Milestone Loss for Red Sox

The Red Sox were swept by the Orioles, and ended their September by losing 9 of their last 10. Yesterday they lost their 90th game of the season. They haven't lost 90 games since 1966.

What makes that year important in Red Sox history is that it came before one of the most critical years in the club's history: 1967 (The Impossible Dream Season). Before 1967, this town was not obsessed with the Red Sox, far from it. This town didn't really care about them. Nobody went to the games. 1966 was their 8th straight losing season. Before 1967, the Red Sox were irrelevant.

In 1967, under a new manager, the Sox went 90-72, won the pennant, and lost the World Series in 7 games. They didn't win it all, but they ended a 21 year playoff drought. And they captured the attention of New England.

Is 2012 going to be the reverse of that? This team is so shamefully bad that they're in danger of becoming irrelevant. The Patriots are now undisputed kings of this town. The Celtics are much more likable and entertaining to watch. If Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs were smart, he'd realize that this is the worst time to remove hockey from this market. In business-speak, the Red Sox are losing market-share.

There's a lack of likability on this team. As they end this sham of a season, all David Ortiz seems to care about is getting "respected" by a 2 year contract. Jacoby Ellsbury doesn't want to disclose his injury status. And the puppet GM will now have more people whispering advice/commands in his ear (Jason Varitek, Bill James).

The Sox have gone over the edge and they're falling down the proverbial cliff in this town. They need to hit the brakes and stop the descent.

They don't need to win a World Series, but contending for a Wild Card spot would be nice. They don't need to be loaded with stars, but likable players would go a long way.

Otherwise, they will be as loved and relevant as they were in 1966. When they averaged 10,014 fans in attendance per game. That could threaten the vaunted, alleged Sellout Streak.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Patriots Win in the Air and on the Ground

The last time the Patriots had a pair of 100 yard rushers in a game was 1982. And only one other time in NFL history did a team have two 100 yard rushers and two 100 yard receivers. But it wasn't all gaudy stats and pretty plays yesterday. At times the Patriots looked very shaky.

Let's celebrate the positive before dissecting the negative.

Wes Welker, filling in for injured starting slot receiver Julian Edelman, caught 9 passes for 129 yards. I think this Welker fellow might be able to contribute to this offense, even when Edelman returns. Call it a hunch. He seems to have knack for this.

The Patriots offense started the game with a touchdown drive. The first time they've done so this season. That should be more commonplace. Starting games 7-0 has been a Patriots trademark for half a decade.

Rob Gronkowski also had a big day, he caught 5 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, the Patriots combined for 247 yards and 4 TDs. Stevan Ridley rushed for 106, and undrafted rookie free agent Brandon Bolden ran for 137.

The Patriots scored 45 points in the second half, although the flip-side of that is that they only scored 7 in the first half. Their early drives were incoherent and sputtering. They couldn't string multiple positive plays together, and the Bills did a very good job of covering Brady's targets. Brandon Lloyd was covered so thoroughly that he seemed to be draped in a Buffalo Bills snuggie.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions in the first half, but the Pats were unable to capitalize on them.

The defense made some big plays, and allowed a few of them too. The pass-rush was inconsistent, and in this aerial era of the passer, any QB will find an open receiver given enough time. The Patriots secondary wasn't up to the challenge. The safeties found themselves out of position. And Devin McCourty was able to intercept two passes only because the receiver beat him but Fitzpatrick underthrew the ball.

This team has flaws. We all see them, we all know them. What irks me is when the best players on this team don't play their best. When Brady and the offense fail to take advantage of turnovers. When the kicker misses kicks under 50 yards. When receivers drop passes or fumble the ball.

For several years, the Pats haven't excelled at taking full advantage of the opportunities they have to win games. There have been crucial moments when making one simple play can dramatically increase the chances of winning the game, and the Patriots have fallen short. That worries me more than the secondary or the kicker.

The Pats host the Broncos Sunday evening.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Ignorant College Football Picks*

My picks were 6-6 last week, bringing my season record to 10-9. I'm actually slightly proud about that.

NC State +2.5 vs. Miami
I don't think the Hurricanes are very good.

West Virginia -11 vs. Baylor
Without RG3, Baylor is back to being Baylor.

Penn State even @ Illinois
I think PSU is done struggling this year, at least until they play really good teams.

Wake Forest -2 vs. Duke
Duke sucks at football.

Clemson -7 @ Boston College
A larger spread and I might pick BC, because they can randomly play great against quality opponents. Not this week, though.

Michigan State -3.5 vs. Ohio State
I hate OSU.

UMass +24.5 vs. Ohio
No idea why.

Cal +1 vs. Arizona State
Just because they're at home.

Texas -2.5 at Oklahoma State
The Longhorns might be for real. Stillwater is a good place to find out.

Ole Miss +30 at Alabama
Just because the spread is so big.

Extreme Sportsmanship

A ball bounced off Miroslav Klose's hand and into the net, apparently giving SS Lazio a 1-0 lead over Napoli. But Klose appealed to the officials, told them that he struck the ball with his hand, and the goal was disallowed. Napoli eventually won 3-0.

You won't often find greater shows of sportsmanship and integrity than this one.

That being said, I'm a fan of Germany. And if Miroslav Klose had done that in a big elimination match against the Spaniards or Dutch, I'd kill him.

Stupid All Fenway Team

The last home game of the 2012 season ended with the commemoration of the "All Fenway Team." In other words, the best Red Sox players since 1912. Cy Young need not apply.

But some of the results pissed me off, and sent me in a rage worthy of a 1934 style drinking binge.

But before that, let me express my appreciation for Jimmie Foxx being named the 1st team 1st baseman. Foxx is the best player in MLB history to not have his number retired, thanks to the Oakland Athletics' policy to not respect their history in Philadelphia or K.C.

Dustin Pedroia was the 1st team 2B. OVER a Hall of Famer named Bobby Doerr. Doerr owns one of those numbers immortalized on the right field facade. Doerr>Pedroia, by any measurement. Talk to me when Dustin's career is nearing an end.

Fred Lynn was the 1st team center-fielder. Over Tris Speaker. Tris Speaker is one of the best CFs in MLB history. Speaker has a career average of .345. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937. He has the record for most outfield assists. As an outfielder he was a part of 139 double plays in his career, the most all-time.

But Fred Lynn is ahead of Speaker on this list.

And Dwight Evans was the #1 right-fielder. Then Trot Nixon the #2 at that spot. George Herman "Babe" Ruth was the reserve choice. Are you kidding me?

Babe Ruth is the best baseball player of all-time. As a pitcher, he was 3-0 in World Series games with an ERA of 0.87. And as a hitter, we all know what he did. 714 homeruns, 2nd best OBP of all-time (.474), best SLG (.690) ever.

And yet Dwight Evans, then Trot Nixon are ahead of him?

One thing fans got right was Pedro Nartinez as SP and Terry Francona as Manager.

And you know what, Roger Clemens isn't a bad option for the mound after that. Give credit to Mr. Clemens for coming back to where he's despised. He was an important part of Sox history. And chemicals helped resurrect his career after Boston.

Good luck, Roger.

Super Mario on a Rampage

Red Sox Lose Last Fenway Game

Maybe Liverpool FC should schedule some games at Fenway Park in October. Or perhaps Boston College could play a football game there. Otherwise, Fenway will be dormant in October, once again.

Jon Lester lost his 14th game of the year last night. He wasn't awful, but once again he simply wasn't very good. 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs. To be honest I didn't watch most of the game. I got to the bar and all the TVs were on baseball, but not on NESN. The Phillies/Nationals game was on two TVs, on two stations (ESPN2 and MLB Network). I had to request the Sox game be put on. That's the state of baseball in Boston.

Anyway, Lester wasn't very good and a JV lineup only managed 2 runs of support. There goes Bobby Valentine's plans to get Lester to .500.

No more games at Fenway and thank God. The Sox were 34-47 at home this season, which is utterly shameful.

Bobby Valentine actually thinks he'll be back next year:

"My gut feeling is they haven't talked to me yet. There hasn't been any dialogue. We've talked, but not about that. Which makes me think I'm coming back. I don't know."

Yeah, if he's coming back, I won't be. I'll just ignore baseball for an entire season, follow cricket or something, and return once this joke has reached its punchline.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

NFL Referee Lockout Is Over

I think the last time I wrote something so happily was when the Bruins hoisted the Stanley Cup in early summer of 2011. The NFL Referee lockout is over! The real refs could return as early as tonight as the Baltimore Ravens face the Cleveland Browns.

And never again will officials be cheered so heartily, and welcomed with such warmth.

All I've been able to find out about the terms of the deal is that the refs agreed to an 8 year CBA, so I have no idea how much the NFL caved about the pension or anything else. And maybe that's how both parties want it the terms to be.

All I care about is that the men who know how to run an NFL football game will be running it. They won't be perfect. They'll make mistakes. But those mistakes will be minimalized in effect. Mistakes should be egregious exceptions to the norm, not normality, and not to be expected. Which they were the replacements.

And I'm sure the sideline decor of coaches and coordinators will improve. So too will the behavior of defensive backs in coverage, and offensive lineman in pass-blocking.

The sheriffs are back in town.

I would love to give Ed Hochuli a hearty handshake, even if he'd crush all the bones in my fingers.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo