Yes, we know it’s Saturday and that usually means our NFL picks. But sorry, there’s no breakdown of the only pro football game this weekend, the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl.

So we’ll interrupt things on the final Saturday in January to give you a few tids and bits to ponder:

If you weren’t at the Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball game vs. Pinkerton on Thursday night, you missed one of the most dominating performances for 16 minutes – especially the first eight – that you may ever see at this level. It showed about just how dominant the Cardinals can be when they are defensive minded and in attack mode, to go from down two points to outscore a team 42-7. Yikes.

It was also interesting to see, once the game got out of hand, how they would handle Erin Carney closing in on 1,000 points. She ended the game six away, and rather than try to force feed her late in the game, Guertin showed restraint and sportsmanship in waiting for another day (namely today vs. Mercy).

How did Carney feel about it?

“I just kind of let the game play out,” Carney said. “Just kind of played my game, we worked to come back, it’s all about team.”

—– The other team we feel will be hoisting a title trophy in March? Try the Concord High School hockey team. Now, hockey is a sport where favorites have a tough time winning because the puck can slide any which way, and a hot goalie even at the high school level can change things. But oh, the Crimson Tide have three really great ingredients: Size, speed and skill. That was evident when they beat Bishop Guertin this past week 5-1 at Skate 3.

“We’re really not very big,” Tide coach Duncan Walsh said. “We’ve got skill. I’d say that we’re a totally different team than the last few years as far as skill level is concerned.”

Besides BG, who else is there to challeng e Concord? Maybe Salem (5-0-3), whom the Tide play tonight at the Icenter (8:40 p.m.) or Trinity (one loss). Guertin gets anther shot at them up in Concord late next month.

—- Eli Manning did the right thing in calling it a career with a classy retirement press conference on Friday. Of course, around here he’s viewed as a classic overachiever by New England Patriot fans, and there aren’t many of them who would put him in Canton. And , despite yours truly’s fondness for the Giants, we’re not sure we would either. You can make the numbers work for and against the idea. But here’s the reality: When it comes to the NFL, if you’ve coached at least two Super Bowl champions or quarterbacked them – not to mention been a two-time Super Bowl MVP – you’re more than likely going to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

—– Of course the at BG girls onslaught the other night, due to the full court pressure, brought back memories of John Fagula’s Nashua teams. And speaking of Fagula, we wish him the best as he is recovering from an illness that had him in the hospital during the holiday season. It was great to have heard that several of his former players have been constantly visiting to show their support.

— OK, ok, one NFL pick: NFC 42, AFC 39. NFC seemed to have the better teams this year, right?

— Here’s what seems to be the logical move for the Red Sox, especially if the rumblings that Major League Baseball doesn’t have much if anything on them for the 2018 season: promote current bench coach Ron Roenicke, give him a two-year deal with an option.

Sorry, Jason Varitek fans, this really isn’t a situation for someone who hasn’t managed. Roenicke had a fairly successful managerial stint in Milwaukee and, if some of you remember, was former Sox general manager Ben Cherrington’s choice to manage the team back in 2012. But Cherrington was overruled by Larry Lucchino, whose guy was, uh, Bobby Valentine.

Oops.

Tom King may be reached at 594-1251,tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or@Telegraph _TomK.

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