Patriots Don't Take Leap of Faith With Tebow

The Tim Tebow era was over in New England before it began. There just wasn't any room on the Patriots' roster for a third pass-thrower who couldn't throw passes.

Speaking of leaps of faith, how about all those people who bought Tebow gear? All those t-shirts and jerseys will soon be half-price at the Pro Shop. People would have been wiser to have waited to see if he would make the team before they committed their cash. If cut, you can get the shirt at a bargain. If not, you can still deck yourself out in the jersey of a 3rd string QB.

I suppose being a Tebow fan does require tremendous faith. More faith than religion. Religious faith is the belief in something despite the absence of proof. Tebow faith is belief in something despite overwhelming evidence that it is incorrect. It's like having faith that the earth is flat. Or believing that the Theory of Evolution is wrong.

I don't mean to bash Tebow. He seems like a nice guy in a League populated with jerks, scumbags, and the occasional murderous sociopath. He just doesn't fit in the NFL, not as a person, not as a player.

When the Pats signed him I thought he could be a decent #2/#3 quarterback. After all, he's won games, even won a playoff game. You can do worse with your #3 QB. And I don't trust Ryan Mallett. Mallett is reckless. He just chucks the ball. He's Brett Favre, Jr. Mallett has a great arm, but Tebow seems to know how to win games.

I know now that Tebow is less likely to find work as a backup quarterback than he is to find it as a starter. Because as a backup putting him on the field requires the entire offense to change. He can't come into a game for an offensive series while trainers look at Brady. He can't play a quarter or a game if Brady gets a minor injury. Not without the offense changing everything about how it plays.

A backup QB is like a spare tire in the trunk of your car. A typical spare requires that you drive a little slower than usual. As a spare, Tebow is more like an oversized monster truck tire. The car won't function unless you change the 3 other tires on your car.

There are enough QB openings around the League for Tebow to find a job. And I wish him well. However, he seems to be falling victim to what happens to some Heisman winners. Sometimes what makes them great in college just doesn't fit in in the NFL game. See: Eric Crouch, Troy Smith, Matt Leinart, Doug Flutie, et cetera.

Red Sox Lose Potential Postseason Preview

Monday afternoon's game felt like a playoff game. It was close, the pitching was good, there were some impressive defensive plays. And timely hitting (or a lack thereof) determined the outcome.

Against teams that would currently be in the playoffs, the Red Sox have an 18-17 record. That includes their 2-1 series victory over the Dodgers, and a 16-16 record against AL playoff teams. However, that record is weighted heavily by their season series with Tampa Bay, which the Sox lead 10-6. The Red Sox are now 1-3 against Detroit, 2-4 against the Rangers, and 3-3 against the A's. Taking the Rays out of the equation, the Sox are 8-11 against playoff teams.

I'm not trying to poop in the punch bowl and ruin the party. What I am saying is that in one month's time when the Sox are in the playoffs, they can't let opportunities slip by like they did Monday afternoon. The Sox were 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position yesterday. They grounded into 3 double plays.

One play sums up this game for the Sox. Jarrod Saltalamacchia's failed sacrifice bunt in the 7th. With 2 on and 0 outs in a 2 run game, I don't like the idea of bunting in that situation to begin with. That being said, if you do bunt, it has to be executed. Saltalamacchia bunted straight into the ground, it hopped high and in front of Tigers catcher Alex Avila, who made a bare-handed grab and an excellent throw to third to eliminate Daniel Nava. It was a useless out.

That miscue was one of several missed chances for the Sox. It was also one of several very good defensive plays made by the Tigers, some made by old friend Jose Iglesias (why are former Red Sox players always called "old friend?").

This was a close game and Detroit made all the big and small plays that gave them the victory. That's what happens in playoff baseball.

The Red Sox can do better. And they're going to have to in order to win tonight. They face 19-1 Max Scherzer. Some of the Sox have good numbers against him in the past (Ellsbury is 5 for 9 with 5 RBI, Ortiz is 7 for 13 with 3 homers, Saltalamacchia is 5 for 12). But Scherzer is pitching like a completely different person this year. So it's up to Jon Lester to try to match him. Or at least keep the Sox in the game until they can get to Detroit's bullpen. Lester's riding a streak of 5 straight Quality Starts, and he finished August with a 2.97 ERA.

However, the Tigers have frighteningly good numbers against Lester. Combined they're hitting .397 off him, with a 1.061 OPS. Miguel Cabrera's status will be key as he's 10 for 16 (.625) against Lester. So Lester has to step up and beat hitters who have beaten him in the past.

If the Sox win tonight's game, they'll have proven quite a bit about themselves, and convinced me that they're ready for playoff baseball.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Winslow Townson

Johnny Manziel Gets Meaningless Suspension

Reason #1,384 that I'm getting sick of big time college football. The NCAA decides to discipline Johnny Manziel by suspending him for the first half of Texas A&M's game against Rice. RICE! A&M is going to slaughter Rice, with or without Manziel. And Manziel still gets to play a half.

I don't know whether Manziel should have been punished or not. The NCAA has cleared him of the paid autograph charges. But if you're going to punish a player/program/school, make it a real punishment. Something that will have impact. Something that will have an effect on the player/program/school. Manziel probably would have been benched for most of this game anyway. What difference does it make if he sits the first half or the second?

The punishment was agreed upon by the NCAA and A&M. Which I don't get. Because what did Manziel do wrong if he didn't get paid to sign autographs? If he did nothing wrong, let him play. If he did something wrong, give him a real punishment.

What's the NCAA trying to do with this punishment? It won't deter Manziel or any other player from doing anything wrong. It doesn't hurt A&M for losing control of a player. I think the NCAA is just trying to make itself appear like it has some power. Which it doesn't. The NCAA is a weak, withered, impotent force that wields no real power over schools, except to punish them when some other group or organization uncovers rampant violations and wrongdoing.

Manziel is good for business. He's good for A&M, he's good for ESPN's and CBS's TV ratings, he's good for the SEC, he's good for the NCAA. This token "no-one is above the law" suspension is an effort to prove that even the Johnny Manziels of the college football world are subject to NCAA and school rules. But they're not. The existence of this suspension actually proves how out of control the NCAA is. Otherwise they wouldn't try so hard to appear to be in control.

One Year Later, the Red Sox-Dodgers Deal Still a Mistake for LA

The Dodgers are the best team in baseball right now. It's almost a year since they acquired Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett from the Red Sox. Both the Red Sox and Dodgers have improved dramatically since that deal. The Sox lead their division, the Dodgers have played .800+ baseball their last 50 games. So both teams made a good deal. Right?

No.

Last year's colossal salary dump was good for the Red Sox. It gave the team freedom to spend on role players, and it banished Josh Beckett from the clubhouse. For the Dodgers, they took on massive payroll and what have they gotten from it? Beckett has been a bust. Carl Crawford has hit 5 homeruns this season. He's hitting .291 and has stolen 11 bases. He's back to being a decent player, but hardly worth the $20 million he gets paid. He's knocked in 21 runs. I know he's a leadoff hitter in the NL, but 21 RBI? Really?

Adrian Gonzalez is doing well. He leads the Dodgers in average (.296), homeruns (16), and RBI (77). He leads these categories because Hanley Ramirez (.348 BA), and Yasiel Puig (.346) don't have as many at-bats.

Before Puig burst from his chrysalis in June and began his methodical campaign of destruction in the National League, the Dodgers were 23-32. They were 13-13 in April, despite Adrian Gonzalez's 18 RBI and .398 OBP that month. They were 10-17 in May despite Gonzalez's 22 RBI, 5 HRs, and .886 OPS.

In other words, Adrian Gonzalez, even when hitting well, wasn't enough to win. The team needed Puig. And pitching. And Hanley Ramirez. And pitching. Pitching is why this team has won as many games as it has.

Clayton Kershaw is 12-7 with a 1.72 ERA. He's thrown 10 straight Quality Starts, dating back to late June. 22 Quality Starts in total.

Supporting him are Zach Greinke (12-3, 2.91 ERA, 9-1 in his last 10 decisions) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-4, 2.95 ERA). As a team the Dodgers have 71 Quality Starts. Their team ERA since the All-Star break is 2.25, best in the Majors. And in August it's 2.05. They've converted 93% of save opportunities since the All-Star break. That's why their winning.

How unimportant is Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers' success? August has been his worst month of the season (.317 OBP, .390 SLG, .707 OPS, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts). The Dodgers are 17-3 in August. Gonzalez did well in April and May and the team lost. He's slowed down in August as his team has sped up. He's just not that important to them.

Then again, Carl Crawford is doing well in August (.380 OBP, .791 OPS), so maybe he's the reason the Dodgers are kicking so much ass.

Or maybe it's Kershaw (1.23 ERA in August). Puig (.886 OPS in August). Greinke (4-0, 0.96 ERA in August), Ryu (3-1, 2.03 ERA in August), and the rest of the Dodgers who were NOT acquired in last year's mega-trade.

On the field, that deal didn't hurt them. Both Gonzalez and Crawford have certainly helped, albeit at a ghastly price. The deal hasn't helped them that much, though. And certainly not as much as other deals they've made. Here are the transactions that have mad the difference for the Dodgers:

June 2006: Drafting Clayton Kershaw
June 2012: Signing Yasiel Puig as an amateur free agent (making 29 GMs kick themselves)
July 2012: Trading with the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez
December 2012: Purchasing the contract of Hyun-Jin Ryu from South Korean team Hanwah
December 2012: Signing Zach Greinke as a free agent

So the Dodgers did make some important deals in 2012. The Gonzalez-Crawford-Beckett deal was perhaps 5th or 6th most important on that list. But they had Gonzalez and Crawford when they sucked in April and May. It wasn't until Puig emerged, Ramirez got healthy, and the pitchers gelled that the team started winning. Gonzalez and Crawford have marginally helped in that winning, but the Dodgers could have acquired marginal contributors for much less than the $42 million those two cost per season.

The addition of Gonzalez and Crawford has been meaningless to the Dodgers' success.

So in conclusion, last year's deal between the Red Sox and Dodgers was still, in and of itself, a bad deal for the Dodgers. It only seems good now because of the other deals the Dodgers made. Those deals are why they are as red hot (or blue hot) as they are.

Red Sox Lose Control of Game, Division

The Red Sox bullpen blew a 2-1 lead last night, and with the Rays winning in Baltimore, the Sox are now tied with them at the top of the AL East.

Jake Peavy pitched well enough to win. He was pulled in the 6th inning, which was a surprise. But Craig Breslow was great in relief, retiring 4 batters with 7 pitches. The Sox were up 2-1 and just needed the bullpen to hang on.

Then Junichi Tazawa entered the game. And as important as he's been to the Sox bullpen, he has blown 7 saves. The 7th was last night. That stat came as a surprise to me. I think because the Sox have come back to win many of the games one of their relievers had previously blown, so you forget those bad outings. Tazawa's stats are great this year. Except this blown save number. He's recorded 20 holds. So in the 27 "save-like" situations he's entered, he's blown about a fourth of them.

In the 9th, Franklin Morales and Brayan Villareal (who was acquired in the Peavy deal) had major control issues. All with 2 outs. Morales walked Andres Torres. Then a stray fastball hit Hector Sanchez in the elbow. Villareal came in with the bases loaded and immediately fell behind 0-3 to Marco Scutaro. The fourth ball could have been called a strike. It wasn't. And the game was over. You can blame the umpire for one bad call, or you can blame the Sox relievers for a walk, a HBP, and 3 balls.

The last few weeks the Sox have played some hard games. They've won many of them. They've lost a few. The difficulty takes a toll in either outcome. Extra innings games tax the bullpen. And sometimes the bullpen isn't there to convert a tight lead into a tight win.

Tonight Felix Doubront faces Barry "yes that Barry" Zito. He's been poor this year, but the Sox have struggled against lefties, but Ortiz hits him well and so does Drew.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Red Sox Fans Don't Have the Right to Boo A-Rod for Steroids

Alex Rodriguez is a massive turd. Booing and jeering him for that is fine. However, Red Sox fans who booed and jeered him this weekend for using PEDs are utter hypocrites.

The same people who cheered Manny Ramirez for years, and watched him win the 2004 World Series MVP, booed Alex Rodriguez because he took PEDs. The same people who now cheer for David Ortiz, cheer for a player who tested positive for something. Ortiz waited until he knew that it would never be released what he tested positive for, then claimed he didn't know what exactly he had taken to result in a positive test. These people booed A-Rod for PEDs. And chanted about him cheating.

Red Sox fans don't have any moral high ground in baseball's steroid era. From Manny Alexander to Jeremy Giambi to the Ortiz/Ramirez combo that had people making comparisons to Ruth/Gehrig, PEDs have been as much a part of Boston baseball as anywhere else in the Majors.

Manny Ramirez hit 274 homeruns in a Red Sox uniform. He knocked in 868 runs. He had an OPS of .999. He did this thanks to steroids.

David Ortiz suddenly went from a platoon player to an All-Star when he got to Boston (and met Manny). He's hit 367 homers in Boston, knocked in 1,165 runs, and has an OPS of .964 with the Sox. In 6 years with the Twins he had an OPS of .809, and hit 58 homeruns. He was the MVP of the 2004 ALCS.

So the ALCS MVP in 2004, along with the World Series MVP that year have both been caught taking PEDs. The Sox won the World Series, thanks in large part to two players who took PEDs. Yet Red Sox fans feel emboldened enough to boo Alex Rodriguez for PED use? Sorry, but that's like a Patriots fan booing an opposing coach for filming hand signals on the sideline.

You can't single out players and teams you don't like and hate them for PED use in the PED Era. Just about everyone was taking something. It was fun when only Yankees were getting listed on reports, and the Red Sox seemed like a relatively clean organization. Now we know that PEDs were a part of Boston Baseball.

There are plenty of reasons to hate Alex Rodriguez. Boston fans don't need to turn themselves into hypocrites in the process of hating him.

Photo Credit:
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Tom Brady Fell, and All of New England Shook

In case you just returned from a trip to a cave on the dark side of moon, Tom Brady left practice yesterday with an apparent injury to his left knee. This occurred in a joint-team drill with the Buccaneers when Pats lineman Nate Solder was pushed into Brady by Adrian Clayborn, and Brady fell to the ground clutching his knee. After taking a few more snaps, Brady left the field, under his own power, but still gingerly, with training staff in tow.

Panic spread across New England. A video of the injury emerged on social media. And a helicopter landed next to the Patriots practice fields, leading some to conclude/presume/assume/imagine/pull out of their ass, that Brady was being med-flighted to some hospital for treatment and/or examination.

Jonathan Kraft stated that the helicopter had nothing to do with Brady's injury. Brady did undergo an MRI, which was negative. I believe the Brigham and Women's Health Center in Patriot Place does have MRI machines, so if I had to guess, I'd say Brady went there. Not that it matters. The frenzied speculation over the helicopter is just one example of the hysteria that gripped New England yesterday afternoon.

A source has told some media outlets that Brady is "day-to-day." A source has told media outlets that Brady will practice Thursday. This post is to be published on Thursday morning, so at the time that I'm writing this, all we can do is wait. Will he practice? Will he not? How much will he participate in practice?

I'm sure the team will be cautious with Brady. As they'd be cautious with any starter in the pre-season. Devin McCourty and Alfonzo Dennard didn't play in the Eagles game because of caution due to injury. If those two miss a practice, it doesn't mean they're out for the season. Obviously Brady is a more important player to the team's success, but if McCourty and Dennard miss a practice or a game, our fears of the severity of the injury aren't as catastrophic as if Brady misses one.

Tom Brady is alive. He walked off the field on his own power. Some say he jogged. I don't know, I didn't see it. It's time to calm down and be patient, folks. Let doctors do what doctors do. Let tests do what tests do. Let time do what time does.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Will DiTullio

Red Sox Get Another Extra Win in Extra Innings

This is the type of game the Sox would lose in 2012 and at the end of 2011. Someone would make a big error, or a reliever would give up 4 runs without getting an out. This year this team finds ways to win. Even when one reliever doesn't do well, the others step up and put the fire out. And the offense eventually does just enough to win the game.

The Sox are 8-4 in extra-inning games, 3-0 since the All-Star Break. Squeezing out these extra wins instead of blowing them has been the difference between 1st and 2nd place. A 6-6 record in extra-inning games and the Sox would be tied with the Rays in the loss column.

Ryan Dempster was better than solid last night. The Sox weren't hitting for him. He only allowed 1 run in his 7 innings. And if Tazawa hadn't allowed a homerun in the 8th, Dempster would have been in line for his 7th win of the season. Which would have been nice because his 6-8 record doesn't reflect how decently he's pitched this year. In 4 of those 8 losses he's thrown a Quality Start. He hasn't been amazing, but he has done what he was hired to do here.

It seems like it's different heroes every night with the Sox. Last night it was Shane Victorino with a 2-run single in the 11th. Victorino also threw out Jose Reyes at home plate to end the 6th.

The other hero was Craig Breslow who struck out Mark DeRosa with 2 on and 2 out in the 10th. It's funny how a relief appearance like that gets no decision. No win, no hold, no save. Maybe we can invent a new stat for relievers: Fires Extinguished (FE). Whenever a reliever enters a game mid-inning with the tying or go-ahead run in scoring position and doesn't give up that run, then it's an FE. I know it's not as advanced as those newfangled Sabermetrics, but I like it.

The Rays lost to the Mariners so the Sox now have a 4-game (2 in the loss column) lead in the division.

Jon Lester takes the mound tonight against Josh Johnson. Lester did well in his last start but didn't get any support. It would be nice for the Sox to make things easy and score 6 or 7 runs. And it'd be nice if Jon Lester made things easy and held Toronto to 4 or fewer. Johnson is 2-8 with a 6.60 ERA. This is a game to win.

Photo Credit:
Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images