The last time the Red Sox lost a series to Tampa Bay was August 2006. The last AND ONLY time the Red Sox had been swept by Tampa Bay was in a 2 game set at Fenway on June 30 and July 1 of 1999. John Wasdin and Jin Ho Cho were the two losing pitchers. This weekend, for the first time ever, the Rays swept the Red Sox in a 3 game series. And they should be embarrassed. The Sox scored a total of 5 runs in 3 games. An 8 inning 2 run start by Buchholz was wasted, a 7 inning 2 run start by Beckett was wasted. And the Sox made James Shields look like Pedro Martinez circa 1998.
This team has been terribly inconsistent. After winning 6 in a row, they've lost 5 in a row. And don't look for things to improve. The Red Sox and Blue Jays square off for three games. Toronto swept the Sox a few weeks ago, and Roy Halladay is tarting Tuesday night.
We should be used to this by now in New England. For years, people here have expected the Pats to draft some linebackers, only to see them get more tight ends and linemen. This year, we expected a draft loaded at the top with defensive backs, instead the Pats took a linebacker with their first pick. And in the draft's second day, the surprises kept on coming.
Round 3, Pick #15, 78th Overall: Shawn Crable, LB, Michigan Crable was born to play OLB in a 3-4 scheme like New England's. He had 7.5 sacks in '07 to go along with a ton of tackles for losses. He's big (6' 5" 243), and fast. The one big knock on him is his work ethic. The people at Michigan felt like he never put in 110%, and that cost him a bit. But to get a talent like this in the 3rd round is a bargain. And if any coach and team can get this guy to give it his all, it's Belichick and the Pats.
Round 3, Pick #31, 94th Overall: Kevin O'Connell, QB, San Diego State I'm not surprised the Pats picked a QB, I'm just surprised they picked one so early. O'Connell is tall, he has a strong arm, he's tall, he has a strong arm, he has a strong arm, and he's tall. He's got the physical qualities and skills to be a good QB, but he needs to work on reacting under pressure. He's a work in progress, which is good because #12 is still #1 on the QB depth chart and will be for a long time.
Round 4, Pick #31, 129th Overall: Jonathan Wilhite, CB, Auburn Wilhite doesn't have the numbers of a big-time college defensive back (only 3 picks in 3 years), but he does have the talent and skills. He's a good size for a CB at 5' 11" and 185 lbs, and he's fast. He's had some injury issues, and his character is a question mark, but for a 4th round pick, he has a great deal of upside.
Round 5, Pick #20, 153rd Overall: Matthew Slater, S, UCLA Slater's career has been riddled with injuries. He was a reserve wide receiver his sophomore season, but didn't see much playing time. UCLA moved him to safety, but he saw most of his action on special teams, and excelled on kickoff coverage. I think this is what caught Belichick's eyes. He could turn into a solid special teams specialist as well as a backup safety.
Round 6, Pick #31, 197th Overall: Bo Ruud, LB, Nebraska
Ruud is another one of those work in progress kind of guys. He's got the size and the strength, he just needs some fine tuning on his basic defensive skills before he can be an impact player. But as you can see from the video, he's already a good pass defender. He put up some solid numbers in college for the Blackshirts. In 4 years and 47 games, he had 216 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 5 INTs (3 returned for touchdown).
So there it is, the 2008 Patriots draft. Six of the seven picks were defensive players (although Matthew Slater can also be listed as WR). Three linebackers, three defensive backs. Only one non-BCS school had a selection.
All in all, it looks like a solid draft. But of course time will tell on that one. The defense has some new blood, which it desperately needed. But the Pats still have a great deal of room for improvement.
Kevin Garnett finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds (16th straight playoff double-double for KG), and every Celtics starter was in double figures, but offense wasn't the problem for the C's, it was defense.
Atlanta outrebounded Boston 43 to 35, shot 47.4% from the field, and 55.6% from 3. The Celtics just didn't have that defensive edge that they had in games 1 and 2. The Hawks, for their part, played one of their best games all season. They didn't make any mistakes, and took advantage of every Celtic miscue.
But losing this game is far from the end of the world. Atalta's exuberant post-game celebration should light a fire into the C's. And to be honest, winning this series in 5 games will be much better than a sweep, which would have resulted in 9 days off for the boys in green.
A brilliant 8 inning start was wasted as the Red Sox hitters failed to do anything significant at the plate. Buchholz had a 1 hit shutout going after 7, but allowed a pinch hit single and a 2 run homer to give the Rays a 2-1 lead. Some may question Francona for leaving Clay in the game, but I have absolutely no problem with it. His stuff was electric and he was confident.
The Sox only managed to get 5 hits off Tampa pitching, all of them singles. Ellsbury's infield single in the 5th accounted for Boston's sole run of the night. Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a strikeout, a double play, 4 men left on base, and 2 men left in scoring position with 2 outs.
David Ortiz was scratched from Saturday's lineup with a bruised knee he received while stupidly diving headfirst into first base. Sliding headfirst into first is just moronic. There's no tag to avoid, and sliding like that invariably slows you down (friction).
Sean Casey was placed on the 15 day DL with a hip flexor strain he received while rounding third the other night. His spot on the roster was filled by Brandon Moss who was called up from AAA Pawtucket.
How many baseball injuries occur while running the bases? It seems like running the bases is more treacherous for baseball players than riding a motorcycle with no helmet and no license is for football players.
Josh Beckett returns to the mound Sunday afternoon to face James Shields.
With the departure of Asante Samuel and Eugene Wilson, the Patriots are in desperate need of defensive backs. He's not a "stud" CB, and many draft experts predicted him being drafted much later than the 2nd round. But he's a solid player. He's had some injury trouble with his wrist, but nothing glaring. He's a good size for DB at 6' 0" 170 lbs.
In his senior year with the Buffaloes, Terrence had 5 picks and 11 passes broken up. He also had 42 tackles, 1 of which was for a loss. He also returned kicks for CU. He returned 37 kickoffs for 919 yards (24.8 yard average).
The third round begins tomorrow morning. It should be interesting because the Patriots have three picks in the 3rd.
With Junior Seau being a flake, the Patriots were forced to address their possible hole at inside linebacker. Even if Seau returns, having a young and versatile playmaking linebacker will be a huge plus.
The Pats were expected to take a cornerback with this pick, but frankly, we needed some help at inside linebacker. Seau, even if he comes back, is ancient, and nowhere near the playmaker he used to be. Bruschi is still solid, but has aged into more of a Ted Johnson type of solid as opposed to making the game winning tackle or sack or INT solid he was in '03 and '04.
There are also plenty of CBs out there. And I'd rather the Pats get a pair of solid CBs in the 2nd and 3rd rounds as opposed to just one stud CB in the 1st. We don't need one more defensive back, we need several. We need depth at that position.
The Pats traded their 1st round pick, as well as their 5th rounder, to the Saints for New Orleans' 1st round pick (10th overall) and 3rd round pick. This is simply a phenomenal move in terms of value. The Patriots could probably get the same player THEY wanted at #7 with the 10th pick, but now they'll get him for slightly less money, and get an additional pick in the 3rd. Absolutely brilliant.
The Falcons, in desperate need of a new face to market to their relatively apathetic Atlanta fans, selected Matt Ryan, QB out of Boston College. Frankly, I think Matt Ryan is a bit overrated. He's a solid passer, but is much better at managing a game than being a "gunslinger" which is what he was his senior year (and had 19 INTs). BC had a relatively easy schedule for most of their 2007 season, and Ryan's numbers were juiced significantly thanks to opponents like Bowling Green. In tough games against tough opposition, he struggled. Under consistent pressure and he turned into Drew Bledsoe. He has a lot of work to do on fundamentals, particularly learning to step up into pressure instead of stepping back away from it. Not a bad pick for the Falcons, who could use some good ink and some positive anticipation, but Ryan is still a project.
