Tonight's the Night, Wake

I feel pretty bad for Wakefield right now.  He's a resilient guy so I know he'll be able to eventually get to win #200, but this has got to be a painful stretch of time for him.  There's nothing like coming so close to something and then having it fall through time and time again (Right, LeBron?)  

Wake's been stuck on 199 for a little while now.  It's a tough job for pitchers because their success relies not only on their personal performance, but the performance of their teammates too.  Pitchers need run support.  You can pitch a no-hitter, but if your team has put up a goose egg on the scoreboard, you're not going to get that W.  But I think tonight is the night for Wake.  The Sox offense has been on a tear.  He'll get the run support.  The Sox are playing Oakland who just gave up 22 runs to the Yankees yesterday.  They're vulnerable, to say the least.  

So everybody tune in to the game tonight!  You may see one of the all-time best Red Sox pitchers reach an impressive milestone.

Watch out, Josh!

Josh!  No!!  Watch out!!

There's not a chance you watched this play live last night during the game and didn't shout something in a panicked tone.  Impossible not to.  That rope was going straight for Beckett's head.  That doesn't result in the type of injury that sidelines a guy for a start or two.  That's a career-ender potentially.  That's scary.  Thank God he had good reflexes.  I wouldn't peg Josh as the quick-moving type normally.  Yes, he can throw 95 mph and withstand the pressure of World Series pitching.  But let's be honest, he's no Jacoby Ellsbury when it comes to moving fast.  Nonetheless, I'm glad that Beckett surprised me last night.  On my personal list of Favorite Josh Beckett Moments, this has to rank below Joshie hitting a home run against the Phillies a couple years back.

Bring Back Pat!

"I'm coming for you, Peyton."

Listen, I LOVE the New England Patriots.  I'm one of those people that shamelessly uses "we" and "us" whenever discussing the Patriots.  But one thing has really been bothering me for the past few years: Why is the "Flying Elvis" our logo?  I understand that is sort of resembles our mascot, Pat, while also incorporating a bit of the United State's flag feel too.  I'm just not it's biggest fan.

I think Kraft and Co. should strongly consider bringing back the old Patriots' logo (right).  Just Pat the Patriot, playing Center, looking mean, and looking ready to play some tough football.  It's a better logo.  It has more character, more life.  And let's be completely honest here, people.  Tom looks better in the throwback jersey anyways. 

Bringing Back A Hometown Hero

ESPNBoston.com - 

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Ricky Brown played linebacker at Boston College from 2002-2005, and when he looks back at that part of his football life, a victory at Notre Dame stands out. Brown took a brief trip down Memory Lane on Saturday, reflecting on that 2004 game with Paul Peterson at quarterback, as well as his new beginning with the Patriots.

“It’s good to be back on the East Coast,” he said.

Brown signed with the Patriots on Saturday, adding depth to a linebacking corps that has been thinned by injuries. He first started playing the position at BC, making the transition from defensive back. Brown opened his BC career playing behind Brian Flores, who is currently a Patriots assistant coach, and got his first start in the 2003 Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl when Flores was injured. Now the two are reunited.

After going undrafted in 2006, Brown hooked on with the Raiders as a free agent.

“Oakland will always have a special place in my heart. It’s where I started my career,” he said. “I made some really good friends there. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Davis and the organization he has set up, but here’s a new chapter in my life and I’m ready to attack it.”

If Brown is to stick, he knows special teams will be crucial. He’s been down this road before.

“Coming in as an undrafted free agent in ’06 with Oakland, you basically have to make your name playing on special teams,” he said. “The first two years, besides playing in goal-line packages and one start here, one start there, it was basically special teams.”

As for his first day with the Patriots, Brown said, “This is a first-class organization through and through. I’m honored just to be on the team and I’m ready to go to work.”

You gotta love seeing a hometown hero coming back to play in New England.  Brown had his fun messing around over in California for a few years but now he's back on the East Coast and ready to actually make a name for himself in the NFL on a respectable team.  It just feels right when college players return home when they reach the next level.  Unfortunately, it doesn't happen as often as we'd like.  I still wish Matty Ryan was Brady's backup and Mark Herzlich was lining up besides Jerod Mayo ....we'd be set for the next decade.  But that just isn't realistic.  I wish Brown the best of luck this year on the Patriots and hope he learns how a real organization is run under Mr. Kraft.  

Patriots Embarrassing the Bucs Last Night

I couldn't tell if the Patriots' dismantling of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night was more of a testament to the Patriots' hard work and dedication in camp this year, or to the Buccaneers' complete lack of effort and skill.  I don't think the Buccaneers could have beat an injury-depleted Division 3 College team last night with their level of play.  I think Jerod Mayo was even a bit surprised a couple times, when just two seconds after the snap he had two hands around poor Josh Freeman's throat, pulling him to the ground.

Not to take anything away from the Patriots' play, of course.  Brady was Brady.  Throwing ropes to every receiver on the roster, hitting them in stride.  Hernandez had himself a nice (fumble-free!!) game.  Danny Woodhead scampered around the field for huge gains like a lab rat trying to find that damn piece of cheese.    And of course, Mr. Ochocinco had his first taste of life on a team with this MVP quarterback.  What did it get him?  A couple catches, including his first TD as a flying Elvis.  What's scary for other teams?  Brady and Ocho still don't really have their timing down yet, which means only better things to come in the future.

The defense looked amazing all-around too.  I hate to gush too too much because of the Highschool JV type of performance put on by the Bucs' offense.  But, nonetheless, things are looking very promising.  You never want to be in a position to use the excuse, "It's just pre-season."  That is not, and never will be, a reassuring comment.

Delonte Struggling

ESPNBoston.com -


Although he's made over $14 million in the NBA, Delonte West tweeted recently that he is "broke" and has applied for a job at Home Depot. 


"It's official.. Pride 2 the side.. just filled out a application at Home Depot.. Lockout aint a game," the Celtics guard tweeted.

West is on probation for a weapons charge and also tweeted that he wasn't allowed to pursue basketball opportunities overseas.

"Can't even get that over seas money," he tweeted. "Judge said it's a no go on leaving the country."

West has battled bipolar disorder during his career and also posted this to Twitter: "Broke down in the ATM line.. 25 cars behind me and I already reached my daily limit... I'm broke n my cars broke.. Where's my therapist???"

Appearing in only 24 games this past season, the 27-year-old West averaged 5.6 points in his second stint with the Celtics.

This is really sad to hear about Delonte.  I know the guy has had issues in his past and we can't just ignore those issues when bad times arrive, but there's no getting around feeling bad for him.  Basketball is his life.  It's what he excels at.  Being told that he can't play basketball next year because of the lockout cannot be an easy thing to take.  And to make matters worse, he can't even look overseas for opportunities to play, which is what many players in the league have resorted to.  

Now there's nothing wrong with West applying for a job at Home Depot.  In fact, I respect him for it.  He's not being lazy or being pretentious.  He's being realistic and understands that steady income is important for him right now.  I just see him as more of a Sports Authority or Dick's kind of guy, right?  I would want his expertise on which type of basketball to buy or which hoop he recommends.  I think he'd become a tourist attraction and people would flock to his store.  Maybe earn him a nice little bonus.  

I hope everything works out for Delonte in the end.  He started as a Celtic and he found his way back home this past year.  Therefore, I want to see him do well.  Let's just hope we see him, along with all the other hometown heroes, back in green this fall.  

Become A Better Football Fan...

Everyone's experienced this feeling: You're watching a big game on TV with a few of your buddies, and all of a sudden one of your friends starts talking about a player who you've never heard of before.  And he isn't just casually talking about him.  He's giving you the career breakdown of this guy.  His strengths, his weaknesses, where he went to college, his favorite formations, his favorite flavor of Ben and Jerry's...etc.  It's alarming to see someone know so much about a player while you know so little.

So why does your friend know so much about this seemingly random player? The answer to that question is nearly always the same: he's on his fantasy football squad.

Fantasy football changed the way NFL fans watch the game.  Suddenly, every single game on Sunday afternoon is meaningful because the likelihood that either a player on your squad is playing or a player on your opponent's squad is playing is very high.  Fantasy football has created an new breed of football gurus.  Everyday fans turned into statistical savants.

So if you want to stay on par with your friends, join a fantasy football league.  You'll become a better fan of football.  Just watch out for the weeks when your star QB is playing the Patriots.  Talk about tearing your heart in two!  My recommendation: Take the loss in your fantasy matchup...Patriot pride runs deep.