Out of leftovers yet? Me neither:

• Red Sox fans have got plenty of reasons to be upset with Victor Martinez’s departure. A big, switch-hitting bat in the middle of the lineup who also happened to be pretty clutch comes through Fenway every 100 years (Mark Bellhorn doesn’t count). But please stop the caterwauling about ownership being cheap. This decision falls on Theo Epstein, who didn’t see Martinez as a worthy receiver for his prized pitching staff.

• It is foolish and way too reactionary to dub the off-season a failure based on one defection in November. Epstein has more moves to make yet. Let us hope and pray that one of them is not Derek Jeter. Yeah, it’d be fun to tweak the Yankees, but making their fans mutter curse words at the Steinbrenners won’t be worth the inevitable blast of cold water in the face in June when Jetes is batting .270, slugging .370 and can’t get a glove on anything more than three feet to either side of him.

• Congratulations to Mountain Valley’s Cam Kaubris and Leavitt’s Max Cloutier on being named semifinalists for the Fitzpatrick Trophy. The message boards have lit up with indignant folks demanding an explanation why certain other players weren’t among the dozen so honored. The center of the most heated discussion was Cony quarterback Luke Duncklee, who was added to the list of semifinalists on Friday because his nomination papers were delayed. Um…hey, whatever gets a Pine Tree Conference Class A player a seat at the banquet.

• I love Shaquille O’Neal’s attitude this year. I love that he brings a low-post game the Celtics have sorely lacked. I love that he is keeping his own ego in check and appears to have accepted his lot as a role player, while still stepping up with a big game when it’s most needed (i.e. Wednesday against the Nets). But the fact is, the Celtics aren’t as good a defensive team with him on the floor as Kendrick Perkins. Getting Perk back, even if it’s at 80 percent, will be vital to their success in the playoffs.

• One of the most laughable slights repeated by the alleged experts against the Patriots is that they can’t run the football effectively. Yet, according to ESPN’s stats and information department, Tom Brady had completed 71 percent of his play-action passes with seven touchdowns, no picks and a 133.5 passer rating going into last Thursday’s game. He only improved on those numbers on Thanksgiving, going 8-for-8 for 181 yards, two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. So, maybe the Patriots can’t run effectively, but it appears their opponents think they can, which with this offense is the most important thing, no? Oh, and somebody needs to do something about the lack of communication between ESPN’s stats and info people and Mark Schlereth, Merrill Hoge et al.

• Well, you blew it again. The Grey Cup is today and you haven’t bought anything to make nachos, you’re out of beer and there’s no way you’ll get your friends over to the house on such short notice. Don’t look at me. The wife said I can’t have more than 15 people over this year and I’m already going to have to turn some folks away at the door.

• This is the CFL’s equivalent of Super Bowl hype, by the way. The big controversy this week involved the Montreal Alouettes complaining about the hotel they were staying at in Edmonton. It seems some of the Als think this is part of a big conspiracy by the league to keep them from winning the Cup for the second straight year. Yet more fodder for the Quebecois separatists.

• In case you missed it, Sports Illustrated picked the University of Maine men’s basketball team to win America East and make its first trip ever to the Big Dance. The Black Bears have the depth to get it done, and their senior leadership, particularly Auburn’s Troy Barnies and Gardiner’s Sean McNally, is as good as it has been in a long time. It’s too bad Alfond Arena won’t even be half full when the Bears open their conference schedule Jan. 2 against one of their chief rivals for the America East title, Boston University.

• I’d hoped we’d be seeing marked improvement in the Patriots defense by now, but it appears that without a pass rush — which they clearly won’t have until they draft and/or sign one — this team is still going to give up a ton of passing yards. We can only hope they continue to create turnovers and the offense continues to not give any up. Incidentally, it’s a very uncomfortable moment when you admit to your son that you have a man crush on someone named Devin McCourty.

• The only time Tommy Heinsohn admits a Celtic has committed a touch foul is when one is called for a flagrant foul. I’m guessing the only time he’ll admit a Celtic has committed a flagrant foul is when they’re charged with assault and battery.

• The Decision has given way to The Derision in South Beach. The only thing that could make the implosion of the Miami Heat more enjoyable is if Pat Riley decides to take the coaching reigns. Even he can’t save this complete mismatch of talent. It is still a team game, and until the Heat get some other parts, like a legitimate big man and point guard, they will continue to flounder, no matter how much gel the coach has in his hair.

• After last year’s choke against the Flyers, I swore I wouldn’t pay any attention to the Bruins this year until the playoffs. And you know what? I wish I had this much discipline at the Thanksgiving table, or any table, really. In fact, until last week’s overtime and shootout loss to the L.A. Kings, I hadn’t stopped on NESN for more than five minutes on a single game all season. Heck, I watched more of that dreadful NESN Daily show.

• Which will happen more frequently this year, charges taken by Glen Davis or lane violations on Shaq’s free throws?

• CBS and FOX continue this silly tradition of having their color commentators hand out trophies during their Thanksgiving telecasts. Phil Simms gives out an iron, while Troy Aikman awards some kind of bronzed turkey. My guess is the NFL Network considered having Joe Theismann and Matt Millen follow suit, then realized a trophy of a mediocre wide receiver with a grotesquely broken leg being drafted in the first round wouldn’t go over very well.