Jack Tatum Off to Hell; Random Thoughts (July 28, 2010)

Jack Tatum, a Pro Bowl safety who helped lead the Oakland Raiders to a victory in Super Bowl XI, died yesterday at the age of 61. That is important news in the Boston area because Tatum was most well known for a vicious hit he laid on Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley in a 1978 preseason game that left Stingley paralyzed for the remainder of his life. I was not alive in 1978 but every account of the hit that I have heard or read has made it clear that the hit was perfectly legal although quite unneccessary. Preseason games are not the time to drop one's head in order to spear a defenseless receiver but Tatum - who was the self-proclaimed "Assassin" - obviously did not see the difference. The sad aftermath was that Tatum profited from the hit while Stingley sat trapped in his wheel chair. Tatum authored three books that poured money into his bank accounts but he never once sat down with Stingley to apologize for the play that took away his ability to use his body. My wish is that as Jack Tatum approached the Gates of Heaven, Darryl Stingley - who passed away in 2007 - was waiting and patiently and delivered a smashing blow to Tatum's sternum, sending the former Raider right into the depths of Hell... John Lackey continued his recent stretch of great pitching, going 7 1/3 innings in last night's 4-2 win over the Angels in his first appearance as the enemy in Orange County. Lackey pushed his season record to 10-5 with a 4.26 ERA but in his three starts since the All-Star break the 6-6 righty is 1-0 with an impressive 1.61 ERA. The Red Sox will aim for a rare three-game sweep on the road against the Angels this afternoon when Josh Beckett takes on former Sox hurler Joel Pineiro... I am a bit torn over the Cincinnati Bengal's signing of Terrell Owens. While I am looking forward to the theatrics of the T.O.-Chad Ochocinco combination, the rumors of Owens signing with the New York Jets had me excited for the potential scenario of him playing a key role in the self-destruction of Gang Green his fall. I guess that with all of the high profile players that the Jets have acquired coupled with the explosive personality of head coach Rex Ryan, it is inevitable that there will be chaos in the Meadowlands this season. I was just hoping to see T.O. contributing to the demise of Ryan's overhyped team... If I was running the Washington Nationals, Stephen Strasburg would be heading for a nice vacation and then preparing himself for 2011. You just don't mess with greatness... Rumors are starting to fly again of the Celtics interest in Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez. The one weak area for the C's is a lack of young talent and a lack of scoring options off the bench on the perimeter. The 25-year-old Fernandez provides a solution to both of those weaknesses. He is a gifted athlete who is capable of creating his own shot and is an accurate long distance shooter, racking up 257 3-pointers in his first two seasons while shooting 38.7% from behind the arc. Adding Fernandez would be a nice piece for the 2010-2011 season as well as for the future... Enjoy Victor Martinez today...