The Pats Love Their Veterans

Exciting news broke this morning in the Patriots universe.  Today the Pats will work out both veteran safety Darren Sharper and veteran wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  These two guys are seasoned veterans in the NFL and are widely respected at their positions.

I think Belichick is a genius when it comes to all decisions football.  I think everyone in the NFL would agree with me on that statement, even Rexy in New York.  Therefore, I tend to always look for the genius in every aspect of Belichick's decisions.  It's not too hard too find it here.  By adding veteran depth at as many positions as possible, Belichick is strengthening those positions in two ways.  He's adding an additional player who can be relied upon to play smartly, but he is also adding a mentor for the younger players of that position.  This mentorship makes the other players smarter and wiser.  Belichick uses veterans to groom his younger players into future veterans themselves.  And so the cycle continues.  Genius.

Now none of this is said and done.  It's very possible that Housh and Sharper come into Foxborough today, work out, and go right on home again tomorrow without a new Flying Elvis helmet.  But I have a feeling that Belichick will grab at least one of them.  This late into the preseason, Belichick isn't going to waste his time on unsure opportunities.

Tom Brady: America's Quarterback

When The Onion is creating spoof news stories about how much America loves Tom Brady, America must reallyyyy love Tom Brady.

Click Here To Read: The Onion Tomb Brady Article

Highlights from the Patriots' First Pre-Season Game

Boy it is nice to see some football being played again!  After all the agony with the lockout, it's great to see the players actually out there again.  It's reassuring.  It's final now.  There will be pigskin this Fall.

The first pre-season game is always interesting.  You get to see some new guys out there who may be regulars all season long.  You may be watching a future Hall-of-Famer's first game ever...you never know.

Anyways, here are some things I noticed last night while watching the game:

1) The MHK patches: All of the Patriot jerseys have a new patch this year with the initials "MHK" on the left shoulder in honor of the late Myra Kraft.  I think it's a great gesture by the players.  It's clear how much of an impact she had on the entire organization.

2) Stevan Ridley:  I think RB Ridley was one of the biggest stories of the game last night.  The rookie from LSU had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in his first game last night.  Not a shabby first impression if you ask me.  It's premature, but I can picture the small and quick Ridley and the imposing Law Firm becoming an unstoppable duo.

3) Aaron Hernandez:  I was cringing when Hernandez fumbled that first pass of the game.  You know Belichick loves that type of stuff in the preseason games.  He wants fodder to use at practice this month.  And the more he has, the better this team will be.  I guarantee Hernandez doesn't fumble again this season.  It will be the only thing on his mind after last night's game.

4) Tom Brady:  Was he listening to his iPod on the sideline?  I couldn't tell what those headphones were attached to.  I suppose if you're Brady it's not a big deal to listen to some jams during a pre-season game.  What do you think is on Brady's iPod anyways?

5) Chad Ochocinco:  Seeing him on the sideline just felt right.  Am I wrong?

SOX WIN! SOX WIN! SOX WIN!

GREAT game last night at Fenway.  There was suspense, big moments, and classic story lines.  The Sox won in 10 innings on a walk off by budding fan-favorite Josh Reddick.

But to put it simply, this weekend series between the bad guys from New York and the good guys from Boston was for bragging rights.  Just bragging rights.  Neither team was going to take a commanding lead in the division.  3 games was the most a team could pull ahead.  So as high stakes as this series seemed going into it, nothing much has changed coming out of it.  Your Boston Red Sox have a one game lead, that's it.  We're happy about it, don't get me wrong, but this lead can evaporate as quickly as A-Rod's dignity.  However, this series was also a chance for these two teams to test each other out...get a sense of how future meetings this year will go.


The Sox did learn quite a few things.  For one, beating the Yankees is not easy and, realistically, will never be easy.  They're the Yankees.  They're very good.  As much as every Sox fan enjoys the "Yankees SUCK" chant, he also understands that the Yankees will always have talented players and tough teams.  But the Sox also learned something very valuable: that the Yankees aren't scary this year.  Good, but certainly not scary.  C.C.?  Beatable.  Jeter? Aging.  Swisher? Overrated.  


So now these teams know how it's going to be.  It will be a fight to the finish.  A fight that will carry right into the playoffs and very likely end up with a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS showdown.  Here...We...Go...

I Am Jacoby, Hear Me Roar

It must be rough to be a Cleveland fan today.  The Indians stand at 54-54 on the season, second place in a measly AL Central division, and have been sent home packing the last two nights on two walk-off hits by Jacoby.  As if simply losing a game isn't bad enough...

I have a hard time feeling too badly for them though.  The Red Sox were nice about the beatings!  They let the Indians hang around, garner some hope, get a few hits...we let them feel good about themselves!  But, sadly for the Indians, the better team needs to win in the end.  And the Red Sox, my friends, are a much better team.

Jacoby must be on top of the world right now.  He had never hit a walk-off hit before two nights ago and now he has two under his belt.  That's a weight off of his shoulders.  Now he knows he can come through in the clutch when his team's fate lies on his shoulders.  What am I getting at, you ask? The Red Sox just got even better.  Jacoby just got better, making this team even deadlier.  

In other news, A-Rod is giving the country even more reasons to dislike him!!  What's he doing messing around with poker in the middle of the season?  Do the right thing Bud, suspend him.  Give him some time to get his mind off of baseball and to get into a nice slump that'll last through October.

Remembering Randy

Randy Moss has officially retired.  Part of me feels like this will be a "Favre-esque" retirement - a retirement where the word "retire" is used very loosely.  I wouldn't put it past Randy to make a comeback.  But only time will tell for that.

For the moment, however, he has ended his NFL career.  And what a career it was.  Spectacular catches, dozens of touchdowns, and plenty of off-field antics.  All of this characterized Moss and helped him develop into one of the most talented wide-receivers to ever play the game of football.

He started his career as a Viking and with a beautiful afro in 1998.  He got off to a fast start in his rookie season, being named a Pro-Bowl starter and Offensive Rookie of the Year.  He had tremendous success in Minnesota playing alongside strong-armed QB Dante Culpepper.

Moss spent some time in Oakland after being traded from Minnesota in 2005.  His stay in Oakland was largely unsuccessful.  In 2007, he was traded to the New England Patriots and all of us Boston fans began our love story with Moss.

Moss and Brady were an unstoppable duo.  His presence on the team made the Patriots' 2007 season one for the record books.  Brady set all-time records at QB.  Moss set all-time records at WR.  Moss was a machine, blowing past cornerbacks, distracting defenses, and making inhuman catches.  It was spectacular to watch.

Although Moss' career ended on a rocky note, it will not dampen his reputation as a great player.  Yes, he spoke his mind, but he made up for it with his play.  He may not be a perfect role model for the youngsters, but they can learn a lot about the game of football by watching him perform on the field.

Thanks for everything, Randy.  Best of luck.

Ahh Sweet Memories

I was perusing around YouTube and stumbled upon this gem of a video.  It's a Boston sports montage...that almost brought me to tears.  It has the former greats, the future greats, and all the moments in between.  This town has had a tumultuous affair with sports, but these last ten years have made all the past hurt disappear.  Enjoy the look back.