Minnesota Timberwolves Unveil Prince City Edition Jersey

By on • ( 2 Comments )

ESPN – When Prince died in April 2016, Nike pitched the Wolves an alternate “city edition” jersey for the 2017-18 season that would honor him. The Wolves concluded it was too soon. They were already finalizing their 2017-18 jerseys, which would kick off a full-on rebrand — new jerseys, new logo, new court, tweaked color scheme.

But they decided then to prioritize a Prince jersey for this season. They set aside some of Nike’s other proposed Minnesota-centric motifs: jerseys paying homage to Bob Dylan, the Mississippi River (which runs through Minneapolis), and the original Minneapolis Lakers, Johnson says. (You might see some of those ideas down the road.)

In case you haven’t heard, Prince is a big deal in Minnesota. A really big deal. When I lived in Boston, I hardly ever heard Prince on the radio. Living in Minneapolis, though, I can’t go a day without hearing him on the radio. And that’s not a bad thing. As I wrote on Prince Day last year, I was wrong about Prince. Prince is definitely an acquired taste, but he had an incredible list of hits and I wish I had paid more attention to him and his work while he was alive. He was an incredible musician and performer.

It can be nauseating to see some of the half-assed Prince promotions the teams in Minnesota run. Giving out purple hats and playing Purple Rain during the 7th inning stretch is the definition of a half-assed promotion. Thankfully, it looks like the Timberwolves are going above and beyond.

First, they made the right choice of which direction to go in for their city edition jersey. Minneapolis Lakers inspired jerseys? Really? Can you imagine the Baltimore Ravens wearing Baltimore Colts throwbacks? There’d be a revolt in the stands, and understandably so. Second, the jersey itself looks very well done.

If the script font looks familiar, here’s why:

Image result for purple rain

A very nice touch.

And third, the Timberwolves will do much, much more than most teams to actually make their Prince nights a special experience. From Zach Lowe on ESPN:

The Wolves will wear the jerseys eight times this season, five at home. The in-arena trappings at those home games — giveaway shirts, signage, lighting — will turn purple. Tom Thibodeau, the team’s coach and general manager, even let team officials take the players for a separate day of shooting to prepare a special Prince- and purple-themed pregame video that will run on the scoreboard — not a small concession if you know Thibodeau. The team thought about producing a purple court, but opted against it, officials say.

As yet unannounced halftime performers will pay tribute to Prince, and the broader Minneapolis music scene, team officials say. The team will present donations to some of Prince’s favorite charities.

The Timberwolves Twitter feed offers a good look at the special photo day Lowe mentions:

Also, it’s nice to see some restraint from a Nike production like this. No clutter on the jersey and a wise move to skip the purple court. Overall, this looks to be some A+ promotional work from a team that could use some good press. Maybe now the classic rock stations in Minnesota can stop cutting out the best part of Purple Rain on the radio.

Drunk Red Sox Fan Ruins it for Everyone By Breaking the World Series Trophy

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Throwing beers to players on the Duckboats was funny when guys like Gronk were catching and just guzzling them in everyone’s face.

It started to become a bit of a “thing” as I saw beers and nips flying into the Duckboats during yesterday’s Red Sox parade. Harmless enough right? Well then people just started firing beers at players on the boats without even taking aim first.

Well needless to say one fan took it too far and ruined it for everyone by rifling a beer off the fucking World Series trophy.

12 ounce Bud Light cans will in fact Do Damage.

Welp it would seem like that little drunken tradition is on its way out now. Come on people this is our 11th parade in the last 18 years! Celebrate right for me one time!

This Green Bay Game Is Stressing Me Out and We Still Have No Clue What This Pats Team Is

By on • ( Leave a comment )

This, dear children, is the life of a Pats fan. This is what we signed up for. The crushing duality of being both the hunted and the hunter at all times, week in and week out. Most teams, and fan bases, would be pleased sitting at 6-2, first in their division, with a hard but manageable path to a playoff berth. Maybe even a playoff win, huh? Not us, and not our Patriots. Certainly not the High Triumvirate of Brady-Kraft-Belichick. No, we aspire to play in championship games and win championships. Therefore, a Week 9 game against an NFC team becomes a big, stressful to-do.

Green Bay represents a stiff challenge from a name-brand NFL foe and long-time power, and that is why this game is both important and stressful. They have an all-time great under center in Aaron Rodgers, who is smart, has a cannon of an arm, and a sometimes overwhelming ability to extend a play with his legs. The Packers also, if you have not been paying attention, have the 7th ranked D in the NFL in terms of total yards allowed. This can be a deceiving stat but still, it shows they are no slouch on that side of the ball either. So even if the Packers currently sit at a medicore 3-3-1, the Pats have to march onto the field to play a strong team with strong pieces, and a number of questions to answer in their own locker room. It’s not as much of a true test of who we are as it is a pop quiz.

To start with the offense, just who the fuck does Brady really trust throwing the ball to? His persistent praise and backing of Josh Gordon shows that he indeed desires to have a true #1 receiver, a la Cooks and Moss, in his arsenal. “Do not let this fearless freak of nature go,” thinks Tom between spoonfuls of avocado ice cream while Alex G. rubs his feet…sorry got off track. Other than Gordon, we have a still studly Edelman and RB/pass catching savage James White. Then things get interesting. Apart from those three, both in terms of production and where they sit in the Brady Trust Tree, we have a MAX 1/2 healthy Gronk, a timid Chris Hogan, and Philip Dorsett, whose rise and fall in the pecking order this year makes me wonder if he asked Giselle to sign a copy of the Swimsuit issue for him. So what is the answer here? Going up against some of the better defenses in the league down the stretch and in the playoffs Brady and Josh McDaniels CANNOT only have Edelman, a still working out the kinks Gordon, and James White to count on in the passing game. Just can’t have it. The running game I’m less worried about. Obviously Michel needs to be healthy as the team was shaky at best on the ground without him, but I think if he gets patched up and we get Barner and White cooking out of the backfield-wise, the latter depending on if we can dial 28 back in the passing game, we should be cool.

Our D is also a fucking mystery. I’ve seen quite a few folks get down on our pass rush/front 4, but check this out:

 

I’ve touched on this in a grab bag but this is something that grinds my gears with Pats critics, especially when it comes to our pass rushers. We’ve had 10+ sack guys like Chandler Jones and Mike Vrabel, we’ve had low-numbers guys who just get pressure. Currently, we’re working with the latter. Maybe our guys are not filling up the stat sheet, but we are putting QBs under pressure, forcing decisions, and capitalizing off mistakes, whether that be turnovers or regaining possession of the ball off punts. So lay off my bezerkers please.

The middle of that line has been up and down. I’ve been a Malcolm Brown stan since day 1 but him, Shelton, and Adam Butler have been Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. Clean it up guys.

I don’t think the back half gets enough credit for being solid, albet not spectacular. They don’t seem to be asked to play traditional smash mouth, stop them at all costs defense, rather the “bend and not break and make them take 3 points” style we’ve grown accustom to. It just has become a lot more visible in this air it out age of football. Elandon Roberts continues to show he was a great snag, Hightower is Hightower, Van Noy is officially an animal, McCourty and Gilmore are studly in the secondary, and guys like Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, and, most recently, John Simon, have had their moments of solid play, although with ones of suckiness to go with it.

To summarize the D, who is next to step up? While our offense seems to be a trust and comfort issue, on D we just need someone to volunteer and say “I got this”. The last guy to do it was Van Noy. We need one or two more. Can Rivers or Wise start wreaking true havoc? Can the second (first in the league) McCourty twin start really locking people down? Can Simon cement himself as a go-to LB? We need someone to put their hand up.

To bring it back to the first paragraph of this rant of a mad man, none of this would matter if the Pats eternally sucked and we had no business being football fans. Year after year they play this game where they put together a great record while slowly getting themselves organized and eventually start cooking as we approach the playoffs and it it exhausting. But with Brady not being a spring chicken and our team looking more listless than normal earlier this season, I am stressed the fuck out about a 6-2 team almost 20 years into a Goddam dynasty and it STINKS. I need Brown/Shelton to be Wilfork, Simon/Roberts to be Ted Johnson, and Hogan to be Topher Playoffs (working on it) right stat now. And you know what? Wiping the floor with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers would be a great fucking start.

 

 

 

 

 

David Price Officially Opts Into Red Sox Contract

By on • ( 1 Comment )

NESN – David Price’s redemption tour will continue right where it began. The Boston Red Sox pitcher removed any uncertainty about his future Wednesday, declaring ahead of the team’s World Series championship parade he won’t exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and will remain with the team. “I’m opting in,” Price said, via Chris Mason of the The Eagle-Tribune. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to win here. We did that this year and I want to do it again.” Price has four years and $127 million remaining on the seven-year, $217 million contract he signed with Boston in 2016. He had until midnight Wednesday to decide whether to continue on that contract or to opt out and hit free agency, but it appears he’s already made his decision.

This should come as no surprise because the guy finally conquered his biggest demons on in the postseason, which has been the bane of his existence for the past 3 years. He’s finally figured it out in the playoffs, why leave now? All the grief David Price has taken over the years has been almost entirely rooted in his postseason failures. It would not shock me one bit to see him have a John Lackey type turnaround with Red Sox fans.

But theres also the fact that over his first three seasons with Boston, Price has gone 39-19 with a 3.74 ERA.

  • 2016
    • 17-9
    • 3.99 ERA
    • 228 K’s
    • 35 Starts and 230 IP
  • 2017
    • 6-3
    • 3.38 ERA
    • 76 K’s
    • 11 Starts and 74.2 IP
  • 2018
    • 16-7
    • 3.58 ERA
    • 177 K’s
    • 30 Starts and 176 IP

Not terrible numbers, but not exactly elite. Sure some of those ERA numbers are inflated by a few horrendous starts, but they all count. Price has shown he is prone to streaky pitching though where he follows up a bad month with stretches of being untouchable.

Those numbers coupled with the fact Price is now 33-years-old would make it unlikely for him command the same $127 Million over 4 years on the open market. Plus it seems like his teammates genuinely like the guy so you put all those factors together and it’s no surprise David Price chose to stay with the Sox. Not to mention with 2 straight years of health issues for Chris Sale down the stretch, the Sox are in no position to be jettisoning starters.

David Price does indeed hold all the cards now.

Whitey Bulger Murdered in Prison at 89 Years Old

By on • ( Leave a comment )

NBC News – Notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was found dead at a federal prison in West Virginia Tuesday, federal officials said. Bulger, 89, had recently arrived at the high-security penitentiary USP Hazelton in West Virginia, according to the Boston Herald. The feared former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, Bulger was convicted in 2013 of participating in 11 murders stretching from Massachusetts to Florida to Oklahoma.

And so it ends exactly how it went all along. James J. “Whitey” Bulger, either a modern Robin Hood or a sociopathic mass murderer, depending on who you ask, will finally meet his maker.

He was recently moved from Florida to Oklahoma City and was in West Virginia at the time. It is kind of a fitting end if you think about: probably bloody, a little cloak and dagger, and with cops holding their dicks wondering how the fuck it could happen.

For my generation, whose parents grew up at the same time Bulger ascended to Mob power, we have a pretty odd lens through which we view the whole thing. I have the VAGUEST of lucid memories from when he took off when I was about six years old. I have much, much stronger ones of my parents, grandparents, etc. over the years shaking their heads at the latest news story claiming the Feds had a lead on him, “they’ll never catch him,” they’d say. Or, more commonly, “They don’t want to catch him. He has too much on them.”

So now the final chapter has been written. It’s all over. Maybe we’ll get a a prologue on who did it. A LOT of speculation on who arranged it, whether it was an old associate finally serving some ice cold revenge, or, more likely, a high-up government official who still feared Whitey had one last card to play in his deck of corrupt bureaucrats .

But you know what? “Cops or criminals…..when you’re looking down the barrel of a loaded gun, what’s the difference?”

-Joey B.

The 300s Bloggers’ WEEE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Fantasy Football Round Up – Week 8

By on • ( Leave a comment )

So I know this is a fantasy FOOTBALL blog but fuck me if I’m not going to again mention my, and your, 2018 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. Champagne for everyone. (No, I’m not adding that stupid fucking hashtag because I’m not 12. Carry on.)

Lots going on this week in the NFL. Trade deadline is set for 4:00pm EST today and there are a ton of names that could move, both stemming from general disgruntlement (actually is a word) and teams in complete disarray that might as well have a yard sale to get ready for the future.

Speaking of disarray, let’s see how we all did this week.

Joey B (Completely Incompetent)

I got paved again which was not fun. This was highlighted by C.J Uzomah dropping  a goose egg and Sammy Watkins lit it up on my bench while watching his counterpart, Devin Funchess, do dick on the field. I still managed about 110 pts though, which isn’t awful for a loss. We’re trending.

Papa G (Bill and Mets fan)

Got absolutely thrashed this week. 0-3 across all my leagues. That bum RB on New England did nothing for me and I’m still down 3 or 4 starters. Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette better come back soon or this is going to go off the rails quickly. I’m a fringe playoff team in all my leagues and I need someone to step up to the plate quickly. Thank god for James Conner, that’s really all I have to say.

 

Red (Drives to New Hampshire for wine)

I don’t often make good decisions in fantasy football, but when I do I like to peacock. Chris Carson has been riding my bench all year, but I threw him in my lineup and he rewarded me with 22 points in a week where I was without Ezekiel Elliott. Also shoutout to Mattes for giving me this opportunity. With a win against him this week, its kept me at .500 and while not clinically dead, my team is still on life support with an outside shot at the playoffs. Mattes has since changed his team name to BYE WEEK so I’m sure he was thrilled with his players’ effort. 

Big Z (Don’t know much about the guy, may not exist)

No complaints from me. I rolled up a league-high 126 points this week. I guess I could have had a a few extra points had I played Christian McCaffrey instead of James White, or pretty much anyone instead of Devin Funchess, but that’s small potatoes. I’m now in second place in my league despite being 8th in total points. Must be my “defense.”

Things are definitely looking up for the Big Z Fantasy Empire

 

Mattes (Possible addition to chicken wings)

1-7…ONE AND FREAKIN’ SEVEN. I have NEVER suffered through such a miserable season, or even come close. The sad part is I thought I had a pretty good chance to win this week, but Red had Davante Adams and a resurgent Larry Fitz go H.A.M. for him on Sunday. Getting a goose egg from your tight end doesn’t help either. This just sucks.

Lost in my other league as well, falling to .500 on the year. DJ didn’t have the breakout game I was hoping for now that he has a competent offensive coordinator calling plays. I also had to stream C.J. Beathard this week with Rivers on a bye. (It’s a two-QB league; the only other option on the wire was Brock Osweiler, so don’t judge.) Also, O.J. Howard and Tarik Cohen, both of whom I somehow picked up just two weeks ago, continue be awesome. This team’s doing OK. At least I got something to still give a shit about.

Five Thoughts From the Red Sox Five-Game Gentleman’s Sweep of the Dodgers

By on • ( Leave a comment )

1. It’s better to be lucky than good, but Alex Cora was both in October and during the World Series. From starting Nathan Eovaldi in Game 3 of the ALDS in Yankee Stadium, to sticking with David Price in the ALCS and pinch hitting Eduardo Nunez in Game 1 of the World Series, Cora could do no wrong. There was, however, a brief break to Cora’s heater when the World Series shifted to LA.

The first 24 innings in LA weren’t great for Cora. There was no way that Cora could have predicted that Game 3 would go 18 innings, but it felt like he seriously mismanaged the pitching staff that night. The team went to sleep without naming a starter for Game 4 and it felt like the use of the “rover” had finally caught up with them.

Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well in Game 4, but it seemed that Cora got greedy and left him too long. The Red Sox found themselves down 4-0, and it looked like the series was going to have to go back to Boston. Then Cora and the Red Sox caught some breaks. Dave Roberts made some questionable pitching moves of his own, Mitch Moreland got the offense going, Steve Pearce tied up Game 4 and the rest is history.

2. Steve Pearce is the modern day Bernie Carbo. If Game 3 of the 2018 World Series evoked memories of Game 6 in 1986, Game 4 evoked memories Game 6 in 1975. I watched the Red Sox Home Run Heroes video enough times as a kid to belt out Joe Garagiola’s call of Carbo’s home run as soon as Pearce hit his.

3. Nathan Eovaldi was Boston’s most reliable pitcher all month. In his seventh big-league season, he was spectacular in his first postseason. It’s a shame he had to take the loss in Game 3 of the World Series. Had the Red Sox found a way to win that game, a serious case could have been made for Eovaldi to be the series MVP. Still, Eovaldi will get his ring and a hopefully a nine-figure deal this winter. The Red Sox don’t hoist the commissioner’s trophy without him this month.

4. It was very interesting to see Chris Sale close out Game 5 instead of closer Craig Kimbrel. It’s entirely possible that Kimbrel was simply out of gas, having thrown 56 pitches over the last two nights. However, it could also be possible that Cora had seen enough of the high-wire act.

Kimbrel recorded six postseason saves and finished eight of Boston’s 11 postseason victories. He didn’t blow a save or lose a game but he looked very shaky at times, allowing at least a run in his first four postseason appearances. After that, he did settle down to retire 13 of the next 16 batters he faced without allowing a run. But with a five-run lead in Game 4 of the World Series, he gave up a two-run bomb before shutting the door on the Dodgers.

The only Red Sox victories Kimbrel didn’t finish were non-save situations, but he still finished out two World Series games that weren’t save situations. Of course Cora could have just been trying to slam the door in Game 5, but it’s noteworthy that he didn’t think his closer was the man for that job. I don’t think we’ll seeing Kimbrel in a Red Sox uniform next season.

5. The 2018 Boston Red Sox team is the best Red Sox team of all time and the 2018 World Series was the most exciting World Series they’ve played this century.

The 2004 World Series was akin to the 1980 US Olympic hockey team beating Finland in the gold medal game. They did not trail for a single inning that entire series and there was not much drama. The 2007 team was a well-oiled machine, but it was impossible to top the ride from 2004. The 2013 World Series went six games and that team meant a ton to the city, but there weren’t too many guys on that team that stuck around in Boston for much longer.

The 2018 team was loaded with homegrown talent and guys that should be in Boston for years to come. The 2007 team came the closest to repeating, getting to Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, but the 2018 team has the best chance of repeating of any Red Sox champion this century.

The Red Sox Are Boom Roasting Everyone on Twitter Who Doubted Them

By on • ( Leave a comment )

**checks my Twitter mentions with one eye closed**

I am a huge proponent of being petty. Holding a grudge is what makes winning all that sweeter, rubbing it in the faces of Yankees fans and haters alike. So I can respect this from the Red Sox. Hall of Fame petty move by the team here, just smoking fools on Twitter who doubted the team after one game.

And I have to admit, I was certainly one of those guys.

Welp, thats why they play for seven months. From Opening Day disaster to World Series Champions!

These Are the Best Red Sox World Series Videos (So Far)

By on • ( Leave a comment )

These videos will be rolling in for awhile, and thats before we even get to Wednesday’s Duckboats parade, but as of right now these are the best Red Sox World Series videos (so far).