The NBA Just Suspended the Season Due to the Coronavirus

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ESPN – The NBA announced that it has suspended its season until further notice after the completion of Wednesday night’s games after a member of the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for the coronavirus.

Well this is something. The most prosperous league in all of professional sports has literally stopped the season in its tracks due to coronavirus. The brutal irony is that the player that tested positive might be Rudy Gobert, who mockingly touched every microphone available when being interviewed over the last couple of days. Christ.

This is such an unprecedented occurrence it has me asking myself if I’m actually for once under-reacting. These health scare-type situations are, believe it or not, one of those things I don’t really ever get worked up about. Very much a “won’t happen to me” guy. But holy shit. If even the money grubbers at the head of the NBA are saying “maybe we could stand to lose a few million and not risk our players lives, not jk’ng” then maybe this is for real.

Now, keep in mind, the fatality rate for a fit, young person is still low. We (I’m assuming we) can beat this thing much like we’re more apt to beat the flu. But fuck me the fact that I’m even talking “probably” beating a pandemic disease is crazy.

This is definitely now going to go down as one of the wildest sports stories ever, even if it ends up being a “one time, a hundred years ago” type of tale. It’s definitely the front runner for the 2000-2099 century so far.

Wash your hands and stay safe.

-Joey B.

Madden is Losing It’s Exclusivity Deal With the NFL, Which Means NFL2K is Coming Back!

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Yahoo – For the first time in over 15 years, “Madden” is getting some competition in the world of football video games.

The NFL revealed on Tuesday morning that it’s ending its years-long exclusivity deal with Electronic Arts on football games. “Madden” will continue to be produced in partnership with the NFL, but the NFL is also working with 2K Sports — the company behind the smash-hit “NBA 2K” franchise.

That new arrangement encompasses a “multi-year” deal that includes “multiple future video games” — the first of which is expected to arrive next year, in 2021.

The worst thing that ever happened to Madden was the exclusivity deal EA signed with the NFL because it removed any real competition. Madden was always the best football game on the block, but only because it actually had to be. 2K closed the gap when I was in high school and a ton of people still argue that NFL 2K5 was the best, albeit 2K’s last, football game ever made.

Thats not just me looking back fondly on the PS2 days either. NFL 2K5 got a 9.2/10 on GameSpot, a 9.4/10 on IGN, and a 92% on Metacritic, which bested Madden reviews in two out of three as Madden 05 actually got a 9.5 from IGN. Still pretty damn good for a game that just ended up getting shelved a few months later.

So once 2K was no longer there to keep pushing Madden, things got a little stagnant. Madden was always introducing new features with every version of the game, some more beloved than others (I actually enjoyed the Vision Cone), but just look at this run of iconic additions.

  • Madden 99 – Franchise Mode introduced
  • Madden 03 – Online head to head play
  • Madden 04 – Vick God Mode/Playmaker Control/Owner Mode/Mini Camp
  • Madden 05 – Hit Stick
  • Madden 06 – QB Vision Cone/Superstar Mode
  • Madden 07 – Truck Stick

Madden was always trying things out because they had to keep the game fresh. Once any shred of competition was removed, Madden was able to just update the graphics and the rosters each year and sell you the same old shit for $59.99 every August. Madden 07 (released in 2006) was the last year any substantial feature was added to the game in my opinion and that was FOURTEEN YEARS AGO.

I would love for these two giants to go head to head like the good old days, but it seems like 2K may try and go in a slightly different direction.

Notably, 2K says the games it’s creating are “non-simulation football game experiences” described as “fun, approachable and social experiences.”…EA issued the following statement in response to Tuesday’s announcement: “EA Sports is the exclusive publisher of NFL simulation games, and our partnership with the NFL and NFLPA remains unchanged. Our agreements have always allowed for non-exclusive development of non-simulation games on various platforms.

Whatever the hell that means, your guess is as good as mine. It seems like, through 2021 at least, 2K won’t be able to create a true “simulation game” so we may not get a direct competitor to Madden right out of the gates. Perhaps something thats officially licensed by the NFL, but maybe a little…different? Something a little more…arcade style. Something like…

Now we’re talking!

But so help me god if 2K tries to pass off some card based garbage mobile game. Just give us something that will make the folks at EA a little nervous so we start getting legitimately innovative games once again.

Tom Brady Just Partnered With the Directors of THE AVENGERS to Launch a New Production Company

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For proper experience, press play on the music below and then read on.

Tom Brady’s first venture into the original content world, Tom vs Time, was excellent as it was an insightful, behind the scenes look at one of the greatest athletes of all time. Hell, even Jets fans enjoyed that mini series. My only complaint was how short the entire thing was. Six episodes that were each about 10 minutes long. By the end of it I was like a junkie looking for his next fix. Well, it seems we only need to chase the dragon for a bit longer as Tom Brady is partnering with the Russo Brothers, the directors of THE AVENGERS, to launch his new company, 199 Productions. You can imagine the excitement from the guys who spent weeks of their lives re-watching and reviewing the entire MCU catalogue last year.

Tom Brady + the architects of the MCU creating new original content together might literally tear a hole in the space time continuum with how good that sounds. With $22 Billion in gross box office sales over the last 13 years, the Russo’s know what their doing in terms of storytelling. The only thing missing from this partnership is Kevin Feige, but I won’t get greedy here. I would watch just about anything 199 Productions puts out there with the Russo Brothers.

I was hoping for a Tom vs Time season 2 at some point, but this seems like it will slide into that slot. Tom Brady’s *other* media production company Religion of Sports, which he co-founded with Gotham Chopra and Michael Strahan, has created a bunch of content, but most of it has been focused on random subjects like Steph Curry or soccer in developing countries. I need more Brady TV if we’re being honest.

Now is it mildly concerning that Tom Brady announced the creation of a new production company just days before his free agency begins? No…not at all.

Chris Sale is Getting an MRI On His Elbow. COOL!

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ESPN – Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale is having an MRI on Tuesday after experiencing soreness in his elbow following his first live batting practice session.

Manager Ron Roenicke acknowledged concern as the team awaits the results, which will be sent to Dr. James Andrews for evaluation.

It was pretty absurd for the Red Sox to tell everybody that Chris Sale was getting pushed back to start the season because he had pneumonia, not because his elbow is apparently a train wreck. Then again thats par for the course with this ownership group who seem to think we’re all stupid. Tell me you don’t like my firm. Tell me don’t like my idea. Tell me don’t like my fucking necktie. But don’t tell me that Chris Sale is going to miss Opening Day because he had a bad cold.

It was his first time throwing to live batters since last August and after throwing just 15 pitches he felt soreness in his elbow the next day. Now he’s going to see Dr. James Andrews who hands out Tommy John surgery recommendations like they’re candy so prepare for the worst, Sox fans. In fairness he did go see Andrews last year and avoided surgery after opting for a PRP injection…but he didn’t pitch again until this week. Not good.

So this obviously begs the question of was the Chris Sale extension a good idea or an unmitigated disaster? Well considering the 5 year extension didn’t even kick in until this season and Sale missed huge chunks of time last year and won’t be ready to start the 2020 season….then yes this is problematic. In the interest of transparency, I was all for this extension when Sale signed it because it offered a steep discount for an ace at $30 million per year. The cost of pitching only continues to go up as Sale’s 2020 salary is still behind Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke, Stephen Strasburg, Justin Verlander, David Price, and Clayton Kershaw. However, my enthusiasm for the extension was based on the Red Sox medical staff being pretty confident that whatever injuries Sale had before didn’t pose long term issues. Well, it would seem that was a swing and a miss because he’s had nothing but health concerns since the ink was dry on that deal.

We’ll wait to see what comes out of Sale’s MRI, but this does not seem like it’s going to end well. Welp, the 2020 Red Sox continue to be the biggest shit show in town and they don’t even play a game at Fenway for another month.

If the World Ends and Tom Brady Does Leave, Who Do You Want at QB for the Patriots?

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I hate even typing these words, it’s like saying Candyman five times in the mirror; just don’t. But what if Tom Brady does leave? What are the options and who do you want under center in Foxborough? With the legal tampering period beginning on March 16th and Free Agency beginning on March 18th, we should have an answer one way or another in the next 2 weeks. If Brady does decide to take his talents elsewhere, the Patriots have a host of different options available, some more attractive than others. Lets break it down.

  • Options Currently on the Patriots Roster
    • Jarret Stidham
      • Drafted in the 4th round last year, the Patriots clearly saw something in Stidham who has impressed in the pre-season, but most fans remember him as the guy that blew the spread with a pick six against the Jets in relief duty of Brady last season. It’s too early to say if Stidham is the guy or not, but I don’t think his presence will prevent the Patriots from exploring any and all other options.
    • Cody Kessler
      • Kessler has been running the scout team on the Patriots practice squad and despite Belichick’s odd fascination with the career backup, he’s not the answer.
  • Trade Options
    • Andy Dalton
      • I hate to besmirch a fellow redhead because these are my people, but I just cannot get behind the Patriots starting the post-Tom Brady era with the Red Rifle. He’s had some decent seasons and has been dealing with a TON of injuries over the years to his top weapons in AJ Green and Tyler Eifert so maybe take his lack of sustained success with a grain of salt. He’s only thrown more than 25 touchdowns twice in his career though and hasn’t done it since 2013 so he hasn’t exactly been lighting it up. Whether thats more of a reflection on him or the disaster that is the Bengals is debatable, but this isn’t the guy I am pining for.
    • Matt Stafford
      • This one gained steam towards the end of last week when Patriots color commentator Scott Zolak floated it out of nowhere on 98.5 so it probably has at least been discussed by the Pats. Stafford has never gotten a ton of love, but has always been a legitimate (fantasy) quarterback despite playing for a desolate franchise in the Lions. His contract is also surprisingly cheap based on the way it’s structured so it definitely makes sense for the Patriots if they can get Stafford for a reasonable price. However he did BREAK HIS BACK last year though so proceed with caution on this one. With the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft the Lions could be thinking the same thing and looking to move on from Stafford so keep your eye on this one.
  • Free Agency
    • Marcus Mariota
      • Alright, hand up, I am a Mariota stan and watched as many of his games at Oregon as I possibly could so this may be a little biased. Granted, he’s not the only Heisman winning QB to flame out in the NFL (looking at you Troy Smith), but I honestly think with Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick coaching him the Pats could turn him into a legit starter. Like most scrambling QBs, Mariota hasn’t been the same since he broke his fibula in Week 16 of the 2016 season. Before that though he was pretty solid with 26 TDs and 9 INTs in his first full season before his TDs and Yards dropped off for 2+ seasons resulting in him getting benched. With a 7.5 Yards per Attempt he definitely doesn’t air it out, but even Brady was 26th in the league at 6.6 Yards per Attempt last season. In fact, you know what Brady’s average Yards per Attempt is for his career? That would be the same exact 7.5 as Mariota so you obviously don’t need to air it out to be successful in this offense.
    • Philip Rivers
      • I wouldn’t hate it as Rivers is only one season removed from making the Pro Bowl with 32 TDs and 12 INTs before getting upset by the Pats in the playoffs. He has thrown 15+ INTs six different times though so the Pats may not be keen on a 38-year-old cowboy.
    • Jameis Winston
      • Winston most likely gets franchised by the Bucs unless Tampa somehow convinces Brady to sign there. It would be a hard sell to bring in a guy that just threw 30 picks too. So despite Bruce Arians’ complete inability to hide his disdain for Winston, he may not be on the market unless Brady shocks everyone and moves to the strip club capital of the world.
    • Ryan Tannehill
      • Similar to the situation in Tampa, the Titans will probably franchise or workout a deal with Tannehill unless Brady signs with the Titans, which is the reported favorite outside of New England. Tannehill was excellent last year as were many of his former Dolphins teammates who all seemed to thrive after Miami traded them away. After never posting a rating higher than 94 in six years as the Dolphins QB, Tannehill had a rating of 117.5 last year for the Titans. That’s an absurd improvement. So I wouldn’t bank on Tannehill all of a sudden having turned into an elite QB.
  • Dip Into the Draft
    • Tua Tagovailoa
      • Barring a massive and unforeseen slide in the draft, the Pats would have to trade an absolute haul of picks to move up far enough to snag Tua so this ain’t happening.
    • Justin Herbert
      • The former Duck could go anywhere from No. 5-25 depending on how his combine and interviews go so it’s possible the Pats could trade up if he slides a bit, but I doubt they lust after him enough to move up too much.
    • Jake Fromm
      • This is the guy that I think makes the most sense for the Pats. An undervalued, smart guy who doesn’t have a monster arm but can still make all the throws, ran a pro style offense and has a ton of experience with 43 starts at Georgia. As someone who’s projected to go late in the first (or later), Fromm is someone the Pats could take without overextending themselves.
    • Jordan Love
      • A big arm, scrambling ability, and a ton of potential without a lengthy track record, Jordan Love is basically the 2020 version of Josh Allen. The Patriots have met with the Utah State QB so there is some interest, but this isn’t the type of player Belichick typically wants under center.
    • Random 6th round dart throw
      • Hey it worked for them once right?

Those are the best options barring a blockbuster move nobody sees coming, but the list of Free Agent quarterbacks is LITTERED with bums so pick your poison. If you don’t like any of the names above you can always pick from the likes of Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, AJ McCarron, Blaine Gabbert, Blake Bortles, Geno Smith ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ENOUGH. The point has been made.

An intriguing option nobody has mentioned is Kyle Allen, who had a pretty good stretch filling in for Cam Newton before falling back to Earth. The Panthers have said they are planning to roll with Newton in 2020, but Carolina may be wary of trading a solid backup with Newton’s health far from certain. Allen’s numbers weren’t exactly lights out finishing with 17 TDs, 16 INTs, 3,322 Yards, and an abysmal 6.79 Yards per Attempt, but he could be a dark horse candidate for a young QB the Pats think they can coach up.

So lets all just pray to the old gods and the new that Tom Brady doesn’t go anywhere, but if he does who do you want under center next season?

Jerry Jeudy Had a Real Curb Your Enthusiasm Moment at the NFL Combine

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NY Post – Jerry Jeudy was a five-star recruit coming out of Deerfield Beach, Fla., but that does not explain why he proudly and boldly wears a gold six-pointed Star of David around his neck.

Jeudy sported the necklace Tuesday as he took the podium at the NFL Combine, with the Jewish star on full display. Jeudy got the idea after hearing how many people shorten his last name when they referred to him.

“People call me ‘Jew’ for short,” he explained. That prompted him to get the Jewish star, which he wore while playing at Alabama.

“I’m not Jewish, though,” he said.

So this happened at the NFL Combine last week, but I never got a chance to blog it and I couldn’t let the story pass without touching on it. The Alabama product is the top rated wide receiver and is projected to go in the first handful of picks in the draft so this became a headline. Now I don’t watch a ton of Bama games so I have no idea if this nickname is a long time thing or not, but Jeudy was rocking a blinged out Star of David necklace at his combine press conference. Plenty of athletes have diamond encrusted Jesus pieces so this is no different. Except Jeudy isn’t actually Jewish. Nope, he said he wears the chain because his nickname is “Jew/Jeu.” Predictably Jeudy had to apologize on twitter for potentially offending anyone, but when I heard this I was howling. This is an episode synopsis right out of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

“Larry’s long suffering football team the New York Jets drafts Jerry Jeudy, but when Larry learns of the receiver’s Star of David necklace he must decide between his religion and his football team.”

Happy Birthday Malcolm Butler and Thank You for Super Bowl XLIX

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Malcolm, Go! Happy birthday to the guy that secured hands down my favorite title in all my years as a Boston sports fan. Sure the 2004 Red Sox reversed the curse, the 2008 Celtics showed us Anything is Possible, the 2001 Patriots was more improbable, the 2011 Bruins were the first B’s team since the 70s to win, but the 2014 Patriots will always be my favorite championship.

In 2014 it had been 10 years since the Patriots had won the big one (cry me a river long suffering sports fans) and despite multiple cracks at it, the Pats had only come up with heart breaking defeats. The 2006 AFC Championship, the 2007 Super Bowl, the 2011 Super Bowl, the 2012 AFC Championship, the 2013 AFC Championship. Doubt was starting to creep into everyone’s minds about whether the Patriots and Tom Brady would ever win another one. Sure Brady already had 3 rings, but that left him smack dab in the middle of the GOAT discussion and far too close to guys like Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning for my liking. At 36-years-old the Patriots were already (prematurely) planning for Brady’s exit by drafting Jimmy G. With this being the most successful team I’ll ever see in my lifetime, I was obsessed with the Patriots maximizing their window. I was frothing at the mouth for title No. 4 (let alone 5, and 6) to cement Brady as the best to ever do it. So SB XLIX was a monumental victory for Brady and Belichick’s legacy plus it happened in the most spectacular, unbelievable fashion. Some people might call it luck that Pete Carroll decided to run it from the 1-yard-line…

Whatever, I’ll take a little luck after the Helmet Catch, the Mario Manningham sideline catch, and not to mention the Jermain Kearse catch in XLIX that nearly caused me to smash my flatscreen just moments before the Butler INT even happened.

Things may not have ended all that well for Butler in New England, what with his benching in the Eagles Super Bowl, but hey thats a scarlet letter that Bill has to wear for the rest of his career. Patriots fans will forever love the part-time player turned Super Bowl hero.

So if you have 12 minutes to kill, definitely revisit the greatest play in Super Bowl history with this clip from the Patriots’ Do You Job special. Happy 30th, Malcolm.

Taco Bell Cantina AKA the Best Club in Vegas is Coming to Boston Reportedly

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You know how many years I have spent complaining about the lack of Taco Bells in the Boston area? They actually just opened one downtown a couple of months ago, but before that there was one in the Cambridgeside Galleria food court and that was it. The next closest locations were in Revere, West Roxbury, and Quincy. 7,000+ locations and there was only one in Boston, what an absolute crime. So I’m all for any semblance of Taco Bell expansion in town, but now I learn that there may be a Taco Bell CANTINA coming to town??

If you’re unfamiliar with the Taco Bell Cantina concept then you my friend are missing out. Theres only a handful of these glorious locations in the country and the one on the strip is legitimately the best club in Las Vegas. I’m not even joking. Just look at this clip I had on my phone from when I was in Vegas last year.

Again, that is a Taco Bell.

The place serves booze, has a DJ, and is just general debauchery with a side of Doritos Locos Tacos.

Now for the location. I love it because its pretty close to my house, but to drop this place directly across the street from a major college in Boston University is BOLD. BU isn’t exactly Arizona State, but I guarantee there is still going to be 19-year-old sorority girls passed out face down in their fourth meal on the regular.

Live mas, indeed.

Local Rant: Boston Taxi Industry

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This blog is in response to this headline. Not the story because I didn’t read it and don’t care. Just the headline. That’s it. That’s my intro.

Befuckinleave it or not, your pal Joey B is actually a college graduate. That’s right, got a diploma and everything. Sits in a drawer in my bedroom right next to my passport, a couple of ties, and an empty pack of Trojans that I leave there so I can do the old “::shrug::, looks like I’m all out.” What did I study? Economics.

Now when you take your first econ course, be it in high school or college, the first thing the teacher/professor will tell you is that economics has nothing to do with money. This is a hipster douchebag thing to say because really yes it fucking does. Economics nowadays focuses on how much money is being tossed around and for what. But if I’m not being a dick then yes, they’re right when all is said and done because currency in and of itself is a fairly modern invention and before we had it, and even after, we used concepts like the barter system to acquire goods and services.

The easiest way to define economics is: the study of what people want and need – and inversely can supply – and what we are willing to do/part with in order to get it, layered on top of the behaviors that come about from the levels of those wants and needs. Basically, what do we want, is it available and if so how much of it, what are we willing to do to get it, and how do any of those variables change when one of the other ones do. Think of a hoodie but with a billion strings, if you pull one what happens to the rest?

The economy, especially when it came to new vs. old products, was easier to study when we were just talking about round stones, then wheels, then pelts. But as more and more shit has been invented and technology has boomed, truly new ideas have become less and less a thing. So how do you make a new business/product? You “disrupt” a current market. Basically, you look at the way things have been done in a certain market for ages (going back to econ 101: what have people always wanted from that market and what have they done to get it) and figured out a way to do it a little better – whether that is providing it in a way that is easier for the consumer, cheaper etc. Think cell phones to landlines, AirBnB to hotels, and yes, rideshares to taxis.

People act like rideshares came out of the clouds because they are cheaper than taxis, which is usually but not always true. But for me personally it comes down mostly to one thing:

Boston taxi drivers are raging assholes.

Taxis are unreliable, considering I live equidistant between two bars that are PACKED on the weekends and down the street from a busy brewery and never see one ready to offer rides. Taxis are indeed usually more expensive, especially if, you know, you’re trying to go to or come from somewhere where one usually needs something like, I don’t know, a fucking taxi (airport, etc.). But most of all, taxi drivers are. Fucking. Assholes.

There’s no need to sternly demand cash (I also think it’s either not legal or against their protocol). There’s no need to be rude and seem so pissed off. There’s no need to yell at me that there’s traffic. I too don’t like traffic. I also did not cause said traffic. Did I know there was traffic? Why yes I did. However seeing as I don’t own a magical broom like Harry fucking Potter and also didn’t feel like using public transportation, I decided to employ your services as a TAXI DRIVER to get me to my destination. I am also paying you. Because it’s your job.

You know who drives people around but isn’t a little bitch about it? Uber and Lyft drivers. You know who doesn’t blame you for every bad turn their life has ever taken? Uber and Lyft drivers. Sure, they might talk too much sometimes, have bad taste in music on occasion, or have no logical sense of temperature, but at least they aren’t the single most curmudgeoned fucking person on the planet at that very moment. Taxi drivers are.

So that is why your industry is dying. That is why you’re on your knees, fellating lawmakers to save you. Because you’re an asshole. Because we found a market alternative to the unbearable notion that the person driving us hated our guts.

You did this to yourself.