Been several days since I last blogged, but with the new computer fired up and ready to go we should be seeing a little bit more consistency with BSP's activity. First off, I want to take a golden opportunity to shit all over Papelbon for his pathetic showing in America's Hat earlier this week. The Rays are giving the Sox a shitload of opportunities to be in a race that they have no business being in, and yet Paps still can't close the door with a 2-run lead and nobody on base. To think that the Sox have roughly the same record as they did this time last year is absurd considering the amount of games-lost-to-injury they've had this year. How is this team, minus Jason Bay, even competing? Dice K's injury woes and inconsistency were no secret heading into this year. But, couple that with the losses of Beckett, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Victor, Mike Cameron, Buchholz for a time, and now Kevin Youkilis. Those guys, with the exception of Cameron, account for roughly 90% of the Red Sox core players, Lester is the only healthy guy of the group! Yes, Adrian Beltre's resurgence has been a huge part of this team's success, but even with that considered I don't think anyone expected them to be sniffing the playoffs at this point. But that bring me back to the main point here, and that is Papelbon's assenine antics. When the Sox signed Lackey in the offseason, Papelbon said two weeks later that he didn't know it had happened. Like, yea, we know you don't live baseball all year round, and we wouldn't expect you to, but stop being a complete fuckhead and pay attention! Then you had his whole Cinco-Ocho ordeal where he was proclaiming himself to be the best thing since free online-porn. He was pissed last year when the Sox brought Billy Wagner into the mix, and he was pissed this offseason when some labeled Daniel Bard as the future closer of this team. Turns out Papelbon was talking the talk he couldn't walk. Yea, he was elite for a few years. But now he's a guy with a mid-90's fastball, a walk-on-water mentality, and not much more. To put it simply, he's just not that special. A friend recently argued with me about Papelbon's importance to this team and his future in the MLB, saying that "he is the next Rivera." Umm, yea....'bout that. More like the next John Rocker. He peaked early, and he was instrumental in bringing that second World Series to the Sox, and for that we should be grateful. But right now, we must realize that no matter his mentality and reputation, he's no more than a middle-of-the-road closer, and that Daniel Bard is already the superior pitcher.
Now to the Patriots, and this might even be the first Pats-related material in the history of the BSP (I can't remember right now but I think it might be). I've been waiting months for Bmal to grace us with his "high" football IQ, but he hasn't pulled through just yet. As I have been in the past with the Sox and the Bruins, I will be now with the Patriots...critical. How we have managed to get this far into Training Camp without Brady locked up long-term is a joke! It's incredible to see how much the organization takes for granted sometimes. Back when Brady signed his first extension, he took significantly lower than market-value in hopes that the team would surround him with championship-caliber players to build a dynasty around. Well, after Brady signed his hometown-discount of a deal, the Patriots proceeded to dump Deion Branch and David Givens, followed by Asante Samuel being ushered out of town. Yes, they did go out and spend in 2007, I can give them that. Bringing in Moss and Welker helped create the best offense the planet has ever seen. But that's not the point. The point is that they spurned Brady the first time around. He took a "cheaper" deal so that they could allocate some of those dollars on players like Branch and Givens, yet they decided to play the "value" game and spurn those players and shipped them away. Something tells me that Brady won't be giving the Pats the same hometown discount this time around, especially when noting the insane amount of guaranteed cash Sam Bradford just got (that whole system is a joke, but that's for another time). To put things simply, Brady is the face of the franchise and one of the faces of the biggest pro sports operation this side of NASCAR. Not only that, but he's still among the elite quarterbacks in the league. The thing is, though, is that they haven't spent that money elsewhere! So they have no excuse! Yes, they overpayed for Banta-Cain to come back, which was mistake one in some ways. But they haven't made any significant splashes this year! They could have gone for Julius Peppers, but nope, the "value" wasn't there. They could have signed Jason Taylor (who is semi-washed up, but still a good player), but no, let the Jets take him. Even worse, they are treating their own best Offensive Lineman like garbage. Logan Mankins is a fan favorite because of his tenacity, but he's also one of the league's premier guards! Yet, rather than give him a comparable deal to Jahri Evans, they lowballed him (it was a good offer, in fairness to the Pats, but not comparable to Evans' deal, and Mankins is the better player). The Patriots absolutely have to get it into their heads that the window is closing on the Brady era. Welker will never be the same as he was these last few years, Moss isn't getting any younger, the defense is still as suspect as it was last year (if not moreso). So please, Kraft and Co., you've done a great job in building this team, but PLEASE realize that your window for a championship with this core is closing fast, don't spoil the opportunity by being stingy!
Tidbits:
-As far as activity in the NHL this weekend...Tomas Kaberle's no-trade clause kicks-in on the 16th, so if he is going to be moved at all, it's happening this weekend. For a lot of teams in the Kaberle-chase, a deal for them hinges on their interest level in Kovalchuk. For some teams, Kaberle is the ultimate prize. If the Kings feel that they are no closer to a deal for Kovalchuk, I could see them making a pitch for the Toronto defenseman. But, for now, with Kovalchuk still a big question mark, I think it's going to be some dark-horse team like Columbus or Tampa that steps up to the plate and nabs him. It could all just be smokescreens by Burke, and Kaberle could stay, but my bet is that he's packing his bags this weekend.
-Ty Warren's out for the year now, terrific. While Warren was a shell of his former-self last year, he's still a huge upgrade over guys like Gerard Warren and Myron Pryor. This just makes it all the more frustrating that the Patriots failed to make a splash this offseason and bring on and impact pass rusher like Peppers. Yea, nice job bringing on failed first rounders like Damione Lewis. This stupid "value" mentality like the Red Sox really pisses me off sometimes.
-Just watched the first Hard Knocks of the season. All I can say is that if I weren't a Pats fan, I would be a Jets fan. Rex Ryan is a great coach, and he's a great personality for that city. Kudos once again for Woody Johnson putting him behind the wheel last offseason. And although Revis is holding out, I can still see them being a dangerous team. Revis makes them SuperBowl contenders, but I still think they can contend for the playoffs without him. We'll see...
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