Category: Boston

The Red Sox Just Destroyed Me With This Opening Day Video Narrated by Dustin Pedroia

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Hope everyone was prepared to ugly cry on this Good Friday Opening Day because Dustin Pedroia just made it super dusty up in here. This isn’t just another mindless hype video; this is a guy who is talking from the heart about never taking the game for granted. Go out there and bust your ass and play like a champion because the game can be taken from you at any moment. Nobody know that better than Dustin Pedroia.

With that being said, Opening Day is here baby!

That’s the beauty of baseball. It’s something about Opening Day taking place in the beginning of spring as winter is finally beginning to thaw and flowers are starting to slowly blossom. Sure it’s 34 degrees right now, but we all know it’ll be sunny and 70 before too long. Not to mention the cold dark hell we’ve all gone through over the last year, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. This is exactly why people say baseball is more romanticized than any other sport. I know the Red Sox in all likelihood are going to suck this year, but after another miserable Boston winter I have hope for better days ahead.

One Year Ago Today Tom Brady Broke Our Hearts

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I can’t believe it’s already/only been a year since Tom Brady officially announced he was leaving the Patriots after 20 seasons. Less than a week later Boston Mayor Marty Walsh officially shut down the entire city and so began the worst year of all of our lives. Coincidence? I think not. Since then so much has happened including the absolutely apocalyptic global pandemic, every professional sports league pausing and resuming games, we had perhaps the most virulent Presidential election of our lifetime, rioters stormed the Capitol, Zoom became more common than brushing your teeth, everybody is going on their 2nd straight birthday in quarantine, oh and Tom Brady won yet another Super Bowl except this time for a different team. That all happened in just the last 365 days.

I actually just finished the excellent Patriots book by Jeff Benedict, The Dynasty, and while it definitely does have a friendly slant towards the Kraft family, it still may just be the most complete historical retelling of the entire Tom Brady/Bill Belichick/Robert Kraft era in New England. Benedict’s book does a superb job navigating through all of the drama, hearsay, history, the highs and the lows of the past 20 years and it really is nothing short of amazing the levels of success this franchise reached.

“The New England Patriots of the Tom Brady era are in the pantheon of greatest sports dynasties. No team in the twenty-first century formed a deeper emotional connection with its fans–or aroused more passionate disdain from opposing fans–than the Patriots under Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady. Together they created a golden era of football that started in the year of the 9/11 terror attacks and continued for two decades. If the Patriots’ dynasty had behaved like its football predecessors in Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco, the run in Foxborough would have ended much sooner, perhaps as early as 2010 or 2011. But Kraft’s biggest achievement as an owner was keeping Belichick and Brady together for so long. They needed each other to reach heights that had previously seemed unimaginable.”

Well put.

Here’s what I wrote a year ago today about Brady officially leaving the Patriots.

I can’t believe the day has finally come. Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots. Despite days, months, and even years of preparing for this it still doesn’t feel real. I feel like Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s day off right now: catatonic.

We all knew this day was coming, but it still sucks to see the end of an era. I don’t fault Brady, especially if he did get a massive payday somewhere else and the Pats offered him peanuts. Can’t blame the guy for wanting to make market value after taking discounts his entire career. Especially if the Patriots and Belichick wanted him to sing for his supper just to lowball him again.

Then? Then Brady immediately proved Belichick and any remaining doubters wrong as he won his 7th Super Bowl only this time with an entirely new team. It only made it crystal clear that if the Patriots had put a better supporting cast around Brady that he could still be an elite, championship winning quarterback. So yes, I still have a lot of hard feelings about how it all ended, but everything ultimately runs its course and that’s what inevitably happened here. If you are one of the few fans out there who blames Brady for leaving then I highly recommend you read The Dynasty because that guy gave everything he had, which led to a legitimately heartbreaking final meeting with Robert Kraft.

Tom Brady may be living it up down in Tampa Bay, but now and forever, that’s my quarterback.

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Russell Wilson Rumored to Be On the Trade Block and the Patriots Aren’t Even MENTIONED as a Landing Spot

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How is one of the most successful franchises in NFL history that has a gigantic, gaping hole at the quarterback position not even mentioned as a possible landing spot for an elite QB that is suddenly and unexpectedly on the trade block? Whether it was Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, and now Russell Wilson the Patriots don’t seem to be in on any of them. Regardless of what you think of each and everyone of those guys, all of them have played at an MVP level yet the Pats have no interest. I know in New England we have somehow fetishized “value” and take pride in our team not overpaying for anything. Well, sometimes you need to overpay a little bit or you get stuck driving a ’95 Civic with cigarette holes in the armrests because you don’t wanna pay for a premium for a gently used 2018 SUV with leather seats.

This team has a lot of holes so understandably Bill Belichick isn’t doing cartwheels when thinking about having to trade 2-4 first rounders for a quarterback. Yes, Russell Wilson will turn 33 next season so thats a consideration as well. But the larger point to be made is there have been some solid to excellent QBs on the market this offseason and there hasn’t been a single peep about the Pats. Are they really that against overpaying to solidify the most important position in sports? Well…probably yes, considering they let Tom Brady walk out the door rather than give the man an extension and some roster input. And Tom Brady these other guys are not.

But maybe it’s something worse…has the allure of the Patriots gone out the door with TB12?

It was widely reported that Stafford specifically said he would not play in New England and we all called him a puss for it. But Adam Schefter also reported that “the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, and Bears are the only teams Wilson would consider.” So if the Pats don’t want to dump a handful of first rounders into one position I don’t necessarily agree with it, but I understand. However, if it’s more of players simply not wanting to come here then that’s a much larger issue.

Above all else, I just would like to see some semblance of a plan from Belichick. Whether that’s going out and bringing back the prodigal son in Jimmy G, trading up in the draft to get a guy like Trey Lance, or bringing on a bridge QB like Marcus Mariota and then drafting another QB late. Something tangible to build towards. But bringing back Cam Newton on a veteran minimum contract after he threw 8 touchdowns last year is not a plan. That’s just allowing your environment to dictate your actions. It’s time to make a move.

The Celtics Are Even Getting Ripped by Team Broadcaster Mike Gorman Now

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The Celtics are officially a sub .500 team and things have gotten so bad that even team broadcaster Mike Gorman is now ripping them on the radio. Last night’s loss to the Mavericks was an absolute heart breaker, but at least you got beat by Luka Doncic, who is arguably the best player in the league right now.

The Celtics nearly came back and showed some balls making it a game in the final 5 minutes, but it was ultimately another display of miserable basketball down the stretch that sunk this team yet again as they fell to 15-16. In the last month the Celtics have lost to some of the worst teams in the league including the Kings, Pistons, Hawks, Wizards, and not to mention blowing a 24 point lead in New Orleans.

And now they’ve pissed off local legend Mike Gorman. During his weekly appearance on Toucher and Rich, Gorman came in hot right out of the gate.

“The All-Star game is a perfect showcase for [Tatum and Brown] because they have an abundance of individual skills and that’s what the All-Star game is all about, individuals going one on one. Unfortunately last time I looked basketball is a team game, it’s not tennis, it’s a team game, and we just played like we met on the bus on the way over. It’s really sad to watch these guys right now.”

The Celtics have been playing middling defense the last few weeks and are statistically one of the worst 4th quarter teams in the league. Gorman ripped the players for not owning up to their own failures and even had to get dumped by T&R for swearing, which was hilarious and something I’ve never heard from the always even-keeled broadcaster.

“We have a tendency in all sports to always point at the manager or the coach and fire him. How about the players stepping up and taking some responsibility here? How about these guys stepping up and saying hey look I know we didn’t play well, or we came out flat, we weren’t ready to play. That is such a bullshit excuse. You gotta be ready to play, it’s your job…The players need to be accountable. “

With all of that the Celtics are now a sub .500 team nearly halfway through the season, which is not something I would have ever expected. Yes, Marcus Smart has been out a couple of weeks and Kemba is hobbled by a knee injury, but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both All-Stars and the Celtics have one of the best coaches in the league. Yet they’re now 15-16 and are currently the No. 6 seed. How??

“Am I saying Tatum and Brown are responsible for the Celtics current record? Yea I am, I really believe that to be the case because when you’re the best player on a team you also get the glory and you also get the gas,” Gorman said. “You also have to lead by example, if you expect your teammates to be unselfish, you need to be unselfish. If you expect your teammates to play hard, you gotta play hard ALL THE TIME. It’s terrific that you can get 27 a night, but how about 22 and the C’s win the game? Enough with the one on one at the end of every quarter, enough with no assists over the course of a half. It’s really tough to watch these guys play right now, they do really play like they just met.”

With Kemba hobbled and Smart out, the C’s are basically Brown and Tatum and then just a bunch of guys. You’d think two All-Stars would be able to feast on basement dwelling competition, but that has not been the case. It was another thing that jumped out at me from the Gorman interview. When T&R asked if he thought Brown and Tatum have the killer instinct that someone like Luka Doncic showed in spades last night, here was his response:

“I think they have the game for it, I don’t know if they have the personality for it.”

That is concerning.

In fairness, after Tatum and Brown there’s no real scoring threat on this team. The bench is comprised of young unproven guys and disappointing veterans. There’s not a single guy on that bench who could threaten to be a starter, which I know is a delicate balance (see Terry Rozier) but the C’s just don’t have much firepower after the Jays.

Attitude has been an issue at times too. Jaylen Brown is a smart, thoughtful guy, but he was asked about the team’s ball movement recently and his response was no comment.

Not a good look.

Then we have Danny Ainge on Toucher and Rich saying maybe this just isn’t their year. WHAT? I appreciate the honesty and the pragmatism, but it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. I understand it would be stupid to rush into a trade and massively overpay for anyone, but we also have to realize that this team needs to be continuously improving or at least trying to improve. For the past few years the C’s have mainly stood pat at the trade deadline, which is fine when you’re building towards something. You have to remember though that even though Tatum and Brown are only 22 and 24, these guys aren’t on lifetime contracts. The clock is ticking and I think there needs to be a sense of urgency that this team hasn’t faced in a while. If another year or two goes by without the C’s improving and making progress towards winning a title what’s to stop Tatum from saying ya know I’ve always wanted to play in LA like my idol Kobe Bryant? Or god forbid this team gets worse and your two stars start lining up their next spot like half the league’s best players seem to do routinely these days.

The Celtics have trusted the process and stuck to their guns and been rewarded with two under 25 all-stars that could very easily become superstars, but they can’t afford to just sit on their hands.

Red Sox Tried to Give Jason Varitek’s Number 33 to Martin Perez, Who Said Hell No

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Yahoo – No Boston Red Sox player has worn Jason Varitek’s No. 33 jersey since the former captain retired in 2011. So when the Red Sox appeared to give the number away on Tuesday, it sparked some drama.

Red Sox Stats noted on Twitter that the Red Sox official roster changed Perez’s number from 54 to 33, which the 29-year-old wore with the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. Varitek’s wife, Catherine, caught wind of the news and did not take kindly to it.

Apparently, it was news to Perez too. The Red Sox left-hander, who re-signed with the team last month, made it clear he has no desire to take Varitek’s No. 33 and will stick with 54.

I know Jason Varitek probably isn’t a candidate for having his number retired as a career.256 hitter, but he was just the 4th team captain since 1923 (the only one since Jim Rice) and the Red Sox nearly gave away Tek’s No. 33 WHILE HE IS WORKING FOR THE TEAM! I’m not here to argue that Varitek should have his number up next to Big Papi and Pedro, but he was a foundational piece of the most successful era in Red Sox history, is the only catcher to call four no-hitters, wore the red “C” for 7 years, and kicked A-Rod’s ass in the most famous fight in team history. So how about we don’t just hand out his number to random pitchers? This is even more insulting than the time the Sox finally gave away Nomar’s No. 5 to Rocco Baldelli.

Shoutout to Martin Perez though for having the self awareness to immediately say no shot in hell am I wearing No. 33 at Fenway Park.

Listen, the team doesn’t have to officially retire Varitek’s number to properly honor his legacy. The man is in the Red Sox Hall of Fame and is currently being groomed by the franchise for a potential future manager role, even if it’s not here, but don’t just give away 33 while he’s literally still in the building.

ICYMI the Bruins Are Playing Outdoors at Lake Tahoe This Weekend

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NBC Sports – We’re just a few days away from the Boston Bruins’ most aesthetically-pleasing game of the season. The Bruins will travel to Lake Tahoe on Sunday to take on the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the NHL Outdoors series. Bruins-Flyers will follow Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, which means outdoor hockey is right around the corner.

The rink is being constructed a stone’s throw from Lake Tahoe on the 18th green of the Edgewood Tahoe Resort golf course, and it’s a sight to behold.

The NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe is going to be a spectacular made-for-TV event. I’ve been to a Winter Classic and no matter where they play the sight lines as a fan in attendance are anywhere from awful to mediocre. The TV experience is usually pretty cool with some highlights being the Penguins playing under the snow in the first WC

The Bruins playing at Fenway was an awesome TV experience as well. I’ve been to Frozen Fenway where I saw some college hockey games there so I know the sight lines are terrible, but I remember the whole neighborhood was bumping for the Winter Classic as I walked around hung over as all hell on New Years Day.

But after a while the outdoor games at football and baseball stadiums became kind of overdone. I completely blame the NHL for this because they took something they created out of thin air that became hockey royalty in the Winter Classic and bastardized it by then playing like 5 outdoor games every season. The Stadium Series? FOH.

So the pandemic presented an opportunity for the NHL as teams playing in front of empty football stadiums didn’t seem like a prime aesthetic. The solution?

Lake Tahoe.

A legitimately awesome idea from a league that isn’t exactly known for marketing their sport all that well. With little to no fans allowed in the stands, why not just double down on the TV experience and put a rink in front of the picture perfect pond hockey back drop?

AND the Bruins will finally be breaking out their brand new reverse retro yellow jerseys, which are going to look absolutely money outdoors.

This must be a logistical nightmare because it’s not like they’re just pulling a couple nets out onto the lake and playing some puck. The NHL is constructing a full fledged hockey rink in the middle of nowhere and as Billy Jaffe pointed out on Toucher and Rich this AM, most Winter Classics are hosted at massive professional sports arenas that are in major cities with ya know, electrical power grids.

So major props to the NHL for thinking outside of the box because I can’t wait to watch this on Sunday and that’s something hockey needs people to be saying more of these days.

Red Sox Trade Former Top Prospect Andrew Benintendi to the Royals

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I know using “former top prospect” to describe a 26-year-old that just got dumped by his current team is a tale as old as time, but I’m pretty down on this move considering the return. Just a year after signing Andrew Benintendi to a relatively inexpensive 2-year $10M extension, the Sox decided to part ways with the former No. 7 overall pick. Granted, I have not been studying my Baseball Prospectus manual so I know nothing about the guys they got in return except that they are also underperforming castoffs from their previous teams.

In return for Benintendi the Red Sox received OF Franchy Cordero and pitcher Josh Winckowski, both of whom I’m not too familiar with. It kiiiind of seems like the Sox are just throwing shit against the wall though hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle with another team’s failed projects.

“I guess you never know, but the odds seem slim that the tools will ever come together. Maybe the Red Sox see something they believe they can fix, but the scouting reports on Cordero have always mentioned that he simply scores low in his natural baseball instincts.” – David Schoenfield, ESPN

Tony Mazz was not very fond of the return either.

“In fairness to the Red Sox, Winckowski sounds like he has a chance. And let me emphasize – a CHANCE. He won’t be 23 until June. He’s 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds. In 54 career minor-league games – 53 starts – he has a 3.35 ERA with 237 strikeouts and 86 walks in 263 innings. But he’s also been traded twice already…Cordero doesn’t sound like much of a baseball player. When I read his profile, the first name I thought of was Wily Mo Pena, a physically imposing power hitter whom the Red Sox acquired in 2006. He basically lasted a year here before they became the second team to give up on his “potential,” which is a dirty word in sports. It’s a euphemism for “underachiever.” There’s nothing worse than a great athlete who doesn’t have the skills to play baseball. And Cordero doesn’t feel like much of a ball player.“

Not to mention this deal happened one year to the day of the Mookie Betts trade. This franchise really should just teach a PR masterclass because there’s always drama surrounding every single move they make.

Maybe it’s elite foresight from Chaim Bloom and he’s seeing what nobody else sees…which is exactly why John Henry hired him. BUT, Benintendi is literally less than a full season removed from being a pretty good and promising young player. In fairness that was two years ago, but with a Covid shortened 2020 season shortened even further due to injuries + the 2019 season Benintendi is only 152 games removed from finishing 2018 hitting .290/.366/.465 with 16 HR, 41 doubles, and 21 Stolen Bases. You can’t tell me that guy just forgot how to play ball.

To make matters worse the Sox are even paying a little over $2M of Benintendi’s salary just for the Royals to take him. Making a little over $6 million this season, Benintendi would be arbitration eligible in 2022 and become a free agent in 2023. It would appear Bloom saw no future for Benny with the Sox so decided to get something in return while he still could.

If you’re feeling a bit, well, underwhelmed by this offseason then you my friend are not alone. When the biggest moves of the offseason are signing OF Hunter Renfroe to a 1-year $3M deal, Kike Hernandez (a nice utility player) to a 2-year $14M deal and RHP Garrett Richards (who is always hurt) to a one year $10M deal, fans have a right to be less than enthused. With Chris Sale out until at least mid-season while he recovers from Tommy John, the Sox have done almost nothing to improve the roster that finished with one of the worst records in team history last season.

Obviously the Red Sox are looking at 2021 as a bridge year while they try to get as far under the luxury tax as possible. Even Dustin Pedroia’s $13.75M AAV still counts against the luxury tax despite retiring so Bloom appears to be resetting the roster before hopefully jumping back into free agency next offseason. This is the kind of stuff that Theo Epstein used to preach, you can’t compete for a World Series and spend big in free agency, and trade prospects every year. It’s just not sustainable. So I understand that, but this franchise does feel a little rudderless. Especially for a franchise that changes its organizational philosophy every 2 years. I can take a down year or two if the team has a legitimate plan in place, but that blueprint remains to be seen if we’re being honest. At the start of next season the Sox will have their two best players in Xander Bogaerts entering his age-29 season and Rafael Devers entering his age-25 season so both guys will be in their prime. Now all Bloom has to do is build an entire roster of players around them in the next 15 months. No pressure.

Say what you want about Benintendi, but he still has the potential to be an All-Star and let us never forget him saving the ALCS for the Red Sox against Houston en route to the 2018 championship. Best of luck to ya in KC, Benny.

Seven Thoughts As Brady Goes For Seven

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  • Tom Brady is the only NFL player, and one of only 64 North American professional athletes, to win at leas six championships. There are no NFL players, and only 30 North American professional athletes, who have ever won more than six. Of those 30 athletes, only two never wore pinstripes, green and white, or bleu blanc et rouge. (Red Kelly won eight Stanley Cups in the ’50s and ’60s [four with Detroit and then four more with Toronto], and Robert Horry won seven titles while moving from dynasty to dynasty in the NBA in the ’90s and 2000s [Houston in 1994 and 1995, the Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and San Antonio in 2005 and 2007]. )

    A win on Sunday would serve to strengthen the claim that the “Patriot Way” is/was really the “Brady Way.” A win on Sunday would cement Brady’s legacy as a one-man dynasty. With a win, he would pass Michael Jordan and tie Babe Ruth with seven championships. While 20 men could still claim more than seven rings, Bill Russell and Joe DiMaggio may be the only two who could credibly claim to be primarily responsible for more team championships than Brady. Brady is already on the Boston sports Mount Rushmore. He’s already on the NFL Mount Rushmore. If he’s not already on it now, a win on Sunday would solidify his spot on the North American sports Mount Rushmore.

  • Should Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose on Sunday, that shouldn’t impact Brady’s legacy. I don’t want to hear the argument that 6-0 (Jordan) or 4-0 (Montana) is better than 6-4 in the championship. That gives Jordan more credit for losing to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoffs three years in a row. It gives Montana more credit for his four one-and-dones. Whether it’s 6-4 or 7-3, Brady should get more credit for likely taking some teams further than they had any business going.

  • I’ll admit it, I wasn’t driving the Brady/Gronk Bandwagon this season but I will be pulling for them on Sunday. It’s not that I was rooting against them this season. I’ve got no problem with a couple of guys who want to switch jobs or move to a different company. Their departures were no where near as acrimonious as the departures of Bill Parcells, Roger Clemens or Johnny Damon. It’s just not that easy as a fan to switch allegiances. I wish it were, though. No state income tax and seventy-degree days in January and February sound awfully nice. Can’t blame Brady and Gronk for seeking greener pastures.

    Like Jerry Seinfeld said, at some level, we’re all just cheering for the clothes.
  • While Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs still have a long way to go to catch up with Brady and the Patriots, they do look like the type of team that could rip off three championships in a row, or four in five years. As a Patriots fan, I don’t want to see that happen. I’ve got no issue with Mahomes, Andy Reid, or the Chiefs, but I don’t want to see my team challenged like that. Not in the historical context, or even just next year in the AFC. As a fan, I like knowing that the Patriots were the last team to go back-to-back, and that nobody has ever won three in a row. So those are a few more reasons why I’ll be pulling for the Buccaneers on Sunday.

  • For Kansas City, after a trip to the AFC Championship Game two years ago and now back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl, this will be their 56th game in the last three seasons. That feels like a lot of football. The Patriots were actually in the exact same position three years ago in Minneapolis. After losing to Denver in the 2015 AFC Championship Game, they won Super Bowl LI over Atlanta a year later and got back to the big game the following year. Memorably, they couldn’t finish the job and fell to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII.

    Only a few years prior, Super Bowl SLIX was the 55th game in three seasons for the 2014 Seahawks who were also trying to defend a title against Brady. The Patriots scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and made the best goal line stand of all time, to deny the Seahawks in their bid to repeat.

    Brady doesn’t just start dynasties, he ends them too. Just ask Marshall Faulk and Pete Carroll. The Chiefs could be the next dynasty/near-dynasty to get derailed by Tom Brady.

  • In all of the Patriots Super Bowl losses in my lifetime, there seemed to be some drama or general weirdness leading up to the game in retrospect. Before Brady, Parcells had one foot out the door before the Patriots fell to Brett Favre and the Packers in 1997. The first Super Bowl against the Giants had the weight of a potential perfect season crash down on the Patriots, and they couldn’t shake that off in the rematch four years later. (The Giants and Tom Coughlin may just be Bill Belichick’s two bugaboos.) And who could forget the time Belichick lost a Super Bowl on purpose just to make a point when he benched former Super Bowl hero Maclolm Butler in Super Bowl LII?

    Maybe things are just tamer this year with COVID precautions, but it doesn’t feel like this year’s Tampa Bay team is engulfed by any similar dramas or weirdness.

  • It feels like the Buccaneers have already played their toughest games this postseason, winning three straight road games to get back home. While it won’t be a home game in the traditional sense, how could it not be a huge advantage to play a COVID Super Bowl in your home city, getting to avoid the hassle of traveling in the time of COVID? It also feels like the Chiefs have played a lot of football over the last few seasons, and oftentimes teams in that situation can run out of gas.

    I’m taking the Bucs -3 and betting the total goes over 56 points. I’m expecting a classic shootout, with the old man getting the last laugh.
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