I tried coming up with a play on words for the headline but my brain is mush today. Something with appeasement or pissed off, there are too many possibilities for me to focus properly.
Anyway, the Ravens have hired the former Patriot D-Coordinator to be their LB Coach. Pees was the LB Coach up here until being promoted to coordinator.
I'm not surprised. Did the Patriots defense seem coordinated to anyone? Pees seems like a guy that can help out veterans, specifically at linebacker (he'll have Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs down there), but struggled to coach younger players.
To be fair to Pees, he was handed the keys to a poorly constructed and unfurnished house. He had an inexperienced defensive backfield, a below average LB Corps, and the unit had just lost its biggest leaders (Bruschi, Harrison, Seymour).
I never hesitated to pick a team to root for in the NFC title game. And that contest ended perfectly. An absolutely moronic INT by Brett Favre across his body, instead of running 7 yards to the sideline and securing a 49 yard field goal attempt to win the game. Vintage Favre.
But the Jets/Colts game was a tough one. I found myself rooting for turnovers by both teams. Turnovers, sacks, negative plays in general. I took a nap through most of the 4th quarter. Hatred makes me sleepy.
But I'm happy with the Colts winning. Happy might not be the right word. Relatively content?
Because at least I'm accustomed to Peyton and the Colts being praised. And at least they are a genuinely good team. It would've been entertaining to see them reap what they sewed by being eliminated by the team they let sneak into the playoffs.
But that enjoyment would be shortlived. It would soon be replace by my new least favorite word: "Refreshing."
Rex Ryan is refreshing. "He's the Anti-Belichick." Rec Ryan is a fat, lucky loudmouth that's pregnant with twins.
And now, my TV stand can relax, and no longer fear struggling to support Rex Ryan's obesity.
The name Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf won't ring many bells. That is until I refer to him as the Iraqi Information Minister, a.k.a. Baghdad Bob.
Whatever happened to that guy? I have suspicions he works at 4 Yawkey Way. How else do you explain things like the Red Sox' sudden interest in defensive play? How do you explain the differing medical views on Jason Bay's knees?
The Red Sox claim to be interested in defense, but they're really interested in defending their image. Folks, they're not trying to win a World Series in 2010. They're trying to win 85 to 93 games, remain "in the hunt" until September 15th or so, perhaps even have an outside shot of being swept out of an ALDS.
This is not a World Series contender, barring several dozen season-ending injuries to key players on opposing teams. Things like CC Sabathia succumbing to gigantism, or Mark Teixeira getting arrested for every unsolved murder committed in New York.
The Red Sox offseason maneuvering appears to be complete. Maybe a few more bit parts to be added here and there, but nothing significant. And this is what the rotation looks like:
Jon Lester Josh Beckett John Lackey Daisuke Matsuzaka Clay Buchholz
It's pretty good, and fairly deep. But there are glaring and exploitable weaknesses.
Lester sucks after 100 pitches thrown. That's not the end of the world, but against good teams with patient hitters, this will cause either early exits or blown leads.
Who is Josh Beckett? In 2007, he was Cy Young. In 2006 and 2008 he was Jeff Fassero. And last year he was Cy Fassero.
John Lackey is solid, a middle-rotation kind of guy.
Daisuke. What a crapfest that's been. Is he going to be healthy? Is his translator going to be healthy? Is he going to be honest with the team regarding his training regimen? The Sox can blame themselves here, they gave him every special treatment and amenity under the rising sun, and this guy just doesn't feel like a member of the team.
Clay Buchholz is talented, but again, fits in best as a middle of the rotation guy.
So the two supposed Aces, Lester and Beckett, each have flaws. Lester can't go too deep into games, and Beckett is more like an Ace in Blackjack, he's capable of giving you a lot or very little.
It's a good rotation, but would be exposed in a playoff series against any capable collection of hitters.
It starts off very nicely 1 thru 4. Then Drew, who can be penciled in to miss 40 games with snowflake injuries.
Then Ortiz, who enjoyed a season free of criticism despite being caught cheating, blatantly lying about said cheating, and only hitting .238. In fact, his mere 28 HRs were CELEBRATED by pinkhat Sox fans. He slugged .159 below his mark from 2007. And there's very little reason to believe he'll improve.
Adrian Beltre has a great glove. That's all the Red Sox Info Ministers have spouted. These are the same people who will go on and on about how vital OBP is. Beltre's was .304 last year. That's .009 below Jason fucking Varitek's.
The Sox will return to worshiping OBP when they discuss Cameron. His was .342, which is good when your Average is .250. Cameron also has a better glove than anyone else in history if you believe in baseball numerology, or if you look at his stats through a seer stone in a hat.
For some reason, the suddenly defensive minded Red Sox didn't sign Alex "Should've Won the Gold Glove" Gonzalez. They got Marco Scutaro. Who's actually not too shabby of an offensive player. But there's no power.
This lineup has no power. It's got guys who can get on base, play station-to-station, and eventually be stranded on 3rd.
It's not an altogether bad team. It's good actually. But just good. But still well short of actually contending for anything. And I don't mind too much. Bay's offensive output was as inconsistent as MRIs are of his knees. And who were the big free agents out there this season?
The Sox got one of them in John Lackey. There were some big names traded, like Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. But they were traded for each other!
So while I mock the Red Sox for their blatant propaganda and outright fabrications. I essentially concur with their philosophy this offseason.
In 2011, the Sox will have a much wider range of options. They can retain Victor Martinez, move him to 1st, Youkilis to 3rd, and sign Joe Mauer. Carl Crawford will also be a free agent.
The money being spent on Lugo and Renteria will no longer be on the books. Lowell's contract will conclude, as will Ortiz's.
So endure the sub .525 (below 85 wins) season. Enjoy Adrian Beltre's defense, and use the bathroom when he's at bat. Enjoy quicker games thanks to the bottom of the Sox' lineup making for easy innings. And bottle in your rage, only to be released in the next offseason when Theo announces the 2011 campaign to be a tunnel.
The Bruins don't play again until Friday. And I for one am glad. My liver could use a break.
The Bruins have lost 5 in a row, 8 of their last 9, and have collected a mere 7 points in the month of January, with only 2 more games left to play. They've slipped to 9th place in the East, and could plummet as far as 13th by the time they take the ice against Buffalo on Friday.
This weekend, the Bruins lost a close one to Ottawa, and were then obliterated by the Hurricanes in Raleigh, 5-1.
Injuries can be blamed only so much. No Savard means no power play. No Begin or Bitz means much less muscle along the boards. But as I've said before, a lack of Savard cannot pardon a Blake Wheeler turnover, or a missed assignment by Dennis Wideman.
Does Michael Ryder know that he can work out in a weight room to get stronger? Maybe then he'll be able to win more than 5% of his battles and perhaps maintain possession of the puck in traffic. I'm so glad I don't have a #73 trampstamp on my lower back (long story).
Thank God for guys like Daniel Paille. Where would the team be without him?
The real question is: what to do?
Some have suggested picking up a "stud scorer." And that'd be nice, but at what cost? Trade your future to rent Ilya Kovalchuk for 1/3 of a season?
Kovalchuk would be nice, and certainly less frustrating then watching David Krejci flail at the puck like an alcoholic, or Michael Ryder aim his shots at the goalie's chest.
But the price would probably be too much for what would amount to help in only one category.
The Bruins scored 274 goals last year (3.34 per game, 2nd in the NHL). They've scored 126 this year (2.52 per game, 30th). The problem is too large to be solved by just one player. And if you got Kovalchuk, that's likely all you'd get at the deadline.
The Bruins need extended possessions, not just one-shot rushes. They need physical players that know how to win battles for the puck. Right now, too many possessions are ending with a Bruin being outmuscled at the halfwall or in the corners. The Bruins can't dumpandchase because there's a 70% likelihood (or so it seems) that they'd dump the puck in, then chase the opposing forwards back up the ice.
And maybe it's time for the Bruins to get a little dirty. The one thing the Bruins have working for them is their Penalty Kill, at 87.7%, it's 2nd in the NHL. Why not take advantage of that fact? Slash a few ankles, make roughing penalties really rough.
Perhaps the Bruins should acquire some antagonists, some punks. They really don't have any. Lucic is the closest thing to one, but he's too clean of a player for the goon's role. I'm talking a guy like Sean Avery here. A real prick that even Bruins fans don't like.
Get other teams flustered, get them as emotional and desperate as we are. Then make them pay.
I've never liked Glen Davis. Just because he's chubby, doesn't mean he's likable. I've never thought he's too good of a player. And more recently, he's been a total pest on this team.
Remember when he almost burst into tears courtside when KG was yelling at him? Then there was the fight he got into with his "friend" that kept him sidelined until Christmas. And now this.
A Detroit fan heckled Davis all night, calling him "fat boy." Davis responded with obscenity. "Suck my dick" to be exact.
What worries me is that Davis allows a fan to get into his head. 99.99999% of athletes don't directly respond to fans taunting. Most zone it out, others absorb it, and almost all of them deal with it, without it affecting any of their actions.
Doc Rivers said: "It's common sense, when a fan is yelling and it's offending the people around him, then the guy will be removed. If a player points or coach points to security, there's a very good chance that person will be removed."
Well I work security at Gillette Stadium, and I've never removed any fan from the premises for saying "fatboy." It's an elementary school insult, which Davis couldn't handle.
And he is fat!!! He's tubby, chubby, rotund, round, jolly, plump, overweight.
I really hate Glen Davis. Doc says he needs to grow up. I think he simply needs to go.
Have you noticed the pattern that repeatedly unfolds when a big name player leaves the Sox?
#1: The Sox make a modest, but easily beatable attempt to retain him. Usually, it's a contract offer to a free agent that's about 85% of what they eventually get paid. And somehow, we as fans find out about it.
#2: The player rejects the offer, and goes somewhere else.
#3: A story comes out about how the Sox were turned off by the former player. Whether it's injury concerns, or problems in the clubhouse; somehow, we as fans find out about some malfunction that apparently tarnished the shine of the ex-Sox star.
It's how we find out about these things that attracts my attention. Fenway has more leaks in it than the Big Dig.
According to Peter Gammons, the Red Sox and Bay agreed to agree to a $60M, 4 year deal back in June of '09. That is until an MRI on Bay's knees caused concern for the Sox. The deal was reduced to 2 years, which Bay refused, and he eventually wound up with the Mets.
Now I'm not doubting Gammons, whose reputation is deservedly impeccable. I'm not criticizing the Sox for refusing to commit large sums of cash to a player with bad knees.
But this 1-2-3 routine of the Sox is quite noticeable. They are usually correct when they let players leave. Make a lowball offer, which leaks to the media. Then the player signs with the Mets or the Dodgers. Then we find out that player's deficiencies. Thanks once again to that diligent media.
Maybe we just have some amazing snoops at the Herald and the Globe and NESN and Channel 5 and the blogosphere. But how come we never find out about Bay's knees, or Nomar's malignant behavior until after the player's inked a new deal with a new team. How come that is the moment the hardboiled reporters stumble upon these stories?
The Red Sox are masters of media manipulation. And I'm not criticizing, I'm admiring. The Sox have been able to preemptively diffuse the once inevitable public backlashes that occur when favorite players leave town. It's an art, worthy of Machiavelli or Sun Tzu.
They leak these stories (which border on propaganda), and a media starving for scoops to pass on to the rabid fanbase thanks them for the snack. And you can't blame the media for being pawns in this game. What's the alternative? NOT discuss Jason Bay's questionable knees?
So Bay has bad knees, and that's why the Sox didn't sign him. When Mike Cameron bats .240, we can blame Bay's knees, and not the front office.
So in summary, I'm not denying or even questioning the truth behind Gammons' story. But just pay attention to how the Sox leak out stories to the press in order to appease the fanbase. That farce about putting on a "full court press" for Roy Halladay, comes to mind.
And while you're watching your favorite player this year, whether it's Beckett, Papelbon, Victor Martinez or Dustin Pedroia; when and if they do leave the Red Sox, you'll eventually be HAPPY to see them leave. And it's all because of the devious and ingenious schemesters on Yawkey Way.
The excuses are many, but still insufficient. Were games like this one uncommon, perhaps such excuses could be accepted as valid. But the Bruins have built themselves a new reputation this season. In last year's playoffs, the team's PR motto was: We Want It As Bad As You.
The slogan for the 09-10 season? We Play As Bad As You.
Injuries can forgive losses in close games, like we saw on the 1-1-1 Westcoast trip. And certainly players who have been hurt, like Bergeron and Krejci, can receive occasional hall passes for poor play.
But unhealthiness can't explain Blake Wheeler's inability to maintain posession of the puck. Blake's new nickname: Vonda Mahoney (the name of the "easy girl" in Family Matters that tried to repay Steve's tutoring with sexual favors. Only for Steve to convince her to be a prude) because he gives it up as easily as she did.
I'm convinced more and more that the Bruins acquired Satan to at least partially replace both Wheeler or Ryder.
Hopefully, losses like this one will ignite a fire under the asses. I've been kind of hoping for a bad streak of losses. The Bruins' bipolar, on-and-off efforts need to stop. The team has to hit bottom. And only then, coupled with the return of injured players, will give them a chance to achieve Springtime significance.
