Thinking out loud…while thinking that no matter how good I get at tennis, I’ll never be better than a wall…
You can take the man from the competition, but you can’t take the competition from the man. Among the notables this week, Doug Flutie, ex-Sox utilityman Brock Holt, ex-pitcher Ryan Dempster and Zdeno Chara trained for, ran, and finished the Boston Marathon.
Ya’ know, since Big Z’s in such good shape and all…maybe? Nah.
Tweet of the Week I, from @FriarsHockey: “Best of luck to the four former Friars that will be participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs – Noel Acciari, Toronto; Vinny Desharnais, Edmonton; Brandon Duhaime, Minnesota; Brandon Tanev, Seattle #ProFriars”
Really? One loss and it’s ovah? Puh-leeze. Couldn’t listen to much more than a minute of the radio in the aftermath of the Bruins’ Wednesday loss to Florida. Too predictable. Too negative. Too dumb.
And no, the B’s didn’t lose because of Linus Ullmark. The defense in front of him, however, kept turning the puck over. So let’s just consider this a little wakeup call?
And maybe get Bergeron back before too much longer?
P-Bruins forward Oskar Steen is an emergency call up to Boston, until things settle and/or work themselves out. And Providence has won its third AHL Atlantic Division title in the last four years, awaiting its’ first postseason foe this weekend and first home playoff game next Friday.
ICYMI, former Providence Bruins’ head coach Peter Laviolette has left the Washington Capitals after three seasons…and his team reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in two of those. Already time to move on?
Laviolette was with the PBruins when they won the Calder Cup in ‘99, and he was head coach in Philly when they won the Stanley Cup in ’06. His career record of 220-115-78 should warrant another gig somewhere for the Franklin, MA native…if he so chooses, don’cha think?
Pittsburgh has cleaned its house. Director of Hockey Ops Brian Burke (a former Friar) was fired, along with GM Ron Hextall. FSG ownership (John Henry and Tom Werner) said the team will benefit from “new hockey operations leadership” after the team finished ninth in the Eastern Conference this season.
A serious question. What would the Red Sox benefit from at this stage of their ownership, gentlemen?
Sell the team, Mr. Henry, to someone who still wants to win.
And I will beat this drum until convinced otherwise.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ 13-0 start to the season matched Atlanta in ’82 and Milwaukee in ’87 for the best start to a season in the modern era…which began in 1901. Impressive, yes. Credit should go where it’s due.
It’s also the biggest culprit behind the Sox’ presently stingy persona.
Another serious question: Does Red Sox ownership truly believe that lightning, like that, will strike here?
It already has, in another way – that’s now 13 straight wins over Boston at the Trop for these Rays, once thought of as a punching bag for the Sox and Yankees in the AL East.
Tampa’s opening day payroll was just over $73 million – a figure that ranks 28th out of 30 major league teams. But let’s also not overlook the fact the Rays opened their year with Detroit, Washington, Oakland and, ahem, Boston – four teams with low expectations for 2023.
But when a team hits more home runs than they’ve given up runs…when their pitching leads the bigs in ERA and lowest batting average against…well, if you really want the Sox to respond, perhaps your angst should really be aimed at how Tampa Bay built its team.
Or pointed toward the MLB schedule-makers.
Hey, at least we’re not Oakland. Three professional franchises have am-scrayed out of the Bay Area in the past 10 years…with the A’s announcing this week they’ve got a new land deal in Vegas.
Too bad. Once the realm of Catfish Hunter. Joe Rudi. Sal Bando. Reggie Jackson. Rollie Fingers. Ricky Henderson. Great hot dogs at the Oakland Coliseum, too. Reasonable prices, considering today’s standards.
Put part of the blame here for a lost tradition on MLB. They saw what the A’s were doing – remaining in a rundown ballpark that a few dedicated fans grudgingly returned to…and they held out until they got someone to finally build them a brand new one.
Inevitably, what goes to Vegas now stays in Vegas, amiright? Especially if it comes from Oakland.
Claire Pollard was the usher at the Civic Center/Dunk/AMP you KNEW you knew, even if you didn’t. That’s because she was there from the very first season the building opened and held her job on the floor and in the stands for 50 years – even while battling cancer in the past year.
Sadly, Claire passed away last week. The ProJo’s Mark Patinkin honored her memory with a wonderful piece on her career, and the people she met along the way.
Here’s your sign that things are (still) going well in Friartown: The Providence College ticket office reports only single season tickets are available for NEW accounts. Renewals for existing accounts are ongoing. But going strong.
Tweet of the Week II, from @Andrew_Slater: “I’m not a recruiting expert, but the transfer portal is a mix of speed dating & musical chairs. If both parties like each other, the marriage begins. There’s no time for indulging in wining & dining, as with HS recruiting. Just can’t be left without a player/chair.”
Love the makeup of the PC roster for next season. But this team, without having seen them play together yet, appears to need more size. And you can NEVER have too many shooters. Ask UConn about that.
Wishing Jared Bynum well as he spends a final grad year of eligibility at Stanford next season. His three-year presence, when looked back upon, is certainly one of the best three-year runs a Friar has had in recent memory.
And has there been another Friar in recent memory with more year-to-year improvement than Ed Croswell? Wish the big fella had another year in him here – Croswell made the Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament team last week. An NBA summer team invite on the way?
The transfer portal in the Big East has been spinning like Pat Sajak’s Wheel of Fortune. But this is what the NCAA has allowed to happen, giving freedom of movement to the players. Or rather, power to the people.
But here’s a telling comment from Michigan State’s Tom Izzo on the present State of Affairs in collegiate hoopdom: “"There’s a lot of things I am not a fan of that I have to do; I'll try to do the best I can," Izzo said to the Illini Inquirer. "It makes things hard. It’s like we put a jail around all the kids on our campus to try and keep people from poaching our kids."
Marquette has been one of the biggest winners in the portal – if only because they’ve been able to retain nearly everyone from their Big East title-winning team. Only O-Max Prosper has said he’ll try the NBA Draft waters but retain his eligibility to return.
The Friars have kept their two biggest lynchpins for next year in Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter, sure. Major win(s) for Kim English. Add Jayden Pierre and Top 40 recruit Garwey Dual to that mix as well. Those two were “culture” victories as much as anything else.
And Ed Cooley deserves some credit for that…even if he (or anyone else) ultimately couldn’t pull those guys away from Friartown. Just sayin’.
Retention, and recruiting the portal – the two biggest jobs a coach has today – and English is off to a great start. But you’re only as good as your next out-of-bounds play call.
You’ll likely need a freshly printed program to identify the players at Butler, Villanova, Xavier, and St. John’s next season. UConn, even after winning the natty, will have a fair amount of roster changeover…as will Creighton.
The Huskies have already had four players look to the NBA Draft, and four more head for the portal. Only one starter (Alex Karaban) sez he’ll definitely return next season. Yikes.
Did you hear about the Connecticut fan who was recently arrested after sending threatening messages to the school president and athletic director?
Holy Moly. Insert your obsessed-UConn-fan-joke-of-the-day here. But what if the Huskies hadn’t won the natty earlier this month?
Here’s a question we all should be asking: Are players there to actually play, or are they there because of NIL?
And the answer is probably a bit of both. Heavy on the $$$ side.
These student-athletes, for all of their newly found freedom(s), haven’t yet realized something. Opportunity ain’t always for everyone the second time around.
1500+ in the portal…and more than a thousand of those players will likely be left without a scholarship option – one that they already had in their hands if they had just stayed put and learned to fight through a little adversity.
The free market can be cold and cruel. Just like it is in everyday business life. Consider it a part of their education – even if they don’t learn anything else.
Updated “Way Too Early” Big East rundown: 1) Marquette 2) UConn 3) Providence 4) Creighton 5) Villanova 6) Xavier 7) Seton Hall 8) Butler 9) St. John’s 10) Georgetown 11) DePaul.
If Sean Miller lands ex-Virginia big Kadin Shedrick to go along with Quincy Olivari (Rice) and Dayvion McKnight (W. Kentucky), watch out for X. They’ll be in that Top Four mix once again.
Among URI’s basketball roster additions for next season…comes a young man from Northeast Oklahoma Junior College by the name of Always Wright. If he isn’t the captain of the national All Name Team next season, find me a better one.
Probably the best name on a team around here since…Abdul Abdullah? God Shammgod?
Very sorry to learn of the passing of long time Newport Daily News columnist Jim Gillis this week, at age 64. Such a talented writer and columnist – I’m not certain there was a person on Aquidneck Island he didn’t know…or know of. Jim battled end-stage renal failure for more than a decade, even after undergoing a kidney transplant just three years ago.
Foot stomping? Groin kicking? When did the NBA turn into the UFC?
Malcolm Brogdon might be the “Sixth Man of the Year” in the NBA, and the first Celtic since Bill Walton to win the honor…but you can also make an argument for his being the Celtics’ MVP.
Is Boston a true title contender without him? Doubt it. He knew he was coming off the bench before he got here. He accepted his role. He was the only player in the NBA to finish in the top three on a team in scoring (14.9 points), rebounding (4.2) and assists (3.7) among players who didn’t start a game.
Maybe it’s because they haven’t been in the postseason since 2006. But the Sacramento Kings have the priciest playoff tickets in the NBA going for them right now. Average purchase price for Game One of their series with Golden State? $668.
It’s the most expensive playoff ticket the online marketplace has ever tracked, not counting the NBA Finals, according to Front Office Sports.
So for the Kings, it’s either “Carpe Diem,” or “Act Like You’ve Been Here Before?” Not much of a choice, really.
Kinda tough to hide when you’re 7-foot-2. Or Shaq. Or both. A Florida law firm reports O’Neal had been evading process servers for three months for his role in promoting the failed cryptocurrency company FTX.
All other celebrity endorsers have agreed to receive complaints against them, including TB12.
Tweet of the Week III, from @BostonSportsInf: “Ever wonder how much Robert Kraft made since buying the Pats for $172.0M in 1994 to its value now of $6.4B? A net increase of $6,228,000,000. For instance, every second since 1994 he made $6.75, every hour $24,300…he makes about $1.0M every 41 hours. Not a bad gig.”
It won’t be a popular pick next week. But still thinking offensive line for the Patriots, even if they stay at #14 overall. Outside shot at cornerback…but those are the two greatest needs this team has.
At this moment. Ask me again tomorrow.
Until the next one comes along, today’s ‘newest’ highest-salaried NFL player is Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts. Five years, $255 million, $126.5 million fully guaranteed by March of 2024 and the first no-trade clause in Eagles’ history.
Will the salary bubble ever burst, and when? Next season, five NFL QB’s will have a higher annual average salary than Patrick Mahomes, just three years after he signed a 10-year, $500 million deal.
Good for Matt Patricia. I may be the only guy I know who liked him, until he was woefully miscast as an offensive coordinator by BB. Then I hated him like the rest of you.
But something tells me now that he’s back on the side of the ball he probably knows best, as a defensive assistant for the Eagles, his career might finally begin an upward trajectory again.
Not for nuthin’, but the USFL beat the XFL in its’ first head-to-head TV ratings competition this past week.
Remember we mentioned Colorado selling out its’ spring football game for this weekend? The Buffaloes announced this week they’ve sold out season tickets for the kick off in September…for the first time in three decades. Call it the ‘Coach Prime’ effect.
My buddy “Big E” sez he’s become great at multitasking. He can waste time, be unproductive and procrastinate all at once.
Is pro golf hot? Undeniably, it is if you’re paying attention to the TV ratings. Just a week after CBS reported the final round of the Masters was the most-watched round of golf on TV in five years, this past weekend’s RBC Heritage was the most-watched outside of the Masters.
All but one of the PGA Tour’s eight designated events on their schedule has rated an increase in viewership from the previous year. Say what you will about LIV Golfers grabbing their dough, but at least the PGA is serious about the competition…which is good for the TV-consuming gallery.
In case you’re in a quandary about paying for a blue Twitter “checkmark” of your own, fewer than 5% of legacy verified accounts appear to have paid to join Elon Musk’s “Twitter Blue” this week…after the company wiped clean unpaid-but-still-legacy-verified blue checkmark accounts.
I’m still me. @JRBroadcaster. But you never know. Misinformation will apparently always have a place on the www. Except in this space, of course.
This from Front Office Sports this week: The sports betting industry posted a new February record this year by bringing in $636 million in revenue and $8.41 billion in handle.
And in today’s “Can You Top This?” – a record 50.4 million American adults, or about one in five, bet on Super Bowl LVII according to the American Gaming Association.
I’m certainly no prude, but this raging obsession with gambling doesn’t seem like it’s going in a good direction for anyone other than bookmakers and casinos…with state tax coffers around the country earning a mere $3 billion since the Supreme Court legalized sports betting nationwide.
And if it isn’t already, it’s likely to become a major headache for pro sports leagues and colleges, too (point-shaving, anyone?)…which is why you’re also likely to see these leagues and schools soon embark on “safe betting” campaigns.
Whoa. And my generation grew up with “safe sex” campaigns. Boomah!
Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions, comments, and local stories to jrbroadcaster@gmail.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
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