'Lackey' and 'ace' in the same sentence? Seriously?

Well, I'm at a loss. John Lackey must have one hell of a publicist. The media is playing him up to be an ace (huh?); they're calling him one of the top right-handers in the AL over the past eight seasons; they're even pushing this guy as a No. 1 starter ahead of Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.

I'm still waiting for the punch line.

Here's what he's done to earn the five-year, $82.5 million contract Boston reportedly offered him:

• Finished 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA last season.
• Won 15 or more games in a season once (19-9 in 2007)
• Never posted a single-season ERA below 3.00 (3.01 in 2007)
• Never pitched more than three complete games in a season and has 14 career CGs in 233 starts
• Postseason numbers are mediocre at best (3-4, 4.12 ERA in 14 games)

Not to say Lackey isn't a decent pick-up -- he's a good, solid No. 3 or No. 4 guy. And maybe, under the pressure of that lofty contract, he'll surprise us with a career year. You certainly can't dispute his competitve fire.

But an ace? No. Worth $17 million a year? Not even close. Gives the Red Sox one of the most formidable rotations in the league, as one MLB writer put it? Definitely not.

Sorry, Red Sox Nation, you got swindled. Should have spent that money on that one guy ... eh, Jason somethin'... eh, oh yeah, Bay ... your All-Star left-fielder ... your best player last season. Remember him?

Whew! Good luck competing with those pesky Bombers next year. If you're placing you're bid for a title on the shoulders of John Lackey, you're going to need it.