Thinking out loud…while wondering why baseball feels the need to bully the little guys…
· No t-shirt and hat days this year. Bummer.
· It was a good run. A run for the ages. It will probably be a run that goes unmatched in the record books for a long, long time to come.
· For whatever reason you subscribe to, for whatever theory you tout…the New England Patriots are no longer the dynastic force that has ruled the NFL for two full decades.
· Think about that. Twenty years. Six Super Bowl trophies. Nine Super Bowl games. 18 AFC East titles, 11 consecutively. Nary a losing season, even in the salary cap era of alleged equality.
· Not the Chicago Bears. Not the Green Bay Packers. Not the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys or San Francisco 49ers – all teams and franchises that have had the ‘dynastic’ tag applied at one time or another throughout pro football history.
· None of them can claim such historical success.
· Instead, the New England Patriots, in terms of wins, championships and year-in, year-out prosperity, have them all beat. It still blows me away when you consider the rather humble beginnings of this franchise in the old AFL.
· And remember 1-15 was 30 years ago.
· Maybe with a return to the postseason next year, depending upon how far they advance, dynastic memories will make a comeback. That would be fun, of course.
· But it will never be the same. The greatest dynasty in the history of professional sport (looking squarely at you, Yankee fan) ended the day TB12 decided he didn’t want to live in New England any longer.
· Bill Belichick, at least we think, will still be around. So, there’s a chance, perhaps, to rekindle that fire.
· But the Patriotic Period of 2000-2020 should be set aside, properly placed in the record books, and cast upon the giants of historical past with no peers. Twenty years of being on the pedestal of professional football and professional sport.
· Damn. What a dominant run. Embrace it, remember it, re-live it.
· And always, always, always…try to repeat it. Bling should never fade.
· And t-shirts and hats should never get old.
· Gotta hand it to Buffalo, the AFC East conquerors this season. Kept expecting them to spit the bit this year. They haven’t done that yet.
· They haven’t won the Super Bowl yet, either.
· The Patriots playing in Miami has been equated recently with destruction and near-death, of course. But it took BB a matter of seconds this week before setting the media straight.
· “You’re certainly not referring to last year,” Belichick said, when asked why it’s been so tough to win in Miami. “We won 41-0 or something.”
· Yeah. Right. Thanks for the reminder, coach. Even if it doesn’t fit our narrative.
· Need a Saturday morning cartoon fix? Oh, you’re in for a real treat. The January 10th NFL wild card game is going to be on Nickelodeon, with a completely kid-focused broadcast.
· Viacom/CBS ponied up an extra $70 million for the rights to do that, hoping to appeal to a (much) younger audience as rights’ fee renewals loom in the distance.
· SpongeBob’s best sports moments. I (bleep) you not. Can’t wait for someone to get slimed.
· Ha, here’s a Stone-Cold stunner – Thursday Night Football is NOT drawing heavy interest from the TV networks in the next round of rights’ negotiations. The current deal expires after the 2022 season.
· But the league isn’t giving up the ghost here, either. Expect a streaming service to grab those rights and run with them…hoping, of course, you will soon follow.
· My buddy “Big E” sez he made a big mistake this week with Mrs. E. He asked her to carry his phone and made a point of going on and on about her purse, which was stuffed to the brim with, well, whatever women stuff their purses with.
· So, she took his wallet, car keys, handkerchief, lighter, a pack of cigs and his phone from his pockets and handed them all back to him. He asked her “what am I supposed to do with these?” She laughed and said, “get your own purse.”
· The Friars’ schedule is beginning to look like my weekend breakfast – slightly scrambled, and a little burnt on the edges.
· Hold on tight. It’s likely to be a roller-coaster ride to the finish line before all is said and done. DePaul has been re-added to the PC slate for Dec. 27. The Xavier and UConn makeups, likely in February. If at all.
· Let’s just hope we see the finish line this season, unlike last year.
· The elephant on the field, on the court, on the ice and in locker rooms right now – as schedules are juggled and games, jobs and livelihoods are tossed around like so much salad?
· When do we reach the point where some of these teams need to be held responsible for games being postponed or cancelled? Just sayin’.
· Yes, this is (hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that no one has all the answers for. We’re all extraordinarily weary of this stuff. Is that light I see at the end of the tunnel?
· Or is it an oncoming train, ready to plow us over?
· It seems to be very apparent that some teams ‘get it,’ while others do not.
· Why is it some teams can stay healthy in places where the virus runs rampant, and others do not, if we’re all following the same rules as everyone else? Some in college basketball have yet to play a single game.
· Psst. Here’s a little insight. Because we’re not all following the rules.
· Shocking. Amiright? That’s sarcasm in case you don’t see it.
· Football teams are beginning to shut down because they can no longer treat, track, and trace everyone…especially within the collegiate ranks. It has become an untenable burden for an extended period, and frankly, it’s amazing we’ve gone as far as we have.
· Basketball teams only have 20-25 people to worry about, whereas football teams have more than 100 members plus staff to consider.
· As a result of some teams (and other people, staffers, etc.) not ‘getting it,’ how susceptible does that make others in not just catching the virus…but still others not being able to perform their jobs?
· Should game forfeiture be a part of the equation? If proof could be shown – no matter the sport, college or pro – that a team cannot or did not adhere to protocols decided upon by the sport governing body…shouldn’t the powerless be empowered with some recourse?
· Or do we just sit idly by and let Covid continue to confine us all, no matter who is at fault? Just asking the question.
· We already know that warnings and fines for not following protocol in our everyday world are a joke. What’s the old saying – rules are made to be broken? Our political leaders have shown us we’ve got that one down pat.
· “Sports” should set the example for everyone to follow…and hold everyone accountable for their actions, or their inactions. Weren’t “sports” starting up again in the late spring and summer the way for everyone to see that we could push through the pandemic and still live our lives?
· But sports won’t go that far. Sadly, it seems no one will. After all, we’re only human, and humans make mistakes.
· The real question is – can we learn from them?
· Utah State’s football team voted to not play Colorado State this weekend, largely due to insensitive cultural and racial comments made by the school president toward the interim head football coach, who was not hired for the full-time position.
· Making a stand comes with a cost. As a result, the Aggies officially forfeited the Mountain West game with CSU, coached by ex-BC coach Steve Addazio.
· In the Pac-12, Washington had Covid and quarantine issues, and had to pull out of the conference title game against USC. The league decided ‘next man up,’ and Oregon took the spot.
· Ed Cooley spoke this week about how his team won’t be able to travel home for Christmas with quarantine rules in place. Too often we forget – they’re just kids. Highly skilled at basketball, but still kids.
· And you complain when you’re forced to wear a mask to go to the grocery store.
· The Big East from this point forward…will be a jumbled mess. But kudos to the league office (and chief scheduler Mike Coyne) for piecing together a plan like putting together a jigsaw puzzle…without corner pieces in place.
· That’s tough to do, isn’t it?
· Two performances of note this week – 1) Georgetown’s 6-10 Qudus Wahab had a near-triple double (17 points, 10 rebounds, nine blocks) in the Hoyas’ OT win over St. John’s. Who said Patrick Ewing can’t coach ‘em up?
· 2) Beware Marquette, and 6-foot-11 fab freshman Dawson Garcia. Garcia had a double-double, and he and his teammates grabbed an 89-84 road win at #9 Creighton.
· And DePaul still hasn’t played a game yet. Not one. Nine cancellations or postponements and counting.
· The Big East is the only conference in the country – including the Big 10, the Big 12 and ACC – that has EVERY team ranked in the Kenpom.com Top 100. Even DePaul…because of the teams still remaining on their schedule.
· Rhody certainly tested itself with a stronger-than-usual non-conference slate this season, including that 68-65 loss at Western Kentucky. The question remains, however – does that schedule reap benefits during Atlantic-10 play?
· And is the opener at Davidson Friday night – a tough place to start – indicative of where the Rams go this season?
· Makhi Mitchell’s ACL injury is a bitter pill to swallow. After an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win over Seton Hall, it was a non-contact play that took him down at WKU. His mom tweeted it would be four-to-six months of recovery time, but he does have two years of eligibility remaining.
· Bryant won its’ back-to-backs with Wagner this week, 74-62 Wednesday and 00-00 Thursday. The 6-2 season start (3-1 NEC) is the best for the Bulldogs in seven years.
· Unbelievably scary moment when Florida’s Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court last weekend during a game with Florida State. Reminiscent of the Celtics’ Reggie Lewis in ’93 and Loyola Marymount’s Hank Gathers’ collapse on the floor 30 years ago, Johnson’s condition is improving.
· Reportedly, Johnson had Covid-19 this past summer and Covid has led to some instances of myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle. And that’s what killed Gathers in 1990.
· Can someone – anyone – ‘splain to me why all Division I transfers can play right away, but if you’re moving from DII to DI, you still have to sit out a year? Still stupid is as stupid does, NCAA.
· ICYMI – and I know Edward in East Providence didn’t – the women’s NCAA Tournament is also going to bubble up, like what the men’s tournament is planning to do in Indianapolis. Likely, San Antonio is the spot.
· The next big 30-for-30 sports documentary on the horizon? March 11, 2020.
· A federal judge this week reinstated two varsity women’s teams at Brown, closing a now 22-year long discrimination lawsuit against the school by August of 2024. Fencing and equestrian return, and the school will be released from the infamous Cohen v. Brown decision they maintain is a ‘significant obstacle’ in the athletic department’s overall ability to create a competitive environment for both men’s and women’s teams.
· PC’s hockey teams are beginning to come around…the women are ranked 7th nationally this week, while the men will play a home-and-home with Northeastern after bouncing back with a win at UMass-Lowell last weekend.
· Looming in our background – the Summer Olympics coming back into focus in Tokyo next year, after the postponement this past summer. And a full one-third of Japanese citizens don’t want the games to be played – at all – as the country deals with a 3rd wave of Covid infections.
· Some good news in the media biz, for a change. Abby Chin returns to NBCSB and the Celtics’ broadcasts as pre and postgame host, replacing Kyle Draper. Draper took a TV play-by-play gig with Sacramento.
· And the other thought I have on the NBA getting started again? Goodjobouttayou, Greek Freak.
· Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to stay with Milwaukee is a huge win for mid-and-smaller market teams. Also, a win for anyone who believes in fair play and not having the inmates run the asylum by making personnel decisions…and the first real win for the Bucks since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stiffed them for LA 45 years ago.
· The richest man in Egypt, billionaire investor Nassef Sawiris, has purchased a 5% stake in MSG Corp, the holding company that owns the Knicks and Rangers. MSG shares have lost about 15% of their value, thanks to the pandemic.
· There’s a line in there somewhere about ‘not even the spoils of ancient Egypt and the pyramids’ can save the Knicks, but I’ll take a pass.
· At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, exactly why are the Cleveland Indians – after all these years – deciding to change their team nickname?
· If the term “Indians” is so offensive, why did they wait? If it’s the cartoonish Chief Wahoo logo, I get that. But that’s a simple fix – and they’ve already fixed it…by dumping it.
· This is equivalent to throwing the baby out with the bath water. An overreaction to political correctness – which has become a sport unto itself these days.
· But if they see the need to throw a change-up here, I’m in for “Spiders” or “Rocks.”
· Not for nuthin’, but I’m proud of my heritage and where my peeps came from. Liverpool. Wales. And the streets awash with remnants from the neighborhood pubs flowing down the cobblestones…and all my cousins stumbling thereafter.
· Which Hunter Renfroe are you excited to have in the outfield at Fenway Park next season? The one who hit 33 taters two years ago (while hitting .216) in San Diego, or the one who hit .156 in Tampa this past season?
· Sportico reported this week several minor league baseball owners are less-than-thrilled with the new arrangement with the major leagues, redefining terms and conditions for ownership and club affiliation. Short term – fine. Long term?
· A lot of doubt. And the heavy-handedness of MLB forcing this deal upon the 120 existing minor league teams appears to be more for baseball’s ability to create economic domination, than for their minor league franchises to flourish.
· Can’t imagine anyone in Lowell – or in Pawtucket, for that matter – is pleased with baseball’s economics having pounded their own town into submission.
· Ron emailed this week to say: “John, excellent column…I’m from Seekonk, my kids are season ticket holders for PC Bball, lifetime fan since Jimmy Walker for me, nice to get your perspective (and I’m sure Joe’s in the background).”
· Appreciate you, Ron, and thanks for reading. Joe is always lurking somewhere, when it comes to the Friars. One of these days, we’ll need to put together “Hassett’s Greatest Hits, and Hit Jobs” on the officials.
· 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? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.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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