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Its Official, The PawSox Are Moving to Worcester.

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WORCESTER – It’s official. In just a few years, the Pawtucket Red Sox will relocated to Worcester and play in a newly constructed stadium in the city’s Canal District. According to multiple sources, the City will make an official announcement tomorrow. Members of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce will be present at the announcement. The Worcester Red Sox will begin play in 2021.

Specifically, the source told TWIW that Worcester’s offer will save the Pawtucket Red Sox owners “tens of millions” if they move to Worcester and build a stadium in the city’s Canal District. Another source told TWIW that it will save PawSox ownership around $23 million to move out of Pawtucket and into Worcester.

On one hand this is kind of sad to see as the PawSox have been in Pawtucket since the early 1970s, depending on how technical you want to get. We all grew up going to those games as it was just an hour down 95 and SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than my parents taking us to a game at Fenway.

The main reason for the move is a new stadium deal, which the state of Rhode Island had been negotiating, but ultimately were reluctant to foot the bill. A minor league team that charges $5 for tickets is piking for a new stadium? How? Why?

THATS LARRY LUCCHINO’S MUSIC!

Thats right, the guy most famous for driving the greatest baseball mind of our generation out of town over a pissing contest.

He’s why.

He’s also well known for being the driving force behind ballpark projects like the Orioles’ Camden Yards. Lucchino makes me laugh because when people don’t respect his ballpark building game I just imagine him flipping his shit like Mugatu. I INVENTED CAMDEN YARDS!

I have to admit though, all kidding aside, I am starting to soften on Lucchino over the years, but I think that has more to do with the fact that he looks like Jim Leahy than anything else.

Now I can’t blame Pawtucket for balking at building a new stadium for a minor league team that had to let me bring my dog to the game to actually get me to buy a ticket (and meet the legend that is Rusney Castillo).

Even more so when you see some of the details of how much this thing might have actually cost.

“Rhode Island approved an $83 million proposal to build a new Pawtucket riverfront stadium in June. As recently as last week, Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien told the Providence Journal he believed his city had a 50 percent chance to retain the PawSox.”

Not to mention, Rhode Island has a bad history with financing the passion projects of the Red Sox.

But the real question here is what do we call them? The PawSox is obviously out. WoSox? WoostahSox? The one I’ve seen in actual print I cannot get on board with; the Woo Sox is a TERRIBLE name.  Might as well call them Woo Girls.

So long PawSox, we hardly knew ye. I can’t promise I will visit you often, but it is my moral obligation to film The 300s Reviews: The Worcester Red Sox whenever you do open up shop.

The 300s Podcast: Fantasy Football Follies

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Football is back, thank christ. So this week, as summer is winding down, we turn our attention to the biggest productivity killer in corporate America; fantasy football.

-Flatscreen TVs are now disposable apparently

-Since I can’t play poker, Fantasy Football allows me to feel like a man and gamble

-Is DraftKings too much math and not enough fantasy?

-Hot Take: Live Drafts SUCK

Subscribe, rate, and review The 300s Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

After Some PR Disasters, This Actually Isn’t a Bad Idea from Marlins Owner Derek Jeter

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Yahoo – Miami Marlins part owner Derek Jeter has an idea that could bring the team closer together. Jeter will require the American-born coaches and players to take Spanish lessons, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. The initiative from Jeter will not only help players in the organization communicate better, but will also bring the team closer with the city of Miami, according to ESPN.

With one PR blunder after the other, when I saw the headline that Jeter was forcing the entire Marlins organization to do X, I thought oh God what did this dude do now. Apparently he’s requiring everyone, from the players to the coaches to the executives, take Spanish lessons.

“As the Marlins’ young Latin American players take English lessons, the American-born players and coaches will be required to learn Spanish.

On Thursday, Jeter hauled a bunch of vice presidents into a room for the first of what will be regular weekly lessons in Español.

“… Everybody expects the Latin players to make an effort to speak English. Well, especially here in Miami, if you don’t speak Spanish, you don’t fit in. I think it’s important.’”

As the story notes, Latino players make up 31.9% of Major League Baseball, add to that the fact that the Marlins play in Miami, which is 70% Hispanic or Latino. So yea, actually not a bad idea from Jeets.

The last thing you want is to be like Tom Selleck in the 1992 classic, Mr. Baseball, sitting at the end of the bench by yourself. Oh you didn’t see that movie? It got a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes so I can’t see why you might not pick up on that obscure reference. Basically Tom Selleck goes to play baseball in Japan and can’t understand a goddamn word anyone is saying and is miserable.

Sneaky racist 1990’s movie poster too.

Of course he eventually learns the universal language of baseball (and some Japanese) to bond with his new teammates as (SPOILER) the Chunichi Dragons win the pennant.

Hey, HBO plays a lot of random shit on hungover Saturday mornings…

The New KFC Colonel is None Other Than….George Costanza?

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Ad Age – Jason Alexander is the newest celebrity to hawk KFC. The “Seinfeld” star is promoting $20 Fill Up meals in sitcom-style “What’s for Dinner?” ads breaking Monday.

The campaign featuring Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza on “Seinfeld,” includes a one-minute commercial that’s like the opening credits of a 1980s sitcom. In the spot, released Monday, parental roles and those of others in the cast, like the ever-present nosy neighbor, can apparently be filled by the colonel. There’s also a somewhat creepy couch that we’ll let you see for yourself. Another spot depicts him presenting an unusually wide tray of KFC’s latest offerings–with unusually long arms to match.

“As the son of two working parents, there were plenty of dinnertimes when a bucket of chicken and all the fixins saved the day,” Alexander said in a statement. “It’s been fun to combine my personal love for KFC with my sitcom experience into a new take on the role of Colonel Sanders.”

Its the summer of George! Jason Alexander takes his turn as the latest celebrity to don the KFC Colonel mantle and let me tell you, even for a KFC commercial, this one is bizarre.

And version number 2…

Jason Alexander hasn’t really been in anything of note lately, such is the plight of one of the stars of the most popular TV show of all time. He’s got that syndication money coming in every day so he could legitimately just drape himself in velvet and go eat blocks of cheese the size of car batteries until the day he dies.

But, nay. George Costanza is a worker and he’ll be goddamned if he’s going to go quietly into retirement. I’m sure Lloyd Braun would like that.

Also, I’m pretty sure Jason Alexander is the only one to have the honor of appearing in a KFC commercial as not only the Colonel, but also as himself. That’s range.

You think THATS dated? Check out his other KFC commercial from 2002 alongside the MLB home run king Barry Bonds, ya know before the whole BALCO thing.

Fast food marketing in 2018 is wild man. We got Taco Bell producing full scale movie franchises starring Josh Duhamel for Nacho Fries, Dominos making pizza ordering sneakers, Wendy’s smoking fools on twitter, and don’t even get me started on all the wacky shit Burger King does. The rotating celebrity KFC Colonel though is my favorite marketing campaign since Old Spice’s Director of Marketing, Mr. Wolfdog.

Old Spice paid a couple of guys from a marketing agency hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars for that idea. Only in America.

In the Ultimate Cleveland Move, Browns Replace Pepsi with RC Cola

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Hilarious. Cleveland just can’t get out of its own way. Replacing Pepsi with store-brand soda is the ultimate “we’ve won 1 game in 2 years so we need to save some money” move.

You think Baker Mayfield drinks RC COLA? Not a chance. You drink RC Cola when you’re at your dad’s friends BBQ when you’re 9 and then complain because it tastes like flat paint.

If you want to be a respectable team it starts with the tiniest of details. Do Your Job applies to the concessions just as much as it does to the team on the field. Cutting corners like this will get you nowhere, Cleveland.

Maybe Isaiah Thomas wasn’t wrong.

In An Attempt To Actually Be On Time, Celtics Rookie Robert Williams Buys Apartment Next to Practice Facility

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Yahoo – Robert Williams’ NBA career did not get off to the best start. The day after he was selected by the Celtics with the 27th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Williams did not wake up on time for his conference call with the Celtics’ beat reporters.

After that, he missed a flight and was was absent for his first practice with the Celtics’ Summer League team. For a player with lottery-level talent who fell due to reported concerns with his maturity, he certainly confirmed those concerns early.

Now it seems he has taken a step in the right direction. During the rookie photoshoot Sunday, Williams said he bought an apartment right next to the Celtics’ brand new practice facility.

Welcome to Brighton, Bob! Can’t wait to get steaks with ya at the Stockyard, go on Dunkin’ runs down the street, maybe shop for some fresh New Balances, and if you’re interested my softball team plays across the street and could use a power hitting first baseman.

This is a smart move, whether it was self imposed or not who knows. Perhaps Danny Ainge gave him an ultimatum; either move to Brighton or move to Portland, ME and play for the Red Claws. You’re choice, Bob. Either way it’s a great idea as Williams will now be 100 yards from everything he needs, whether its getting in some extra shots, treatment, film etc. It has the fingerprints of the Bruins all over it too as they famously had top rookies move in with veterans right by the Garden rather than live on their own in booze fueled bachelor pads.

Despite Struggles from the Tee, Tiger Woods Just Missed Winning the PGA Championship Yesterday

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With a huge run in the final round of the PGA Championship yesterday, Tiger Woods finished at -14, which was good for second place, two strokes behind the champ, Brooks Koepka. I keep finding myself saying, if only Tiger could have straightened out his driver he would have won the 100th PGA Championship yesterday. But thats really not the case. Sure he was putting himself in shitty positions all day, hitting exactly zero fairways on the front 9, but he also was hitting absolute circus shots all day to keep nailing birdie after birdie.

In fact the only thing he could have done differently was have a couple putts that rimmed out, fall his way. If those two drop then Tiger at the very worst forces a playoff with Koepka.

But, don’t try and tell Tiger that.

He had massive struggles from the tee all day and mental errors that the old Tiger never had. Old Tiger was ice. He was a robot.

This ain’t old Tiger. This is new Tiger.

An aging veteran, a golfer dealing with massive back injuries fending off young guys that grew up idolizing him. But thats what makes Tiger so much fun to watch these days. He’s human. There’s nothing I love more than a good comeback story.

So yea, I am rooting for him to put it all together. I think a lot of people are too. Watching the PGA Championship yesterday is probably the loudest I’ve ever heard a golf course. The place was electric and going wild like Happy Gilmore was strolling the greens.

So, despite failing to win another major, Tiger looked like a force at times and you can tell he’s still working out some kinks in his game. Its only a matter of time until he puts it all together and snatches another major. And it’s probably going to happen sooner rather than later.

So, I think its only appropriate here to quote the American classic John Wick:

P.S. – Hey Google, get your shit together. You know goddamn well I’m not looking for pictures of jungle cats.

Jaylen Brown Predicts the Celtics Will “No Question” Make the NBA Finals

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Yahoo – Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown says there is “no question” that his team will be the Eastern Conference representatives in the NBA Finals next season. Brown made his feelings known on CJ McCollum’s “Pull Up” podcast, when asked about Boston’s championship chances.

“Oh, we’re getting to the Finals. No question about it,” Brown said.

The Celtics are the odds-on favorite in the East to reach their first finals since 2010 now that LeBron James has headed out west to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cockyyyyy. I normally wouldn’t love a dude from my team going into his third year proclaiming we’re going to the Finals. But this guy is Jaylen Brown and Jaylen Brown sounds pretty pissed that his toughest competition just skipped town.

“I hate how everybody is like, ‘Oh, LeBron’s gone in the East,'” Brown said. “I know he did have a strong hold on the East for the last seven years, but he barely got us out of there this year. And our mindset was like, ‘Man, he’s not beating us again.'”

Thats the sound of a guy who wants to destroy the competition not just survive the war of attrition that is the NBA playoffs. Thats a young guy brimming with confidence in not only his team but his own game, which only continues to improve. From his rookie to his sophomore season Brown improved his FG %, 3 Point %, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks per game all while more than doubling his Points per Game from 6.6 and 14.5.

He probably won’t see the same 30 minutes per game he saw last year with Gordon Hayward out for the whole year, but that was a blessing in disguise for the Celtics. Brown was able to play a ton of minutes and develop his game, not to mention get some quality playoff experience, more than he ever would have been able to had Hayward played all year. So in theory his game should be a lot more efficient while now possessing the ability to put up 15-20 points on any given night when given the opportunity.

TLDR; Oct. 16th can’t come soon enough.

Johnny Manziel Makes His CFL Debut Tonight

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Jonathan “Football” Manziel makes his CFL debut tonight for the Montreal Alouettes.

I have never been more pissed to have Red Sox Yankees tickets than I am tonight because god damnit I was going to find a way to stream this game.

After joining the Hamilton Tiger Cats this season, Manziel never saw the field, which as we debated could be bad or it could be the fact that the entrenched Hamilton starting QB was putting up NUMBERS. So I’m going to reserve judgement because I still think he can wreck this league, if not the NFL.

Then he was recently traded to Montreal, a team at the bottom of the league so it didn’t take long for the Alouettes to unleash the former Heisman winner.

I don’t think Buffalo Wild Wings streams CFL games so if anyone knows where I can watch some of that sweet, sweet Canadian futbol tweet me @The300sBoston