Thinking out loud…while wondering if you need to attract maximum attention, does anything beat a good mistake?
Serious question – after the Celtics’ shot at this year’s NBA championship, which pro team in New England is closest to the next title opportunity?
Stunningly, that answer might just be the formerly lifeless Red Sox. Followed by the Patriots and Bruins.
The Revolution? Who knows? They keep losing players to European teams and do their very best (or worst) to maintain a rep as the “Buffalo Bills” of MLS.
As for the B’s, just a few short days after the untimely demise of Bruce Cassidy as head coach of the Boston Bruins, I’m left with this: Why?
Don Sweeney was nothing if not complimentary toward Cassidy after firing him this week. So what exactly did Cassidy do, or not do, to warrant his dismissal? Our buddy Joey Mac reported Cassidy was told he was ‘safe’ during his season exit interview.
Sure, the team fell short of expectations, depending on your definition of what those were. Did some of the veterans on that team “tire” of occasional heavy-handedness?
We should know that in this present day and age, a sense of entitlement certainly exists among highly compensated professional athletes. Some inmates do run the asylum. Plus, you know the adage – you can’t fire 25 players, but you can certainly fire the coach.
Several in the local media have expressed their views on Cassidy’s ouster very well. And I would largely concur with their sentiments…this was a poor, short-sighted decision, leaving little else but to think this is squarely on upper management’s shoulders to cover their own shortfalls, or an attempt to placate a disgruntled veteran (or two).
Sweeney? Cam Neely? Jeremy Jacobs? There’s no guarantee a younger coach with fresh ideas can coach up their draft picks, or even work with the veterans who return. It’s just more of the same with this Bruins franchise…and the wheels on this bus keep going round and round.
As for that younger coach? Initial thoughts point to former Friar and Providence Bruins coach Jay Leach, who spent this past season as an assistant for the expansion Seattle Kraken. And Friar fans, you won’t like it – but current PC coach Nate Leaman is likely getting serious consideration.
Outside of the two Friar connections, Cranston native and former Rangers and Boston University coach David Quinn will also get some run, as will current P-Bruins coach Ryan Mougenel. At this point, it would be stunning if a veteran like Barry Trotz entered the picture.
Unless the Bruins brain trust is being less-than-honest with us. Which they might be.
One way or another, it appears the road to Boston will run through Providence again. The Bruins need to do something about the road blocks and detours, however…which is easier said than done.
BetOnline this week had Leaman as the 4-to-1 favorite to become the next Bruins head coach.
Patriots mini camp was so successful, even in the rain (and the practice bubble) this week…BB called off the last day of practice. Including the OTA’s scheduled for next week, too. Sorry to report you won’t get another day of rather meaningless Mac Jones passing stats.
Besides, Jon Bon Jovi showed up Wednesday. How could you possibly practice after that? It’s My Life, we’re all Wanted, Dead or Alive…and always Living on a Prayer.
Romeo Crennel spent nearly 40 years of his life as a coach in the NFL, and 50 years in the sport of football. Think about that. The definition of a “lifer.” Four of those as defensive coordinator for Super Bowl winning teams in New England, too.
Crennel currently holds the record as the oldest person to serve as a head coach in the NFL, when he was promoted as interim coach at Houston in 2020…at age 73.
Which means, he’ll hold that record for another what, three years?
The ballot of nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is out, and among the notable names included (like Ray Lewis, Marvin Harrison, and Tony Gonzalez) are one-time Patriot QB’s Matt Cavanaugh, Michael Bishop and Tim Tebow, plus BC linebacker Luke Kuechly.
The NFL is presently on course to pass $2 billion in sponsorships for the first time. The latest to climb aboard the pro football freight train – Ernest and Julio Gallo as the “official wine” of the NFL. Not whine.
The way it looks today – the only way the Celtics can lose this NBA Championship, is to lose it themselves. Boston is the only team that can “beat” Boston.
Turnovers = losses. 0-5 when committing 16 or more turnovers. 15 or fewer, they’re 14-2. Rebound, defend, apply pressure to the Warriors’ shooters, attack the rim, don’t be dumb = wins.
Long time Celtics’ reporter Steve Bulpett tweeted it out in the aftermath of the Game Three win – but during a timeout as GS was roaring back from an 18-point deficit, Ime Udoka asked his team “will you guys stop playing like a**holes?”
And there’s your sign. Or, your defining moment.
The debate will continue. But Jayson Tatum doesn’t need to be a Top Five NBA player for this team to win it all. Top Ten is good enough. Jaylen Brown needs to be Top 20. Marcus Smaht needs to be idiot-proofed.
And Robert Williams just needs to be on the floor, period.
Don’t laugh. The product is probably watered down enough and could use a boost from college players staying in the college game a bit longer…but the NBA is looking to expand.
Not for next year, mind you. But Seattle lost the Sonics…and well, Vegas just seems like a natural destination these days, doesn’t it? Both have been prominently mentioned as favorite cities.
Coach Sheed? Could be. Rasheed Wallace was initially reported to have a deal to join Darvin Ham’s staff with the Lakers, although an official designation has not yet been announced. Both were once teammates on a title team in Detroit. Over/under on bench technicals?
And maybe…Coach Mazzulla in Utah? Johnston’s Joe Mazzulla, often seen in Udoka’s ear on the Boston bench…will apparently interview for the head coaching job with the Jazz, according to ESPN.
If no one else does, Danny Ainge knows what the ex-Hendricken Hawk has to contribute on that sideline, and in that huddle.
Not for nuthin’, but college basketball is more popular than the NBA. At least, if you go by who is watching on the tube.
The three most-watched basketball games this year are all NCAA Tournament games (UNC vs. Kansas- 17 million, vs. Duke – 16.2 million, and St. Peters – 13.6 million). NBA Finals’ Game Two and One come in 4th and 5th at not quite 12 million viewers each.
And just for a little context to it all – The Field of 68 reported this week the 2022 NCAA title game was one of the lowest rated in tournament history. At least 17 million people still watched it.
Mark your calendars, sez CBS’ Jon Rothstein. Saturday, December 3rd. The Ryan Center in Kingston. The tradition will be revisited…and the annual PC-URI bloodletting resumes.
Big East teams will be heavily involved in the Nike “Phil Knight” events next season – Villanova, Xavier, UConn – as the legendary shoe company founder turns 85 years old.
But for my money, the old school Maui Invitational (hey, wasn’t PC in that a couple of years ago?) is packed with national contenders – including Creighton.
I suppose now…we’ll all get tired of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” at the Dunk like we all (or at least most of us) get nauseous from Fenway’s nightly rendition of “Sweet Caroline.”
Sure, it’s in good fun. The student section at Providence injected energy into more than just a few old timers this season past. Swift actually acknowledged PC this week by sending the basketball team some swag and “liking” a social media tweet by the basketball team.
She likes us? Taylor Swift really likes US? OMG!
A little birdie told me the other night at the PC season ticket holder event on campus that the Friars have a real “find” in grad transfer big man Clifton Moore, who started his career at Indiana.
Bryant will play in the Hall of Fame Classic at the MassMutual Center in Springfield in December, against Liberty University. UMass and North Texas are the other two teams in the field.
And speaking of Bryant, we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the retirement of the Bulldogs’ lacrosse architect, Mike Pressler. Hope he writes the book about his experiences, including the time he spent at Duke in the mid-2000’s.
UConn baseball advanced to the Stanford Super Regional this weekend, one step (and two wins) away from the College World Series in Omaha. But alas, it IS Stanford.
The Huskies haven’t reached the CWS in 43 years, and last appeared in the Super Regional 11 years ago. That 2011 team featured George Springer and (gulp) Matt Barnes…and lost to eventual national champ South Carolina.
Their success this year? Thanks in large part to the transfer portal – 14 players began their careers at other schools.
Hers’s a sobering NIL thought from Ohio State: head football coach Ryan Day (a former BC assistant, ICYMI) sez his program will need $13 million to keep his roster intact beyond next season.
“One phone call, and they’re out the door,” was what Day was quoted as saying to a group of Columbus boosters. What does this say about college athletics today?
Or perhaps, what does this say about the “student athletes” at THE Ohio State University?
Tweet of the Week I, from @darrenrovell: “Miami booster John Ruiz, the face of NIL, became a billionaire when his company, MSP Recovery, went public. In nine days on the market, the stock has plunged every day. Stock is at 97 cents, 91.5% off its exercise price of $11.50 on May 24.”
For my buddy Edward in East Providence – the King of Clay won again in Paris at the French Open. No questioning Spain’s Rafa Nadal is an all-time great. Maybe THE all-time great.
But why is there no player from the USA worth two bits these days highly ranked on the world tennis circuit? Find me a future star WE can root for; you’ll find mainstream media (and even non-mainstream) talking and writing more about pro tennis.
My buddy “Big E” sez he was at the Social Security office filling out an application and forgot his ID. So, he decided to take off his shirt to show his gray chest hair as proof of his age and wouldn’t you know it – they accepted he was eligible.
He told Mrs. E what happened when he got home. She replied, “quick, go back down there and drop your drawers! Maybe you can claim disability?”
Do you even realize how big a story the Boston Red Sox would be right now…if the Celtics weren’t wrapped up in the battle for Banner 18?
The starting pitching has been nothing short of head scratching amazing, really. The bullpen – which admittedly is the organizations’ Achilles heel – actually saved a game this week against the woeful Angels to preserve a seven-game win streak.
Two of the wins in that streak were of the one-to-nothing variety. So for all of the bats banging the outfield walls, the pitching has been spectacularly brilliant. Going into Wednesday’s 1-0 win, Sox pitching held a 1.03 ERA through seven starts, holding opponents to a meek .170 batting average.
The Red Sox are the only team in MLB to have three complete games this season. In fact, no other team has more than one.
And FOUR of the five AL East teams would be in the playoffs if they started tomorrow. They don’t, of course. But considering where the Sox were a month ago, perhaps they haven’t yet ruint the summah before it even stahts.
No matter how bad you think you have it…someone else always has it worse. Consider the plight of those Angels – whose losing streak has progressed to 14 games, and cost Joe Madden his job as manager.
And I feel badly for the fans Wednesday night who had to listen to Nickelback songs as ‘walkup’ music for every Angels’ batter that came to the plate. They did that, ostensibly, to get out of their rut. Guess it didn’t work.
Who’s next, Michael Bolton? Beyonce? Drake?
Sorry to put a damper on your feel-goods…but at last check, the City of New York was uncharacteristically kicking baseball butt and taking names. The Yankees and Mets were a combined 41-games over .500 at midweek, leading their respective divisions, and causing delusions of a Subway Series.
Did you see where the State of Florida (by way of Governor Ron DeSantis) threatened Special Olympics with $27 million in fines if they implemented a Covid vaccination requirement for their competitors?
Never mind the fact that some of those Special Olympians may have been compromised with health issues. And yes, it goes both ways, as unvaxxed athletes (some with their own health issues) would have been left out. The organization relented and lifted the requirement.
That’s a helluva way for a charity supporter, as DeSantis and his wife are both 2022 honorary co-chairs of Special Olympics – to treat you, don’cha think? Just sayin’.
DeSantis also vetoed $35 million in new funding for a new Tampa Bay Rays training facility…after the team announced its support for gun violence prevention following the Uvalde, TX murders.
For a governor who proclaims to want everyone to be “free,” shouldn’t companies be free to support whatever cause they wish to support?
On the eve of golf’s US Open championship in our backyard, we’d be wise to recognize pro golf has a problem…the least of which may be the realization that so many of these now ex-PGA touring pros really could care less about Saudi human rights issues.
Nope, this is about the almighty dollar, and only about the dollar. 125 million of ‘em, to be precise, just to lure Dustin Johnson to play in the LIV Golf Series. Phil Mickelson? Reportedly paid $200 million. Johnson and some others are also “resigning” from the PGA Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Kevin Na, Ricky Fowler. They’re all cha-chinging, too. I mean, it’d be nice to think some of these pro golfers actually have souls…and understand the difference between doing what’s right and what’s wrong.
But they don’t. Show ‘em the money.
Mickelson, for instance, opens his mouth and pure blabbering nonsense now comes out. But Phil is also now back doing what he loves most – making money.
Tweet of the Week II, from @GCGolfToday: “Any decision you make in your life that’s purely for money, usually doesn’t end up going the right way.” -- Rory McIlroy.
Note that LIV Golf does not yet have a TV contract (it’s streamed only) because, well, no network wants to touch it with the proverbial 10-foot pole. Or club.
The PGA Tour announced Thursday any golfer taking part in the LIV Series is suspended and not eligible to play in PGA events. Which is a little surprising, since they have had a tradition of dealing with punishments privately.
This should steal a few headlines next week as Johnson sez he still wants to play in the US Open…even though the Open is not a PGA event.
If the PGA Tour and the USGA refuse to acknowledge LIV Golf as a true threat, or (gulp!) as a potential competitor, then the sport suffers. And this is a sport that has seen a definitive resurgence in participants since the pandemic hit us between the eyes.
Women now account for one out of every four golfers on a course…up nearly 20% overall over the past five years. For five straight years, more golfers have begun to swing clubs than have left their clubs in the bag…or thrown them away.
The PGA needs to remember why the sport continues to gain in popularity, rather than resort to vindictiveness over breakaway players and organizations. Appeal to the masses, to the ‘everyman’ and ‘everywoman.’
Because clearly, the guys jumping the shark for the Saudis’ money have forgotten that.
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