2011 - 2012 NBA predictions... Part 4

And to end, my playoff predictions:

Miami vs Chicago. No brainer. Will Chicago show up vs will Miami choke? Chicago is going to need to exploit the point guard position and play with balls. With Tom Thibedea (no way i spelled that right) coaching, i give them a slight edge. I can promise it won't be one sided like last year.

Denver vs Clippers. When this happens you won't be surprised. Reading it now you think it's insane.

Bulls vs Clippers 2011-2012 NBA finals...

Bulls in 6

thanks,
Wizard

2011 - 2012 NBA predictions... Part 3

Final Season Predictions:

Eastern Conference:

Miami: 54-12
Chicago: 52-14
New York: 46-20
Orlando: 44-22
Indiana: 43-23
Atlanta: 40-26
Boston: 38-28
Phili: 38-28

NJ: 37-29
Detroit: 33-33
Charlotte: 30-36
Cleveland: 26-40
Washington: 25-41
Milwakee: 22-44
Toronto: 15-51

Western Conference:

Dallas: 50-16
OK city: 49-17
LAC: 49-17
Denver: 46-20
San Antonio: 44-22
Memphis: 42-24
Golden State: 39-27
Utah: 36-30

LAL: 35-31
Minnesota: 32-24
Houston: 30-26
Sacramento: 29-27
Portland: 27-29
Phoenix:24-32
New Orleans: 12-44

2011 - 2012 NBA predictions... Part 2

This is my shitty team by team breakdown.

Atlantic:

Boston: Did nothing to improve team. Did enough to dress 12 players.

New Jersey: Love Morrow. Love Williams. Too bad some Russian will do anything he can to ruin team chemistry.

NY: Why not score 120 a game while allowing 121.

Phili: This team will have heart and rebounding. Point's will be tough to come by though.

Toronto: A foreign team with mostly all foreign players. I never thought i'd say it but i feel bad for Bargnani.

Central:

Detroit: My 2nd favorite team. At least for home games they have a beer of the night for $5.

Chicago: Gotta love everything about this team. Rose will continue to strive to be the best. Last year he took a big step in his decision making. I assume that can only improve, regardless of his fake SAT scores.

Cleveland: Post Lebron, year 2. Still twenty more years to go before the wounds heal. Tough luck getting 2/4 top picks in weakest NBA draft of my lifetime.

Indiana: Doing the little things, and signing black players. Sleeper alert

Milwakee: At least the Packers are going 19-0.

Southeast:

Miami: 66 games, and all should be wins. That won't happen. Lebron no showing in playoffs will.

Orlando: Once Howard is traded, they will be worst team in basketball. I mean, a team that shoots 3's and doesn't rebound? When has that ever worked Phoenix?

Atlanta: Joe Johnson's contract. ha

Charlotte: Worst GM in sports history. Bring back morrison. Maybe Cam Newton can hit a jumper.

Washington: Dead money favorite to win any pistol duels. However, big underdogs game to game.

Northwest:

Denver: The Rocky Mountain Knicks have a lot to look forward to. Like teams playing the 2nd night of a back to back 5,280 feet in the air. Wait till my playoff predictions.

Minnesota: The schedule helps them almost more than anybody. Kevin Love will win 20 games by himself. Ricky Rubio sucks as well. They will get some wins, and a lot less ping pong balls.

OK City: The funnest team to watch in basketball outside of the Harlem Globetrotters. If westbrook can take his 10 terrible shots a game down to 5, and make decent passes for 10 extra points, watch the fuck out.

Portland: Heroin capitol of the world. Doesn't explain how Brandon Roys' knees disappeared or how Greg Oden himself died... Or does it?

Pacific:

Utah: Love the starters with big Al, Millsap, and Harris, but this bench is to unstable to do anything. Could be your classic NBA western conference team with 50 wins and a 9 seed. (shortened season adjusted)

Golden State: MONTE. CURRY. DEFENSE. fuck that. DEFENSE. fuck that. DEFENSE. although they should be able to outshoot anybody playing a back to back.

LAC: Beast of west. A team that is cursed with actual expectations? Blake is the best player in basketball. CP3 is the best PG is basketball. and the rest of the team is meh.

LAL: Blowing up the team for some reason. Kobe will still dominate, but i'm not sold on the mental toughness of Pau after trade rumors. and i'm still not sold on Bynum's health for a whole season.

Phoenix: Trade nash then talk to me. until then enjoy winning 1/4 games.

Sacramento: Such a boring team. yawn

Southwest:

Dallas: NBA champs. Only got better with kardashian.

Houston: Talented, but most wins will come off heart. Teams gotta get lucky once in a while.

Memphis: Tony Allen tried to trade rudy gay. When that is your biggest offseason move you may be in trouble. Sneaky though have one of the best fan bases in basketball.

New Orleans: Never heard of them

San Antonio: Early Exit. Lot of wins though. Will be fun up until April for spurs fans.

2011 - 2012 NBA predictions... Part 1

This is where i write down my thoughts so in 6 months i look really smart.

First off, fantasy basketball leagues are only 13 weeks then playoffs. remember that.

OK. My predictions for all awards.

MVP: Blake Griffin. Just got the best point guard in basketball to set up instinctive dunking ability to begin with. Blake could average 20/15. If his FT% improves, that number could be higher.

Rookie of Year: Kenneth Faried. Guys from fake colleges are always dark horses. In a year which will have countless back to backs, the kids will have to play. It helps that Faried might end up starting.

Defensive Player of Year: Lyndsey Hunter... Is he still in the league? He shut down rondo once. This one is obvious. Barkley once told Dwight Howard to get some rebounds. Ever since he has won back to back to back DPOTY awards. He is an absolute lock to win again.

Sixth Man: Tough to predict because we don't know who will end up playing or not. My guess is George Hill from the pacers. Once IUPUI's greatest stud, he is now an important piece on a much improved pacers club.

Coach of Year: I hate saying it, but Vinny Del Negro will run away with this award. If the clippers clinch a playoff birth he is in. It won't be his coaching that earns the award, just the players. Remember, Mike Brown won this thing once.

Executive of year: Don't know his name, don't care. Guy who runs Clippers.

Most Improved: JaVale McGee. There is a ton of talent with this kid. However, he cries like a school girl when people play to physical. Guess i'm just a sucker for raw talent.

I refuse to do any other awards.

What Pink Hats have done to the Red Sox

Our long Red Sox national nightmare finally ended last night as the potentially insane Bobby Valentine was finally reported to be the next Red Sox manager. Now I hate this. I didn't want Dale Sveum either. The guy I wanted was Mike Maddux but he backed out. This was a lame crop of managers by they way. Between the group out there, then yes Bobby Valentine was probably the best choice. He looked like the manager version of Kate Upton compared to the Roseanne Barr of Gene Lamont. What really gets me angry about this whole situation is how the great puppet master Larry Lucchino undercut his new puppet in Ben Cherington so blatantly in the public and totally making it so that we, as fans, can never take anything Cherington says seriously again.


Now lets get to why the pink hats are to take some of the blame for the joke the Red Sox are now. The pink hat fans have totally taken over Fenway Park and have made it tough to be a die hard fan. The ownership has taken full advantage of the pink hats and good for them. They've made a ton of money off them. The pink hats started to pop up in 2003, really emerged in 2004 and are now basically 75% of the fan base. I hate pink hats. Pink hats are the reason that Valentine is the manager now. Lucchino saw and listened to the fans, heard that there wasn't really a lot of excitement for Svuem ( and rightfully so) and then went to the guy that pink hats have seen on ESPN and heard every bandwagon fan from Boston to Maine get excited and boom, next thing you know he's the guy that's been the number 1 choice all along when we all know damn well that Svuem was all but hired. The pink hats helped sign Crawford and now they've helped Lucchino hire Bobby V. They should own a 50% stake in the team.


Now a pink is not just about gender. Men and women can be pink hats. I have probably seen more male pink hats then female pink hats. Also pink hats don't have to physically wear a pink hat. They can wear a whole damn uniform but they're still pink hats. I was a Sox game a few years back and there was some guy sitting in the stands trying to impress his girlfriend and she asked about who the "number 9" was up in right field. The guy didn't know. He didn't know! Its Ted freaking Williams. Only the greatest Red Sox player of all time. Only the greatest hitter who ever lived. Another sign of a possibly pink hat is there reaction when you call them a pink hat. If you call me a pink hat I'm just gonna say "yah ok" and laugh it off. But if you call a pink hat a pink hat, look out. They freak out and almost always say "I'm not a pink hat. I know what I'm talking about. I watch every game" And they always say it in a high pitched voice. It happens 100% of the time, every time.


They've turned Fenway and Yawkey Way into almost a amusement park setting. They get every ticket and phase out the die hards and the people that know what their talking about. Bandwagon fans are every where but the ones I respect are the ones that don't try to act like they know what their talking about. Pink hats I have almost no respect for. I don't have a problem with the girl fans, I say god bless them but the guy pink hats just kill me and suck the life out of me. Nothing could ever drive me away from my love of the Red Sox but they way the operate down there is embarrassing and how they care what the fans say is killing me slowly. Listen to the scouts and your baseball operations people and not Joe Six Pack out in Quincy who saw Bobby V on Baseball Tonight. You think Belichick listens to us? Hell no and things have been working out for him lately.

Red Sox Off Season

Going in to this key off season for the Boston Red Sox, I thought they had one definite move to make- and that was to resign Jonathan Papelbon. Yes, he blew the save in Game 162 but if you don't have a dominant closer who's been through the fire and came out clean on the other side then you don't have anything. All those people that were "happy" to see him go, ask yourself this- Are you going to get anyone better to replace him? Heath Bell has been good in San Diego but that's San Diego. Can he handle Boston? Franciso Cordero is old and he had a good year in a contract year (always a red flag). K-Rod's arm is about to fly off at any second. Daniel Bard isn't ready. He was terrible in September and just cause you can throw 100 MPH doesn't mean you can get the three biggest outs of the game. Before Pap left I was thinking they should make into a starter. I am intrigued by Joe Nathan. He'd be cheap money but he's coming off Tommy John and who knows if he can be effective. I say Nathan and whoever steps forward between him or Bard. The closer is not the only move the Sox need to make.


Manager. The Sox still don't have a manager. It looks like Dale Sveum is the leader in the clubhouse and I don't know about you but I'm not really feeling that. Maybe its cause I remember him sending every runner to the plate that he possibly could and getting them thrown out. They say because hes been in the clubhouse before and knows the players but he hasn't been here since 2005. The only players he knows in that clubhouse is David Ortiz (more on him later) and Kevin Youkillis (him too). I was on the Mike Maddux bandwagon but he backed out. Sveum was named interim manager of the Brewers in 2008, took them to the playoffs, and then they demoted him back to hitting coach and hired Ken Macha. That's a little strange right there. Sandy Alomar Jr is my choice right now. Former catcher, knows pitching, and would have respect from the players.


David Ortiz and Kevin Youkillis. I'm conflicted on this. I love both players but I would resign Ortiz and explore a trade for Youk. There really is no market out there for Ortiz and the DH position has become a dead position in baseball. He can still hit and power in today's game that is hard to come by. Yes he's got a little bit of diva in him but he's still a leader in that clubhouse even though last year happened on his watch. Resign Papi I say.

As for Youk, I don't think he can stay healthy and we have a potential stud 3rd base prospect named Will Middlebrooks. Youk can't handle the grind of 3rd base and at this point he's a 1st base/DH type of player. I don't know what you can get for Youk. The Brewers might need a first baseman and I would call up Theo at the Cubs, maybe get some relief pitching. Then Id give Middlebrooks the job and sign a veteran for him to platoon with. Such as Casey Blake. That's a move I like.


Also theres little moves I would do. Cut the cord with Varitek and Wake. I hate to do it but it's time. I'd sign Michael Cuddyer, good clubhouse presence, can play multiple postions, right handed bat, and have him split right field time with Ryan Kalish, whos ranked as the second best prospect in the Red Sox system and came up in 2010 and showed potential. Also have Jose Iglesias spilt with Marco Scutaro. By the end of the year Iglesias could be the everyday guy. Then have
Ryan Lavarnway spilt with Salty at catcher and Lavarnway could spell Papi at DH against lefties. Hopefully Beckett got a fire lit under his ass and comes back in shape. Same with Lester. Lackey's gone for the year. There's some solid starting pitching out there. Mark Buehrle is out there. I'd go out and get Rich Harden. They had him at the trade deadline but the team doctors said he want healthy. He went on the make every start for the A's after the deadline and now the team doctors are fired (good riddance to them by the way. So many misdiagnosed players the last few years). I'd stay away from CJ Wilson. Too much money and I think he's sligtly overrated.

You could say "Well BJ, you sure got a lot of rookies playing key positons". Yes but there's still a ton of talent on this team. Crawford will bounce back, Adrian will have a better year, Pedroia, Ellsbury are still here. The pieces are in place all we need is a few moves and a change of the culture and the Red Sox will be back.

Team Win

That game last night for the New England Patriots was one the most satisfying, biggest, character building wins they have had in awhile. Last night was basically for our playoffs lives and they came up big. It wasn't pretty. The defense was basically held together by glue, scotch tape, some some helf by Mark Sanchez, and were carried by Brady, Gronk, and Andre Carter.


With five undrafted free agents starting on defense you had to have a program with you just to know some of the guys out there. No Spikes, no Chung, and losing McCourty halfway through, the defense played well. I know, I know it was against Mark Sanchez but at this point we have to take what we can get. Andre Carter has been one of the most underrated free agent signings in the NFL and if he, Mark Anderson, and Vince Wilfork can get the pressure on the quarterback like last night then you can get away with having Sterling Moore, Phillip Adams, and Antwaun Molden in the secondary. Also communication was a big deal last week and this week they appeared to have those problems figured out on the road in a tough environment.


Also last night it was one of those wins that Brady, Branch, Belichick, and the rest of those guys love. It was a make or break game, the season was on the line, everybody was picking against them, and like they always do they come through when they needed to the most. Even Patriot legends like Troy Brown and Rodney Harrison picked the Jets. Brady started out a little slow but once he figured it out and went to the hurry up, he was brilliant. No team plays the "No one believes in us" card better than the New England Patriots.


Now I'm not saying to pack and get ready for the Super Bowl, this team still has a ways to go but the AFC is wide open. All these teams are fraudulent. The Pats have flaws, as do the Ravens, Texans, Bills, Jets, Bengals, and Steelers. I guess you would have to say that the Steelers are the top team in the AFC but not by much.


Big win. 6-3. Still improving. Chiefs up next on Monday night.

Penn State Scandal

In my years of following sports there has been a fair share of scandals. The Bob Knight scandal in Indiana, steroids in baseball, Tim Donaghy and gambling in the NBA, and even SpyGate in the NFL but none of those compare to whats going on at Penn State and Joe Paterno.


This story at Penn State is bigger than sports, that's what make so big. It's by far the worst story that I have seen or read about. It's not about football and Paterno's legacy or wins and losses, it's about eight (probably more) innocent children who were violated and molested by a monster. I'm not even going to get into the details because it makes me sick to my stomach. Jerry Sandusky is just a vile human being and at the bottom of the human decency who was only allowed to keep his job the first time and allowed to keep the keys to the Penn State locker room only because he knew how coach linebackers. He's going to locked up forever.


As for Joe Paterno, he finally got fired last night and rightfully so. He knew damn well what was going on and he allowed it. Joe Paterno runs that school. He could have stopped Sandusky and saved maybe countless children from that animal. But he didn't cause Sandusky was right hand man and defense coordinator. How can Joe Pa sit there was Sandusky for all those years knowing what that freak does behind closed doors? Paterno didn't deserve more than the phone call he got. He didn't deserve a graceful exit and to go out on his own terms. Paterno was a enabler. Paterno probably can't be charged with anything legally but morally and as human being he's going to have live with what happened and why he got fired on his conscience for the rest of his life.


As for all the yahoos that were rioting on the Penn State campus last night- all I have to say is calm down. I know what Paterno means to the school, how he's one of the greatest college coaches, how he's a figure head for the school, how he put that school on the map. But lets be serious Penn State students, your not losing Nick Saban or Les Miles in his prime. Paterno hasn't "coached" in years. You think he's making calls? You think he's putting game plans together? You think he's traveling across country recruiting these kids? He sits up in the box without a headset on. When they need to lock down a recruit, they bring him in and he flashes his championship rings and the kid signs with Penn State. Paterno was lucky enough to keep his job these past three or four days only because hes Joe Paterno. Anyone else would've been canned the day the story broke. Read the report and maybe you wont protest as hard. Take off you Penn State pajamas and maybe you'll see why Paterno is fired and disgraced. Penn State should be embarrassed by what ESPN and CNN was showing. What some of the kids were saying was embarrassing and showed that they were out of touch with what was going on.


Like I said it's the worst story in sports that I have ever seen. Everyday it gets creepier and creepier. How Sandusky wrote a book called "Touched". How the lead D.A. back when the case first broke disapeared, and is now proniuced dead, after he dismissed the case. And now how Sandusky was "pimping" out kid from his foundation to rich donors. It makes me sick just thinking about it. Those who feel sorry for Paterno, they shoudnt.


Until next time...

Deja Vu

Deja Vu is defined as the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the prior encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined. Well what happened yesterday at Gillette Stadium gave every Patriot the feeling of deja vu. Only we know exactly when we experienced it the first time. That game last night played out just like Super Bowl XLII. Pats offense struggled throughout. Then Brady comes though. Then a Giant who wears number 85 makes a unbelievable catch and then after that Manning throws a game winning touchdown. It was uncanny. Eli Manning gave me the same face that probably Tom Brady has given teams throughout the decade. That "I'm totally helpless and I just got punched in the stomach" face.


The defense played well throughout the game but they had a chance to shut up the critics and make a play but they didn't. And lets stop with this whole idea that "the game has passed Bill Belichick by". That's just foolish. He's still as good a coach as ever. I will fully admit that the players aren't good and that goes back to Belichick. Bill Belichick the GM has failed Bill Belichick the coach. Sergio Brown and Tracy White are special teams players, not guys that should be out on the field with the game on the line. Sergio Brown had a tough time making plays at Notre Dame, now hes expected to do it in the NFL? You look around at other teams in the league and they just have better defensive players. The Pats don't have it.


This game also brings home the point even more that Tom Brady has to play perfect and put 30 points plus for the Pats to win. You can tell that he's pressing out there and trying to force the ball into spots that he normally doesn't. All the pressures put on Brady to be perfect and we all expect a him to be perfect and when he's off it's panic time all over New England. Look at the Green Bay Packers. Their ranked 31st in defense but their winning games because Aaron Rodgers is playing at such a high level. If he gets into a slump the Packers will probably lose a game or two. Tom Brady is going to be fine. He's just a bit off.


Now we head to a Sunday night match up with first place in the AFC East on the line against the New York Jets. The Pats are trending down while the Jets are trending up. The Jets laid the hammer down on the Bills defensively yesterday and if they play like Sunday night then its going to a loooooooong night.


Until next time...

Requiem For A Nightmare

I'm 24 years old. As a sports fan, I've seen all four of my favorite pro teams win championships. The Patriots have won three Super Bowls, Red Sox have got two World Series wins, and the Celtics and Bruins have won a championship each. I've seen so many great players and great games, you think I would appreciate the championships so much that bad losses don't bother me but that's not the case. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the championships and the moments. Nothing can top it. But the losses stay with you more than the wins. They stick with you more only because of the "What If" factor of the games. What if we had won? What would the legacy be? As a society we always want more. There's four devastating games that I've seen and I can never see again if they ever come up on the ESPN classic, NBA TV, NFL Network, and MLB Network. My eyes just start spurting blood. Those four games are Red Sox/Yankees Game 7 2003, Pats/Colts 2006 AFC Championship game, Super Bowl XLII, and the Celtics/Lakers Game 7 2010. Out of all those games, the one that hurts the most and haunts my dreams the most: Super Bowl XLII.


I write this now because the Patriots are playing the Giants this Sunday and ESPN is probably going to be showing highlights of it all week and all Sunday. It'll be a miserable week of hype for a game for Patriots fans. It'll come up in conversation wit your friends and its tough to avoid. Lets review 2007 from the great beginning to bitter end.


It started in the off season. The Pats had just come off the AFC Championship game vs the Colts were they blew a 21-6 halftime lead. Belichick was on a mission that off season. He signed Adalius Thomas on the first day of free agency. Stole Welker from the Dolphins and signed Donte Stallworth. Then the big trade happened. We all know what it was. Trading a 4th round draft pick for Randy Moss. That's when all the experts started to talk about how this team could dominate and that an undefeated season was possible. I knew this team would be good but I didn't think they be THAT good. The Pats went out and blew the doors off the Jets and we knew that this year was going to be real fun after Brady and Moss hooked up for their first of many touchdown connections.


Then the bomb of SpyGate dropped on Monday. All over ESPN and nationally, people calling the Patriots cheaters. Calling Belichick a cheater. Saying that Brady was a product of knowing the defensive signals. To this day no story gets me more mad then the SpyGate stuff. Patriot haters finally had something to on the Pats and they were going to use it. ESPN kept throwing out the cheating card 24 hours a day. Patriot fans all over had banded together like never before. This was our team, our championships. How dare you say they are tainted. It totally became "Us vs Them". We felt we had to defend our team. The players were more angry than ever and you could see it. The Pats started to blow out every team they faced. The haters kept getting louder. Pats fans knew they were just crying because they couldn't stop Brady, Belichick, and Moss. And we rubbed in it their faces. After every win, the "Us vs Them" became worse and worse. And I loved every minute of it.


While the Pats were continuing their assault of the record book and SpyGate died down a bit, ESPN and Haters had to come up with another storyline. Then it became that we were running up the score. Steve Young and Meriel Hodge were crying like the Patriots were kidnapping small puppies and throwing them off bridges. Like Moss and Welker were robbing banks likes Ben Affleck in "The Town". It fueled the fire in the players and fans even more. Then the 1972 Dolphins and Mercury Morris wandered out of the retirement home and found every station and media outlet that would have them and talked about how they didn't want the Patriots to go undefeated because they "cheated" and weren't doing it the right way. They were ultimate frauds. That was the last straw for me. Not only did I want to go undefeated even more, I wanted to do it in style. I wanted Brady and Moss to shatter records. I wanted to Pats to go undefeated and then laugh in the opposing teams face in a way that said "How dare you even step on the same field as us". I wanted Mercury Morris to hand us the trophy and bow down after he did. I wanted to mock all the Patriot Haters that had run their mouth all year and make they say that New England Patriots were the unquestioned greatest team of all time. That was the dream.


They broke every offensive record there was. Were undefeated heading into the Super Bowl, about to play the Giants, and go 19-0. Then the offensive line collapsed against the Giants pass rush and couldn't give Tom Brady time get the ball down field. It was a nightmare. The Pats were up 7-3 for most of the game. Eli Manning found David Tyree in the back of end zone to go up 10-7 with about 5 minutes to go. I'll fully admit I was nervous. But I knew that Tom Brady always came through for this team. And he did. He drove the Pats down field and found Moss to go up 14-10 with about 2 minutes left. We did it. All we needed was one stop and the dream was complete. Greatest team ever. 4th ring for Belichick and Brady. Bruschi, Seau, and Harrison go out winners. Eli throw a ball to right sideline and only Asante was there. This was it! But the ball went right threw his hands. Not yet. Then on third down, Seymour and Jarvis Green had Eli sacked and all wrapped up. I yelled at the top my lungs "BLOW THE WHISTLE!!!". The refs didn't and Eli escaped and threw it up for grabs. I thought it would've been picked by Rodney. Rodney was in the area but so was Tyree. He caught the ball on his head. The next thing I know is the Plax caught the ball in the end zone and that was it. The dream was dead. (No words)


No perfect season. One of the biggest upsets ever. I was stunned. Took awhile to get over it and I probably never will. Worst sports loss of my life. All the Patriots Haters got exactly what they wanted. All the trash talk came right back at me. The Pats haven't won a playoff game since. Brady and Bill are still searching for that 4th ring. David Tyree hasn't caught a pass since February 3rd, 2008 and yet he haunts my dreams every night.


Until next time...

Secondary Issues

All right before I get into what I really want to talk about credit to Mike Tomlin, Dick LeBeau, and the Steelers. They did what no one thought they would do and adjust. They changed up from the zone blitzes and switched it to man pressure. The cornerbacks maned up on Welker, Branch, and the Pats receivers and wouldn't allow them any space to operate. OK now lets get to the good stuff.


Yesterdays performance by the Patriots secondary was pathetic and sad. Big Ben and that offense came out throwing the ball all over the place as well they should. Every time there was a 3rd and long, the Steelers were converting with ease. The corners were so far off the receivers and just giving them free releases off the line, letting them run easy to a spot and letting Big Ben complete easy passes. Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Heath Miller were just running their routes, just having a grand old time like their playing catch in the backyard. Devin McCourty has taken a huge step this year and has been useless. I could sit here and rip Phillip Adams and Moulden but no one knows who those guys are and I don't expect anything from them anyway. McCourty has zero confidence right now and it shows. Yesterday he was the king of playing all the receiver. If you iso'd on McCourty yesterday, like I did on many plays, he would be up on the receiver and then right before the ball is snapped he'd back up and give a free release. Watch Revis. He's up in guy's faces all day giving them nothing easy. Because I'm insane I'm gonna re-watch the game and count how many times McCourty was up close and then back off last minute. That defensive backfield was awful and it made the Steelers look like 1999 St Louis Rams. The secondary is just Pat Chung and a bunch of practice squad guys. Is Leighh Bodden available?


Brady and the offense only had the ball for 20 minutes and with that little time they still put numbers and points. With the way the seondary played, the offesne couldnt afford 3 and outs and they had a few of those yesterday. Another disturbing is that Pats wide outs cant get open vs man coverage. It goes back to the Jets playoff game. Ochocinco is on his last legs here. He cant even run a deep post without looking like a drunk frat kid on Halloween weekend. Talk about useless.


The call for the onside kick was awful. Down 6 just about 2:30 left with 3 timeouts and the 2 minute warning. I know the defense was awful but you have to trust them there. Chances are the Steelers were going to run and we are actually pretty good vs the run. That's telling how Belichick has no faith in the defense. Maybe they weren't going to stop them but it could be a learning experience for them down the road. The execution of the kick was horrendous. The kick went about three feet. Just the wrong call in my opinion.


Well that's that. The secondary is poop sandwich. Yesterday was frustrating to watch. Next up we got the New York Giants and you damn well that ESPN is going to love to show Super Bowl 42 highlights. Get ready to chance that channel.


Until next time...

ESPN book review

I recently just finished reading the book about the history of everybody's favorite sports network, ESPN. The book is called ESPN: Those Guys Have All The Fun and it's written by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales. It's a pretty solid read albeit a long one. It's not a traditional book, it's an oral history. It's 745 pages of interviews and anecdotes from the employees and anchors of The Worldwide Leader of Sports.


The book talks about 9 steps that led to ESPN's rise to world dominance:
Step 1- Bill and Scott Rasmussen's (the father and son who came up with the idea for an all sports network) decision to buy a transponder satellite in 1978. That transponder would allow them to broadcast their show all over the United Sates to houses that have cable.

Step 2- The Getty oil company's investment of 15 million dollars into ESPN in May of 1979. That investment allowed them to have some money to spend. Also, Getty at that time was a huge company and ESPN being involved with legitimized them in a way.

Step 3- The advancement of a duel revenue stream in March of 1983.

Step 4- Coverage of the America's Cup in 1987. The America's Cup was a yacht race. Airing the race on ESPN opened up new viewership and it was the first big event that ESPN helped produce and air. By doing that it would help ESPN be able to show that you can air big time sporting events on the station. ESPN has gone on to have football, baseball, basketball, and hockey all air on their channel.

Step 5- In the same year, ESPN acquired the rights to air ESPN games. This wasn't a full TV deal, that came down the road, but it showed they could air big time major sports.

Step 6- In 1989, ESPN and Major League Baseball hooked up with 4 year deal worth 400 million dollars. In my opinion, baseball is usually the game that ESPN airs and produces the best (except with Joe Morgan). Also by having MLB on their network, it helped launch Baseball Tonight which is one of ESPN's most stable studio shows.

Step 7- The classic "This Is Sportscenter" commercials. You know the ones, with the athletes and the mascots hanging around and mingling with the anchors at the ESPN studios in Bristol. The old ones are so classic. The commercials became so popular that every now and then they air a show that's all Sportscenter commercials.

Step 8- ESPN finally getting a full season of NFL games in 1998. Through Sunday Night Football and now Monday Night Football, games on ESPN have been memorable. The announcers have struggled ( Tony Kornheiser? Paul Maguire, I couldn't stand) but they've had some classic games. The Joe Namath/ Suzy Kolber game is memorable for a different reason but they've had Farve lighting up the Packers with the Vikes. The Pats keeping the perfect season alive in Baltimore. Even though lately the games have sucked, ESPN is a good place to watch a football game.

Step 9- The ninth and final step to ESPN's rise to world dominance is the creating ans airing the SportsCentury. My opinion is that the best things that ESPN airs is the documentaries. The SportsCentury series was so well done. Some of the scenes in them are ultimate goosebump scenes. The Bob Cousey part in the Bill Russell, where he tears up thinking about how he could have helped Russell adjust to life in Boston as a black man, is one of my personal favorites. And to to this day with the tremendously well done 30 for 30 films. The Len Bias story, Reggie Miller vs the Knicks, The Fab Five, Four Days in October are just some of my favorites.


Say what you want about ESPN, and I certainly have, that their bias, that their too cocky, that their too powerful in the world of sports, but you cant doubt that their one of the the most powerful companies in the world. How they built the empire is a great success story. I enjoyed this book and if you like to read and enjoy sports and business I recommend reading it.

Patriots vs Steelers Preview

One of the great rivalries of the last decade is renewed on Sunday afternoon. The Pats head down to Pittsburgh where they have routinely handled the Steelers in the Brady/Belichick era. Brady has lost to the Steelers once in his illustrious career and it was back in 2004. I would like to sit here and try and say how its going to be a tough game, that Pitt is tough to play in, that Ben Roethlisberger is a top fligt QB whos tough to beat, and its all true. I can't fear the Steelers and this game but I do love to beat them and hear them whine about it after. The Patriots always beat the Steelers and they do it the same way every time.


The Patriots are a game plan team. That means the game plan changes from week to week. One week it could be a running attack. The next it's a passing attack centered around Welker and then the next week Gronkowski and Hernandez. The Steelers, on the other hand, do what they do. Their going to blitz you and their going to blitz you often from a variety of spots. It's been the same way for years dating all the way to when Bill Cowher was first hired. Belichick has coached circles around the duo of Cowher and Dick LeBeau and now Mike Tomlin and LeBeau. What the Pats do is spread the field out, let Brady see where the blitz is coming from, and he just picks it apart. Brady has throw 1 interception in his career vs the Steelers and I've seen every Brady game and I can't even remember the game and situation when it happened. Look for a big game from Gronk. Last year, Gronk had his breakout game vs the Steelers, having 3 TDs and setting up his future career on twitter with Bibi Jones.


Another thing Brady and the Pats do is routinely catch Troy Polamalu out of position. They take advantage of his aggressive style with play action and bait him into jumping the deep in cuts and then hit the bomb over the top. He has always been a non factor vs the Patriots.


Big Ben has been known to make plays. Hes a huge guy, could play tight end that's how big he is. He hangs in the pocket and gets outside the pocket and makes big plays down field to Mike Wallace. The Patriots don't try to sack Roethlisberger like they would with other quarterbacks because he is so tough to bring down. They try to keep him contained and make him try and been a basic prototype pocket passer. When the play breaks down and he gets outside the pocket, that is when the Steelers will hurt the Patriots defense. Keep an eye out for that.


Brady probably enjoys beating the Steelers maybe more than any other team besides the Jets and the Colts (the real Colts, not the stink bomb team this year). It goes all the way back to Joey Porter, Jermome Bettis, Anthony Smith, and the SpyGate stuff that they still complain about. Its always fun beating the Steelers. Pats win.


Until next time...

A Great 4 Year Run

Late last night news broke that the NBA was going to cancel another two weeks of the regular season. My feeling throughout this whole lockout is that we won't have a regular season at all. And that has got me thinking about my favorite team, the Boston Celtics, and what it means for the franchise with the most Larry O'Brien trophies.


What it really means is that this is the end of the Kevin Garnett era of Boston Celtics basketball. And by that I mean RIP to the chance of winning titles with the New Big Three. We knew this team had at least a 4 year window. We got one title in 2008. Were a KG injury from getting back to the Finals in 2009. Came so so close in winning in 2010. And we were geared up to do it again in 2011 until the Perk/Jeff Green trade railroaded the season. KG, Ray, Pierce, and Rondo will still all be back next time NBA will be played and it'll still be fun to watch but they won't be at a championship level (kills me to say). The Heat are there, along with the Bulls, Knicks, 76ers are hungry. The Boston Celtics are not the class of the East anymore. It was a tremendous 4 year of basketball and it meant a lot to me personally.

Ask anyone that knows me how I always talk about how the Celtics were the first team that I remember as young kid.

Ask anyone how I was basically raised on watching Larry Bird 80s games on my father's VHS tapes and ESPN Classic.

Ask anyone how during the Celtics 18 game losing streak in 2006, I started to become delusional and would wish for the glory days of Larry Bird and Red Auerbach even though I wasn't alive during it.

Ask anyone how devastated I was that the Celtics didn't get one of those top 2 picks in the Oden/Durant draft. Turns out it was the best thing that happened.

Ask anyone how pumped I was when the KG deal went through and I finally had a legit Celtic team to call my own.

I could go on and on. I was so happy when they won the title. I ran around the championship parade like a 3 year old. I was equally devastated when KG hurt his knee in Utah. We probably would've went back to back that year. Perk hurt his knee in 2010 in Game 6. If Perk's healthy in Game 7, I guarantee that we would've won that game and that championship in LA. I still have visions of Ron Artest hitting the biggest shot in that game to basically seal it for the Lakers. And don't get me started on the Perk trade. Worst trade ever.


So that's that on the New Big Three. Great basketball, great memories watching those games with my friends. Something that I always dreamed about. Only got 4 years of it after I waited 20 years. Here's hoping I don't have to wait another 20 years.

P.S. on Notre Dame. What a debacle. Come out and get down 17-0. Came back make it 17-10, get down to 1 yard line about to tie it and fumble. USC takes it back for a touchdown. Then its 24-17 after USC shanked a field goal and then they turn it over on a swing pass which ended up being ruled a lateral. Next play, touchdown Trojans. USC was begging to give that game away and Notre Dame couldn't take advantage. The Irish never come through for me when I want them too.


Until next time...

A Look Back: Notre Dame vs USC

Now I am a unabashed Notre Dame football fan and I wont apologize for it. This Saturday our hated rivals, the USC Trojans, are coming down to South Bend. It's going to be the first time USC plays at South Bend at night. Both teams are unranked so its not as big a game nationally then it should be but, for me, I am so hyped up and excited for this game. Plus whenever I see Notre Dame and USC match up it brings back memories of that classic game from 2005. Lets hop back in the time machine and talk about the game that has been known as "The Bush Push".


October 15, 2005. USC came into Notre Dame Stadium at the height of their powers. Defending National Champions. Matt Leinart was the reining Heisman winner and Reggie Bush was on his way to a Heisman and even was considered a every down back. USC was also on a 27 game win streak. It was the first year of the promising Charlie Weis era. ND was 4-1 and ranked 9th in the polls. Brady Quinn was establishing himself as a great college quarterback. This game was hyped from the start. College Gameday was there. The Irish came out in the green uniforms. It was setting up to be a classic game. And it was.

The Irish led at halftime 21-14 due to a Quinn-Samardzija touchdown connection and punt return TD by Tom Zbikowski. Reggie Bush had a 45 yard TD run to tie it at 21 in the 3rd and in the 4th quarter is when the real fun began. Bush and Leinart ripped off a 80 yard drive to take a 28-24 lead with 5 minutes left. Then it was up to Quinn try to put a stamp at Touchdown Jesus. He led a great, what seemed at the time, a game winning drive. I remember when Quinn ran that touchdown in to take the lead 31-28, I was absolutely freaking out. I knew there was still about 2 minutes left but I couldn't help thinking that Irish football is back and that we took down the mighty Trojans. Shame on me.

All I remember is that USC had to convert a 4th and 9. Leinart dropped back and throw a low fade to Dwayne Jarret. The corner was right there and all he had to was stick his right hand out, knock it down, and the Irish win. Nope, instead Jarret catches and almost takes to the house but was stopped at the 13 yard line. USC got down to the 2 and Leinart rolled out this left and tried to jump into the end zone. He got stuffed, fumbled out of bounds, the clock ran out, players and fans alike rushed the field and the game was over. That's I what I thought. I started to celebrate. I was watching the game with my buddy, Seth, and you can ask him, I started to jump around and celebrating, yelling "WE JUST BEAT USC!!". As Lee Corso says, "Not so fast, my friend". There was still 7 seconds on the clock. Leinart ended up trying to sneak it in, got stuffed, but was helped in by Reggie Bush pushing him in. Game over. Trojans 34 Irish 31. I was devastated obviously. The push by Bush was crap but that never gets called.


It was one of the great college games and one of the best I've ever seen. USC ended up losing to Texas in the title game while Notre Dame got spanked by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Its crazy to think about where all the key guys from that game are now. Pete Carroll is coaching the Seahawks. Weis famously flamed out at Notre Dame and is now offensive coordinator of Florida. Bush got a Super Bowl ring but is a glorified 3rd down back in the NFL. And both starting quarterbacks, Leinart and Quinn are back ups in the NFL. Lets hope this Saturday that this game can live up to that game 6 years ago. Only that the Fighting Irish come out on top.


Until next time...

Tebow Time

Tim Tebow, through all his faults and positive traits, is really one of the most talked about athletes of the last decade. Everyone has an opinion, good or bad, of him. He's probably the nicest guy in the world but there's people out there that don't like the guy. Ever since he enrolled in Florida in 2006, controversy has followed him and he became one of the most accomplished college athletes ever. The controversy his freshman year at Florida was because the fans wanted him to be the starter over Chris Leak. Tebow backed up Leak, came in on special packages and threw alley oop passes at the goal line, and Florida wound up winning a National Championship with Leak as the starter.


Leak then graduated and Tebow started full time and pulled off a great season. Throwing for 29 TDs, rushing for 22 more, finishing with 51 total and taking home the coveted Heisman Trophy. The next year he led the Gators to a National Title, adding to the legend of Tebow and gave a heartfelt speech after a tough loss about that he was going to play harder than anyone in college football. That speech is legendary at Florida and is engraved on a plaque out at Gainesville. His senior year, he came up a game short of another National Title but broke Florida's record for rushing touchdowns. He truly is a great leader and great college player but will it translate into the NFL?


All his flaws as a quarterback are well documented. His footwork stinks. His throwing motion is awkward which leads to him being inaccurate and his arm strength isn't all there. But when he goes in the game for those Denver Broncos, they seem to respond and play hard for him. He does provide them with a sense of energy but that can only last for so long. When hes skipping throws in the dirt, I doubt players will still respond to his Rah-Rah routine. John Elway and John Fox weren't the ones that drafted Tebow and for so long they were hesitant to even play him, let alone start him. Honestly, I don't think they believe in Tebow that much. If they believed in him and wanted him to succeed, then I don't think they would've traded his best weapon in Brandon Lloyd for next to nothing.


Tebow's not a franchise QB. Bottom line. With a good defense and good weapons around him maybe he could be a good NFL QB. Its tough to change your footwork and your throwing motion on the fly after you've been doing it one way your whole life. He's got all the intangibles and traits you want in a player- great work ethic, team guy but the NFL is about performance. If he cant make the throws then he isn't going to play. Love him or hate him, he is fun to watch and its a story every time he plays. He really is an enigma.


Until next time...

Ocho Stinko

Since Belichick's quest to acquire Chad Ochocinco finally came to fruition, he's been a number 1 hot topic among Patriots fans. Its either been friends arguing when they called Ocho coming to the Pats, what kind of numbers he is going to put up, or why the hell he doesn't know the plays.


When the Pats finally got Chad, he became a victim of how big a name he is and his brand as a whole. Fans see him on Twitter, and they see the touchdown dances and the highlights and people expected him to put numbers like Randy Moss. He never was going to do that. Here he was going to be just another weapon to get open and add to the plethora of options that Tom Brady has. What Randy Moss did here in his time in New England is something we will never see again. 2007 was a special kind of year, obviously. Welker and Hernadez are going to have the big catch numbers. Gronk is going to have the touchdown numbers. Woodhead and Branch are going to be the safe options that Brady always knows is going to be there. That last group is the one I want Ocho in. Someone Brady is confident in and always knows is going to be in the right spot. After Chad ran the wrong route on Sunday, Brady chewed him out and Chad wasn't see again. Brady's confidence in Ocho may be wavering.


Another thing is his ability to grasp the playbook. It's been well documented how tough this playbook is for receivers to handle and it's a long list of casualties that couldn't handle it. I'm starting to fear that Ocho cant handle it and he'll join Donald Hayes, Bethel Johnson, Doug Gabriel, Joey Galloway, and Brandon Tate. That's a list of names I'm sure Ochocinco never thought he be on. I know that Chad didn't have a training camp and he came in late but the players that have thrived here have seemed to picked it up right away. Welker came in and immediately bonded with Brady. So did Randy Moss. Deion Branch picked it up right away as a rookie. Whenever there's been a hint of talk about a player not being able to pick up the system, that player usually never does. The receivers that play well here seem to pick it like second nature. The clocks ticking on Ochocinco.


Brady, Belichick, and other coaches and players have come out and defended Chad and as well they should. They have to defend him. They did the same thing with Randy Moss, even after they traded him. But you know behind closed doors they are getting on Chad about the playbook. Who knows if he is working as hard as he should. Here's hoping he does.


Until next time...

Just How They Drew It Up

If yesterday while watching Tom Brady lead another game winning drive you were reminded of all those classic games from 2001, 2003, and 2004, you weren't alone.I thought the same thing. Those were those type of wins that made the Patriots the Patriots and gave them the toughness that won Super Bowls. We, as fans, haven't seen a game like that in awhile and it was awesome to see.


Since the defense started to rank in the bottom half of the league and really start to struggle, the Patriots were still able to win because of Tom Brady. Brady would pick that defense up and go out and put up 35 points. And if Brady didn't play perfect the Patriots were probably going to lose. Well yesterday Brady didn't play too well and guess who picked him up? The defense. Yeah they gave up some yards but when they had to get a stop, they got it. Andre Carter, who quickly is becoming one of my favorite players on the team, is starting to become that pass rush that we've been begging for since Rosie Colvin and Mike Vrabel left. Vince Wilfork was more that just a speed bump yesterday as he was his usual self. He made the call for Brandon Spikes to shoot the game and stuff that shovel pass and hold the Cowboys to a field goal. (By the way, whens the last time a shovel pass worked? The 1940s? How nervous is Jason Garret to put the ball in Romo's hand if he calls a shovel pass on a crucial 3rd and goal?) Even (gasp) Albert Haynesworth got in on the fun and made a few plays yesterday. I feel more happy and satisfied after this game winning 20-16 then I do after beating a team 38-30. I know we can win those games but yesterdays game is the type of games you see in the playoffs. The defense is improving, the communication is coming along and I'm really excited for this defense.


Tom Brady continues to add to his legacy and his greatness. He struggled for most of the game. Give Rob Ryan credit, he seems to have Brady fooled. Last year he did it and this year he did it. Demarcus Ware is one the best 5 players in the league and a future Hall of Famer for sure. Brady made some uncharacteristic throws and plays. His second pick was atrocious, I'll even admit it. I've never seen him try and make that throw and we'll probably never see it again. But you knew down 16-13, 2:30 left, everyone knew what was going to happen and there never was a doubt. It was like Larry Bird back in the day where he would struggle throughout most of the game shoot like 8-20 but when the biggest shot and plays needed to be made, he take the shot and make it without blinking. I could sit here and probably go on for 12 hours about Tom Brady. Look, guy is my favorite athlete of all time and I just want to appreciate watching one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The last time we saw a athlete like this in his total prime was maybe Pedro Martinez and I didn't fully appreciate it at the time and took it for granted. Not this time.


Big win heading into the bye week. 5-1.


Until next time...

Patriots vs Cowboys Preview

For the second week in a row a Ryan invades Foxboro. This Ryan however is fatter and hairier. He of course is Rex Ryan's sasquatch looking brother, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. The Cowboys come in to Gillette led by a Princeton educated head coach, a trick or treat quarterback, and Ryan brother that leads a very talented defense. This is a very tough game and it hasn't been talked about enough around here because of all the Red Sox talk (and rightfully so). But lets talk about here on the greatest blog known to man. Shall we?


Brady and Belichick have talked at the press conferences about how fast the Cowboys defense is and, as always, they are right. Their defensive line is very good, their linebackers are very good and the secondary is solid. Their best player is DeMarcus Ware and he is one of the best players in the National Football League (Ron Jaworski voice). They move Ware around a lot on the outside and try to free him up to get the quarterback in a lot of different ways. He'll get to Brady a few times, just cause he's that good, but if they can limit his pressure, the Patriots should be able to put up points. Sean Lee is good looking young player who the people rave about. In the Cowboys games that I've seen, he looks like he can play. Terrence Newman, at conerback, is someone who I feel is one of the most overrated players in football. If he's on Welker, then that's like taking candy from a baby. Look for Wes to put up big numbers this week like he always does. Rob Ryan was the defensive coordinator of the last team to hold the Pats to under 30 points and everyone thinks he has the kryptonite to stop Tom Brady. No, he does not. Pats put 30 like always.


As bad as Tony Romo can look sometimes, other times he can look the total oppostie and look like a top flight NFL quarterback. The Cowboys have a very explosive offense with Dez Bryant and Miles Austin on the outside and Jason Witten, Romos go to guy, at tight end. The matchup I'm most worried about is Dez Bryant being covered by Devin McCourty. McCourty has struggled this year and if that countinues then Dez might have a big day. McCourty needs to get back to jamming the reciver at the line and get back to playing the ball when it's in the air. He's lost some confidence and if he has a good game then he should be back to normal. Patrick Chung will be the guy to cover to Witten and Chung did a phenomenal job covering Antiono Gates in week 2. If Chung takes away Witten then Tony Romo will freak out and try to force the ball into places and thats when he makes his classic mistakes.


This should be a really good game to watch. Its America's Team vs What Should Be America's Team But Isn't Because ESPN Has Brainwashed All Of America. Romo will combust, Brady will dominate, and a Ryan brother will always be fat.


Until next time...

we don't deserve happy days

it's bad enough the red sox have begun overpaying players that don't fit but the events of the past two weeks have led to my decision to abandon ship. This is your fault Boston Red Sox board of shadowy figures. To leak information about Terry Francona in the mannor it was leaked is the most asinine surreal experience of my life. That being said, has anyone ever spelled the word experience correct the first time? Bull Shit. I'm calling you out shadowy figures.

Tom Werner: I don't even know what your day to day chairman shit is all about but i hate you.

John Henry: Faking injuries, divorcing a new broad every year. Who are you kidding? I hope next time you slip on your yacht you get knocked out and drowned you fraud. I have a sneaking suspicion you are leaking everything.

Guy who plays sweet caroline: Fuck you!

Guy who wrote sweet caroline: Fuck you!

Larry Lucchino: Dark day for Italians indeed.

How is Lebron James the most likable figure in the Red Sox organization? Think about that shit. Anyways, I'm done. I never would have thought the Yankees would be classier than Boston, but those days are here. Congrats Red Sox nation. Your fucking dead to me.

Empire state of mind. im out. new yorkkkk

Happy Days Are Over

If you were to tell me in April that on October 12th, the Boston Red Sox are dominating sports radio and news cycles like ESPN then I would be thinking that Red Sox are in the ALCS and ready to go to the World Series again. Nope. Just more fallout from the greatest collapse in baseball history.


The long standing rumor of Theo Epstein going to take over the Chicago Cubs finally came to fruition late last night. Its not a surprise at all. I think we all saw it coming. The Red Sox have been greasing the skids for his departure since the season ended. Every time Theo's name was brought up it was followed with Ben Cherington's name. Ive never heard a guys name so much in my life in such a short period of time. Ben has been Theo's right hand man for awhile and he's likely to take over. There's a group out there of Red Sox fans that say Theo's overrated and good riddance. I say they are wrong. Yes, I am a Theo guy. I think he's a smart guy and he's in the top percentile of GMs in baseball. Yes, his big time free agent signings are spotty and most have blown up in front of his face. I have a hard time defending some of them, but his trades have been great and he's built one of the best farm systems in baseball. The Chicago Cubs are lucky to have him.


The Boston Globe came out with a great article about the collapse.I urge people to go out and read it. About how our supposed top 3 pitchers are sitting in the clubhouse during games, drinking beer, playing video games, and eating fried chicken. That's stuff that Ive done on occasion. That's stuff that people do while watching Beckett and Lester and Lackey pitch. I don't want my top 3 pitchers chugging beer and stuffing their face with KFC like a college fan boy. I'm so surprised that Beckett and Lester stopped working hard. We've seen them at their best. We've them locked in and dominate opposing batters. Beckett had a tough 2006 and he rededicated himself and dominated in 2007. Since then he appears to have gotten fat and happy. Literally. I never thought Lester would get to this point. The kid has been through so much. He had the long journey back from being diagnosed with cancer and came back and won a clinching World Series game and threw a no hitter. Hopefully this wakes both of them up and they rededicate themselves to be the aces they are supposed to be.


This organization, espically this ownership, has shown to always leak some stories about big name guys that leave. No star in Boston has ever left on good terms. Dating all the way back with Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn to Nomar and Johnny Damon, ownership always leaks a negative story about the player. The latest victim- former manager Terry Francona. In the Globe story, it talked about martial problems and a drug problem with Tito. It talked about how Francona had been taking painkillers for his knees and it may have affected his performance as manager. Which, in my opinion, is total crap. Tito has been a guy here who has always taken the fall for the players and he still does to this day. If I were Francona, the day they fired me I would of came out and went after all the bums that didn't work out, that are drinking in the clubhouse, and that were lazy, entitled pieces of crap. Tito has always been a stand up guy and to trash him on his way out like they did to Derek Lowe, and Manny, and Pedro, and all the others is bush league. All those leaks has Larry Luchino written all over it. I've always thought he was a snake and a slime ball and I'm not the only one that feels that way. Now lets get ready to see how he shreds Theo on his way out.


If Cherington is named GM, as is expected, then he should clean house. See what you can get for Beckett, Lackey, Youk, and all the others. He should build around Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Papelbon. Those are three guys that want to win and were cited in the Globe piece as being the hardest workers on the team. Believe it or not, Theo leaving is just the tipping point for Red Sox moves this off season.


Until next time...

Various Thoughts

Lets get to some of my various thoughts about whats going on in the wide world of sports.

Lets talk about the vaunted "Dream Team" of in Philadelphia. Now I was skeptical about them from the very beginning. When youe back up quarterback dubs you a Dream Team, you have no shot. Vince Young called them a Dream Team and all the hype about the signing Nnamdi Asomugha was just blown up by ESPN and Sal Paolantonio. What made anyone convince them that this was a Dream Team or even a favorite in the NFC? Because they have 3 good corners? Yeah, Mike Vick had a great year last year but he hasn't won a big game in years. He can almost never stay healthy and his offensive line is crap this year. He's a guy you'd rather have on your fantasy or Madden team that your real life team. The defense has been the worst part for them. Their defensive coordinator this year was their offensive line coach from last year and that line struggled last year. Andy Reid has been known to have moments of utter buffoonery and he's never won a big game ever. Dream Teams don't work. Just ask the 2011 Miami Heat and the 2011 Boston Red Sox. The only time a Dream Team has won anything was the 1992 gold medal.


Lets move on to the NBA. The NBA announced that they are canceling the first 2 weeks of the NBA season. David Stern must be out of his tree if he thinks that fans are going to be in a uproar like they were going to be for the NFL. Only people like me, who really love basketball and really love the Celtics or whoever their individual team is, are going to care that its gone. Most fans causally watch and then only get into it at playoff time. Yes they owners are losing money and they want a 50/50 split from the players but their the ones that hire the idiotic general managers that hand out these horrendous contracts to players that are nowhere near worth half that money. Maybe that's the reason their losing money. Most of these owners are glad that they are going to miss games because they won't be losing money. What's also awful about this is that the deal that's on the table now, is going to be the deal the players and owners will agree upon in January, after we've missed half the season. What a mess.

Last up is Jay Cutler. Now I'm not a Jay Cutler fan by any stretch. I think he's arrogant and entitled and he walks around like hes done something in this league but last night he impressed me. Hes already got one the worst offensive lines in maybe NFL history and he's going up against a young, hungry, and talented defensive line that the Lions have. Every time he dropped back he was running for his life and getting the crap kicked out of him. And he actually played well considering he couldn't set his feet at all. Big ups for Jay Cutler last night. He proved he's got some toughness in him. Too bad he didn't have that in last years NFC championship game. How about that parting shot by me.

Until next time...

The Law Firm

The Patriots took care of business in Foxboro yesterday and dispatched the Jets by a score of 30-21. It was a solid, all around team win that handed the hated Jets their third straight loss and gave the Pats a measure, however small, of revenge over last years playoff loss.

The biggest story of the game was the performance of BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He finished with 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ive been saying since last year that Benny is a legit running back in this league. That's why I used to get up in arms when people would say the Pats need a Adrian Peterson type back. Benny is a perfect running back for this team. He doesn't try to anything more than he has too, he just does his job. He always fights for extra yards and he never fumbles. He's also a classic Patriot story. Undrafted guy that had to sit and wait but he always worked hard and now hes getting his chance and hes making the most of it. When you watch Green-Ellis play you can see the difference between him and Laurence Maroney. Benny has worked for everything hes ever gotten while Maroney has more natural talent but doesn't put the work in. Benny fits in perfect with the Patriot Way. He's versitile, I've seen him on special teams a few and make plays in the passing game, and he only cares about winning. Another classic Belichick find. Give me a guy like BenJarvus any day over a guy like Maroney.

The defense actually played OK yesterday. I know how terrible Sanchez is and how inept Brian Schottenheimer is as a offensive coordinator but they did force 7 3 and outs yesterday. Going into the game they had forced 8 3 and outs so its baby steps with this defense. Next week will be a big test with the Cowboys. Dez Bryant will a tough matchup for Devin McCourty, who has struggled this year. Of course if it is close Tony Romo will probably spontaneously combust like he always does.

Baby steps with the defense, keep pounding the ball with Benny, and Tom Brady will be Tom Brady. I like the direction the New England Patriots are heading in.

Until next time...

People who are pissing me off.

You know who has been pissing me off lately? Lesbians.

Just seems they are having some private competition to see who can be the ugliest now. Men love hot women, but women love ugly women. I'm lost. Your alright though portia de rossi. keep doin your thing.

Patriots vs Jets Preview

Here we go again. Its Jets week here in New England and its the most intense, most hate fueled rivarly going on in the NFL right now. Belichick vs Rex. Brady vs Rex. Welker vs Revis. Everybody ready? Lets break this puppy down.


Last time we saw the Jets, it was one of the few times that a team and coach was able to fool the tandem of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. The Jets game plan was the total opposite of what they did in the game where the Pats blew them out by 42 points. In the 42 point beatdown, the Jets blitzed Brady and Brady eats blitzes up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the playoff game, they rushed 3 or 4 and just flooded the zones and no one could get open.Similar to what the Giants did in Super Bowl 42 and the Patriots couldn't adjust. Welker was covered, Branch couldn't get open, Gronk and Hernandez were lost and Brady couldn't figure it out. Brady didn't play well and the Pats lost. How do the Jets play it this time? You know Brady has watched that playoff game multiple times and has maybe figured out some ways to beat that coverage. Do the Jets mix it up and blitz at times and play coverage other times? Do they blitz like mad men or play the zones? Do they put Darrelle Revis on Welker? I think they do. Its the ultimate chess match.

I'm expecting and hoping for a big defensive game from the Pats on Sunday. The Jets offensive line is banged up and we all know how bad Mark Sanchez is. Of course, this Pats D has a habit of making mediocre quarterbacks look like John Elway. Last year in week 1, Sanchez looked awful vs the Ravens and then in week 2 he threw 3 touchdowns vs New England. Lets hope that history doesn't repeat itself. And it wont if Albert Haynesworth awakens from his slumber and causes some havoc. If there ever was a week from him to do it, its this week against a banged up Nick Mangold. The Patriots have to get at Sanchez and rattle him and force to make mistakes, which he will.

Usually, during Jets week we hear a ton of crap and trash talking coming from the Fat Man Rex Ryan himself and his team full of mouths. But this week, they've been unusually quiet. The only one that's had anything to say is Antonio Cromartie and he was just saying again that he thinks Tom Brady is an A-hole. Yeah, the guys got 9 kids with 8 different women in 6 different states and Brady's the A-hole. Other than that fool there's been nothing. Usually by Thursday, Rex has said that Brady isn't as good as Peyton Manning and just reaffirming that for the 3rd year in a row hes predicting a Super Bowl. He hasn't said much. All hes said is that Belichick is a better coach than him (no kidding). Maybe this 2-2 start has him humbled a little bit and the fact that there coming in slumping against a team that's hot has him a little worried. The Pats have a chance to maybe bury them early and lets hope they take advantage of that.


Tom Brady had his weekly press conference yesterday and it was the most serious, most locked in I've seen him in awhile. We know he hates the Jets, he's said so himself, and he is ready to unleash hell in this game. A couple reporters tried to get him to respond to Cromartie's comments and he wasn't having any of it. A reporter tried to get him to joke about getting the fans hyped up and he shut that down real quick. "I'm not joking any more this year" was the quote. This guys ready. For those of you that say he's soft since Giselle and when he grew his hair out. The hairs gone and he had a look on his face I haven't seen since 2007. Like I said, this guys ready.


On another note, the Bruins put the final chapter to their magical 2011 Stanley Cup season when they raise the banner tonight. Rumors are flying about whats going to happen tonight and who's going to be there. There's gonna be legends there and it's going to be special. Banner nights here in Boston is a special kind of event. When you see that banner go up and you see the looks on the players faces, you remember all the great moments that happened that year as a fan. Sports in Boston is different than in other cities. Perhaps the only city that knows how we feel is New York. Tonight should be a special night for the Bruins players and their fans. And I look forward to defending that Cup now.


Until next time...

Is Redemption Possible?

We've had 4 weeks of NFL football and it seems that Tony Romo has been the lead on shows like Around The Horn and Pardon The Interruption and rightfully so. Romo's been the main story in Week 1, Week 2, and Week 4. Week 1 and Week 4, he's added to his resume of epic chokes in games. Against the Jets on the opening week, on national TV, Romo fumbled on the 1 yard line and threw just a God awful interception to allow the Jets to set up a game winning field goal to complete blowing a 14 point lead 4th quarter lead. He seemed to shake that off and came back and won an overtime game vs the 49ers the next week with cracked ribs but this past week he collapsed yet again and it was almost predictable. The Cowboys led the Lions by 24 points in the second half and the Lions started their comeback after Romo threw another pick that made you scratch your head. Bobby Carpenter picked it off and ran it back for a TD. Then Romo threw another Pick 6 on the next possession. The most egregious interception was an off balance, off the back foot, into triple coverage throw to Jason Witten that I and two of my friends predicted and then laughed at how bad it was. The next day on all the NFL shows, all they talked about was Tony Romo's collapse and how bad it was. But there is a bigger story here. Can Romo overcome these debacles and redeem himself?

Many athletes in the past have been labeled as chokes and have been able to redeem themselves. The most recent and perhaps most inspiring story happened in Tony Romo's own city. In 2006, Dirk Nowitzki had such a public failure on his games greatest stage. The Mavericks lead the Heat two games to none in the NBA Finals and they blew a 13 point 4th quarter lead with Dirk at the center of the collapse. In game 4 Dirk bricked potential game winning free throws. While Dirk came up small, Dwayne Wade on the other side made every big play for the heat. It was one of the worst choke jobs by a team and player in NBA history. The next year was somehow worse. Dirk won the MVP and led the Mavs to 67 wins and the top seed in the NBA. Then in the playoffs, The Warriors ousted the Mavs and Dirk looked utterly lost. The critics were on Dirk more than ever and he widely became known as the biggest choke in the NBA. He continuously kept coming up small in big spots and was well on the way to becoming known as the best player never to win a championship.

Then the 2011 playoffs came around and Dirk took no prisoners. He led the Mavs to a dominant sweep of the two time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers, took down the up and coming Thunder and rewrote his legacy by taking down the Miami Heat than left him broken 5 years before. Dirk hit every big shot while Lebron James was the one getting criticized like Dirk once been. You could see the emotion on Dirk's face when he finally won. He ran back into the locker room to have the moment to himself and he deserved it. He was a guy that deserved a championship more than anyone in the NBA that year. He took all the shots from the experts and talking heads weather fair or unfair and kept coming back until he finally shook the choke label, won a championship and cemented his legacy as one of the greats to ever play in the NBA.

So, yes, redemption is possible. Romo just has to look down the street at Dirk. Romo has had just as many collapses as Dirk had. The botched field goal in the playoffs. The playoff ending interception vs the Giants in 2007. It'll be tough to shake those cobwebs because I think he is a little sensitive and his every little move in monitored in Big D. But he just has to stay strong, learn from his mistakes and just keep playing football. Who knows if he can overcome his habit of blowing up at the wrong time but it is possible. Redemption is always possible.

Until next time...

Pats vs Raiders Week 4

The Patriots went down to Oakland and took down the Raiders 31-19. But what did we really learn? It was reinforced again that Brady to Welker is unstoppable and that our defense continues to struggle. Well get to the defense later but for now lets talk about the positive. Tom Brady knows that he can throw to Wes Welker anytime he wants and that Welker will make the play. This is Welker's 5th year and he still amazes me every game. The guy is 5'8 185 and he's the toughest player on the field. Every week he goes over the middle and takes shot after shot and he keeps getting up, getting open, and making plays. That double move back shoulder throw where he somehow got both feet in bounds was ridiculous. Shame on the Raiders for letting him free and do what he wants. Then again what do I care. Another thing about Welker is that he'll always be looked at as a slot receiver and wont get the same hype that guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald get. Welker's leading the league in catches and yards by wide margins but you probably wont hear his name when the "best receiver in the league" discussion comes up.

Now on to the defense. Yesterday was pretty much the same thing we watched last year. Sit back in zones, get no pass rush, and get hopefully get a key turnover at a crucial point. The defense gave up over 500 yards to a team quarterbacked by Jason Campbell. They did do a good job on Darren McFadden, holding him to only 75 yards, but he did gash the D a few times. The defense has to get better. It cant be the same as last year. We all know how last year ended up. We need Albert Haynesworth to get healthy cause he was the center piece to the attacking 4-3 that Bill Belichick wanted to run this year. Getting to the quarterback is a necessity now. Sitting back and hoping they make a mistake doesn't cut it in the NFL these days. We can't count on Vince Wilfork to keep making interceptions week after week. Only 34 away from the franchise record, Vince Also, reports are that Mayo isn't out for the year which is good news but that he will miss the next 6 weeks. Hes one of the best linebackers in the league and our defensive leader so we have to hope Brandon Spikes and Gary Guyton step up.

To end this on a positive note it was great to see some offensive balance yesterday. Its good to see that Tom Brady doesn't have to throw for 400 yards for the Patriots to put up 30+ points and win. The running game, which has been little used up until yesterday, really came alive against a pretty good front four. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Stevan Ridley combined for 172 yards. Ridley showed great burst on his touchdown run and If Danny Woodhead is out for a extended period of time, Ridley seems to be a good fit for that change of pace back to split carries with BenJarvus.

All in all a solid road win in a tough place to play. Now on the Fat Man and the New York Jets. Let the talking begin.

Until next time...

Staying or Going?

Its been two days since the train fell off the tracks for the Red Sox and stories are starting to fly. It also appears that the first domino to fall is the the choice to not have Terry Francona return to Boston for his 9th season. The report is that Tito had a meeting with the Red Sox brass and that no decision has been made on if he is going to come back. Gorden Edes reports that Francona has told some staff members that he wont be back and Edes, at times, is a credible source.

My gut says that Francona isn't coming back. Like I wrote about yesterday I think the players started to tune him out and stopped working hard. Yesterday at the press conference Francona said that he had a team meeting in Toronto after a 14-0 win. That shows the problems this team had where they had to have a meeting after a 14-0 win. You also hear reports about drinking in the clubhouse during games and little things that added to this collapse. This team really wore on Francona with how arrogant and entitled they thought they were and I don't think he can take it anymore. I think the choice is Tito's here. Frankly, I don't think he wants to comeback. He's has had a history of health problems and this job could kill you. Its been a miracle he lasted this long. 8 years is a long time. The average length for a manager with one team is 4.3 years. I think hes tired of the media, tired of the questions, and just tired of the prima donnas in that locker room. He looked dead tired at the press conference yesterday. Right when it ended he jetted out the press room so fast. By far the fastest hes ever moved.

Lets get another thing straight, Red Sox fans- he's not being fired. His contract is up and its up the front office in weather to pick up his option for a new two year deal. This is going to be a mutual parting of the ways here I think. I would love Francona to stay. Hes been a unbelievable manager here. Hes been the guy for two World Series championships. He handles the media tremendously and he handles a clubhouse tremendously. Well up until this year. I don't know who we are going to hire to replace Tito but I doubt it will be anybody better. Bobby Valentine wont. Tony Larussa wont. Maybe Joe Torre. Who knows.

After the Francona situation is done, the next decision to make is the status of Theo Epstein. Theo has one year left on his deal. They can't give extend him or promote him to president after this fiasco. That would be an awful PR move and their so PR conscience down there. I think Theo wants to stay and fix this. Theo was very accountable yesterday. He stood up and took blame which I give him credit for. Theo's John Henry's golden boy so maybe he'll stay. I think Theo is the guy to fix it here if management doesn't butt in. Your up next, Theo. Fix this thing.

Until next time....