It is goofy, not because it is amateurish, but because it seems like something reminiscent of a 90’s sports movie, like the Flying-V in the Mighty Ducks.

In the end, the Dolphins are more dangerous to teams that play in the 3-4, because their backs can always adjust to where the gaps will open up, as well as go to where the smaller and less-impact players won’t be (ie: Run Away from Jenkins and Pace ).

I wonder if the Patriots move to the 4-3 was a long-term plan to hold the base against this gimmick offense in the future? Almost half the NFL has moved to the 3-4 defense, but one must wonder if any of these 3-down lineman setups will work if more teams begin to adopt some Wildcat schemes in their playbooks.

I might be making too much of Belichick’s move and the future of the Wildcat. But you had to come away from that game thinking about how powerful the scheme could be if utilized well.

1. People really don’t care about the Ortiz’s past, considering that there was a good amount of people who believed he did it.

2. People are getting to the game, and most are unaware of the news.

Either way, he needs to open up about this situation. Unlike Ramirez, he publicly condemned PED users in Spring Training. He needs to come clean on the issue now, for the sake of the game, his family, his image, and his integrity.

“I looked up and I was like, ‘Holy Cow, he’s actually doing it.’ Everybody around me was giving me a hard time saying, ‘What the heck, he’s wearing White Sox stuff.’ That’s how we roll in Chicago, we got the president behind us,”

- Mark Beuhrle after seeing Obama’s first pitch at the All-Star Game

Look’s like one White Sox pitcher got some of that Obama magic. Let’s hope some of it permeates off into Congress and into to the hearts of all Americans. We have a long road ahead. Lets get motivated.

Also, Obama called Buehrle after the game. One thing that surprised me( but in the end not really ): Marky’s baby is huge. I mean, Phil Mickelson’s next big customer huge.

I think this was on Tuesday afternoon ( about 3-330pm ) where a caller phoned in on the Big Show to ask if the Red Sox were still planning on trading for a shortstop.

Jack Wilson was brought up, since there have been rumors that the Red Sox were interested in the guy. Pete Sheppard dismissed the story, saying that there hasn’t been much rumbling since its release. I forgot who the other guest was, but both the guest and Sheppard had felt that trading for Wilson would be too much money to eat ( with his $9 million contract ).

Butch Stearns doesn’t like the trade rumor because he doesn’t think Jack Wilson can contribute more than the current Lugo/Nick Greene core. During this whole argument, Stearns pretty much is taking the stance that Wilson would not be a good fit.

So, Butch finally ends the conversation with (paraphrasing)  ” It would be great to have (Garrett) Atkins and Wilson on the bench.” Someone mentions afterward that Wilson is starting if he comes to the Red Sox.

Butch then says something like: ” I don’t know about that.”

Then, I think Pete Sheppard (probably in total awe) asks Butch ( I am paraphrasing )

” You think that if Jack Wilson will have to compete for the starting job here?”

And you hear Butch, with knowledge of a million gods reply:

“Maybe!”

Butch, what the faaaaaack!?!? The absolute worst reply you that could be given responding to this question. Butch, really? You think that ( and/or situations below ):

A: The Red Sox would flop on an extra $3-4 million dollars to lose a roster spot by carrying THREE SHORTSTOPS and having the best one FIGHT FOR HIS JOB?

B: That somehow Nick Greene is better than Jack Wilson? And if so, the Red Sox would TRADE FOR HIM ANYWAY?

I know some Red Sox fans might agree with B, in which case there would be no reason to trade for him in the first place. But Wilson is probably one of the, and if not, the best defensive shortstop in the National League. No argument on who is better. None.

But Butchie, I am giving you the benefit of the doubt that you were only ignorant enough that you are unaware of how good Wilson is, and your dispute is based on the fact that Wilson isn’t a need for this team.

But trading for such a talent just so he can sit next to Lugo and watch Nick Greene turn double-plays would be the most ridiculous scenario in sports. It would peak the Matt Cassell/ Tom Brady controversy only because of the roaring laughter that would commence in every baseball front office in the country.

Are you kidding me! Yes, latter sentence has to end with an exclamation point. I am freakin’ psyched!

In the last 48 and 2/3 innings, Jon Lester has given up only 35 hits and eight earned runs.  If it wasn’t for his somewhat sluggish game against the Natinals, he would already have Gammons and Phillips giving him the crown before the All-Star break.

If you haven’t seen him pitch, do so. He has that type of pitcher’s dominance who’s aura I can only relate to the likes of Greg Maddux, Kevin Brown, Orel Hershiser,  Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana, and others of that mold.

People try to equate him as the Cole Hamels of the American League. Ha! Fuck Cole Hamels. He is a great pitcher, but even his talent pales in comparison to Lester’s makeup an precise gameplan.

When he is on his game, none of his pitches are hittable ( and he has proven this ). When he is off his game, all of his pitches are hittable, but extremely goddamn hard to hit.

Since last August, he has upped the ante on his fastball. Where he had pitched pretty well hitting corners with 91-94 mph fastballs in 2008, he now commands both sides of the plate with a heater that runs up to 96 mph regularly.

Along with changing his speeds, and running the cutter into the left-hander’s jam spots, the only thing a batter could sit on at the plate is his lack of confidence.

Jon Lester will win the Cy Young. He keeps his head in the game, he might run up one of the best 2nd-half performance of all-time.

Don’t get too good, kid. We gotta sign you in 2k12.

Ps: Jon, get your first half in order. People never get to see the best pitcher at the All-Star game, know what I be sayin?

” Most people die over money or women; and most occurs the latter.”

That went through my mind the second I heard that Mcnair got shot twice in the head. This guy has money, and he doesn’t ever promote a lifesyle that he is wasting it or using it in the wrong fashion.

And double upon that, he wasn’t not only with his wife, but he was in company with a woman nearly half his age.

It hurts. I know people cheat. But it does hurt to think ( and hopefully this isn’t true ) that his infidelity might of lead to a crime of passion. I don’t believe his wife has any involement, but would be least surprised that whoever had committed this crime was known by the younger female.

Steve, you were the best. A clutch quarterback, always played hurt, never dissed your teammates, walked off the field, did pushups under the Drew Rosenhaus’s daft publicity stunts, or slam a stripper’s head onto a stage.

He was football at its best. And he went out on top. I know, very long after this sad event is settled, I will still remember you for the memories you and the Oilers/Titans teams gave me over the last decade. Take care, buddy.

Also, a lesson for the infidelitous: these situations happen, remember if you are with someone that is with someone else, there is a chance that you will get your ass kicked or fucked up worse. It can happen to anybody.

Honestly, I understand the Eagles fans’ woes when it comes to following their team. Their division is hard, they can’t seem to go deep into the playoffs, and many games you can question how much this guy has left in the tank.

But people are knocking a player that I assume many fans would look for: a good player, who is the leader and face of the franchise, who works his hardest on & off the field. who takes the blame upon himself, and who has never lost his humble nature.

At the end of the day, I find him to be just a good guy. I have never heard of him dissing his teammate and walking out on his team. I never heard of him assaulting his coach. There was never a mention of him of punching a stripper in the face.

He’s trying. And overpaid. And no longer has the great mobility he had in his younger days. But he’s trying to be the best he can be for the Eagles. I am glad that his effort lead to a win today, and hopefully more to come.

But

Do you think this is the type of music that football fans want to hear during the halftime of a football game during Thanksgiving?

Well, CBS answered the question by having Jesse sing at the mid-point between the Lions-Titans game on Turkey Day. Already hampered by a shattering economy, rampant unemployment, crime, and a winless Lions team, the Detroit faithful are tortured even more as they listen to a teeny-bopper sensation after a 35-10 shellacking in the 1st half.

Probably one of the worst quarters I have ever witnessed in the history of football, but the Lions did redeem themselves by getting a touchdown off a turnover late in the 2nd quarter. But the misery for Michigan, and for the national audience, was only exacerbated by listening to music that has little to do with the gridiron.

Hell, this music has little to do with sports at all. I understand that the dominance of content of ABC/ESPN, along with the trend of marketing to other demographics by combining different forms of entertainment within sports ( did anyone see the “Who Knows Reggie Bush More” segment on the MNF pre-game show?), forces media outlets to come up with eccentric partnerships to gain a bigger audience.

I’ll finish this post later. Its Turkey Day; I need to eat:)

U n t i l   N e x t   T i m e   O l d   F r i e n d . . .

It was to come to pass. Coco Crisp, having the gold glove talent with two slow-pokes on each side of a big outfield, having the pesky bat to get key base hits and a little bit of pop, having the speed to keep the pitcher’s left eye occupied, needs to be a starter.

He made incredible plays in the outfield, he handled the bat and the bags well when healthy, and he put his best out for the Red Sox Nation. He asked that for his accolades, he should be the primary center fielder. And the Red Sox couldn’t do it, with their young stud Jacoby Ellsbury in the wings.

And so another great piece of the Red Sox dynasty moves on to different pastures, freeing the spot for ( hopefully ) a greater piece to get us back to the promise land. Along with Manny Ramirez, Alan Embree, Julian Tavarez, Bartolo Colon, and Dave Roberts, Crisp is the last of the remnants of the dominant late-90’s early 21st century Cleveland Indian teams. Those were the days…

Covelli Loyce Crisp, have fun in Kansas City, and make Red Sox Nation proud. Get healthy, and get some more pop in your bat. Make us feel sorry that we let you go. Because many of us Red Sox fans are going to bed tonight with a little bit of something in our eyes. Many of us will go to sleep knowing that there will be something missing when spring trainings begins anew. It won’t be Manny Ramirez, although his departure has been highly detailed by the media.

Many of us Red Sox fans will be rooting for you. Our eyes and minds will deceive us as we go into a confused daze seeing you on an opposing team. We will give you a standing ovation when you return to Fenway Park. You will smile, and probably gesture to the crowd. We will forget, just for a few seconds, that you are no longer hitting the homeruns for the Nation, and dream that your timely hit will start-up our sluggish offense.

As we sit back down from the frenzied welcome, we will remember where the lines are drawn, and we will hope that you don’t beat us with a slice in the left-center gap. Okay, maybe just one. But we have the Yankees, The Rays, and The Blue Jays to confront in the coming weeks. Try not to be hard on us on your heroic return to Landsdowne St.

Red Sox fans tonight will dream of the past, and the future will come soon enough. Baseball always seems to come around early. So let us celebrate now in the cold dark Massachusetts winter, and give tribute to one hell of a baseball player. Coco, we wish you the best. The morning of November 20th, 2008, I give this time for you. Paz.

Larry Lucchino & Friends

You would think that Larry Lucchino, Werner, and John Henry would’ve done something better for their fans, but they have instead opted to gouge their fans wallets as the recession looms over the world economy.

“We have been listening to fans, friends, and family about the challenges they are facing in light of the current adverse economic conditions,”

- Larry Lucchino, CEO, Boston Red Sox

Hahaha!! You were listening to the fans, during the worse conditions in the financial system since the Great Depression, and you decided to throw the Red Sox Nation a bone by NOT RAISING PRICES?

…We hope our ownership’s decision to hold prices for the upcoming season will in some way help ease the burden on Red Sox Nation.”

- Larry Lucchino

The Red Sox brass hope to “ease the burden” of families losing their homes, losing their jobs, and losing their savings, by keeping the most expensive ticket and total entertainment cost in the entire league? This is the equivalent to a supermarket not having any sales so can feed your family easier during hard times. What type of bullshit logic is that?

WEEI Minions, Attack!

Adding to the Red Sox report, ownership sent out memos to their radio media hounds ( for this paragraph I will use the example of “Dale and Holley Show on WEEI”) to cheer-lead the ticket price freeze for 2009.

Michael Holley, and I give him great respect for his ability to see multiple sides of stories, was so zealous in defending the actions of the team ( remember, WEEI is owned by the Red Sox, and seldom you will hear anything against Red Sox ownership, if ever ).

One caller had talked about working with a company that uses some extra money to buy season tickets for its executives, and that this year the economic squeeze has forced them to pass on the tickets. The caller, I’ll name him “Joe” since I forgot his name, had said that he could foresee the Red Sox attendance sellout record cease in 2009 if these tickets stand at this price.

Holley had continually stated that the Red Sox don’t have to lower ticket prices, and that fans will continue to buy seats for the games. Joe the caller asked if the Red Sox should try to lower them to help fans, and Holley replied that the Red Sox should only make decisions which are in their best interests, as do all businesses.

Logical, but is this a type of answer you give to a fan on an afternoon radio show who won’t be able to see Red Sox games next year because of a tightening economy? Not saying Holley was wrong, but his words were clearly influenced by whatever the Red Sox are going to tell him. Holley even tried to slam the ticket price cost index, saying that the Yankees “hide” certain luxury prices to keep their index down.

Throughout all of this, the conversation turned NOT to the Red Sox enormous ticket prices, but to the expensive parking arrangements around the stadium. Both Holley and Dale Arnold were up in arms about how $40 parking kills the Red Sox fans wallets, and not the $100 ticket prices. Hmmm…

NFL & New Jersey Nets Play Robin Hood on Themselves

Clearly, the same day Michael Holley and Dale Arnold were unzipping Red Sox ownership’s pants, the NFL had announced that all of their playoff tickets would be reduced by 10% to help struggling fans buy tickets for important games. This even makes more sense, since most regular season tickets for many teams are already sold out.

“Our belief right now is let’s invest in people who might invest in us later. In doing so, we can help people who need it most.”

-Nets chief executive Brett Yormark

Doesn’t this sound like ownership that actually cares about the fan base? In addition, he is sending out resumes to other companies and corporate sponsors! Both the Nets decision and the NFL’s decision showcase good foresight, and a great sense of goodwill, for people who will need it during these hard times.

For the Red Sox to come out with their media megaphone to suggest apathy as the best remedy, without any ethical incentive to help their fans, clearly show they are not keeping up with their fan base.

Looking At The Greener Grass

Some might say its because the fans that can afford the ticket prices are the most affluent ( the ones who buy the luxury boxes, and the media outlets, corporations etc. ), it makes little sense to turn down prices since this base has money regardless of economic conditions. In the book Baseball Between the Numbers
, a quote by sports economist Allan Sanderson sums up the viewpoint of high-priced baseball ticket sales:

“Certainly, people in the upper half of the income distribution the last twenty years have done quite well. Those in the lower ranks have not, but those are not the ones going to sporting events.”

With the recession looming, it seems that the Red Sox are fine with forcing Red Sox nation to keep up with the Joneses. As more have-nots join the ranks on the not-so-green-side in sports enthusiasm, when will the Red Sox understand that although sports has survived other recessions and depressions, that the fortitude of sporting popularity was defined by the common fan and cheap seats throughout history ( see: Baseball Between the Numbers Again).

If the Sox take a chance on the elite portion of sport enthusiast, and continually alienate more of the people that enjoy their team and sport, they risk losing the people that truly love them. When the sellout streak ends, and empty seats start fluttering around Fenway Park, I do hope Larry Lucchino and Friends reflect on the time they turned their back on the Boston faithful.

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