Picking from the pieces

■The bye week is just like every other week when you’re Albert Haynesworth.

■Now that they have Theo Epstein in place, the Cubs’ next call should be to Baltimore, where Janet Marie Smith is waiting to help the Cubs rebuild Wrigley Field. Smith remains one of the more underappreciated figures in Red Sox history. It was John Henry’s money and Larry Lucchino’s direction, but Smith’s vision made Fenway Park what it is today. It’s a shame she was kicked to the curb before the 100th anniversary.

■Bill Belichick hates it when we do this, but the Patriots look like a 14-2 team, 13-3 at worst. Take a gander at the rest of the schedule. Lots of bunnies in there. Unfortunately, New England’s defensive backfield still doesn’t look playoff worthy, and no matter how great the regular-season record is, the Patriots face a heap of pressure because they haven’t won a playoff game in nearly four years.

■One of the great upsets in local sports history flew under the radar Saturday night when the Holy Cross hockey team beat Boston University, 5-4, at Agganis Arena.

■NBA players are making a giant mistake. They remind me of the air traffic controllers who walked off the job and got fired by President Reagan 30 years ago. Look it up. It’s under “bad decisions by laborers.’’

■Some of us thought Lucchino was given the task of finishing Henry’s sentences when the two appeared on their radio flagship station. So what did Larry think of John going into 98.5 The Sports Hub all by himself? “At some point, when the debate goes so far, a person has a right to react and attempt to correct the record on some things that were offensive and inaccurate.’’

■So much for rich team domination in baseball: the top nine MLB payrolls were eliminated before the second round of the playoffs this year.