Sports Scene

2002-12-17T12:42:00.000-05:00

I want to take the time to thank all those who have taken the time to read this site and also my thoughts on the world of sports. It has been enjoyable to me to do this site. Unfortunately, for personal reasons, I will be cutting way back on the amount of posts that I do. I will still post from time to time, probably only when I have strong feelings on a certain subject. I have enjoyed reading your e-mails and responding to them. Please feel free to continue to e-mail. I will still respond to them. Thanks again.

While I am here, I might as well comment on the Pats game last night. I was talking to my buddy Dan yesterday and we were debating the importance of last night's game. I was explaining to him that it was strange, because regardless of last night's outcome, the Pats still win the division if they win their final two games. It's not often that one particular game really means nothing, but that was the case last night. Unfortunately, I think most of the Patriot players knew the same thing, because they played as if the game meant nothing. That's about as sorry a performance as I have seen them put on probably since Pete Carroll was here. I still think they'll rebound for the last 2 and play well, because they know those games mean something. Even still, it would have been nice to see a little bit of effort last night.

2002-11-12T15:31:00.000-05:00

Just a few quick notes today…

First, the Boston Metro is running a poll asking if the Patriots deserved to win on Sunday. To me, this is a foolish question. It is times like this that The Metro shows that it is the ‘new kid on the block’. Reading the Metro each day, they consistently ask foolish questions and routinely get the facts wrong in sports stories that they reports on. For instance, in today’s article about the Celtic\Jazz game, this is reported: “After losing a 15 point lead in the third quarter, the Celtics turned things around with a strong inside game from Vin Baker….”.
The most glaring mistake is that Utah did not make a run in the third quarter. They made their run in the second quarter. It may seem like a little thing, but it happens every day. I’m kicking myself now for not keeping tabs on all the mistakes so I could list more of them. I don’t mean to nitpick, but it has become too common. Whoever the editor is needs to spend more time reviewing the stories and make sure they are correct. Either that, or make sure whoever is reporting on the game has actually watched it. The other option is to spend the money and use the AP’s story. Just get it right.
A smaller issue but still a mistake is saying that Vin Baker turned things around for the Celts. Sure, Vin had his best all around game as a Celtic, but to say he turned the game around for them? I think he had 5 points in the 3rd quarter. All 5 were big and came at opportune times, but they did not turn the game around. Again, watch the games if you are going to report on them.

Anyways, getting back to the Patriots poll, it does not matter if the Pats deserved to win.

Remember the scene in ‘Unforgiven’, when Clint Eastwood is about to kill Gene Hackman and Hackman says, “I don’t deserve this”? Clint looks at him and says, “Deserving’s got nothin to do with it”.

That’s the NFL this year. With so many teams so close in the standings, it really doesn’t matter if you deserve to win or not. All that matters is that you win. That’s what the Patriots did. When is the last time that after 10 games, 18 teams still had legit chances to make the playoffs? It’s been a while. So the poll is foolish and another sign that the Metro is out of touch. I don’t mean to criticize unjustly, but it has gotten on my nerves to the point where I had to say something. If you read the Metro, I’m sure you know what I mean.

My second item of the day has nothing to do with sports. If that’s all you care about, then don’t read on. Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about this next subject, (I know, I know…as if I know anything about sports), but I’m going to weigh in on it anyways.

A few weeks ago there was a fire in South Boston and a young girl was killed. Firemen had trouble getting to the building because there were cars double parked and the streets are very narrow as it is. Firefighters felt that the delay in reaching the building may have cost them valuable time in the efforts to save the girl. So the mayor is making new parking restrictions to try and eliminate this from happening again. There will be many new rules with regards to parking and the fines for illegal parking are going way up. Now, I have no doubt that the parking situation hindered the firefighters from getting there as soon as they could. Maybe if they got there sooner the girl would have lived. If new laws can help firemen get to a fire sooner, then they should be put in place.

My problem, though, is that I feel that the real issue, in at least this particular case, has been overlooked. This particular fire never should have happened. You see, it was the girl’s father who accidentally set the fire. He has emphysema, and the disease has progressed to the point that he needs an oxygen tank to assist him in breathing. You would think that someone like that would give up smoking, after seeing what it had done to him. But this gentleman had continued to smoke. On this particular day, when this gentleman attempted to light his cigarette, it ignited the oxygen tank, caused an explosion, and lit the house on fire. Again, I am not 100% familiar with the story, so if I got any of the minor details wrong, I apologize. And I am not saying that all the blame should go to the father. But this was a perfect opportunity for authorities to show, especially young people, how horrible smoking is and what it can do. Because of smoking, in this family the father has a horrible disease and the daughter is dead. But instead the big issue is how because someone was double parked, a young girl died. It just bothered me that the bigger issue was missed.

2002-11-08T10:20:00.000-05:00

Theres a couple notes of interest in the papers today. Shaq and Kobe did some interesting interviews. First, it's good to see visiting teams starting to recognize the Celtic Mystique again. Take a look at this quote from Kobe in Steve Bulpett's article:

``I told Paul Pierce it was like the old days - Larry and Magic,'' he said. ``It felt good. It was just one of those battles. It felt good to be a part of that. That damn leprechaun is still walking around the rafters I guess.''

I love that! It's good to see teams thinking in that way again. It used to be when a visiting team came in, if a few things started going wrong for them, they would get that "here we go again" attitude. It would be great to see the C's get that back. To get teams thinking about leprechaun's and Red. It's just good to see that creeping back in.

Anyone living up in the great state of Maine needs to look out!! Shaq is on the way! Jackie MacMullan has a great piece with Shaq in today's Globe. Shaq talks about retirement and the things he wants to do then. Included is this piece about his real estate ventures:

"In the meantime, he continues to buy low-income properties, fix them up, help revitalize the community, then turn them around for a hefty profit. He has done this in Colorado, Georgia, and New York, and is researching a new business venture in Maine."

Wow! Shaq in Maine?!? Imagine the Big Fella hanging out at Hussey's General Store on a Saturday morning? Shooting the breeze with the guys at the local dump while dropping off his trash? The possibilities are endless. Of course, Shaq does not want to move to Maine. He is only interested in the money he can get from the properties. Even still, I found it interesting that of every place that Shaq could be buying properties, he is looking in Maine.

As for the game itself, the C's looked better than they have at any point this year. The Lake Show is probably the first quality opponent they have faced, even without Shaq. They still have a way's to go, but it was the first game that instilled some kind of confidence in me, even though Vin Baker is still completely useless.

Dan Shaughnessy is at it again. He claims that Zito rightfully won the Cy Young Award. I have no problem with Zito winning because he had a great year. I fell that Pedro had a better year and should have won but it's not like the award went to some bum instead. My problem is Shaughnessy's reasoning on the matter. He claims that Pedro did not win the award because he did not make his final start. That is a foolish claim. Some quotes from Danno, with my comments following:

"The Sox still had seven games left when Pedro won his 20th and announced, ''This is it ... I don't have anything else to prove. I'm done. I'm not running. I'm not doing anything. I'm not going to take a chance of getting hurt in my next outing.''
Those comments came three days before the Red Sox were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs."

** The problem with that is that everyone knew that the Sox were out of it with 7 games left. Not mathematically, but the Angels would basically have needed to lose every game while the Sox won every game. The Angels did lose quite a few there at the end which made it look closer than it was, and at that time Pedro said that if the Sox were still in it when his turn came up, that he would pitch.

"After Zito won his 23d game on the final day of the season, Oakland closer Billy Koch reacted to Pedro's shutdown, saying, ''I think it's selfish and shows what kind of player he is. You have an obligation to the guys on your team. Everybody knows he flat-out has the best stuff in the game. He should lead by example. Barry goes out and gets the job done. Hands down, he should be the Cy Young.'' "

** Lets play role reversal. Let's say that Oakland was out of the race and Zito was still recovering from a career threatening injury. He has already won 20 games. Do you think he goes out there on the last day of the season and risks getting hurt in a meaningless game? Not a chance. Say for instance, Pedro had made the last start and tore his shoulder apart. All we would hear from guys like Shaughnessy is how stupid the management was for risking injury in a game that meant nothing.

I guess it's just Shaughnessy being Shaughnessy. He hasn't written an article that made sense in years.

Bill Simmons explains his Unintentional Comedy Ratings scale. ESPN Page2 also looks at the 10 worst cancers ever to play in the NBA. Guess which Celtic made the list? Our new Golden Boy evidently sent a letter into ESPN as well.

2002-11-01T09:10:00.000-05:00

I've been a Celtic fan my whole life. I'm not as old as some to remember the 60's and 70's Celtic teams. I remember the teams of the 80's. I am a true fan, not a bandwagon fan. I give my all to the team. No offense to those who turn off games where they are getting blown out, but I never turn off games. I watch each and every one from start to finish. Even last nights, right down to the 'love fest' interview with Jordan afterwards. I feel like watching all the bad times will make the good times more enjoyable. It has been very hard to watch this team for the past decade. But I wanted to stick it out. I have probably watched every game but 6 or 7 a year over the last 10 years. I watched friend after friend abandon ship and stop following the team as they continued to get worse until I was down to only one that still faithfully watched games.

So last year felt great. Even though they were winning unconventionally, they were winning again. It felt good. It felt like they were on the way up again. Then Paul Gaston screwed us. I don't want to call him the most despicable human being because there are some bad ones out there, (Bin Laden, Saddam, Castro), but I will say that I think he is the most despicable person in the world of sports. Because of his own selfish greed, he tore the team apart. He saw a chance to make some money and he went for it at the expense of the entire Celtic Fan base. Most people try and make as much money as possible, but it has been stated that it should be different when it comes to owning a sports team. It's not like Gaston would have been in the poor house without the extra money. He simply did it out of greed. I think I may dislike him as much as any other person on this earth.

Even still, why did Celtic management make the moves they did? We know they weren't allowed to sign Rodney. But did Gaston hold a gun to Wallace's and Obrien's heads and force them to trade for Baker? I don't think so. They have said it was the only trade they could make. If that's the case, weren't they better off making no trade at all? Some say, 'but then you'd lose Kenny's salary slot'. At this point, I don't see how that would have made them worse than they are now. Maybe it would have been better to just let his contract run out. I have stated on this site that not only was the Baker trade the worst in Celtic history, but that it might be the worst in NBA history. I stand by that statement.

What about some of the other guys that have been signed? Sundov? I was made sick watching him fire three's with reckless abandon last night. Bremer? Maybe the worst shooter I have ever seen. I've seen him twice in person now and I have no idea how he made this team. Wolkowyski? Vitaly, oh Vitaly, where have you gone?

The team has taken as big a jump backwards this year as they took forwards last year. Unfortunately, I think we are stuck for a while. There is no way that anyone on the coaching or management staff will be fired during the year. Make no mistake though... O'brien, Wallace, and Papile need to go. They haven't a clue. More and more I am beginning to believe that the success last year was mostly attributed a fresh year without Pitino, and some other things falling into place. This group butchers drafts, has no idea how to teach rookies, and has no clue how to teach offense. This team has no discipline, no rebounding, no offense, and apparently no defense. I don't know enough about the assistant coaches to know if any of them should be kept around. Harter is the only one that I feel should stay. Maybe a horrible year will convince the new owners that they all need to be fired. Even after that, we have 3-4 years before anything can be done to remedy the situation. It's 1997 all over again, and we need someone to come in and clean house. This time it needs to be someone who knows what they are doing.

I waited 10 years for a good team and finally got it. Now it has been ripped out from under me. I don't know if I have it in me to wait through another 3 or 4 losing seasons. Last night felt all too familiar. I don't want to go through that again. Pierce's and Walker's primes are being wasted. I will always bleed green, but right now I feel wounded and I don't know if I can recover.

2002-10-28T10:36:00.000-05:00

The Celtics looked a bit better on Friday against the Wizards than they have looked the rest of the pre-season. I had pretty decent seats and was able to get a good look at the action. I arrived at the FleetCenter around 6:45. Around 7:20 I was walking around the concourse and was surprised to see Vin Baker out there. He had a couple security guys around him and looked as if he was looking for someone. Maybe he was lost himself. Maybe he was looking for a friend or family member to show them to their seat. Whatever the case, it struck me that he should have been preparing for the game instead. It just seems someone in his position should not be wandering around 10 minutes before tipoff.

I still feel the same about the Celtics for this upcoming year. I think they will do well against the lower echelon teams but will struggle to beat anyone good. They may win a game here or there against a good team, and may squeak into the playoffs, but they won't go far. Thanks again Gaston.

As for the Patriots, who knows what to say? I'm not providing links because frankly I don't feel like reading all the negativity myself. I am still in the camp that thinks they can make a run. You don't win championships by accident. I really believe they became very confident after the first two games. They were still underdogs. No one was picking them. They thrive under those circumstances. Everyone on Sports Final already said they have zero chance to beat the Bills. Anyone think they'll be favored against the Raiders? So maybe they are getting back into the types of situations where they can succeed. At least I hope that's the case. If the Pats keep on losing, and the C's struggle as I think they might, I may have to start watching hockey again just to see what it is like to watch a winning team. I hoped things would never get back to that point, but who knows?

(That's not a shot at the Bruins either. I am thrilled to see them start well, especially when not many people picked them to do so. It's just that of the 4 major sports, hockey comes 4th for me. It takes a lot for me to watch hockey.)

Doesn't Rick Fox need to get a lengthy suspension? It's one thing to get in a fight in the heat of a moment, but then to wait to attack the same guy again is totally different. In a court setting, going back to the scene of the crime helps a prosecutor use the pre-meditated thing against a defendant. Well wasn't what Fox did pre-meditated then? It was a cowardly thing what Fox did, and the NBA needs to do something about it. I doubt it will though due to David Stern's love affair with the Lakers.

ESPN Page2 has put together 10 reasons why the Expo's would be better for Boston than the Red Sox are. Kind of weak but I linked it anyways.

Page2 also wonders if Tara Reid is to blame for Tom Brady's slump. Am I the only one who though of "The Natural" as soon as I first heard about Brady and Reid? Unfortunately, it does not appear as though Brady is getting back on track as Redford did.

Congratulations to the Angels. I told a friend of mine back in July that the Angels were the least of the Sox concerns as to who they would battle for a playoff spot. Shows how smart I am.

2002-10-18T10:05:00.000-04:00

I was at the Celtics game last night in Manchester. I'll start by giving some praise to the designers of the arena up there. It's a very nice building and a good place to watch basketball. Even the worst seats way up at the top I think are closer than the front row seats of the balcony at the Fleetcenter. That's a good design figuring that there are 10,000 seats in the place. The only two issues I came across were the concourses and also the entrances. There's only about 10 doors in the front of the building to get in the place. The line was backed up way down the street. Could be a problem in bad weather. As for the concourses, they are very narrow. Almost impossible to get through where there are concession stands. Besides those two minor issues, they did a great job on the place.

As for the Celtics, that's another story. I know all the cliches about it only being pre-season, but this team does not look good. They may have the most pitiful looking offense that I have ever seen. There is no semblance of any rhyme, reason, or rhythm out there. It is literally just 5 guys running around with no idea what they are doing. I have seen more organized offenses in the pickup games at the gym I go to. This will turn into a major problem. I don't buy the 'they're masking the offense' excuse. Even when teams do that, they typically still look like an NBA team.
Baker is horrible. Sprained ankle or not, an NBA player at close to 7 feet should be able to score more than 2 points and get at least 1 rebound. He looks completely lost and I can hear the laughter all the way from Seattle.
At this rate, the team will struggle to beat anyone good. With Walker and Pierce, they will win their fair share of games, but few will come against quality teams.

My buddy and I left the building through the back door hoping to avoid all the people. As we were walking around, we saw the team busses so we figured we'd wait for the players to come out. Rodney Rogers and Kenyon Martin walked out together first. I yelled over to Kenyon and when he looked over I mentioned to him that it would help us out if he were to break both his legs this year rather than just one like a few years ago. Showing his true colors and showing the thug that he is, he proceeded to hit me with an expletive laced tirade. "F*** You, you little Punk A** B****!!" I wished Rodney well but I guess Kenyon hadn't had enough. After a few more F bombs, he invited me to come over and he would "break something on me." The chain link fence prevented that from happening. After giving me the finger and throwing in some more expletives, he got on the bus.
Called over to a few more of the Nets but they must know better than to talk to fans at opposing arenas. Most did not look over. Mutumbo waved and I told him to be careful throwing those elbows around. I don't know if he didn't hear me or just doesn't have a good mastery of English, because he said, "Yes, thank you, thank you."

(There was a kid who we saw sneak into the lot where the busses were and he hid between the 2 team busses. We figured he was waiting for autographs, but he just waited as player after player went by. Pierce, Kidd, Waltah... most players you would assume he was waiting for went by without him making his move. It turns out he was waiting for Mutumbo. Got his autograph and then ran out of the lot. Strange. Of everyone he could have been waiting for.....)

Had a quick conversation with Tony Battie. Asked him about his knee which he said "it's good, it's good." He had no noticeable limp. I've met Tony a few other times and he seems like a really nice guy. There is such a noticable difference in the demeanor of players on the Celtics as opposed to the Nets. I don't think it is just bias because of being a Celtic fan. The Nets just have guys that are easy to hate. Guys that beat their wives, guys that berate fans, they are all so pompous and arrogant...... you just don't see that on the C's. The contrast is stunning.

Had some brief banter with Gary Tanguay and Greg Dickerson as well. I told Greg to do everyone a favor and smack Felger upside the head. He just laughed. Talked a little bit about Pete Shepard which revealed some funny comments. Gary looked as if he was trying to think of something funny to say but couldn't think of anything. Seemed eerily similar to his TV show. Greg had some pretty funny things to say about Shepard but I don't want to reveal them here. E-mail me and I'll fill you in.

2002-10-03T08:55:00.000-04:00

Ya know.... it's a strange thing, but for me the Yankees being in the playoffs is almost the same as if the Red Sox were there, only opposite. Let me explain.
I've always been a Sox fan for as long as I can remember. Maybe it's just something that goes along with that, but I have also always hated the Yankees. That hate has grown quite a bit over the last 5 or 6 years though. Seeing the Yankees succeed year after year while the Sox have failed has not left a good feeling. As a result, I am almost to the point where seeing the Yankees lose brings as much joy as seeing the Sox win. Probably my second favorite sports memory over the last decade or so (Last years Superbowl obviously first), was seeing the Yankees lose in the World Series last year. I can not even explain how much joy that brought me. The feeling I had was the same as if one of my favorite teams had won the championship. It was very close to, and maybe even surpassed, the feeling I had after the Pats won the SB.

I bring all this up because I was thinking about it last night while watching the Yanks/Angels game. The Yankees seem to get the breaks so often and have everything fall into place so much that I was sure that Jeter was going to get a hit in the 8th inning. I was stunned when he struck out. Then in the 9th, again I was sure that the Yanks would rally and win. 2 on, 2 out, down by 2..... isn't that where the Yankees always come up with a hit to win the game? It made sense that Mondesi was up because it also seems like a mid-season pickup of the Yankees always has a huge postseason hit. But Mondesi popped it up. Game over. Angels win. And this wave of joy came over me as if the Red Sox were the team that had just tied the series.

I don't know if any other team brings me as much when I see them lose like the Yankees. The Lakers would probably be the closest. Just another team that, and don't get me wrong because I realize that they are both good teams, but it always seems as though both of those teams get the breaks needed to win. A team could have all the talent in the world, but usually something outside of the control of either team happens that really helps decide who wins. A bad hop in baseball that allows a guy to reach. A lucky 3-pointer to beat the clock from a guy who hasn't made, nor attempted one all year. Those are the breaks that the Lakers and Yankees always seem to get that without them, despite their being good teams, they probably wouldn't win as often. And I think that's why so many people hate those teams. And part of why I love it when they lose.

Admittedly, I am not a soccer fan and don't understand why any sport needs to play on field the size of Rhode Island. Even still, when a team wins their first ever playoff series, they deserve recognition and in this case, the first link of the day. Congrats to the Revs.

Nick Cafardo gives Michael Felger a little shot in his column today by saying that it's too early to claim the Patriots defense is getting old. Felger has no point anyways. The Pats defense has not showed signs of aging in the past 2 games. They have simply shown signs of a team that was jacked and pumped for the first 2 games because they had something to prove. Well, they proved it. Everyone was saying 16-0. Number 1 in all the National power ranking polls. So it was easier for them to sit back a little and maybe not give the same type of effort. That is what happened the last 2 weeks. Now it's up to them to get that intensity back and start hitting people again. Until they do that, the defense will struggle a little bit.

Jackie MacMullan takes the opportunity to rip Paul Gaston, who deserves every bit of it. I've been asked by numerous people what I think of the Celtics sale, and I haven't had much to say up to this point. Mostly this is because I know very little about the new owners. Sure, you can look up their history and their business track records. You can see how their companies have done and how much money they have made. But owning a sports franchise is a totally different animal from anything else. You can't say how someone will do until they show you. I don't think it is something that can be gaged. But after spending some time thinking about it, I have come to at least one conclusion: They can't be any worse than Gaston.
All Gaston ever cared about was money. Some have said that he spent money at certain times (Pitino, Walker, Pierce) and so you can't say that he was cheap. I don't agree with that reasoning. I think he had thoughts of selling the team as far back as 7 or 8 years ago. But he knew that the team needed to be better for him to get a good value for it. That is why he allowed Antoine to be signed long term, and why he signed Pitino a year later. He, like everyone else, thought Pitino would lead the team to glory. He figured within a few years, the team would be a contender and he could then sell and someone else would be paying Pitino's and Walkers salaries. When the team went even further downhill under Pitino, Gaston realized that he could not sell yet. The Pierce signing was for the same reason. Gaston once again thought that Pierce was a huge key to the team's success, and ultimately, him being able to sell. Any money Gaston ever spent was only designed to benefit his own wallet in some way.
Now, as a business man, that is a smart thing to do, and usually tells how successful a business man someone is. The problem is like I said though. Owning a sports franchise is a different animal. Owners of sports teams should not be in it for the money. They should be in it to see the team win. And if that is not their concern, they need to get out.
As for the Baker signing, I think it was one last shot Gaston was giving to Larry Bird. Gaston probably thought that with him out of the picture, Larry would be back here soon. I think that Gaston wanted to tie Bird' s hands with regards to the salary cap and also the roster. He knew that bringing Baker here would really handcuff the team for four years, with no real flexibility. All in all, the new owners will have to do little to be better owners, and the Celtics are 100 times better off with Paul Gaston out of the picture.

2002-09-24T14:35:00.000-04:00

Hello all... I first want to apologize for not posting the last few weeks. I've only had this site running for a short period of time and so I have some juggling to do to find time to do all the postings that I want. Another reason I have not posted much is how terrible the local media has been lately. In order for me to post and discuss what they say would mean that I would have to read them or listen to the radio. I have found this almost impossible lately. I'll most likely start posting again with regularity once the Celtics start up, as that is what I am most passionate about. I'll enjoy rubbing it in to my buddy Jay how the Knicks are terrible again, although I have reservations about my beloved Celtics as well. It will be very interesting to see how the 'Vin Baker Experiment' works out. I see it as going one of two ways: either great or awful. I don't think there will be any middle ground. The C's will either have a 50+ win season, or it will be a 30-35 win season. Either way, I can't wait for it to start.

As for my final assessment of the Red Sox season, I think disappointment sums it up. Not really any anger. It's tough to fathom that with 2 20 game winners, a possible batting champ, and a possible 40 save guy that this team falls this short of the playoffs (keep telling yourself there's a chance, Lobel). I also think some of the sports writers in this town have disgraced themselves over the last month. It again is unfathomable (my word of the day) that the media rips a guy who could be the batting champ. Then they go after Nomar simply because he doesn't talk to them as much as they would like. Any writer who uses personal vendetta's to rip a player should be fired on the spot. Sure, Manny made a mistake by not running out the ground ball. Maybe it is the biggest mistake a player can make. But it was just that. A mistake. Would everyone who has never made a mistake at their job please stand up? Anyone? Ok, how about this then? Would everyone who is the best at their job in their particular industry over the entire country please stand up. (sit down Shaughnessy). Still no one? Well that is what Manny will be if he wins the batting title. One thing I love about reading Bruce Allen's piece each day is that someone is finally pointing out the writer's mistakes and gaffes. So in a way, they are being held accountable at least on some level.

I'm also enjoying the Pats right now, but who isn't. I don't think I'd say I'm nervous about their defense, but I am definitely interested in seeing how they come out and play on Sunday. I can't imagine them not bouncing back. I also love that the Rams are 0-3. My friend Dan and I had a pretty good little argument this morning over why the Rams are struggling. I think a lot of it is that Belichick showed teams how to beat the Rams. The Rams have not won a game since the Pats beat the min the Superbowl. That includes pre-season. I know those games mean nothing and the starters are usually not in, but they still lost every single one. Belichick was able to show teams how to take the Rams receivers out of the game. As a result, Warner has to do some creating on his own and so far it has him 1 TD and 7 INT's this year. Maybe there is a reason the guy was sacking groceries a few years back. Dan thinks that Kurt is simply injured and that is why the Rams are losing. One thing we agreed on is that it is fun to watch them lose.

A few links today with local information...

In Gregg Easterbrook's column on ESPN, he gives this stat:
"Stats No. 5 Drew Bledsoe is on pace to throw for an NFL-record 5,424 yards. And if he doesn't, Tom Brady is on a pace to throw for an NFL-record 5,189 yards. (The season record, held by Dan Marino, is 5,084 yards.) "
It'll be fun to see how that plays out. Hopefully, they both remain on the record pace at least until the two teams meet. Also, in the same article there is a piece about how the blitz failed both teams in the game.

The Pats also managed to hang onto the top Power Ranking spot despite their less than great showing this week.

Bill Simmons writes a eulogy for the Red Sox.

I think I'm going to be purchasing a new Driver for my golf bag soon. I've got my choices narrowed down to the Titleist 975 J, or the Callaway C4. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has either of these clubs and what your thoughts are on them. You can e-mail me at SportsScene@hotmail.com. Thanks.

2002-09-04T10:18:00.000-04:00

If there is one thing that bothers me the most about being a Boston/New England sports fan, it is the negativity that is shown around these parts. Media and fans alike can take anything, anything, and find a negative about it. It is maybe the one thing that Rick Pitino was right about in the time that he spent here.

For instance, Paul Pierce is playing in the World Championships in Indianapolis right now. He is having a great tourney, definately the leader of the team thus far. When the team needs a basket, or needs to go on a run, it is Pierce that they are turning too. And Paul has delivered. He has had some huge quarters to put teams away, including a 20 point quarter the other night. But what are people saying about it? Looking at all the Celtics message boards, many fans are unhappy with Pierce. They say it shows a selfishness about him. He needs to learn to pass and play team ball. He takes too many shots. He's not getting his teammates involved. The truth of the matter is, it appears as though Paul is the only one on the team who genuinely cares about winning this thing. While the other members of the team appear to be going through the motions, (except maybe Ben Wallace), Paul is doing all he can to win. The team has not played well in the first half's, and if you have noticed, Paul has not tried to take control a lot in the first half's of these games. I think that he is just giving his teammates a chance to do their thing, but at halftime he is becoming frustrated with them and so he decides to take over the game.
But that is evidently not good enough for people around here. It means that Pierce is selfish. What I would like is for these (not very knowledgeable) fans to submit a list of players they would rather have besides Pierce. My list would be short. Kobe, Duncan, (I leave Shaq out because of health concerns), and I can't think of anyone else I would rather have. So please, enlighten me, who do you want instead of Pierce? Or you could stop trying to create negatives and enjoy the fact that one of the top five players in the league plays for the team you root for.

What about Manny Ramirez? If someone said to you at the beginning of the year, "We'd like to give you an outfielder who will hit .372 in the first month of the season, get hurt and miss almost 2 months that throws him completely out of his rhythm, but then come back and pick it right up again so that with a month to go he is batting .333 with 25 HR's and 80 RBI's", what would you say? I think you'd be foolish not to take him. Even with the time missed because of the injury, he is still very valuable. But all anyone wants to do is take shots at him. He's lazy, he doesn't run hard, he misplays balls hit to him in the outfield.... I guess it is just the nature around here to look for the bad and overlook the good. Maybe the people saying those things want Darren Bragg back out there in right field. Maybe they yearn to have Jay Gibbins and his .242 average patrolling the outfield. I don't know. All I can say is that they make fools of themselves and sound like they know nothing when they criticize Manny.

I won't even get into Ron Borges and his vendetta against the Pats and Bill Belichick.

2002-08-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

I get the sense that no one really cares right now whether or not baseball strikes. Most people I talk to are very indifferent to it. Actually, quite a few people I talk to actually are hoping a strike happens. I am undecided on what I want to happen. My hopes for a strike would only be because I have no desire to see the Red Sox again this year. But I am not sure about the repercussions a strike would have in future years. I know that my disdain for the Sox is not a good reason to want a strike.

With no sports of any real consequence happening until next Monday night, I'm going to take advantage of the next week or so to look more closely at this site and some things I can do to improve it. I apologize for not posting much this week, but my 'real job' has kept me pretty busy. I appreciate your comments and suggestions so keep them coming.

Just a few links for today..... Shaughnessy has a pretty decent article that sums up most fans feelings toward baseball right now.

Also, there are quite a few articles about the Pats, including one about how Belichick stopped the Rams on that glorious February night. You can also read about teams plans to stop Brady this year and a closer look at the Pats Super Bowl game plan.

2002-08-27T16:47:00.000-04:00

ESPN is reporting that it was mostly Jamal Anderson's decision not to sign with the Patriots. He is evidently still concerned about his knee. I don't know if I could have dealt with watching him do the 'dirty bird' after TD's anyway.

In another snub to the Patriots, ESPN had their so called 'experts' pick who the NFL's best coach is. Not one of them picked Belichick. Jeff Fisher actually made the list but Belichick didn't? Give me a break. John Madden calls Belichick a 'gym rat coach'.
Len Pasquarelli also talks about the leadership that Drew Bledsoe is bringing to the Bills.
Bill Simmons picks Hoosiers as his favorite movie.

2002-08-27T11:49:00.000-04:00

Yes, it was a really big win for the Sox. No, I am not convinced that this is going to snap them out of their funk. I think that whatever is ailing them is a lot deeper than being able to be fixed in one game. I actually watched the whole game last night. I was pretty frustrated but I stuck it out. It's always been a pet peeve of mine when people leave the game early or turn the TV off. It's that whole fair-weather fan thing. But the way this Sox team is, you almost get a mulligan right now if you do that. I've done it myself a few times in the past few weeks. For some reason, though, last night I decided to keep it on. (just as a reference, I NEVER EVER turn off Celtics games. I'll sit through a 40-point loss if I have to but I watch every C's game from start to finish.)

Not to look to the bad side of things, but Cliff Floyd continues to fail in the clutch. Don't tell me that his 9th inning at bat was clutch because there was no pressure on him at the time. I forget where I read it, but his average with runners in scoring position since coming over to the Sox is something like .150. He has still not driven in anyone but himself. I just don't think the guy is a clutch hitter. I hope he proves me wrong.

The other thing that has been annoying me, (don't mind me... i'm on a roll here), is that stupid little hand slap thing that Bob Rogers and Jim Corsi do at the beginning of their show after a Sox win. It's almost like a high five but they only use their index and middle fingers. Excuse the crudeness of this next comment, but it makes them look like two of the biggest sissies around. At what point did they get together and decide that that would be their signature thing? It needs to go very quickly.

And Rogers needs to learn how to do an interview. For all the talk about Tony Clark joining their show last night, neither Rogers nor Corsi asked any tough questions. Rogers tried to, but he was so afraid to ask them that every time he prefaced the question by saying, "I'm sorry to do this Tony, but I have to ask a tough question". Then he would ask something like 'is the labor situation affecting your play?' If your going to ask a tough question then ask them how they feel about all the vendors at all the major league ballparks that are going to be out of work because of them.

At some point I'll go more in depth about that Extra Innings show because it deserves it's own rambling. That and Sportsdesk are quite possibly the two worst sports shows to ever be on television. I wonder about the people that call in and say they are doing a great job. Maybe they are being held hostage and are forced to make the call.

Anyways, still 7 and 3 out, respectively. All the win did was delay the inevitable, in my opinion. If they can win these 2 against NYY, then maybe there will be a flicker of hope. It's all up to you now, Casey Fossum. This is the biggest start of your career. Lets see what you are made of.

2002-08-23T09:37:00.000-04:00

Nice job by those little leaguers. Probably the first time that I have ever watched more than an inning or so of a little league game. Maybe the Sox should take some tips from that team as to how to beat a NY team when the game means something. Anyways, congrats to the boys from Worcester. I'll be watching again tomorrow night.

Speaking of the Sox, does anyone else remember the last time they won a series? I'm shocked that they won 2 in a row. They did it in pretty convincing fashion though. And at this point, I'll take any wins we can get. Bob Hohler agrees with what I said yesterday in that Nomars speech in the dugout could be the start of something big.

Bob Duffy somehow is able to turn a story about Manny reaching 100 RBI's in his career into a chance to take a shot at him. Is this guy the biggest media punching bag or what? It's like they say... It's easier to abuse someone who you know will not retaliate.

The Globe's notebook by Bob Hohler tells us that Grady Little might bat Nomar leadoff with Damon out. It also chronicles the injuries Damon has had this year as well as the release of Chris Haney.

Steve Buckley turns in a quality piece of work today as he tells the story of Tony Conigliaro's daughter. Most people will be surprised to find out he had a daughter. The article talks about the strength of the woman who gave birth to Jessica Wheaton. She'll also be at Fenway tonight. Kudos to Buckley on this one.

Bob Kraft is recovering this morning. Many of the players sent him get well wishes. It is the first time that Kraft has had any type of heart problem.

Joe Vieira catches up with Erick Strickland. The Celts are offering him a 1 year deal at the league minimum. Strick says they need to offer more or he is leaving. Well don't let the door hit you on the way out of town. We can do with out all the ill-advised shots, the horrible passes, and the general lack of basketball sense. There's a reason you have bounced all around the league in your short six years. Come back and talk to us if you ever realize that you are not a superstar. Taking the occasional exciting charge can only cover up your deficiencies for so long.

2002-08-22T14:44:00.000-04:00

Bob Kraft has had unscheduled heart bypass surgery. He evidently was in the hospital for a routine checkup when the doctors told him he needed the procedure immediately.

2002-08-22T08:28:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it takes a sort of fluke hit to get a team out of a funk. Now I think it is going to take a lot more than one game for the Red Sox to right their ship. But it has to start somewhere. Nomar's grounder could have been fielded and he could have been thrown out. That is the type of luck the Sox have been having. But the Sox finally caught a break. Maybe it's what they needed to get on the right track. Only time will tell. It's nice to hear that Nomar was finally vocal about the team too. "Garciaparra bounded into the dugout and shouted, ''Let's go, we're a better team than this. There's no way they should be shutting us out. Let's get this thing done.''" Lets see what happens tonight.
Jeff Horrigan also recaps the game. Tony Maz does a good job of summing up Nomar's emotional speech.

Nomar talks about not swinging at the first pitch in his 8th inning At-Bat. Maybe seeing how things turned out will help him realize sometimes it's a good idea to look at a pitch or 2 before swinging. Bob Ryan gives his pitch for Alan Embree as the closer, and wishes for a time when there was no such thing as closers.

The Dallas Morning News has a little blip about Carl Everett's return to Fenway. "All I want them to do is say something original," Everett said Wednesday afternoon. "I wanted something better than all that 'Everett, you [stink].' I couldn't give them any energy by getting into it, because they weren't giving me any energy. It was just kind of boring."

Also a piece on Pedro in the same paper. A decent piece of writing. "He's a pitcher's pitcher now," said Rangers pitching coach Orel Hershiser, who was still Los Angeles' ace when Martinez was breaking into the majors in 1992. "I always thought he was a very good pitcher, but his dominance came from exceptional stuff. I see more strategy now. "

On the Patriots front... a look at Tom Knight, Jimmy Hitchcock, and also the Pats interest in Jamal Anderson. The Pats are also considering not returning to Bryant College next year.

Matt Traub takes a look at the Worcester little leaguers. I hope someone beans that kid from Harlem who was showboating around the bases.

2002-08-19T09:11:00.000-04:00

Didn't the Red Sox get Cliff Floyd so that he could come through in situations like that? I mean, does the guy have a meaningful hit or RBI since the Sox obtained him? I was talking with Dan, a friend of mine, and he mentioned that Cliff is batting close to .400 so you can't fault him. But I think maybe you can. He has 3 RBI's on 3 solo HR's since coming here. He has 7 doubles since coming here but no RBI's as a result of those doubles. So the argument is that he can't get RBI's if no one is on base. But I think that the problem is that he chokes when there are guys on base. He only gets his hits when the bases are empty and the hits are pretty much meaningless.

Anyways, the strike can't come fast enough. I hope they strike and I hope it cancels the season. Heck, take next season too. Who cares?

The Red Sox are the Washington Redskins of MLB.

2002-08-16T09:13:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to go to CMGI Field (Gillette Stadium) last night for a dinner and tour. During dinner Jonathan Kraft spoke to the group and discussed last years team. He attributed all the success to Bill Belichick and his attitude. After the Miami game, when the team was 1-3, everyone was really down in the locker room and there was a feeling like everyone was ready to give up on the season. Belichick told the team that the whole coaching staff had confidence in the team and felt they could win. He said that he only wanted players who felt the same way to show up to practice. He didn't care if it was 53 guys, 25 guys, or 11 guys. Those were the only players he wanted. The next weeks game was when they were down by 10 to San Diego with 7 minutes left and they came back to win. Kraft thinks they would have given up in that game without Belichick's speech.
When Kraft was talking about the team being 1-3, he said that it appeared the team was down for the count. He mentioned that the star quarterback was in the hospital and had almost died. He then had his funniest line when he said that their most gifted player, Terry Glenn, had checked out to whatever universe he is from. After the laughs died down, Kraft said he wishes Terry well but only because if he catches 75 balls this year, the Pats get GB's 2nd round draft pick. After that he doesn't care what happens.

After speaking to the whole group, I had a chance to get an exclusive interview with Jonathan Kraft. I discussed with him the success of the stadium and how he feels about going to a game there. His excitement was not hidden when he talked about not being able to wait for the first game. Jonathan is very proud of the stadium and it shows.

Next was the tour of the stadium. The function took place in the clubhouse, which is a huge room with probably around 100 tables. The ceiling is open for 4 stories high. On one side of the room are windows that look out over the Foxboro woods. It is quite a view since the function room is up pretty high in the stadium. The other side of the room is all windows that overlook the field. The tour brought us first to the luxury suites. I believe there were 16 seats, two rows of 8 each that look down to the field. The windows slide open. The suites are very big and owners get 32 seats for game days. The only thing I don't like is that there is no balcony where you can go outside and watch the game. All seats are inside. Also, if you were ever in the middle of the row, you would not be able to get out because there is zero legroom. A minor complaint, yes, but it seems like that would not be a problem in a suite that goes for $325,000 a year.

We were off to the press box next. Again, a very large room with food and drinks for the reporters. Probably about 20 seats up against the window overlooking the field. The reporters will be getting their view from basically behind the end zone.

The concourse level is twice as wide as any other stadium in the country. There are no walls blocking the field. The Kraft's did that so that while you are waiting in line for food or drink, you can still see the field and watch the action. Jonathan Kraft said that was done to avoid missing big plays while you are in line. It's a nice touch.

The stadium was designed to have as much wind as possible whipping through. It was very windy there and a woman on the tour asked about it. It was done to give a competitive advantage to the Patriots. It was mentioned that for games like Miami coming here in December, the wind and cold makes it very tough on them. There is also a competitive edge with how the teams get to the locker rooms at halftime. On the home side, right behind where the team sits, is a tunnel that leads directly to the Pats locker room. It is almost like a dugout for a baseball team where you have very quick access to the locker room. The visiting team, on the other hand, has no tunnel. They have to walk all the way around the backside of the end zone and near the home teams side of the field. They then enter a separate tunnel before doubling back and walking under the stands and back around to their side of the field where they walk the length of the stadium to get to their locker room. That seems to be the Red Auerbach touch to the stadium.

Overall, it is a very impressive place. I look forward to attending a game there and taking in the atmosphere. A job well done by the Patriots organization.

2002-08-15T09:47:00.000-04:00

It's nice to see the Sox win even though Derek wasn't completely on his game. Those are the types of games that they have not been able to win this year, when they weren't as sharp as they could be. It would be nice of they could use that as a turning point. Good to see Trot starting to hit the ball, too.

Tony Clark discusses the different strike possibilities but still says he is optimistic a deal will get done. ''I imagine if there's a strike, it's going to hurt everyone,'' he said.

In Bob Hohlers notebook, Pedro reveals that he was fined $1000 for hitting Ben Grieve on July 25th. Bob Watson told him that he would not be fined if he only said it was an accident, but Pedro did not want to lie. Also a blip from Grady Little about looking back at all the Sox missed opportunities this year: ''If we look back, we're going to get indigestion.''

As I wrote here on August 7th, the Nets signing Dikembe Mutumbo did not concern me too much. But their signing of Rodney Rogers yesterday does. I think I may now be ready to concede the division to the Nets. I know a lot can happen over the course of a season, but as things are now, and with everyone remaining healthy, the Nets are going to be really tough to beat. With Jason Kidd (TWB) still on the team, their offense was going to be good anyways. But we have all seen what Rodney can do to a defense. If NJ plays Rodney and Dikembe together, they will be very tough to defend. One question remains... why couldn't the C's have just used the money they spent on Walter and given it to Rodney? It doesn't seem like a tough choice to me.

The Patriots signed old friend (foe?) Jimmy Hitchcock yesterday. Jimmy was not well liked in his time here from 95 to 97. It was pointed out on WEEI yesterday that all the Pats need now is to sign Willie Clay and they would have the exact same secondary as their 1996 Super Bowl team. That secondary was coached by Bill Belichick.
Michael Felger talks about the difficulties the Pats may have in signing Belichick and Scott Pioli. As usual, Felger is way out in left field on this one.

Bill Simmons talks about the new Madden football game and discusses his video game history with us.

2002-08-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Not the best start to a road trip. It makes it worse that the Yanks, Angels, and A's all won last night too. Just about the worst scenario you could imagine. At least Lowe pitches tonight. I still think Pedro should have pitched the 3rd game of this series.

Burkett started out well, but faded quickly. He now has the worst road ERA in the league at 6.51. Bob Hohler also takes the opportunity to take an uncalled for shot at Manny saying, "Though Ramirez managed to make his way around the bases without fracturing a finger, as he did in his last visit to Safeco May 11". Just another case of the media piling on Manny.

Larry Bird will present Magic Johnson when Magic is inducted into the Hall of Fame.

2002-08-12T14:10:00.000-04:00

So what constitutes a great team? Is it just sheer numbers? Stats? Does chemistry play a role? Certainly the record has a big part in it, but it isn't everything. What about overcoming obstacles? You may not have the best record but if you overcame a lot just to get where you did, shouldn't that count?
Why do I ask these questions? ESPN Page 2 did a piece on the 10 greatest football teams of all time. Your NE Patriots of this past season are not on the list. My first thought was that they maybe should have eked out the 9 or 10 spot. After reading the list, I'm not so sure. There are some really great teams on that list. I completely understand the omission. But there is an honorable mention section that the Pats are left out of too. This is the part that gets me a little bit. It's not like the honorable mentions are ranked. So would it have killed ESPN to put the Pats in there? I guess it goes back to the whole lack of respect and everyone thinking it was a fluke thing. It's just more fuel for the Pats to use this year as motivation. I put a poll up so you can vote as to weather the Pats should have been mentioned as one of the greatest teams.

This from Frank Hughes who writes for ESPN:
Here are several reasons why Vin Baker is going to fail in Boston.

"In a story in the Boston Globe last weekend, Baker's father, James, was quoted as saying "certain people" within the organization were bad influences on Vin, as if Gary Payton physically forced Baker into the limo at 3 in the morning to go out clubbing. Then, Vin Baker told the Globe: "Nate (McMillan) couldn't stand me," and that "internal problems" in the organization were the reason why his reputation and his game faltered. Until both Vin Baker and his family stop blaming other people and take responsibility for what happened to Baker in Seattle, he is going to continue living the lie, and he is never going to become the player he thinks he is."

My issue is this... Frank Hughes also writes for the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune. So isn't he a little bit biased? Baker is public enemy #1 in Washington right now, so it only makes sense that a writer from that area would say he is going to fail. I guess that's another one for the garbage pail.

Sean McAdam ranks his AL MVP candidates. D-Lowe and Pedro make the list.

2002-08-09T09:12:00.000-04:00

So which media personalities are upset that the Sox won last night? Definitely Dan Shaughnessy. I'm sure he had a 'the season is over' column lined up and ready to go. Dennis and Callahan? You bet. They were ready to rip anyone and everyone. It's just the joy of being subjected to Boston Media that we have to listen to these guys you get the most enjoyment from proclaiming gloom and doom.

As it is though, D-Lowe saved the day. Cliff Floyd collected his first 2 Fenway hits. He talks about how he was looking for Zito's fastball.

The Mariner's picked up Jose Offerman. Excuse me for a few moments while I stop laughing.

2002-08-08T09:34:00.000-04:00

Great catch.
Hopefully it is not the type of play that submarines a season. Gordon Edes thinks it might be. Tonight's game just became huge. If the Sox win, it takes the sting out a little bit. If they lose, it not only extends the sting, but it means they get swept and would trail 2 teams in the wild card race. Then I think maybe the bad effects could start to linger. I am glad Lowe is pitching tonight. Now it would be nice if the team could score some runs.

Why does it seem like whatever the Sox do is never good enough? Wasn't getting Cliff Floyd supposed to strengthen the offense? Weren't these 1 and 2 run games supposed to stop? When you have Nomar, Manny, and Cliff in the middle of your lineup, is there any excuse for scoring only 1 run? Or 2? Why does nothing ever seem to fall into place? Don't get me wrong. I still hold out a lot of hope for this season. But that incessant feeling is always there that no matter what the Sox ever do, it will never be enough. It is probably more frustrating to be a Red Sox fan than a fan of any other pro team.

Manny doesn't seem to concerned, but that's nothing new.

These are Johnny Damon's recent comments: ``This team is good enough to make the playoffs,'' center fielder Johnny Damon said. ``The way our club is right now we might be better than the Yankees. I like our club.'' Hey Johnny... you might want to consider winning some games against teams you are in contention with before making that claim.

And yes, I'm ticked off today.

2002-08-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

I'll touch on the NJ\Philly trade.
Good for NJ - maybe ; Bad for Philly - probably.
At face value, it looks like New Jersey made out like bandits. Mutumbo is a defensive presence and can score some when he feels like it. Van Horn was never going to work in Jersey, for whatever reason. So it seems as though they got a steal and really improved their team. But.... Mutumbo is 36 years old, or so they say. Does anyone really know if that is his age for sure? Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong guy, but I thought there was some doubt a few years back on how old he really was. Even if he is 36, that is getting up there for a ballplayer. How much can he have left in the tank? He has 3 more years on his contract and you can only expect that his skills will be declining at this point in his career. How quickly those skills decline will determine how good the trade is for NJ.

As for Philly, maybe they saw that Dikembe had lost a step. Maybe they felt that decline was coming quickly and wanted out from under his huge contract. That would explain taking on Van Horn, who has done nothing in the league after being touted as a great player. Remember Pitino trying to move up in that draft because he wanted Van Horn after it became obvious that SA was taking Duncan? He was supposed to be a superstar. It's never happened. He has not been much more than serviceable. The minute he has one of his classic 4-20 games, Iverson will stop giving him the ball. I don't see this as a good fit. Todd MacCulloch does not inspire fear in opposing teams. He is big, but not much more. He has developed some decent offensive moves, but again, nothing anyone is afraid of or will go out of their way to try and stop.

Like any trade, only time will tell who it ends up benefiting. At this point though, it looks like maybe one good year for NJ, and then the trade could easily turn into a lose-lose situation for both teams.

Not much else of interest in the local papers. Sox lost... end of the world.... blah blah blah....
There's a few more bio's on Pats players. Jarvis Green, Damien Woody, Fred Coleman .

2002-08-06T10:03:00.000-04:00

Chad Ford of ESPN Insider is reporting that the Celtics may be in the process of making a deal for Sam Cassell. This is one trade that I would love and I think would be great for the team. I have never really liked Sam Cassell, but I think it is mostly because of the way he has burned the Celts. He would look great in green. Walker, Pierce, Baker, and Cassell? That's a scary lineup. I would feel really good about the season. Of course, ESPN Insider has a tendency to just throw things out there with no evidence of any truth to it, so who knows?

Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell has asked fans to help her pay her legal bills in an effort to stop her father from being frozen. People tend to forget things after a while, and I think that is what is happening with this story. I highly doubt that fans will give money for this cause. And with interest dwindling, my guess is that Ted will remain frozen. It's just a hunch I have. JHW is too much of a weasel and I'm sure he made sure he would be covered. Johnny Pesky wouldn't give money either. "I've never heard of such a thing. That's a family matter,'' Pesky said. "I don't think it should have gone this far.''

ESPN Page 2's newest list discusses the 10 worst baseball trades of all time. The Red Sox make number 2 and number 7. One was good for the Sox; the other not so good. Can you figure out what the 2 trades are before looking at the article?

The Raiders are still upset over the Tom Brady non-fumble. Apparently, during a meeting discussing rule changes, members of the Raiders got up and stormed out because the 'tuck rule' was not being changed. Brady had this to say: ''Are they still stewing over that? You figure they'd get over it by now.'' Lawyer Milloy had this to say: ``They need to let it go. The fact of the matter is we went on from there and never looked back. We went out and did some things in some other stadiums that I don't think they could have done.''

Tony Maz compares Lowe vs Pedro. Who do you start in game 1 of a playoff series? If Lowe goes first, he can probably pitch on 3 days rest and give you 3 starts in a series. But Pedro has experience and probably gives you a better chance to win.

Every response I have received about my blurb on D&C has supported my opinion of them. I have not had one person e-mail in to argue with my point. Reader Jerome had this to say:
"Callahan is a pathetic little twit who does not have one bit of compassion in his soul. As an Irishman, I'm ashamed to think he is one of mine. I hate to think what he will ever do if his children should have the misfortune to consider some attitudes counter to his caveman mentality."

I still challenge anyone who enjoys D&C to e-mail in and give reasons why.

2002-08-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

"The Swiss make watches. The French make Bordeaux. The Red Sox send Pedro Martinez to the mound. And they're all good. "

Those are the words Bob Hohler uses to start his column today. Personally, I don't have any words right now for how Pedro is pitching. How long can it last? Will we ever learn to not doubt this guy?

When I flipped on the game and saw that Manny was not in the lineup, I had my doubts. Day off today.... so why not play him last night? Of course, it turned out they didn't need him. But Grady's decisions are starting to take on the feeling of Jimy's decisions, where you are asking yourself why in the world did he do that? But like Jimy, most of the time it works out. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Will Rolando Arrojo be the next one released by the Sox? He is in one of his disinterested stages right now and the team can't afford that. He cost the team the game on Saturday simply because he didn't care. He grooved that pitch. Little has said the team may need to make more changes in the bullpen. I say you continue to get rid of all the dead wood that the Duke brought in. Arrojo is one of the last remaining pieces.

Shaughnessy puts together a 'Summer mysteries' piece. This gem is included:
'Did you find yourself rooting for the Yankees to beat the Angels over the weekend? Painful as it was, it made sense for Sox fans.'
Here's the thing Danno... it doesn't make sense, unless you are a quitter. 4 games back, 51 to play, including 5 head to head with the Yankees. Seems to me like there is still a pretty good chance they could overtake the Yanks. I'm not saying it will happen, but it's a little early to start focusing on the wildcard. Maybe if there were 10 games left, but not 51. You must have zero competitiveness inside of you.

Patriots players highlighted today include Victor Green, JR Redmond, Richard Seymour and Matt Light, and Donald Hayes.