas break, it says here. Oh, hold up. That was my wish list for Santa Claus.”

7. The Colts laid down and kept the Jets’ playoff hopes alive
in Week 16 before the Bengals did the same for Gang Green in Week 17.
But despite the Colts giving up on the perfect season by pulling Peyton
Manning and nearly every important starter, Ryan still believes the
Jets earned the victory.

“The fact is that we won that game by 14 points. It wasn’t like we
squeaked it out by one point or something like that. We played well.
Granted, it was the Colts JV team or whatever they want to call it,
they still had the Colts uniform on.”

6. It didn’t take long for Ryan to talk trash as the head
coach of the Jets. The same day the former Ravens defensive coordinator
was introduced as the future of the Jets, he made headlines by warning
the rest of the NFL about the Jets.

“The message to the rest of the league is, hey, the Jets are coming,
and we’re going to give you everything we got. And I think that’s going
to be more than you can handle.”

5. No one thought the Jets could make the playoffs. No one gave them any really chance to beat the Bengals on the road in the opening round of the playoffs. And no one gave them any chance to beat the Chargers on the road in the divisional round. But the Jets are still standing, and Ryan thinks they will still be after the AFC championship game against the Colts.

“I’m confident. There is no question about it. We’re going into the game expecting to win. I’d be shocked if we don’t. Absolutely would be.”

4. Ryan’s introductory press conference took place the same day
that Barack Obama took over the White House. Ryan made it known that he
expected the Jets to win it all in the near future, which would allow the new head coach to meet the new President of the United States.

“First off, with all the cameras I was looking for our new president [Barack Obama] back there. I think we’ll get to meet him in the next couple of years anyway.”

3. The first time Ryan hosted the Patriots as head coach of the Jets, he left season ticket holders a voice mail telling them to come out to Giants Stadium to get rowdy with Jets’ rival coming to town. But Ryan’s passion for beating the Patriots had been made evident before the season, when the new coach let New England know he wasn’t about to hand over the division or the conference.

“I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick‘s rings. I came here to win,
let’s put it that way. … I’m certainly not intimidated by New England
or anybody else.”

2. After the Jets blew a 7-3 lead late in the fourth quarter to the Falcons in an eventual 10-7 loss, Giants Stadium was quiet. While Jets knew the loss likely meant the end to a potential postseason berth, the team was still not mathematically eliminated. However, Ryan was unaware after the loss.

“We’re obviously out of the playoffs, and that’s unfortunate.”

1. The Jets entered the postseason as the weakest team in the 12-team field, according to bookmakers. But Ryan believed that his 9-7 team was actually built better than the Colts (14-2) or Saints (14-2). And so far, the Jets have backed up the big man’s words.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” Ryan said when asked about being underdogs. “But to me we should be favorites. I mean in the whole tournament. I think we have the best defense; I know we do. I think we have the best rushing attack. I want this football team. If I had a choice to coach any team in this tournament, I would choose this one.”

The Mets’ outfielder is looking to raise funds for the academy, which will be for both baseball and acdemics, and asked Martinez and pop star Marc Anthony to help out over the weekend.

Photo of the day
What should the caption for this photo be?
Please leave your suggestions in the comments section.

Comment of the day
The last time we saw Jonathan Papelbon, many people were looking to put their hands around the crazy closer’s neck — but that loss in Game 3 of the ALDS is no reason to give up on Paps. As Neil Keefe points out, Papelbon remains the perfect man to take the hill for Boston in the ninth inning in 2010, and one NESN.com reader agrees.

“I think papelbon’s still our best option, but only if he develops another
off-speed pitch, or at least uses his ‘slider’ more. i mean, he was throwing his
fastball so much last year that it got to a point where even the people watching
at home knew what he was going to throw… and when you have absolutely no type
of off-speed pitch whatsoever, you’re giving the hitters a huge advantage by
them knowing to look fastball almost every time. you saw the same thing with
buchholz when he got obsessed with throwing his changeup too much. people knew
what to look for and readied themselves to swing at just that pitch, and since
it was thrown more times than not, they suddenly had a huge advantage and
crushed it.”
–Sam

Video of the day
The Knicks’ Nate Robinson is doing everything he can to make the 2009-10 Knicks’ season a complete joke.

Got a suggestion? Send it to the Breakfast Blend
mailbag.

Montreal’s netminder Carey Price has been the one to blame, as Price is just 4-8 with a 3.08 GAA. Even the Habs’ backup keeper, Jaroslav Halak has more wins (five) than the starter, but that’s not stopping Price from offering his opponents a nice clean shave with his big paddle. Cue The Three Stooges music.

Photo of the day
What should the caption for this photo be? Please leave your suggestions in the comments section below.

Comment of the day
Boston’s 6-5 loss to the Penguins will go down as an overtime loss and one point in the standings, but for some Bruins fans — including JD, who commented on Neil Keefe‘s Bruins recap — that loss appears to be the last straw.

“We absolutely must do something. This is the most frustrating this team has been
since the Dave Lewis era. They are simply a mediocre team. When Savard and Looch get back, yes we will be better, but only slightly? We need a bona fide
superstar/goal-scorer. Look at the final 4 from last year. They all had a front
line goal-scorer to put the puck in the net. Sturm and Ryder just don’t cut it.
Until the B’s get that goal-scorer, they won’t go anywhere in the playoffs, let
alone make them. Hopefully they could swing a deal for Kovalchuk. Don’t know how
they could make that work though.”
–JD

Video of the day

Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings went off Saturday night against the Warriors and broke a few records in the process. The 20-year-old drained 55 points — including 29 in the third quarter alone — to top LeBron James as the youngest player to score at least 50 points in one game in NBA history. Jennings’ 55 points is also a new Bucks rookie record, previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), who drained 51 points in a 1970 game. Here’s a glimpse of what Jennings was up to prior to being the No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Got a question or comment? Send it to the Breakfast Blend mailbag.

The tape is called Kinesio tape, and it has become a frequently-used pain reliever on the Celtics for both players and coaches.

“It just kind of relieves whatever is hurting,” J.R. Giddens, who wears the tape on his right knee and back, told the Boston Herald. “It makes it feel better. I guess it’s the way it lays on the muscles, some pressure release or something.”

“I don’t know what the hell it does, but it makes me feel better,” Doc Rivers told the Herald. “It’s not just a tape, they put it on certain muscles .. I don’t know what the hell it does. Maybe it’s mental. I think a lot of teams are doing it and it’s been good. I know Kevin loves it.”

How the tape works is still a mystery, but the wrapping technique became a hit during the 2008 Summer Olympics when Kinesio USA donated 50,000 rolls to the Games and athletes began wearing it.

Hasheem Thabeet, former UConn star and now member of the Memphis Grizzlies, used the tape on his shoulder throughout the season for the Huskies last year.

“There’s just not a ton of research on it,” UConn basketball trainer James Doran told the Herald. “It’s not because when they do research it gets blown up, it’s just the research hasn’t been done. Kinesio tape originally started in Asia and it used to be like this secret taping that they used. It made its way to the New World and America and Europe have jumped on it. Again, when you try to find research on it, it’s just not there.”