Random Thoughts (August 8, 2007)

Not much gained or lost for the Patriots from last night's 16-15 preseason loss to the Ravens other than the fact that the offense struggled behind the leadership of quarterbacks Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez and Kevin O'Connell. Tom Brady was in uniform but never left the sideline. Behind supposed number two quarterback Cassel (1-for-4, 11 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT) the offense was non-existent. Gutierrez (10-for-16, 76 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT) was much better than Cassel and even O'Connell, the rookie from San Diego State, showed some promise (6-for-13, 57 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT). Granted it was only the first preseason game but the Patriots need to see more production out of Cassel. If he can not handle the primary backup duties behind Brady, the Pats need to find a veteran -- Chad Pennington -- to handle the number two job while Gutierrez and O'Connell develop... LaMont Jordan, signed by the Pats as a free agent earlier in camp, rushed for 76 yards on 19 carries and scored a touchdown. Jordan will provide insurance for Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris in the backfield and could take a job from either third-down specialist Kevin Faulk (doubtful) or reserve fullback Kyle Eckel (more likely)... I like that the Red Sox claimed San Diego Padres outfielder Brian Giles on waivers yesterday. Giles, who used his no-trade cluase to block a potential deal today, would have provided some costly insurance in the Red Sox lineup for David Ortiz (wrist) and Mike Lowell (hip) while providing depth in the outfield. More importantly, by claiming Giles, the Red Sox blocked the A.L. East leading Rays, who really need a right fielder, from making a move for Giles... Now that the Los Angeles Clippers have added three point guards this summer (Baron Davis, Jason Hart, Jason Williams), I would like to see the Celtics take a chance on Shaun Livingston. Livingston is a talented floor leader who suffered a serious knee injury two seasons ago but is young enough for the C's to take a chance that he can play. At the least, Livingston would be a cheap way to find competition for Gabe Pruitt in the fall and he could be a classic, low-risk/high-reward player. I would rather see Danny Ainge gamble on Livingston than Darius Miles... Go see Step Brothers. You will not regret it... Big series for the Red Sox this weekend. Taking 2-of-3 from the White Sox on the South Side would help keep the pressure on the Rays while giving them some cushion in the A.L. Wild Card race... Ian Thomsen reported last week that Greek basketball club Olympiakos may offer as much as $30-million (tax free) dollars to LeBron James when his contract runs out with Cleveland after the 2010 season. Now Kobe Bryant, talking at the Olympics, says he would listen to offers from teams in Italy, where he spent the majority of his childhood when his father Joe was finishing his career, if the dollars got into the $50-million per season range. This should not come as a major surprise. With the value of the Euro rising each day and the global marketing plans led by NBA commissioner David Stern, having a superstar leaving America to play in Greece or Italy is not a shocking development. The talent level in the top European leagues is not the same as in the NBA but it is at least equal to that of Division 1 college basketball and it improves each year (take a closer look at the European teams in the Olympics if you doubt that last statement). If LeBron leaves for Grece or Kobe goes to Italy, the day will finally come when Stern's dream of having a European division in the NBA will come true. A division made up of teams in London, Paris, Rome, Athens and Moscow would be a great thing for professional basketball, which already is the only true global game... Enjoy Jacoby Ellsbury tonight...