This, that and another thing or two …

Does it bother you that all of these people were saying no to the Red Sox general manager job?

First, last week, it was the guy they really wanted. At least the guy they really wanted two weeks ago. Billy Beane turned them down and ran back to Oakland.

Sandy Alderson said no. Everybody was saying no.

That’s what is so disturbing. This should be a dream job. Particularly for a guy like Beane who works for a low budget team. His teams have been developed through the club’s minor leagues, not through the free-agent market.

Could Beane and Alderson’s decisions to stay put mean that the Red Sox don’t have the money available to spend on players whom we’ve become accustomed to?

If so, did John Henry’s purchase of the team turn them into the Florida Marlins? Are we, the suffering Red Sox Nation, going to get to know what it feels like to be a Kansas City Royals fan?

The only guy, apparently, who was willing to say yes to the job is the guy who has the “interim” title now, Mike Port.

And then there’s 28-year-old assistant GM Theo Epstein. He apparently – there’s that word again – was the latest guy they were wooing for the job.

I’ve got nothing against 28-year-olds. I wouldn’t mind being 28 again. But when I was 28 no one was ready to give me anything, much less the keys to the Red Sox.

Epstein’s name was floated out there last week as a possible candidate. It was a bit like Red Sox president Larry Lucchino dipping his toe in the water to see how cold it is.

Pretty cold if you ask me. Epstein may be a perfect candidate. He may be a brilliant baseball mind. He may be the next, uh, Billy Beane. But because of his age he would have to be perfect. No mistakes allowed. The Boston media would eat him alive.

Ask Lou Gorman how the Boston media reacts when the Red Sox GM stumbles. He was crucified – and justifiably, many would say – over the Jeff Bagwell trade. It wasn’t so much that he made the deal but that he made it without having ever seen Bagwell play.

Then there was the time in 1990 when Gorman had the opportunity to claim Willie McGee off waivers but chose not to. Gorman’s response to media queries, “Where would we play him?” lives in infamy. Well, the Red Sox did have Carlos Quintana patrolling left field.

Of course, it doesn’t really matter who the Red Sox GM is if the club suddenly has the budget of the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Rob Cady said the name “Old Fogies Hockey League” suits him just fine. He’s just happy to be playing.

Cady and a group of 15 middle-aged men meet each Wednesday night at 9:20 at Sawyer Arena in Bangor to play hockey for an hour.

“Our oldest player is 70 and the youngest is 44. The rest are around their mid-50s,” Cady said.

Play is open to anyone who wants to suit up. Cady said they would likely place on it a cap of 25 players per night.

“It’s first-come, first-serve. Twelve players on each team is just about perfect,” Cady said.

Players chip in to cover the $160 fee for use of the ice.

“It’s no contact, no slap shots. It’s an older gentleman’s hockey,” Cady chuckled.

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The latest knock on Tom Brady is that he can’t throw the long ball. Wrong. He overthrew two deep receivers in the Patriots game at Oakland. Brady can throw the long ball. It’s just that thus far, he has been unable to throw it to anyone.

Don Perryman can be reached at 990-8045, (800) 310-8600 or dperryman@ bangordailynews.net.