BREAKING: The Patriots Just Placed Stephen Gostkowski on Injured Reserve

By on • ( Leave a comment )

So news broke earlier today that the Patriots were working out free agent kickers, which as Mike Reiss pointed out, the Pats do this ever year at a number of positions just to cover their asses.

So no big deal really?

Well it turns out it wasn’t just a ploy to bring in some competition for Gostkowski, it was a legitimate injury concern as the Pats just placed their kicker on IR. As bad as Gostkowski has been this year with 4 missed PATs, I’m not any more excited for a street free agent to now be handling kicking duties.

This also raises the question is this it for Gostkowski in a Patriots uniform? The team put him on IR, which means technically they could bring him back later this year, but you only get two of those a season and the Pats already have some key guys on IR:

  • Isaiah Wynn
  • James Devlin
  • N’Keal Harry

So are you really going to bring back a kicker over your (alleged) franchise LT or your first round Wide Receiver? Nope. Gostkowski has one year left on his deal, but at 35 years old with a cap hit of 5.4M next year, this could be it for him if it is any type of significant injury.

Let the kicking chaos continue.

Has Anyone Ever Been Cucked Harder Than Kirk Cousins?

By on • ( Leave a comment )

CBSSports – The Minnesota Vikings‘ offense was almost completely shut down by the Chicago Bears in Week 4…..”At some point, you’re not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL,” Thielen said, per The Athletic. “That’s when you have to be able to throw the ball…….Kirk Cousins seems to have taken the criticism to heart, or at least realized that Thielen was correct.

Geeeeeesh. It’s hard to even begin to unpack everything happening here.

First, there’s the vaunted “it” factor teams look for in QBs. It’s what makes someone a natural leader and a complete alpha male and every team desperately wants their franchise QB to have “it”. For all of his flaws, it definitely seemed, at least in college and early in his pro career, that Kirk Cousins was full of piss and vinegar. He was fiery. He had passion. He wanted to win. Needless to say, it seems like that flame has burnt out. The Vikings thought they got the QB who shouted “YOU LIKE THAT?!” at a herd of bewildered Washington Redskins beat reporters. What they have now seems to be a QB who meekly asks his receivers “how do you like that?” in regards to the sandwich he has prepared them for lunch. Quite the 180.

On that note, what does this say for Cousins and his receivers? For the offense as a whole? How can they soldier on with the usual power dynamic of an NFL offense so badly shifted. You have your QB, terrified to attempt a downfield pass, now tucking his tail between his legs and apologizing to a wide receiver for his shortcomings. That is a brutal reality for that team and kind of feels like a point of no return.

The worst part about all this is the Vikings owe Cousin for this season and $29m and change for 2020 GUARANTEED. It honestly could end up being a Brock Osweiler situation where they trade Cousins and some extra incentives to a team to just take on his salary. Who knows, maybe they’ll even make Thielen the head of personnel and ask him who they should pick up to stand under center since he’s calling the fucking shots anyway.

The NFL man. Never a dull moment.

Korean Golfer Gets THREE YEAR Ban for Flipping Off Some Fans

By on • ( Leave a comment )

ESPN – The Korean Tour has suspended current money leader Bio Kim for three years after he made an obscene gesture to fans during the final round of a tournament this past weekend…Kim reacted angrily after a cellphone camera went off during his downswing. His drive ended up going about 100 yards, according to the Korea Herald.

After the poor shot, Kim, 29, turned to the crowd, flipped off fans and slammed his driver into the ground. The incident was captured on live TV in Korea.

On Monday, the Korean Professional Golfers’ Association, which operates the Korean Tour, voted unanimously to suspend Kim for the next three years. It also fined him about $8,350 in U.S. currency. In a statement, the Korean Tour said: “Kim Bi-o damaged the dignity of a golfer with etiquette violation and inappropriate behavior.”

Korean Shooter McGavin over here is clearly part of the not fucking around crew.

Damn you people go back to your shanties! Three years seems a bit harsh for flipping the bird no? I know I’ve done a lot worse on the golf course after a shitty shot. Granted I’m *paying* for the privilege of drinking 6 beers before noon and throwing my club into the woods, but hey golf is frustrating no matter the level.

I’ve never understood the unwritten rules of golf and the expected silence on the course. Sure you shouldn’t be blowing air horns on the course (even if you have bursitis), but if you can’t deal with the sound of a camera snapping a photo then maybe you’re not ready for primetime.

The 300s Fantasy Football Round Up – Week 4

By on • ( Leave a comment )

I feel like each week I’ve said something along the lines of “we now know what we have” in terms of our fantasy teams and players but doesn’t it feel like after Week 4 we know the same about overall, actual NFL football teams? Like at this point we know who is good or could be and who is ass. It’s an interesting place to be only 1/4 of the way through the year.

Still, weird things continue to happen. The Pats got more from the Bills than we thought they would and Mason Rudolph won a professional football game. Strange times indeed.

Anyway, let’s take a look under the fantasy football hood and see how we did.

Lippa (2-2)

Rough week for your boy as I got no touchdowns outside of my QB. Usually a recipe for disaster, especially when I was going up against Kyle’s first place team. We’ve got to take a serious look at this squad going forward as it’s full of underachievers. Although it’s only a matter of time until Sammy Watkins pops off again. That offense is too good. We’re going to have to back into the waiver bog full of Daltons and Cousins (ew!) for a QB again with Stafford on bye. Perhaps it’s Gardner Minshew SZN, we shall see.


FUCKING Red (more on that later) (1-3)

Ya boy finally got on the board with his first W of the year and it could not have come at a better time. 0-3 is a hole, 0-4 is a death sentence. So shout out to Davante Adams and his 27 points that came at the expense of a toe injury so this win might end up actually sinking my season in the long run to be honest. Also Austin Hooper continues to be one of the best TE’s in the league with another 17 points after doing nothing the first two weeks of the season. Roller coaster ride engaged.

Dom (2-2)

Woof. I had a rough week. I was projected to win all of my contests this week, and ended up losing all of them. The Scruffy Looking Nerfherders finally came down to earth. James Conner broke out, but with TY out, Mack getting hurt, Brady and the Rams defense not showing up at all, I couldn’t even muster 100 points. Here’s to a Week 5 rebound.

Joey B (0-4)

I had a hard enough time waking up to find out I was now 0-4, then I received Red’s correspondence where he declared my record a death sentence. Hey fuck you pal. A week ago we were brothers in sorrow, now you’re sitting pretty with one win, swirling your brandy, throwing coins on the ground and watching me chase after them as they scatter. The silver lining is that I won my weekly office pool despite Andy Dalton’s best efforts to lose me both the fantasy week and the pot.

Papa G (4-0)

I’ve somehow arrived at 4-0. Lamar Jackson has leveled off these past two weeks so it’s really a team effort we got going on. Ekeler had what will probably be his last massive performance for me, now that Gordon is coming back. Conner has been meh lately given the Steelers’ lackluster start. I have to tip my cap to Lippa for having an off week, because without it I don’t see how I win this week under normal circumstances. No complaints from me though!

 

I’m Not a Tall Person, But What the Bruins Have Done to the Seats is Criminal

By on • ( Leave a comment )

This is criminal. Unless you are planning to sit up in The 300s with myself and the mutants over at Table 9, you and your knees are in for a rude awakening.  Apparently as part of the new TD Garden renovations the Bruins and Celtics have eliminated the antiquated idea of “leg space.” I am a card carrying member of the 5’8″ Brigade and even I was getting anxiety just seeing the above picture.

As you probably are aware, TD Garden removed all of the old yellow seats in the Loge section and replaced them with these new black seats.

Oh they also somehow added 500 more seats. How?

Well they clearly weren’t blowing out any walls so they had to stuff those seats somewhere. Well it looks like they shoehorned them into the Loge section so all you rich people are getting shafted. Personally, I never sit down with the fancy folk in Loge so this probably won’t affect me all that much, but its still a pretty blatant money grab that the Bruins and Celtics should frankly be above, but hey honors in the dollar kid.

True to Form the Red Sox Bullpen Blew Eduardo Rodriguez’ 20th Win

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Thats 31 blown saves on the year for anyone counting, solidifying my position that the Closer by Committee analytics bozos can go shit in a hat. The 6th inning is not the same as the 9th inning, even if your calculator says so. The Red Sox struggled all year long and not having a lockdown closer waiting in the bullpen was a huge reason why. Sure there were massive injuries to the starting rotation and major letdown seasons from a host of players, but those are things you can’t necessarily plan for. Having a bullpen is something you can plan. Now I’m not saying I would have given Craig Kimbrel the gigantic contract he wanted because he hasn’t been very good this year either, but I would have brought in someone who actually has “Closer” on their resume. Thats just smart business. But the Red Sox punted on smart business the day after winning the World Series last year and once again falling into the trap of thinking they’re smarter than everyone else. Its a goddamn cycle in this town.

TLDR; My guy Eduardo Rodriguez got screwed out of the only accomplishment that would have given me a little optimism heading into what will likely be a nuclear winter for the Sox.

The 300s Fantasy Football Round Up – Week 3

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Blogger’s Note: Sorry for the tardiness this week. Big time snooze button week for the boys at The 300s. Leave us alone.

Welcome back. Week 3 has come and gone already. So have the playoff hopes of many of your favorite teams. Sorry I’m not sorry. Anyway, it was an interesting week in fantasy football, particularly within this modest enterprise. Losers became winners. Winners became losers. Some things didn’t change. Let’s check it out.


Biz Z (2-1)

Week 3 was a good week for the Z Men. A very good week. We rolled up 191 points. A personal record, and the highest one-week total in the 12-year history of my league. My only regret was starting Allen Robinson over Brandin Cooks. That kept me from hitting two bills. (Side note – my league’s scoring system is a bit goofy. Even in a standard Yahoo league I would’ve posted 159.)


Dom (2-1)

The Scruffy Looking Nerfherders did it again. Led by a 43 point showing by Keenan Allen and rounded out by solid games by Brady, Zeke, TY Hilton, Marlon Mack, I hardly noticed the duds by Conner and Andrews. Conner is really starting to frustrate me, but luckily I have the depth to wait him out or try to make a 2 for 1 trade. I’m only 5 points back of the league lead in points, so I’m feeling great going into Week 4.

Joey B (0-3)

I would have finally gotten on the board had I started recently acquired Rex Burkhead. But I did not. Did I err in starting someone else? Nope, just simply forgot to sub him in. “Things fall apart, the center cannot hold.”


Red (0-3)

Another week, another painful fantasy loss for your boy. This one was especially tough to swallow because my opponent jumped into the way back machine to pull out the W. I lost by 4 points after Lesean fucking Mccoy went off for 21 points like it was 2013 again. It also did not help that Ezekiel Elliott’s own backup outscored him by 5 points with garbage time points. Goddamnit.

 

Mattes (3-0)

My entire team dominated this week, and I ended up being the third-highest scorer yet again. That’s now three-straight top-three finishes, and I cannot believe how great of a start it’s been. Even my flexes showed out this week, as I got unreal performances from both Sterling Shepard and Rex Burkhead. Dak, Dalvin, and Kelce continue to roll; Kerryon is at least getting volume and is due to explode soon; Thielen finally got a bit more involved on Sunday; and my bench is still stacked, with Scary Terry McLaurin set to get his first start this week as well. I’m waiting for the inevitable crash and burn, but I’ll take 3-0!!!

 

Lippa (2-1)

A solid 138 point week from my team to move to 2-1. Things were looking a little hazy when Mike Evans scored a bazillion points in the first half of his game, but Tyler Lockett and Alvin Kamara balled out in the second half of that Seahawks/Saints game to get me up to 2-1. Next week QB streaming continues, as Josh Allen goes to the waiver bog, and Matthew Stafford, your time is now, as you face a porous Chiefs secondary.

 

Tacko Fall: Hooper, Swimmer

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Boston.com – Alongside the children taking swim lessons at the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club Wednesday afternoon was none other than 7-foot-7 Celtics center Tacko Fall.

Nearly twice the size of his comrades, if not taller, Fall fully participated in the session, practicing introductory exercises like kicking and pushing off the wall. A round of “Marco Polo” capped the 30-minute lesson.

There are many people who walk this earth who are good at something. There are even some that are great. There are a small few though, who are truly excellent, transcending 99% of the population in that one activity or area of interest.

For most of those that have found that one thing they are truly extraordinary at, that’s it. They stick to it, continue to get even better, and beat the drum of their remarkable skills over and over and over again.

Why? Well for one why the hell not? You have found something you can do better than almost anyone. Even if it doesn’t bring you money and fame, which it almost certainly does, especially in this day and age of internet sponsorships, etc., it brings you an overwhelming amount of personal satisfaction for sure. You feel fulfilled.

But the other reason that lurks in the dark recesses of someone like that’s mind is simply this: the fear of starting over in something new. Being a beginner. Having to start from the bottom, among the 99%, and figure a whole different lane as if you’re just another average human. Case in point John Wayne Parr. The greatest non-Thai Nak Muay in the history of Muay Thai. Absolute savage. But as MMA made it’s way into the mainstream and Muay Thai continued to toil in relative obscurity, JWP was not among the many top shelf fighters (from not just Muay Thai, but many other single-discipline martial arts) to make the leap. Why? Well, many speculate that for someone as skilled standing up as he is, he didn’t want to start over. He simply didn’t want to put on a white belt and learn how to defend himself on the ground from scratch. He had too much pride, and I don’t question him for it. He earned it.

On the other side of that equation we have Tacko Fall, shot blocking and rim running extraordinaire. Unheralded athlete of the century. Possible All NBA center with a little greasing of some gears. He has made it to the pinnacle of professional basketball with one of its most storied franchises and took quite the road to get there. So does he rest on his laurels, work hard in the off-season to just perfect his basketball skills, and go hunting in Faneuil Hall for undergrads fresh off a Pumpkin Spice Latte high? Nope, he seeks greatness in another field.

Tacko has taken to the water. Already elite at standing on dry ground and participating in modern athletics, he is now zeroed in on becoming just as good aquatically. With that wingspan I can only imagine he’ll be treading water for 2 hours straight come November. Backstroke? Well one wave of the arm and he’ll be at the other end of the pool. Marco Polo as this article alludes to? Please. Only sub in the nominal phrase with “SWITCH!” and little Billy will be tagged out quicker than he can splash the lifeguard. Games set match Fall.

I look forward to seeing what becomes of this endeavor. Will he take his talents to the professional level? Will he save a heart surgeon’s trophy wife from a great white in Chatham? Who knows. The sky, or should I say the seabed, is the limit.

-Joey B

What’s Dom Drinking Now? Fall Edition

By on • ( 1 Comment )

I can tell you what I’m not drinking. Pumpkin beer. I’ll leave that to all the basic bitches and whatever their male equivalent is. For me, fall is all about Oktoberfest and cocktails. I’ll write about my favorite Oktoberfest beers in a later post. Right now I’m drinking a classic cocktail with a seasonal twist.

Image result for cranberry cinnamon moscow mule

THE MASSHOLE MULE

As I’ve said in the past, I’m no mixologist, so this drink may very well be called something else. I came up with the name because I’m using ingredient made in Massachusetts, specifically Triple Eight Cranberry Vodka from Nantucket and a Mass-made hard cider, in this Moscow Mule spinoff. As many people know, a typical Moscow Mule is 3 parts ginger beer to one part vodka with a splash of lime juice and a lime wedge served in a copper mug. My recipe tinkers with that due to the addition of hard cider, but it’s not all that different in the end.

THE RECIPE

2oz dry cider
2oz ginger beer
1 1/2oz cranberry vodka
2 dashes of cinnamon
lime wedge

Pour vodka over ice into a copper mug. Add ginger beer and dry cider, then stir in cinnamon. Serve with a stirring rod and garnish with a lime wedge.

THE INGREDIENTS

Image result for triple eight cranberry vodka
Triple Eight is the distillery side of the Cisco Brewing operation, and they make great fruit-flavored vodkas.

As I mentioned before, I’m using Triple Eight Cranberry Vodka. For those not familiar with Triple Eight, they are the distillery side of the Cisco Brewing operation located on Nantucket. They make really delicious flavored vodkas that typically come in under $30 a bottle. I would absolutely recommend this over any name brand flavored product.

Image result for lookout farm original
Lookout Farm is located in Natick, MA and has recently started brewing beer.
Image result for bantam wunderkind
Bantam is located in Somerville, MA and uses a sparkling wine yeast for a beautifully dry, bubbly cider.

For cider, you can go with any dry cider, but a few I recommend from Massachusetts are Lookout Farm Farmhouse Original and Bantam Wunderkind. Downeast Original would work too, but it will be a little sweeter.

Old Favorite Ginger Beers
A good ginger beer can be the difference between a good cocktail and a great cocktail.

The last ingredient, the ginger beer, is the least important in my opinion. That being said, a high quality ginger beer can be the difference between a good drink and a great drink. I prefer Barritt’s to Gosling’s, and a spicier option, such as Maine Root or Fever Tree, to either of those.

That’s it for this edition of WDDN, I hope you enjoy the drink! Check back in next time to see which Oktoberfest beers top my list!

The Red Sox Front Office is a “Miserable Place to Work” Just Like Your Job

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Yahoo – The last two men in charge of baseball operations – Ben Cherington and Dombrowski – were shown the door quickly after winning championships, and those moves are painting the Red Sox in a very bad light, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

“These decisions loosely frame the industry perception of the Red Sox as a chaotic company, a miserable place to work. Boston owner John Henry needs to understand this, because it is why some of the people he’d probably love to consider as possible replacements for Dombrowski privately dismiss the idea out of hand.”

Olney writes that some potential candidates have no interest in working for Henry, because they “doubt he’d have the patience to back his next general manager through the difficult crossroads ahead.”… A wide-held view in other front offices is that the highly respected and well-liked Red Sox president Sam Kennedy stands as a thin buffer between the team devolving to the level of the Mets, the team generally regarded by rival executives as baseball’s model for dysfunction. “If Sam ever walked away,” said one official, “the whole thing would be a complete mess.”

Well thats sobering to read for a team with 4 titles in the last 15 years. Are the Red Sox a complete mess of a franchise that wins in spite of its values, philosophy, and culture, not because of it? 100% Thats what happens when you have finishes of 1st, 1st, 1st, last, last, 1st, last over the previous seven years. So that is two World Series titles and three last place finishes across two GMs and three managers in seven years. Not exactly a model of consistency. In fact, the Sox have finished 15 or more games out of first place four times since 2012 (including 2019), which is the first time they had achieved that level of mediocrity since 1998.

But even with all that said for Buster Olney, one of the most well respected baseball writers in the country, to report that Fenway has become “a miserable place to work” is still startling.

I feel like I’m living in Groundhogs Day. Didn’t this same exact thing already happen a few years back? Am I the only one that read Feeding the Monster? Or the Francona book?

Those two books could not depict the highs and the lows of this organization any better than they already did.

Now for as much as we dump on the Mets for being an absolute circus:

It would seem the perception of the Red Sox, despite all their success, is not far off. That is ENRAGING as a fan of this team because it has been and should be one of the top 2 or 3 jobs in all of baseball. You have more money than almost any team to spend, a fan base that shows up and pays through the nose to support the team, and a roster built around home grown talent. Yet somehow we’ve arrived at a point where nobody of note even wants the job.

That all leads us to the most pressing question of all; who the hell is going to take the reigns for the Red Sox moving forward? I think we’re all in agreement that Theo Epstein returning would be a wet dream for everyone in town….but that ain’t happening. Olney makes it sound like nobody wants the job because John Henry has created an absolute shitshow of dysfunction at all levels, which is ironic because it all started when Henry chose a nearly 70 year old Larry Lucchino over Epstein all those years ago. During the Epstein era the Red Sox were a team of efficiency and consistency. The team boasted one of the best farm systems in baseball for years and supplemented homegrown guys like Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buccholz with high priced free agents. There was always a balance and the team rarely pushed all of its chips into the middle of the table to sacrifice the future for the present. Sure, what Dave Dombrowski did was exactly what John Henry brought him here to do. I don’t fault Dombrowski because we knew who he was when he got here. The Sox won a title, but absolutely ravaged the farm system to do it. Boston now has the worst farm system in Major League Baseball. He’s basically the baseball equivalent of Thanos.

Now Peter Abraham is making it sound like the Red Sox are very aware of this negative perception around the league and are resigned to promoting from within. According to Abraham it looks like the Sox are positioning the pieces that would point to an internal candidate being the next GM.

Maybe thats a good thing who knows. Maybe having a guy thats been with the organization for years and already understands the internal workings on Yawkey Way will benefit the team in the long run. Instead of slapping a band aid on things with a big name. However, the Sox better have a plan in place. Don’t just promote someone from within just because you couldn’t do any better. Pick a guy, develop a philosophy, and stick to it. Most importantly, give the guy the power to make the tough moves. The last thing this team needs is another puppet that just does the bidding of his bosses.

Just don’t tell me you’re letting a homegrown ace walk because you don’t sign pitchers over 30 and then sign a pitcher over 30 to the biggest contract ever given to a pitcher a year later. Your move, John Henry.