Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How are you?  Anything interesting going on?  BDH and Little Buddha are eager to get to work today, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Wednesday Clutter.

The big news of the day has to be the fact that the Laser Show isn't going anywhere!  Clutter is happy to hear that the Boston Red Sox are expected to sign second baseman Dustin Pedroia to a 7-year / $100 million contract extension.  I plead a little guilty to being concerned about contracts that are more than 5 years.  It just seems like the odds of anything past that being good are long, but other than that, I couldn't be happier.  Pedroia is everything the Red Sox want and need from a player, from his offense and defense to leadership, and the team would never lose a game if everyone played like he did.  Plus, in the bizarre world of professional athletics, an annual salary of just over $14 million seems like a good deal.  Cheers, Pedey!

Meanwhile, Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz has been given the go-ahead to resume throwing, but it could be at least another month before he's ready, and given his track record at this point, let's assume that's not happening.  Regardless of how the 2013 season plays out, the Red Sox should think long and hard this offseason about what they've got in Buchholz.  He's clearly an immensely talented pitcher, but he can't stay healthy, and if they can't figure out a way to resolve that, they may need to start considering other options.

Tom Brady on Aaron Hernandez:  Who?

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner is barely into his first rehabilitation tour, and he's already asking voters to give him another another chance, after it was revealed that he continued to send graphic texts and pictures after the sexting scandal that drove him from Congress.  Apparently he knew this was coming though and had mentioned it when his campaign began, so he sees no reason to leave the race.  Should we take bets on how many more chances he asks for?  I'll set the over/under at 2.5.

What are we doing here, and who is that guy in the back?  (pic via businessinsider.com)

Staying in New York for a second, I have no problem admitting how much I'd enjoy seeing Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez banned from baseball, but a lengthy suspension would also be just fine.

Are Senate Republicans preparing to cut the legs out from underneath their House counterparts?  This could be interesting to watch.

I understand that the U.S. Postal Service is facing severe financial issues in this increasingly electronic age, but the idea of stopping delivery to the door to save money doesn't strike me as a great move.  This article says that this proposed legislation has some exemption for people with disabilities, though I'd want to know more about that, and how about the elderly who aren't disabled?  I'm not saying I know what the answer is here, besides a huge bailout, but I smell trouble for vulnerable populations with this proposal.

This is an interesting question:  Would you pay $10/month for an ads-free version of Facebook?

5150 is more than the name of the first Van Hagar album.  It's the name for the code for an involuntary psychiatric hold in California like actress Amanda Bynes was just placed under.  I hope someone can help this poor woman.

Another day has come and gone, and I still haven't seen the Doctor Who 50th anniversary trailer.  That's fine, it's not like I'm (repeatedly) twitching or anything.

 Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  It's been a while since we had some Van Halen in this joint, and that's just not right.  Taken straight from the Live Without a Net video (which is 27 years old, for those of you playing at home), it's Van Hagar's first tour, it's a song with a solo that takes you on a little trip, and it's 5150 time for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and come back soon, so we can hang out some more.  Until then, that's today's Clutter, and you know the story, we are outta here, 5150 style.