Random Thoughts (August 26, 2007)

I like the Celtics signing of free agent swingman James Posey. Posey adds needed depth to the C's roster and brings a defensive presence to the bench. Also, Posey's addition allows Tony Allen to not rush back from his knee surgery so T.A can be wait until he is at 100% before returning. Another positive for the Celtics in this signing is that getting Posey further weakens the Miami Heat bench. The one draw back is that the Posey signing marks the absolute end of the Reggie Miller comeback saga -- something Miller announced himself late last week. As of today, with the signings of second round picks Gabe Pruitt and Geln Davis expected this week, here is the Celtics rotation: PG - Rajon Rondo/Eddie House/Gabe Pruitt SG - Ray Allen/Tony Allen/House SF - Paul Pierce/James Posey/Brandon Wallace PF - Kevin Garnett/Brian Scalabrine/Glen Davis C - Kendrick Perkins/Scot Pollard/Leon Powe Other than not having a veteran point guard, this is a team that on paper looks like a contender for the Larry O'Brien trophy... Those Red Sox bats sure don't seem to be a problem after the offensive outburst in Chicago this weekend. In a four game sweep, the Red Sox outscored the White Sox by a 46-7 margin. Big Papi -- three homeruns in the series -- seems to have regained his mojo and Mike Lowell (93 RBI) keeps producing. Hell, even J.D. Drew hit a homerun on Sunday, his seventh of the season ($2 million per long ball). The Red Sox now head to New York to try and stick a fork in the Yankees, who are now 7.5 games back in the AL East. Let's hope the bats keep producing and that the pitching will shut down the Bombers... Tom Brady and the Patriots offense looked almost as sharp as Adalius Thomas and the Patriots defense during the Carolina Panthers scrimmage on Friday night. If Randy Moss' hamstring ever cooperates, watch out... From the Good News department: I have finally been given a full time teaching position at the high school I have worked at the last three years. However, for those of you who actually read me, my posts will be decreasing in regularity as I adapt to my new schedule/responsibilities and as I continue my coaching career. I hope to post as often as possible but the next few weeks could be slow... Enjoy Entourage tonight...

Random Thoughts (August 24, 2007)

It took longer than expected but Asante Samuel seems set to rejoin the Patriots next week. Having Samuel back gives the Pats secondary a needed boost and makes the defense, on paper, one of the top units in the NFL... So, Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan had the baby. Congrats to the proud parents. The one thing that would scare me, if I were Brady's current girl Gisele Bundchen, is the supposed name of the child. Jonathan Brady? That is a name given by a mother who isn't pissed as hell at the father who left her for a supermodel. If I were Gisele, the name Peyton Manning Moynahan would make me a bit more at ease... Wow, can't believe I turned on Brady like that. Too easy of a dig to ignore though... I still believe the Red Sox will take the AL East by more than eight games... Three weeks until the Pats open up... Enjoy Schilling tonight...

Random Thoughts (August 21, 2007)

How is it possible that Tim Wakefield has a career record of 19-2 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays? Amazing... There is a small piece of me that truly hopes Michael Vick gets the Ol' Yeller treatment from U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson... Maybe Wily Mo Pena should have received a few more plate appearances with the Red Sox? Since going to the Washington Nationals, Pena is batting .455 (5-for-11) with two homeruns and three RBI. In three games since being traded, Wily Mo has 1/3 as many homers as J.D. Drew has all season... The Rodney Harrison shoulder block sack of Vice Young in the Pats preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans last Friday night officially marked the start of football for me... I haven't had a good trivia question in a while but here we go: In MLB history, 41 players have hit at least 400 homeruns in their career. Seven of those 41 have played at least one game for the Red Sox, name them. Answer below... I was a bit surprised to see the Patriots release veteran defensive back Artrell Hawkins the other day. Hawkins has been a very good fill-in the last two years when injuries slowed down both Harrison and Eugene Wilson... Speaking of the Patriots secondary, it is interesting to note that Ellis Hobbs and Randall Gay are currently the starting cornerbacks for Belichick's defense with rookie Brandon Meriweather coming off the bench. Once they get Asante Samuel in uniform, the Pats pass defense should be very good... Ten game road trips are never any fun -- for the players or the fans -- but this trip could pay huge dividends for the Red Sox. With seven relatively "easy" games in Tampa Bay and Chicago, the Sox could expand their AL East lead on the Yankees, who are on the road in Anaheim and Detroit. The teams meet in the Bronx starting a week from today, a series that may well determine the outcome of the division race if the Sox can take care of the Devil Rays and White Sox... Trivia answer: Babe Ruth (714 HR, 49 with Red Sox), Jimmie Foxx (534, 222 with Red Sox), Ted Williams (521), Manny Ramirez (489, 253 with Red Sox), Jose Canseco (462, 52 with Red Sox), Carl Yastrzemski (452) and Andre Dawson (438, 29 with Red Sox). When I was asked this question last week I was told their was eight players but after looking up the eighth name it turns out he never suited up for the Red Sox. That player is future Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who hit 449 homeruns and played his entire career with the Houston Astros after the Sox traded him there for Larry Anderson in 1990... Enjoy Walpole in the Little League World Series today...

Madden '08 - Patriots Update

Before I recap the Patriots-Titans preseason game from Madden '08, I think I need to disclose something to the few readers I have. I am a horrible video game football player. My Madden skills rate no higher than a D+ and that is a generous grade. For whatever reason, I just suck at playing video games and it is not for a lack of practice. With that said, the Pats lost to the Titans in their second preseason game by a score of 34-13. The score is embarrassing but take into account that I suck, that I played the reserves almost the whole game and that I suck really, really bad and that score makes a lot more sense. I concentrated on my passing offense -- a weak spot for me, especially with the All-Pro game setting in effect -- and realized that I still needs tons of work on that area of my game. Tom Brady was 9-for-25 for 152 yards and threw one touchdown against two interceptions. That was better than his backup, Matt Cassel, who went 8-for-23 for just 88 yards and threw an interception. Cassel's arm strength in this game is weaker than a cocktail at an AA meeting. The running game was a positive as Sammy Morris carried eight times for 45 yards. Stephen Gostkowski continued his great kicking, going 2-for-2 with a long of 28 yards. The defensive secondary was terrible and the Titans pass offense looked much better in the video game than it did in the actual preseason game played Friday night. Eugene Wilson's interception was the lone bright spot for the secondary. Up front for the Pats Richard Seymour, Ty Warren and Tedy Bruschi all recorded sacks. It's off to Carolina for the next preseason game.

Madden '08 - Patriots Update

I started my "Franchise" with the Patriots in Madden '08 on Playstation 2 today and have decided to keep a running blog of how they (I) am doing. With school starting soon (teaching and possibly going to graduate school) and high school football starting Monday, I'll be busy as hell so my chances to play the game will give me a needed rest from life for an hour or so each day. To start, I will be playing on the "All-Pro" level. If I am going to spend the time to report on a video game football season, I might as well do it right. For time purposes -- mine is very limited -- I will play five minute quarters. Also, I kept the game fatigue on, to make this a legitimate season. (Of course, reading over those last four sentences, I realize what a true loser I really have turned into.) Before the preseason began, I made some slight roster changes. I signed free agents Troy Brown and Chad Brown -- who are real life members of the team -- and dumped safety Rashad Baker, a player who I don't see making the team. I will try my best to stay accurate to the actual Patriots during year one of this but as those of you who play the game know, it will be totally impossible to be 100% accuarate. I took the team to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay for the first preseason game against the Buccaneers. It was a 20-17 win for the good guys and it would have been better if I had stayed with my starters as long as the computer did with the Bucs. Brady was his awesome self, completing 8-of-12 passes for 64 yards before making way for Matt Cassel. The second year QB out of USC was horrible, going 10-for-23 for 107 yards with one TD and two interceptions. He has a terrible arm in this game. Troy Brown caught the only touchdown for the Pats on a long third down reception. Some things never change, Brown is as reliable in a video game as he is in real life. On defense, the boys were making plays all day. Vince Wilfork, Junior Seau, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Warren and Eric Alexander all recorded sacks while Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs and rookie Brandon Meriweather each had an interception. The MVP for this game went to kicker Stephen Gostkowski. The kid nailed all four field goal attempts, including the game winner from 47-yards out with just over a minute to play. The Pats host the Titans in their next preseason game. I won't wait for tomorrow night to play this one -- I'm getting the PS2 fired up right now.

Random Thoughts (August 16, 2007)

There will be some serious buzz at Fenway Park tomorrow afternoon as Clay Buchholz will be called up from Pawtucket to start the first game of the double header with the Angels. After the game, Buchholz will return to the PawSox and be replaced on the roster by Jacoby Ellsbury. To make room for Buchholz, the Sox are expected to designate Wily Mo Pena for assignment. Wily Mo never got the opportunity to showcase his awesome power potential in Boston but this writer will be pulling for him wherever he lands (unless it is an AL East location)... Time for some revisionist thinking from the trading deadline. I'm still curious as to what Theo Epstein was thinking on July 31. I completely agree with the move to acquire Eric Gagne but I still don't understand why he failed to trade for White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye. Epstein reportedly balked at Chicago's asking price of Wily Mo Pena and two pitchers from a group of Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen. Epstein wanted to trade Pena and Hansen and would not include either Masterson or Delcarmen. However, with the addition of Gagne, wasn't Delcarmen kind of expendable? The Red Sox want to keep their young arms -- which is a wise move -- but with a real chance to win the World Series this year, I think Delcarmen could have been traded. Both Gagne and Dye are free agents at season's end and neither is likely to stay in Boston but even for a three month rental, Epstein should have made the deal. The Red Sox would still have a lights out bullpen with Papelbon, Okajima and Gagne and the lineup would also have a much needed righthanded slugger capable of driving in runs. Hope it doesn't cost the Sox a championship... He may be 42-years-old but I am excited as all hell for Reggie Miller to come to the Celtics... Ian Thomsen submitted his "Dream Team" selections on SI.com today. Good stuff from the NBA's most underrated writer. Here are mine from a few weeks ago if you wish to compare... Madden '08 is finally out and TheBostonInsider has his copy. The game is great -- as usual -- and it plays fairly similar to the recent editions with some improved features, such as the actual flow of play on screen. I started my "Franchise" with the Patriots this afternoon and have decided to do posts on my progress through at least year one. The first one will be posted later today... Enjoy Mad Men tonight...

Lines On Tobin/Zakim Shrinking

Well, the Red Sox won an amazing game and the Yankees were crushed by the Orioles. The AL East lead is back to 5 (the Sox will take the division by at least 7 games, you'll see). Jon Lester's first Fenway start was great. Lester wasn't involved in the decision but the young lefty went seven strong innings and allowed just one run on two hits while striking out six and walking just one Devil Ray batter. In the ninth inning, trailing 1-0, Mike Lowell tied the game for the Sox with a towering homerun over the Monster and Coco Crisp won it with an RBI single, driving in Jason Varitek (who had doubled). Eric Gagne pitched a solid top half of the ninth, showing all the idiots who wanted him demoted to Portland that he is a great pitcher. It was only Boston's second win of the season when trailing going into the ninth inning -- and their first since the Mother's Day "Miracle" against the Orioles -- and the team now has a 2-41 record in such instances. This night feels even better when looking at the Yankee score. New York was hammered, 12-0, by Baltimore. Things are looking better, even if for just a night. Daisuke Matsuzaka, arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last two months, goes for the Sox tomorrow night as they try for the sweep of Tampa Bay.

Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

Those objects? The Yankees. New York trails our Red Sox by only 4 games in the AL East after Eric Gagne blew another eighth inning lead in Baltimore, surrendering a two-run homerun to Miguel Tejada. Kyle Snyder allowed a walk-off homerun to Kevin Millar in the tenth to give the Orioles a 6-3 win.

Is the choke on? Let's hope not.

But if it is, we have at least two things to look forward to in the immediate future.

The New England Patriots season and the release of Madden '08 on Tuesday.

Random Thoughts (August 12, 2007)

I have been away since last Saturday and haven't been able to watch/read too much in the sports world... So Barry Bonds is now the all-time homerun leader. A few thoughts on Bonds: 1. He's obviously a steroid abuser. 2. He's obviously not the only baseball player who uses steroids. 3. Most people hate Barry because he's arrogant and a jerk in public (I can't speak to how he is in his private life but I bet it's not much better) and they use the steroid excuse to really hate him. 4. Before he apparently got on steroids -- probably after the 2000 season -- Bonds was already a first ballot Hall of Fame player. What really upset me about Bonds breaking the record is that he didn't hug his own son when he crossed home plate after blasting No. 756. His son squeezed him but Bonds did his point to the sky routine. What a jerk... Could the Red Sox sweep the top three positions in the American League Rookie of the Year vote? There is a lot of baseball to be played but Dustin Pedroia (.330 BA, .403 OBP, .851 OPS, 36 RBI), Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-8, 3.59 ERA, 159 K's, 158 IP) and Hideki Okajima (3-1, 1.11 ERA, 4 saves, 52 games, 19 holds) are the top three rookies in the A.L. as of today. As for the trophy, I would vote for Pedroia. Nothing against either Matsuzaka or Okajima but I consider their time in Japanese professional baseball to make them veterans, even if MLB doesn't also show them that same level of respect... Even though they are Milton's rivals in the Bay State League, I will be cheering for the Walpole Little League team as they advance to Williamsport for the Little League World Series... I caught the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox victory over the Cotuit Kettlers in Cape Cod League action while in Dennisport last week. The Red Sox pounded Cotuit, 7-1, and are favorites to win their second consecutive CCL championship sometime next week... My only mistake at the game was purchasing (and consuming) a Y-D Backstop Grille "Triple Play." The fare was a bag of Cape Cod potato chips (excellent as always), a can of Moxie cola (disgusting) and a perfectly cooked cheeseburger, served on a slightly grilled powdered donut from Dunkin Donuts (tasty but horrifying to think about). Sorry if this last paragraph was too Peter King-like but I had to share that experience... I love the fact that Terry Francona supports his players, like when he tried to excuse Eric Gagne for blowing the Red Sox 5-1 lead in the eighth inning Friday night in an eventual 6-5 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore. Francona said that Gagne needs time to adjust to pitching in a set-up role after being a closer for the last six years. But what I love even more is Gagne saying there is no excuse for his poor performance and that he knows he has to step up and pitch to his capabilities... Looks like Josh Beckett (15-5, 3.24 EA, 140 K's) could join either Pedroia/Matsuzaka/Okajima as members of the Red Sox to take home hardware after the season. Beckett -- who has totally erased the bad memories of his sloppy 2006 Boston debut -- is the front runner to win the Cy Young award... Enjoy Entourage tonight...

Random Thoughts (August 6, 2007)

A few random thoughts while wondering why the Mariners catch so much heat for trading the Red Sox Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb after they took Jamie Moyer from the Sox a year earlier for Darren Bragg... Brady Quinn is dumb. Really dumb. So dumb that I might pay for him to get counseling from Pacman Jones on how to function as an NFL player. People who felt bad for Quinn when the former Notre Dame quarterback when he slid out of the Top 10 in the 2007 NFL Draft now should feel some pain for general manager Phil Savage and the Cleveland Browns organization. Savage traded the team's second round pick (No. 36 overall) and next year's first round pick to Dallas for pick No. 22 to select the free-falling Quinn, a player some thought the team would take with pick No. 3 (they took Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas). After the Draft, Quinn said all the right things about getting to camp on time and trying to beat out Charlie Frye for the starting quarterback job. So, of course, he is holding out for more money and has yet to practice with the team. Even if he signed tonight, Quinn would be so far behind that he'd be lucky to win the job by Halloween. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys can't wait for that Top 5 pick they'll be getting from Cleveland... Curt Schilling comes back tonight for the Red Sox against the Angels. Schilling should be rested and ready to pitch the Sox to the AL East title and hopefully the American League and World Series championships. As I have said many times in Schill's abscence, the addition of No. 38 to a rotation of Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield and Jon Lester gives the Red Sox a huge advantage over their competition, especially with a bullpen featuring Jonathan Papelbon, Eric Gagne, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen and Mike Timlin... Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers said over the weekend at a charity basketball game in Los Angeles that he wants the Pacers to trade him to the Lakers. The teams have had talks since the end of the season but they continue to stall on Indiana's insistence on L.A. including both Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum in the deal. In support of the Lakers, that is a wise choice. O'Neal is an All-Star player -- and the type of star that might just keep Kobe Bryant happy enough to keep firing shots up for the purple and gold -- but giving up Odom and Bynum is too much. The Lakers would be wise to make Bynum, a young and unproven center, the player they ship to Indiana and then build around Kobe, O'Neal and Odom... Here come the Yankees. Still seven behind the Sox in the AL East but just a half-game behind Detroit for the Wild Card... Still no Asante Samuel at Patriots training camp. Starting to get worried... Enjoy Schilling's return tonight...

Danny Ainge At Work

Since the ping-pong balls bounced the wrong way in May, here is what Danny Ainge has done to the Celtics roster: He traded Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the No. 5 pick to Seattle for Ray Allen. He drafted Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Gabe Pruitt in the second round of the Draft. He signed rookie free agent forward Brandon Wallace out of South Carolina. He traded Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and two future first round picks to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. He hasn't stopped there. Ainge has inked free agent guards Eddie House of the New Jersey Nets and Jackie Mauel of the Los Angeles team in the NBDL. House is a shooter, not a play-making point guard, but his range will help stretch defenses. Manuel is a defender on the wing, probably just insurance in case Tony Allen isn't ready to play in the fall. There is also a rumor (courtesy of CelticsBlog) that the Timberwolves will release Ryan Gomes and he will sign with the Celtics. Kind of makes sense, Gomes' talents as a role playe may be lost on such a young team and he would certainly help the C's. There is also report today (courtesy of the Cleveland News Herald, via CelticsBlog) that the Timberwolves are releasing veteran point guard Troy Hudson and that h is expected to join his former teammate Kevin Garnett in Boston. Ainge is also trying to securea big man. Dikembe Mutombo's name is surfacing.

Random Thoughts (August 1, 2007)

Wow, isn't it fun to live in Boston this morning. The Red Sox have the best record in baseball and just added Eric Gagne to their already loaded bullpen. The Patriots are in training camp and are considered by everyone who follows the NFL, outside of San Diego, Indianapolis and Baltimore, to be the clear favorites to win Super Bowl XLII. Even the Bruins added a real NHL goalie in Manny Fernandez and could return to the playoffs. Oh, and the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett. Hell, even the Curly Haired Boyfriend is smiling this morning... The Garnett trade has made the Celtics a force for the first time since the 1990-91 season. KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen form the best trio of stars in the game. KG can dominate inside while also knocking down the open jumper. Allen is the premiere perimeter shooter in the NBA. Pierce's sriving lanes will be wide open with defenses concentrating on both Grnett and Allen. The Herald reports today that veteran free agents were contacting the Celtics yesterday to see what openings need to be filled. The four point guards the team is looking at are Brevin Knight, Eddie House, Charlie Bell and Troy Hudson. The team is also focusing on five big men -- Dikembe Mutombo, P.J. Brown, Michael Ruffin, Cal Booth and Scot Pollard. I would love to see Ainge get the approval to spend the money on Knight, Mutombo or Brown and Pollard. The team certainly needs a steady veteran presence at the point to go with Rajon Rondo and they should stress defense and rebounding in searching for front court help. This is a great day for Ainge, Pierce, the entire organization and all the fans (like myself) who actually supported this team for the last fifteen years of mediocre basketball... The Red Sox did not allow the C's to steal the spotlight yesterday. The Sox pulled off their own great trade, sending fifth starter Kason Gabbard and minor league outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre to Texas for former Cy Young winning closer Eric Gagne. Gagne will join All-Star Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen as the set-up crew for Jonathan Papelbon. The Sox also just missed out on adding Jermaine Dye from the White Sox. If 2004 taught us anything, it's that pitching is the key to winning the World Series. The starting rotation of Josh Beckett (Cy Young candidate), Daisuke Matsuzaka (ROY candidate), Curt Schilling (15 scoreless innings in three rehab starts with Pawtucket), Tim Wakefield (still eats innings) and Jon Lester (pitching like he never was sick) is among the best in baseball and now that loaded bullpen of Papelbon, Okajima and Delcarmen has added "Game Over" Gagne as a reinforcement. If the Red Sox have a lead after the sixth inning, no umpire would be wrong in calling the game finished... Big Papi showed off some power last night. He hit two homeruns and drove in all three of Boston's runs in the 5-3 loss to Baltimore. His homerun off of Erik Bedard in the third was his first off of a lefty all year. Ortiz' 2007 numbers -- .321/18/64 -- my not be what we are used to in Boston but remember that the slugger has battled knee, quadriceps and shoulder injuries all year. I am worried that his late game heroics have been non-existent (.228 BA with 0 HR and 1 RBI in late inning situations of close games) but the team is leading the AL East by 7 games and Papi, if last night is an indicator, is starting to mash...