I'm Growing a Lockout Beard

The NHL players have been locked out. The owners wanted the players to lower the percentage of hockey revenues they got paid, instead of sharing revenues with smaller market teams. The idea the owners had was that small market teams could afford to pay players the same as big market ones, and big market teams could pocket all their additional profits. It's not surprising that Jeremy "Ebeneezer" Jacobs is spearheading this greedy endeavor.

There are two kinds of greed in this world. Short-term, avaricious, 7 Deadly Sin kind of greed that seeks immediate gain, forsaking all consequences and repercussions. And intelligent, productive, ambitious greed that "has marked the upward surge of mankind." There's greed that urges you to take all the pennies in the dish by the counter, and there's greed to start a business and produce something.

The NHL owners are hungry for immediate profit. And this foolish kind of greed will destroy this game.

Do you hear much outrage over the NHL lockout? Do you hear wailing in the streets, the sounds of large appliances being hurled through drywall as millions of angry fans struggle to cope with the loss of hockey?

No. Hockey is a regional sport, with a core of fanatic supporters, and a large contingent of casual fans. These casual fans are in football mode, fretting over their fantasy teams. And in February, when football stops, if there's no NHL they'll just watch college basketball and drink more.

For most sports fans in America, the NHL is like a girl you occasionally hook up with when you can't get anything better, and you don't have any strong feelings for. They threaten to never talk to you again unless you get serious with them, and you're kind of fine with that.

The NHL has done decently since the lockout. Total revenues are up. Ratings are better. The big market teams are doing well. Chicago, Boston, LA, New York, and Philly are tuning in to the game. This should be the opening stages of an upward trend for the NHL, not another massive hiccup.

This is no time for ultimatums, or short-term cash grabbing. This might be a time for small changes, but not major readjustments to the owner/player balance. The players are the entertainment. They're the ones with the skills. They're the ones making the plays, scoring the goals, unleashing the hits, taking the risks.

Why should they get less?

Until the owners can adequately answer this question, or until they realize they should stop asking the question at all, I'm letting my beard grow. I trimmed it Saturday. It's a blonde/black/ginger mix, so when it grows it gets sketchy. Tendrils of red hair curl over my lips. Patches of black hairs mix with blotches of blonde on my cheeks. It's not pretty.

This league seems to not want to take care of itself, groom itself, and keep itself presentable. So I will do the same.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Patriots Commit Cardinal Sins

You can point to two special teams plays and say "Here's where the Pats lost the game." The blocked punt that led to an Arizona touchdown, and of course Stephen Gostkowski's missed field goal.

It's not so simple. This was a team loss. The Patriots lost this game, quite thoroughly. Not just a kicker, not just a backup receiver that failed to execute a block.

The play before Zoltan Mesko's punt was blocked, Wes Welker let a ball slip through all 10 of his fingers. He catches the ball and gets a 1st down, Arizona never gets such an amazing scoring opportunity.

Brandon Lloyd also dropped a big 3rd down pass in the 4th quarter.

The Patriots didn't execute. The offensive line was toyed with. Tom Brady wasn't his absolute best. I mentioned Lloyd and Welker. The Patriots couldn't get anything going on the ground. And all the big plays were made by the Cardinals.

But Arizona tried so hard to give the Patriots chances in this game. The fumble by Ryan Williams is a perfect example.

As a team, the Pats didn't do enough to win. I don't think it's very complicated. I don't think it's something to worry too much about. It's something that can be isolated to this one game. Hopefully.

The Pats play the Ravens in Baltimore next Sunday night. Both teams are 1-1 and will be hungry to avoid going 1-2.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Red Sox Play a Part in Playoff Races

There's a seriously exciting three-way race in the AL East this year. And it's painful to not be part of it. The Red Sox are completely irrelevant, except that they might beat relevant teams and knock them out of the playoff hunt.

That's just about the only reason to watch this team these days. That and to watch players now and imagine who might be on this team in 2013, and how they might do. Last night we got to see Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Junichi Tazawa do well. And that can provide some hope for 2013.

Jon Lester had a decent start last night. He's been such an impossible to figure puzzle this year. He walked 7 Yankees. He also struck out 5 in his 5.1 innings. He allowed 5 hits, but only 3 of those 12 baserunners he allowed managed to score.

A fresh start in 2013 would do Lester good. He's not a guy I'd want to build a rotation around, but I don't mind him being a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Jacoby Ellsbury was 4 for 5 on his birthday, with a double, 2 RBI, and the game-winning single. I'm not sold on Ellsbury, to be honest. I'll give him a pass for this season because of injuries and the sorry state of the team. But he's only had one good year in his career. He's always been about potential and only occasionally been results. And stolen bases. Scott Boras will tout him as a 30/30 man, but he's only managed to hit 10+ homeruns in one season. His career OBP is below .350.

2013 will be a make or break year for Ellsbury. Can he stay healthy? If so, can he demonstrate that he's still as good as he was in 2011? The Sox have the available funds to sign him, but will they want to?

I want Junichi Tazawa to be the #1 middle-reliever on the 2013 Red Sox. And maybe even consider him for the closer's role. He throws strikes. He almost never walks anyone. He comes in any inning any situation and does his job. He struck out 3 in 1.2 innings last night. And in 35 innings this year he's struck out 35 and walked only 5.

I don't much enjoy the Red Sox embracing their role as spoilers. There is a great race for playoff spots going on and Boston is miles away from the action. September baseball without a playoff race, without scoreboard watching, is simply a weekday distraction between football games.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Seguin Staying in Boston

The Bruins and Tyler Seguin have agreed to a contract extension worth $34.5 million over 6 years. That's an average of $5.75 million per season. And that's not a bad deal.

Taylor Hall, who was drafted ahead of Seguin by the Edmonton Oilers, just signed a deal worth $42 million over 7 seasons. That's $6 million per year for those of you who struggled with multiplication tables.

I think Seguin is a slightly better player, and the Bruins secured him for slightly less money.

With the CBA still up in the air, some might feel it's unwise to commit large sums of money to players. The Bruins just agreed to a 4 year, $18 million extension with Brad Marchand. And the Bruins already have big chunks of cash tied up in David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Zdeno Chara, and Patrice Bergeron.

But I think the B's are actually taking advantage of CBA uncertainty. They're locking up players who might be worried that when/if the salary cap is reduced, they won't be able get as much on the free market.

Just a Few Moments for Some Thread and Fabric

Today is the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I think most of us remember where we were when we were told what was happening. I recall the surreal silence of the skies around Norwood Airport, as no flights took off.

As 9/11 became a memory, it also became a rallying point. In my opinion, there's no better or more succinct rallying point for Americans than our flag. Because our flag has been a symbol of our country's dogged determination, our resilience to those who would corrupt our country's values, and our strength in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

In 1814, the British Navy bombarded Baltimore and Fort McHenry. American lawyer Francis Scott Key witnessed it first hand, and reveled at the sight of the Star Spangled Banner fluttering in the breeze the next morning. He was so inspired that he wrote a poem that was later converted to a song, which eventually became our National Anthem.

Another flag was carried into battle in the Civil War by the 54th Massachusetts, the first black unit in the US Army since the Revolution. The Civil War resulted in the end of slavery. Slavery was perhaps America's most shameful institution, but thousands of Americans fought and died to end it.

In 1945, a group of Marines and a Navy corpsman planted another flag on Iwo Jima, in one of the most iconic images in US history.

In 1969, Neil Armstrong planted a flag on the surface of The Moon.

And in 2001, when a group of stupid, psychotic, extremist assholes tried to dampen American spirit, tried to hurt us, tried to make us feel afraid, a group of New York firefighters stuck an American flag in the rubble, and reminded us all that we live in the best country in the world. And that we don't yield to pressure. We fight. And we win.

Even God Felt Bad for Savannah State

The Savannah State Tigers were losing 55-0 to Florida State in the 3rd quarter Saturday when both coaches agreed to end the game due to weather. The game had already been delayed by lightning, and more storms lingered in the area. It was in essence a Mercy Rule ending from God/Mother Nature for the Tigers.

The Seminoles were up 35-0 after the 1st quarter, and had already amassed 255 yards of offense. It was a 48-0 game at half-time, and 55-0 with 8:59 left in the 3rd when the game was called.

A week earlier, Savannah State was the victim of an 84-0 pounding from Oklahoma State.

In the two losses Savannah State allowed 1,095 total yards and only managed to gain 167, a difference of more than half a mile.

But don't feel too bad for the Tigers. They were paid for being sparring partners with two heavyweight programs. A total of $860,000 to be exact. That's a nice haul for a modest athletic program's financial needs.

And Savannah State were never anywhere near the all-time record for biggest college football blowouts. In 1916 Georgia Tech annihilated Cumberland College 222-0.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Steve Cannon

Overrating the Jets

One of the big stories from Week 1 of the NFL is how Mark Sanchez and the Jets have "silenced" their critics. How after their offense struggled in the preseason they put up 48 points. How this team was a circus in Training Camp but seems to be a well-oiled machine now that the season has started.

Here's the real story from the Jets' 48-28 win over Buffalo: the Bills suck. They turned the ball over 3 times in the 1st half, then Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a pick 6 to start the 2nd half.

Everyone seems impressed with how well the Jets did, but since when are the Bills a measuring stick for the NFL? Especially a Bills team without Fred Jackson for most of the game.

Give credit to the Jets defense, and it's nice that Sanchez threw 3 TDs, but the 48 points on the scoreboard are deceptively complimentary to the Jets offense. 7 points were from a punt return. 7 were from an interception. In total, 24 were off turnovers.

So it was a good win for the Jets, but let's not get carried away. The Bills are a bad team. And they played horribly. The Jets did their job and took advantage of mistakes. But for some reason whenever that team, with that once anointed quarterback, and that jackass of a coach win a game against a bad team, suddenly there's a new force in the AFC East.

I don't think so. This team is as illegitimate as 8 of Antonio Cromartie's 12 children.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Welcome Back, Patriots

Yesterday our TVs were once again blessed with a sports team that tries, that cares, and that wins. It's been a long summer for sports fans in New England. Welcome back, Patriots.

Yesterday's 34-13 victory illustrated three major differences between the 2011 Patriots and the 2012 edition. We saw a wide receiver wearing #85 be a reliable target. We saw a defense capable of big plays and stops. And we saw an explosive running game.

Brandon Lloyd caught 5 passes for 69 yards. It took Chad Ochojohnson three games to catch 5 passes last year. Lloyd's 5 receptions are a third of what Ochojohnson had last year, and 69 yards is exactly 25% of Ochojonson's production in 2011 (276 yards). Lloyd made one mistake and it cost the Pats a touchdown, but his other catches demonstrated his skill as a receiver and his understanding of the Patriots' offense.

How many fantasy football people will be picking up the Patriots' DST this week? The Patriots had 2 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble plus a recovery and touchdown. Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower are freaks. But they also stayed at home, did their job, and let the big plays come to them. The defense completely eliminated Tennessee's running game. Chris Johnson had 11 carries for 4 yards.

The Pats outrushed the Titans 162 to 20, and the main reason behind that was Stevan Ridley, who ran for 125 yards on 21 carries (6.0 yards per carry) and a touchdown. His first career 100 yard game. He was explosive once he got past the line of scrimmage. Five of his rushes were for 10+ yards, and four were 15+.

Having a playmaking running back is something we didn't see in 2011. Having defensive weapons making an impact is something we didn't see in 2011.

But there were some things that carried over from the previous season. Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski being brilliant, for example. Both caught 6 passes, both caught a touchdown, but both didn't execute their trademark celebrations from last year. Hernandez didn't make it rain and Gronk fumbled his mega-spike.

Another carryover was a shaky secondary. The Titans did the Pats a favor every time they ran the ball or threw dink and dump passes. The defense is still vulnerable to 8-15 yard curls and other basic mid-range routes.

Hopefully an improved pass rush can help deflect attacks on this weakness. And on offense, perhaps an improved running game can chew up clock and eat up yardage so opponents won't have enough time to exploit the secondary.

In any case, I'm just glad it's football season, the Pats are 1-0, and sports are once again fun to watch. The Cardinals come to Gillette Stadium next Sunday.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Wade Payne