I’ve been so wrapped up in high school football and basketball the last few weeks my thoughts on those and a plethora of other subjects have been limited to the stifling 140-character restrictions of Twitter (@RAWmaterial33). I envy those of you who can avoid social media by your own free will, so this is my payback.

•  Jacoby Ellsbury is an All-Star and Gold Glove caliber outfielder. He will make the Yankees better for at least half of his ridiculous seven-year contract. He was one of the most exciting Red Sox players of my lifetime and the thought of him running wild on A.J. Pierzynski next year makes me a little sick. But aside from the Sea Dogs losing ticket revenue from his annual rehab stints at Hadlock, it made no sense for Boston to make a comparable offer. All I care is that the Red Sox have learned their lesson and the Yankees haven’t.

As for the burning question of how Red Sox fans should greet Ellsbury at Fenway next year, I usually don’t like telling fans what to do, but I can’t help make an exception this time. Any Red Sox fan who stood and applauded Mariano Rivera last year owes a guy who played a major role in two world championships at least a golf clap.

• Kudos to University of Maine fans for the fine turnout and support for Saturday’s playoff game against New Hampshire. It would be great if the support carried over into next season and beyond. But it would also help if the Black Bears won more when the state’s spotlight has shined on Morse Field. For all of their success in recent years, most of their signature wins in recent years have come on the road. Regardless, 2013 will go down as yet another year where Jack Cosgrove’s team exceeded expectations with the first CAA title in school history. Maine fans should hope they’re picked to finish eighth in the conference against next year.

• By now, we’ve come to accept the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy’s southern Maine bias. So it came as no surprise when the 12 semifinalists were announced that nine played their home games south of New Gloucester toll plaza.

What was truly disappointing, however, was the absence of any names from Class D. It would have been nice to recognize at least one player from Class D and acknowledge the quality football that was played at that level this year. In Western Maine alone, there were a number of potential candidates with worthy on-field credentials, including Quincy Thompson of Lisbon, Luke Washburn of Oak Hill and Winthrop’s Zach Glazier, who was the Campbell Conference Player of the Year.

One can only speculate as to whether any of those players suffered from the dreaded Class D stigma, which was one of the reasons some small school coaches initially resisted adding the fourth class. The Fitzpatrick committee has done a reasonable job of including the small schools since opening the award to players outside of Class A in 1996. To my recollection, the list of semifinalists since then included at least one Class C candidate each year under the three-class format. That’s been the case each of the last three years (Nick Proscia of Yarmouth in 2009, Orono’s Dominic Mowers and Jack Lucy in 2011 and 2012, respectively).Two Class C players have won the award, Lee St. Hilaire of Winthrop in 2001 and Nick Tymoczko of Bucksport in 2004.

Here’s hoping the lack of Class D candidates is because there was a well-researched conclusion that none measured up to the other semifinalists and not an indication that the committee plans to ignore more than 1/4th of the football teams in the state going forward.

• For what it’s worth, my Fitzy ballot has Ben Lucas of Cony, Justin Zukowski of Portland and South Portland’s Duncan Preston, in that order. Lucas had the kind of season (and career) every high school quarterback dreams about, from throwing for over 3,500 yards and breaking St. Hilaire’s single-season touchdown pass record with 41 to leading the Rams to their first state title with a dramatic comeback capped by a 99-yard game-winning drive.

Surveying the central Maine media landscape, where Lucas is the overwhelming choice, I’ve sensed a slight undercurrent of lingering anger over last year’s highly-publicized snubs of Mt. Blue’s Jordan Whitney and Brunswick’s Jared Jensen. I can relate, but I hope my colleagues aren’t giving Portland-area candidates less consideration this year in protest.

• Every team in the watered-down NFL is flawed, particularly the AFC’s contenders, so the Patriots have as good a chance of playing in a February New Jersey blizzard as anyone.

But there is one troubling trend heading into the final quarter of the regular season. The Patriots defense, as bad as it’s been in recent years, has usually gotten better as the season unfolded. This year, it has has gotten worse. In recent weeks, mostly due to injuries striking down the heart of the defense, it hasn’t been able to stop the run and has given up at least 30 points in four of its last six games.

On the flip side, the defense was able to make some key stands late in the wins over Denver and Houston. Of course, that was after blowing a lead in the final minute against Carolina. In conclusion, if Jason Campbell and the Browns have the ball, down 34-31 with two minutes left on Sunday, the only sure thing is the officials will make a terrible call.

• Indoor lacrosse, no; “Civic Center Trustee Survivor Series,” yes.

• So about that tanking plan. Virtually the entire NBA Eastern Conference has decided to take a dive this season. The Celtics have too much talent and too good of a coach to play for one of the worst records in the league without a federal investigation. They have a legitimate shot at winning the sorry Atlantic Division, especially if Rajon Rondo ever gets back in the lineup. It’s too bad because I’m convinced Jabari Parker and Julius Randle are going to be great players (the jury is still out on the other highly-touted freshman, Andrew Wiggins of Kansas). Maybe one of them can be, ahem, convinced to stay in school another year or three until the Celtics get to use their picks from the Brooklyn Nets, who it’s fair to assume will only get worse over the next two or three years.

Resigned to the fact that the Celtics will win too much to get into the lottery and won’t be good enough to make a serious run at the title, fans still have some reasons to watch this year. One is the development of Jared Sullinger, who is looking like a borderline All-Star and could already be declared the steal of last year’s draft. This year’s first-round choice, Kelly Olynick, showed some skills in his brief stint before being sidelined with a sprained ankle. He clearly doesn’t have the ceiling of Sullinger, but he certainly isn’t a bust. And Vitor Faverani, the rookie center from Brazil, looks like he can play in the league, too.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this season is discovering the coaching chops of Brad Stevens. So far, he’s been impressive, dare I say almost Belichickian.

• I don’t care what the soccer zealots say, Spinal Tap was, is and always will be the “Group of Death.”

• Readers dampened my celebration of the Red Sox World Series triumph by reminding me that I had once declared both David Ortiz and Shane Victorino washed up in this space. Mea culpa.

With that out of the way, it should be known that I think A.J. Pierzynski, Will Middlebrooks, Jake Peavy, Mike Napoli and my 401k are all utterly hopeless for 2014.

Happy Holidays everybody.