The Revs Are Just The Team That We Desperately Need In This Nightmare Of A Year, Seriously

 

    Reaching the Eastern Conference Final has become old hat for the Revolution considering that they have now reached that game eight times in the franchise's long history (they are an MLS original club that started in 1996). However, I doubt that there was ever a more improbable run in team annals to reach that stage than this season's wacky edition. New England led from start to finish this afternoon at Exploria Stadium as they put together their second straight huge upset, 3-1 vs. Orlando City SC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. With their latest fantastic result, they will next get to play at Columbus on Sunday afternoon (3, ABC) in the Eastern Conference Final for a spot in the 2020 MLS Cup. Did I mention that the Revolution have never won an MLS Cup (0-5) and this is the furthest they've gone in the playoffs since their last ill-fated journey to the Final in 2014?  

    Once again, the Revs were ably led by their three best players: midfielder Gustavo Bou scored a brace (two goals) while fellow midfielder Carles Gil bagged a penalty kick and added an assist then finally, goalkeeper Matt Turner (2 saves) stepped up and made perhaps the biggest play of the game as he stopped Orlando's superstar midfielder Nani on a penalty kick that would have tied it at 2-2 in the 74th minute. Soccer is all about dictating the game which usually means scoring the first goal. Just like their 2-0 shutout of top-seeded Philadelphia in the first round last week, New England jumped at the opportunity to take an early lead and then they doubled it before Orlando knew what had hit them.

    Keep in mind, this was the first time in its six seasons in MLS that Orlando City had even reached the playoffs and they needed an absolutely bonkers penalty kick shootout to survive against NYCFC in the previous round just to get here in the first place. What I'm trying to say is that they were understandably a bit nervous from the beginning and you could tell that pretty early on as midfielder Oriol Rosell took down New England defender Tajon Buchanan in the 15th minute for a penalty kick. Gil gave Orlando City goalkeeper Brian Rowe (3 saves) no chance to stop his shot as he blasted it straight down the middle and into the net two minutes later. 

    Before the home team had any time to recover, they were down 2-0 as Revs striker Adam Buksa's initial shot (from a perfect low cross by Buchanan) hit the post but Bou was alertly there to smash the ball in for a 2-0 lead in the 25th minute. New England only really made two mistakes (of course they were big ones) on the day and the first came in the 33rd minute as their defense couldn't clear the ball out of a dangerous area in the box and Turner was uncharacteristically out of position after making a save. This allowed Orlando midfielder Junior Urso to swoop in and crank the rebound past a bunch of bodies between him and the net. As ugly as that moment was for the Revolution, full marks to them for not letting it affect them too much as Buksa forced a spectacular diving save from Rowe only five minutes later. 

    Nursing a 2-1 lead at halftime, New England was in good position to see out the game and that only increased when Orlando midfielder Mauricio Pereyra made a wild sliding challenge on Revs midfielder Matt Polster. With his studs up, Pereyra's reckless decision cost him and his team dearly because he was shown a red card so Orlando City was forced to play a man down for the final 30+ minutes as they tried to rally from down 2-1. Few in MLS possess a more lethal shot than Bou and he will let it fly from just about anywhere including well outside the box. Rowe made a pair of good stops on Bou and New England couldn't connect on either corner kick that came from those chances. Polster was on the other end of a penalty kick call as his foul of striker Daryl Dike in the 73rd minute led to the best play of Turner's blooming professional career. The Portuguese international and former Manchester United star tried to hit a low shot into the left corner but Turner guessed correctly and got over in time to deflect it out of bounds with his Inspector Gadget arm. 

    That took the wind out of Orlando's sails for the most part since they probably knew in their heart of hearts that was their golden opportunity to tie it up. New England did its best to smartly waste time and then pounce when the time was right for that killer insurance tally. That curtain came in the 86th minute fittingly with Gil putting a through ball to the top of the box that Bou got to before Rowe and his toe poke went in for what had to be one of the best and most meaningful goals of his life. PS check out his celebration in honor of recently deceased soccer icon Diego Maradona after his first goal of this win: it was incredibly moving as Bou found an Argentinian flag and pointed to the sky. When the final whistle blew, the Revs collectively went crazy with delight on the field as they had knocked off another darling of the league. 

    At this point, you'd be pretty idiotic to write off the Revolution as a fluke. Yes, they were the No. 8 seed in the East (out of 9 playoff clubs) but let's not forget that Gil missed much of the disjointed regular season and Bou was not healthy at times either. Obviously, every team deals with injuries and bad performances but you can see over these three playoff matches how much of a difference a healthy Gil and Bou can make. All I know is that New England is only one win away from another MLS Cup appearance and two from finally putting to bed the ugliest Albatross in Major League Soccer. With USMNT players such as striker Gyasi Zardes (who scored a goal in tonight's 2-0 win vs. Nashville) and midfielder/possession machine Darlington Nagbe, the Crew are more than formidable opposition. Still, bet against New England at your own peril or how about you check in with Philly or Orlando to see what they are up to at the moment.

The Patriots Kept Their Slight Playoff Hopes Alive With A Thrilling 20-17 Win vs. The Cardinals

 

    Not much makes sense in this crazy year of 2020 and the Patriots (5-6 overall, 4-2 home) fit under that general premise since they are becoming very difficult to predict from game to game. For instance, in the last three weeks in particular, I think that going into each matchup we would have thought they'd lose to Baltimore, win at Houston and lose against Arizona. It turns out that the opposite has occurred in each of those three contests with them pulling out a 20-17 victory this afternoon vs. the Cardinals (6-5 overall, 3-3 away) at Gillette Stadium via a 50-yard field goal by Patriots kicker Nick Folk as time expired in the fourth quarter. New England quarterback Cam Newton (9-of-18 for 84 yards, 2 INTs; 46 yards rushing) had perhaps his worst game as a Patriot-which is saying something-yet they still somehow found a way to win thanks to some timely plays by the defense (including a key goal-line stand) and stellar special teams. 

    After DeShaun Watson of the Texans torched the Patriots last week, you figured that Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray (23-of-34 for 170 yards, INT; 31 yards rushing) would similarly tear up New England's subpar defense but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, it was the first time all season that Murray was held without a touchdown since Arizona's running back Kenyan Drake (22 carries, 78 yards; 15 yards receiving) did most of the damage with a pair of one-yard touchdown runs. The ghost of Larry Fitzgerald was out with Covid-19 so the Pats were able to concentrate most of their energy on arguably the best wide receiver in the league-DeAndre Hopkins (5 catches for 55 yards on 7 targets)-and it showed as they mostly held him in check which was a surprise to say the least. 

    New England spotted Arizona a 10-0 in the first quarter thanks to an interception by Cardinals linebacker Markus Golden on the third play of the game as Newton's pass was deflected right into Golden's hands for his first career INT. With incredible field position (starting at the Pats 23), it only took Murray and Co. three plays to find the end zone after a 19-yard catch and run by UMass' Andy Isabella (4 catches, 33 yards) brought them down to the 4-yard line. Late in the first quarter, Arizona's kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a 47-yard to give his team what would turn out to be their biggest lead of the day. Pats running back James White hadn't scored a touchdown all season so it was great to see him take an option pitch from Newton and find paydirt on 4th-and-2 from the Cardinals 7-yard line. That whole drive was set up by a 53-yard kickoff return from Donte Moncrief that put New England in Arizona territory at the 46-yard line. 

    New England's defense stepped up right before halftime after the Cardinals held the ball for almost half of the quarter (15 plays, 71 yards in 6:57). First they tackled KeeSean Johnson at the 1-yard line and then Akeem Spence (recently elevated from the practice squad) and Ja'Whaun Bentley (13 tackles, 6 solo) combined to stop Drake on a run up the middle for no gain meaning that Arizona got zero points from that long drive. I appreciate the aggressiveness from dreamy Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury but that turned out to be a huge three points that they could have used at the end of the game. After forcing a punt on the Cardinals' opening drive of the third quarter, the Patriots appeared to go ahead on a punt-return for a touchdown by Gunner Olszewski. It being this year with this middling club, the six points from the 82-yard run were taken off the board as rookie Anfernee Jennings was ruled to have made an illegal blindside block. That still gave New England more great field position as they began that drive at Arizona's 39-yard line. Newton and the Pats' drive stalled near the goalline as they were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal which tied it at 10. 

    The momentum kept building for the Patriots as Murray was picked off three plays later when defensive lineman Adam Butler (4 tackles, assist & sack) tipped a pass and it was caught by safety Adrian Phillips (5 tackles). New England's ensuring drive started at Arizona's 31-yard line so even the Patriots' slo-mo offense scored six plays later on a 1-yard run by White to the opposite corner of the end zone from his first score. Trying to keep pace with Seattle (7-3) and the Rams (7-4) in the best division in football-the NFC West-the Cardinals flipped the momentum back on their side as they surged ahead on another short Drake touchdown then cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick read Newton's eyes and picked him off on the next drive.

    It looked for sure that the Patriots were doomed at that point but thankfully, Gonzalez missed a 45-yard field goal by simply pushing it wide. Before Folk's heroics, Arizona committed two fatal mistakes on the same play to essentially put New England in field goal range: on 3rd-and-13, they let Newton scramble for 14 yards and even worse, rookie Isaiah Simmons drilled him with a helmet-to-helmet hit (which itself is a penalty but it was incorrectly called unnecessary roughness instead) as they both went out of bounds. That careless mistake resulted in a 15-yard penalty which moved the Patriots into the Cardinals' side of the field and after two short plays, Folk was called on to deliver with the game on the line for the second time in four weeks (he also won it in NY against the Jets) and once again, he made it count. 

    The Pats will get another chance to reach the .500 mark next week as they travel to Los Angeles to face the lowly Chargers (3-8) on Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS). By taking on a rookie quarterback in Justin Herbert (granted he's been awesome) and an overmatched head coach-Anthony Lynn of Hard Knocks fame this past summer-your instinct tells you that the Patriots should win that one. I've made that mistake too many times before during this season so I'm going to hold off on any predictions and just say that hopefully New England can build off of this ballsy win and take advantage of an opponent that while talented is going nowhere in 2020.

Who Had The New England Revolution Being The Feel-Good Story Of The Year In Boston Sports?

 

    2020 has been a nightmare for everybody and just the latest example of the sports world being turned upside down as well is the fact that the Patriots (4-6) are slogging through their first rebuilding campaign in 20 years while the other (and for good reason often forgotten) club that also calls Gillette Stadium home-the Revolution-are giving us all something to be happy about when we needed it the most. With less than zero expectations coming into this postseason, the No. 8 seed New England followed up Friday's thrilling 2-1 victory over the No. 9 seed Montreal in the play-in game at Gillette with a much more unexpected and therefore mighty impressive result tonight: they went to Subaru Park in Chester, PA and knocked off MLS' top team-the Philadelphia Union-by a score of 2-0. With the win, the Revs advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday afternoon (3, ABC) at No. 4 seed Orlando City SC. 

    Above all, there are two primary reasons that make this latest triumph so impressive for New England: 1) The Union won the Supporters' Shield-given to the team with the best record in the league-so needless to say, nobody and I mean nobody was expecting Philly to lose their first playoff game after such a dominant regular season; 2) The Revs were 0-4-1 against Philadelphia in 2020 including three straight losses coming into this matchup. Furthermore, dating back to the last few seasons, they hadn't actually beaten the Union in their last nine meetings. So yeah, to say this was an upset is a bit of an understatement.

    The best part for the Revs is that this was far from a fluke result. They scored twice in the a four-minute span in the first half then smothered any hopes of a Union comeback in the second half with an air-tight defensive effort. Philadelphia's excellent Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake (2 saves) earned the Goalkeeper of the Year award in MLS this season but this evening, he was simply outplayed by New England's Matt Turner who made four saves to notch the clean sheet. Granted Turner didn't have to deal with hardly any real dangerous chances but that's besides the point. The Fairfield University alum and New Jersey native should soon find himself in the mix with the U.S. men's national team, he's become that good over the last few years of his rapid development with the Revs. 

    I think we can conclude that New England's midfield maestro Carles Gil is back to full health as he completely controlled this entire match. He not only set up both goals but he nearly added a strike of his own with a beautiful chip early in the second half that ricocheted off the crossbar. Another sign that this isn't your typical middling Revs team is that both of their tallies were beautiful in their own right: Polish striker Adam Buksa headed in the perfect free kick from Gil in the 26th minute for a 1-0 Revs lead. Before the Union had a chance to catch their breath, it was 2-0 and basically game over as fullback Tajon Buchanan (who is normally a forward) took a pass from Gil, beat his defender then blasted a low shot into the far side past a helpless Blake.

    Looking around MLS and particularly in the East, it's predictably clear that home field and seeding has meant little in this bizarre postseason. Most stadiums are devoid of fans because of the local Covid-19 protocols or they choose to let very few in-like the poor souls who watched the Union get beat tonight-so any previous home field advantage is thankfully for the Revs' sake nullified. Playing in their first season in the league, the No. 7 seed Nashville shocked heavyweight and No. 2 seed Toronto (MLS Cup winner in 2017 and runner-up in 2019) 1-0 in extra time earlier tonight in Hartford (Toronto can't play in Canada during the pandemic) so they are also in the Eastern Conference semifinals and they'll meet the No. 3 seed Columbus on Sunday night (8, ESPN). In the Western Conference the semifinals are the defending champions and No. 2 seed Seattle vs. the No. 6 seed Dallas next Tuesday (9:30, FS1) followed by top-seeded Sporting KC taking on the No. 4 seed Minnesota on Wednesday (9, FS1). 

    It's hard not to look ahead with the Revolution and dream about two more wins bringing them back to that elusive MLS Cup where they are a mind-numbing 0-5 all-time. Still, let's sit back and relax a bit over the Thanksgiving break and enjoy these first two tastes of playoff wins by the Revs for the first time in six long years. Who could forget that their 2014 playoff run of course ended in the MLS Cup with a crushing 2-1 loss in extra time to the Galaxy. Haha I'm not still bitter about it though! After being a laughingstock for years, Bruce Arena-who is unquestionably the best head coach in league history-has quickly brought them back to relevance and soon perhaps the ultimate glory after all these years of misery and irrelevance. I make fun of the Revs and MLS all the time but this is genuinely a fantastic story that could not come at a better time with the Pats floundering, the Celtics and Bruins at least a month away from returning to action and the Red Sox fading from everyone's radar more every year. 

After Quite A Lengthy Wait, The B's Finally Signed Forward Jake DeBrusk To A Two-Year Contract

 

    NHL free agency officially opened a month and a half ago so you are not alone if you basically forgot that winger Jake DeBrusk (a restricted free agent) was still sitting around waiting for the Bruins to hit him up with a contract offer. Naturally, on a sleepy Monday night a few days before Thanksgiving, B's GM Don Sweeney & Co. got it done as they signed DeBrusk to a two-year deal worth $7.35 million. It has to be a relief for Jake after he saw literally hundreds of players from around the league get paid recently while he and his agent patiently bided their time waiting for Boston to make a decision. 

    In many ways, this was an easy move for the Bruins since DeBrusk represents one of their few young forwards who has really shown anything positive lately at the NHL level. He was the middle pick of Boston's infamous three first round selections in the 2015 Draft. Sandwiched around DeBrusk at No. 14 were defenseman Jakub Zboril at No. 13 and right wing Zach Senyshyn. Haha who? Only hardcore Bruins or hockey fans know who those other two guys are since neither has made any kind of impact yet for the B's and they've mostly been stuck wasting away in Providence. 

    Jake just wrapped up his third full season with the Bruins and he's been consistently productive from his rookie year until now. He's scored at least 16 goals and had at least 16 assists in all three seasons. He's also been relatively durable-and almost always worthy of a lineup spot-since he played 70 games in 2017-18, 68 games the following season and 65 in this past Covid-19 shortened schedule. After recording 27 assists in his rookie campaign and 27 goals in his second season, I think that many were understandably a bit disappointed that his game didn't take any noticeable leap in 2019-20 but rather it felt stuck in neutral. 

    His plus/minus has also plummeted from plus-13 in his first year, to plus-two then minus-one. For most of his brief Bruins career, David Krejci has centered DeBrusk on the second line with a revolving door of nobodies at right wing. That's not an excuse for the dip in his numbers but a statement of fact. When you watch Jake over a full season including the playoffs, you see more than a few glimpses of some outstanding tools: game-breaking pace, great hands to get around defensemen and goaltenders in small areas not to mention the clutch plays that he often makes. He's been on the Bruins' second power play unit for much of the last two seasons and he has potted eight goals and seven goals there respectively. He also put up 14 game-winning goals (in the regular season) between his first three years which is nothing to sneeze at.

    The bubble playoffs were not his friend though as he was mostly shut down to the tune of only four points (all goals) in 13 games. That paled in comparison to his rookie season when Boston where he notched six goals and two assists in only 12 games or the next season where they went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and he had four goals and seven assists. He's definitely an X-factor kind of guy and like most teams, the Bruins are always in need of some secondary scoring from DeBrusk as well as many others besides the top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

    If you've ever watched Behind The B (NESN's underrated behind the scenes show about the Bruins) or you've caught some of his hilarious post-game interviews, you know that Jake is a character to say the least. Having grown up around the NHL (his dad Louie was a long-time enforcer), he has a great sense of humor-witness the mullet that he has sported for long stretches-and being Canadian the typical down-to-Earth, relatable nature. Playing here generally doesn't bring the same insane pressure as a Toronto or Montreal but for an American market, it's still pretty tough. I wouldn't worry too much though about that being a factor for DeBrusk since he seems well equipped to handling the ups and downs of a professional sports career. With the right attention to details-like getting stronger for puck battles in the corners and better touch around the net-he has the ability to be a 30-goal scorer in the near future. It took way too long to get this done but I think we can all agree that this was a good day for the Bruins.

And That's What We Get For Putting Any Faith In This Hopelessly Flawed Patriots Team In 2020

 

    Listen, we all knew that the Patriots (4-6 overall, 1-4 away) were not going to win the Super Bowl this season. However, at least in the last few weeks they had given us not only a reason to tune into their games but also a brief moment to consider that perhaps they could be a playoff team in 2020 with an improbable late-season run. That all came to a crashing halt today in Houston (3-7 overall, 2-3 home) as they lost to a terrible Texans club 27-20 at NRG Stadium. Before today, the only other team that Houston had beaten this season was its wretched AFC South rival Jacksonville (1-9) as they already swept that dog poop season series. The Pats already had little margin for error but now realistically, they probably would have to at the very least go 5-1 to even have a chance to be a Wild Card team but more likely 6-0 to finish 10-6. Sigh. 

    Since they have what has to be one of the least explosive offenses in the NFL, the Patriots can't afford to fall behind by too many points since it takes way too much time and effort to scratch out anything from many of their drives. After scoring first and being tied at seven after the first quarter, the Texans outscored them 14-3 in the second quarter to take a 21-10 halftime lead. New England actually outplayed Houston in the second half-outscoring them 10-6-but much like previous losses this season at Seattle, vs. Denver and at Buffalo, the Pats had a shot to tie it late but they couldn't convert on 4th-and-4 from the Houston 24-yard line which for all intents and purposes sealed their fate. 

    Despite their clunky first half performance, this loss shouldn't be pinned solely on Cam Newton (26-of-40 for 365 yards and 1 TD) or New England's 1950s style offense. Wide receiver Damiere Byrd (6 catches for a season-high 132 yards, 1 TD on 7 targets) had his best game as a Patriot and running back Damien Harris scored another touchdown while James White (64 yards receiving, 19 yards rushing) stepped up after Rex Burkhead suffered what looked to be a torn ACL in his left knee on a rushing attempt. Two field goals by kicker Nick Folk accounted for the other six points by the Patriots. 

    Nope, this latest setback falls on New England's invisible defense that allowed Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (28-of-37 for 344 yards, 2 TDs; 36 yards rushing, 1 TD) to dominate them. The Pats secondary is supposed to be elite (especially with Stephon Gilmore finally back after a month away due to his shady knee injury) but they couldn't contain the likes of former Patriot Brandin Cooks (4 catches for 85 yards on 5 targets), tight end Jordan Akins (5 catches, 83 yards on 6 targets) set a career-high in yardage while wide receiver Will Fuller (6 catches for 80 yards on 8 targets) continually beat the Patriots on intermediate routes. The Pats defense might as well have not made the trip to Texas since they didn't record a sack let alone a turnover. Houston had two sacks and J.J. Watt came back from the dead to deflect four passes which seems like an absurdly high total for his ghost in 2020. 

    The game started off very well for the Patriots as they forced a Texans punt on their first possession then New England put together their best drive of the afternoon: 10 plays, 84 yards in 5:32 that ended with a toss to Harris that he ran in the end zone from nine yards out. Houston responded on their next drive as they tied it on Watson's three-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb. Folk's 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter briefly gave the Pats another slim lead (10-7) but once again, the Texans answered right back with a four-yard touchdown run by Watson that ended with him running over Pats safety and captain Devin McCourty as he powered his way into the end zone. That play was a good summary of this mostly forgettable campaign by the Pats. For good measure, Houston tacked on a back-breaking touchdown with 10 seconds left in the first half when Watson found Keke Coutee with a six-yard pass.

    They might stink but I wouldn't say that this team has tuned out head coach Bill Belichick since they have usually come out motivated to start the second half this season. Cam had one of his best plays as a Patriot-a 42-yard dime to Byrd for a gorgeous over-the-shoulder grab that cut it to 21-17 Texans early in the third quarter. The Pats defense at least held Houston to a 36-yard field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn to put the home team back up by seven points (24-17). The Pats had a chance to tie it midway through the fourth quarter but their drive stalled out on the edge of the red zone. Folk's 36-yard field goal turned out to be their final points while Fairbairn's 46-yard field goal on the following drive gave the Texans some more breathing room. 

    Thanksgiving is not going to be the same for any of us this week and when we next see the Patriots in action on Sunday afternoon (1, FOX) they will be hosting the Cardinals (6-4 overall, 3-2 away) at Gillette Stadium. Everybody knows that with Kyler Murray under center-one of the great young QBs in the league-that Arizona is a better team than New England. They are also in the middle of a tight playoff race in the NFC West-the best division in football-so they won't be lacking for motivation. Just because nothing makes sense in this awful year, something goofy will happen like a weather game (such as the rainstorm last Sunday night against Baltimore) and the West Coast team that plays indoors will have a tough time with the early gametime for their bodies. However, even if the Pats somehow find a way to knock off the Cardinals, today served as a harsh reminder not to let them fool us into thinking they are anything notable based off of one solid victory.

Jayson Tatum Is The C's Franchise Player & With His Extension ($195 Million?), He's Paid Like It

 

    As serious fans, we all consider ourselves to be overly qualified to be wannabe GMs in whatever sport(s) we like but the truth is that it's way harder than anyone thinks. With that said, Celtics GM Danny Ainge made one of the easiest decisions of his entire tenure in Boston today by getting his young superstar Jayson Tatum to agree to a five-year extension that can be worth up to $195 million if he reaches certain All-NBA marks in that time frame. Swingman Jaylen Brown is a very good and promising player as well (that unfortunately plays the same position) and point guard Kemba Walker has been an All-Star multiple times but there is no doubt who the best player is on the team and also most importantly, who has the most potential further own the line.

    Tatum is only 22 years old and he just finished his third NBA season but note the huge leap that he made from Year 2 to Year 3 which was outstanding. The No. 2 pick out of Duke in the 2017 draft (thanks Sixers for taking that fraud Markelle Fultz!), Tatum played in his first NBA All-Star Game this past season and was named to the All-NBA third team after averaging a team-high 23.4 points, seven rebounds, three assists and 1.4 steals per game. For such a young player, the swingman came into the league with the all-around offensive game of a longtime NBA standout. He can shoot very well (40% on 3s both this season and for his career), he can drive to the hoop utilizing a variety of creative moves and he consistently hits free throws (81% this season and 83% for his career).

    With Gordon Hayward bouncing after three frustrating seasons in Boston, it is heartening to see Tatum not going anywhere for awhile longer granted the third NBA contract is generally when top talent start to reevaluate their situations the most as they enter unrestricted free agency. As long as the Celts have Tatum along with Brown who also has All-Star potential in his own right, they will be a factor in the Eastern Conference. There's really not too much to pick apart with Tatum: he's 6-foot-8 but listed at just 210 pounds so needless to say, he has to get stronger to not only last longer in the NBA but additionally to be able to use power to get baskets not only his moves and sneaky speed. Perhaps his most annoying trait is how much he complains to refs constantly during each and every game. Blame it on his Duke background, the fact that he came up in the AAU culture and probably has been a star his entire life or that he was tutored by the late Kobe Bryant (who was also known for his whining), but if he could cut down on that a bit, that would be a little more esthetically pleasing.  

    In the grand scheme of things, these are all small complaints about a guy who has all the ability in the world on the basketball court and thankfully doesn't seem to be a clown. More than any other big-time pro sport in the U.S., the NBA is ruled by stars and that's why the C's had to make this decision without hesitation. When your team isn't located in warm weather sexy locations like Los Angeles or Miami, you need to cling to these stars however they come about. Think of Giannis in Milwaukee, when is the next time they'll ever get a player of his caliber to play there? It sucks but that is the way it is so let's be happy that at least we have Tatum on our side (haha for now at least).

Nice To See Danny Ainge Wake Up And Finally Make A Few Moves For The Celtics In Free Agency

 

    For Celtics fans, the last few days had been nothing but torture: between GM Danny Ainge doing his usual NBA Draft con job (getting his name crowbarred into a bunch of far-fetched trade rumors but then never completing them) and using two mid-first round picks on Wednesday, followed by crickets the first day of free agency on Friday (besides Enes Kanter getting traded back to Portland), we needed something to be even slightly positive about. After Gordon Hayward signed a four-year, $120 million dollar deal with Charlotte this afternoon, Boston was left with the bitter reality that they had gotten absolutely nothing in return for seeing their former prized free agent skip town after only three injury-plagued and disappointing seasons. 

    Hallelujah, the tide finally started to turn a bit in the Green's favor this evening as news trickled in that they had signed veteran center Tristan Thompson to a two-year deal worth $19 million while point guard Jeff Teague had also agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum. Right before these moves came into fruition, Brad Wanamaker signed a one-year with Golden State, hence the sudden need for a new backup point guard that head coach Brad Stevens could count on in crunch time. These moves alone aren't groundbreaking on their own but at least they demonstrate that Ainge is still trying to improve the team and not simply hoping that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can continue to develop into franchise players and carry a bunch of inexperienced youngsters to even greater heights mostly by themselves. 

    Obviously not getting a much-rumored sign-and-trade deal done with Indiana for Hayward involving Pacers center Myles Turner is the biggest headline out of this rapid succession of moves for the Celts. When Gordon moved his personal deadline for picking up his ludicrous 2020-21 option ($34.2 million!) from Tuesday to Thursday, you knew that he was as good as gone. That fact was cemented when he opted out on Thursday night to become a free agent. I liked Hayward's game going back to his Butler days with Stevens, long before he got here but thanks to an incredibly bad streak of luck when it came to freak injuries and long stretches where he never really fit into the gameplan, I am not going to lament him leaving here that much. It was time. The frustrating part is that Ainge wasted one of the only real assets that he had on the current roster. 

    Looking ahead, Thompson and to a lesser extent Teague should make Boston slightly better this season. Thompson was the fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft and for most of his nine years in Cleveland, he has tormented the Celtics whenever they matched up, especially in the playoffs. Once again, after LeBron left the Cavs, the franchise has turned into a disaster. However, Thompson has posted his two best seasons in back-to-back campaigns. Known as a ferocious rebounder with a limited offensive game, he has averaged double-doubles the last two seasons: 10.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 2018-2019 followed by a career-best 12 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is much better overall than Daniel Theis and therefore should start right away. One of Boston's biggest issues in the bubble postseason-and dating back years now if we're being honest-was rebounding and Thompson immediately addresses that and at the age of 29, he figures to have some good productive years left in the tank. Getting away from the Cavaliers and onto one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference should also motivate him plus he'll be back in the playoffs where he seems to shine the most.

    On the other hand, Teague's peak is behind him (who knew that he was an All-Star in 2014-15?) but that doesn't mean that he can't provide some value to the C's at the ripe old age of 32. Additionally, with the way that Kemba Walker's knee wasn't right for much of last season including in the bubble, Ainge had no choice but to get someone that he could depend on when Walker undoubtedly misses more time with another mysterious injury that the Celts will try to downplay as always. Teague was the 19th pick of the 2011 draft by the Hawks. You'll remember that he was part of some fun playoff series between Boston and Atlanta early on in his career. After seven seasons in Atlanta, he played for a year in Indiana (his home state) before three years in Minnesota and then he was traded back to the lowly Hawks last season where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.2 assists per game. Unlike Thompson who can't hit free throws to save his life (61% for his career), Teague is excellent at the line (he's shot in the 80s for the last 10 seasons in a row). 

    The craziest part out of all of this is that the 2020-21 NBA regular season starts exactly a month from today. I'm not kidding, it really does return before the NFL playoffs have begun. Given that the NBA Finals just wrapped up in early September, that's preposterous. I thought they would surely start after New Year's but Christmas Day is such a ratings draw for the league that they simply had to fast-track this offseason to get those key holiday games in. Let's admit it: the league has a virtual sports monopoly on Christmas with usually five games (featuring many of the top teams and players) from the afternoon to late at night. About the only thing that makes sense is that they've cut 10 games off the regular season thanks to Covid-19 so instead of the 82-game grind, it'll be a 72-game sprint or something like that. Granted, I won't be complaining about any of this when it's the dead of winter, I'm stuck inside every night due to the miserable weather and that's where the NBA will be clutch in our pandemic lives.

Revs Win Their First Playoff Game In Six Years (!) Thanks To A Clutch Wonderstrike By Gustavo Bou

 

    If you're wondering why I never write about the New England Revolution, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for that: for years the team has been a pathetic mess since their loss in yet another MLS Cup way back in 2014 (they are 0-5 all-time in those which seems almost impossible). The club finally started to turn things around in 2019 as they hired Bruce Arena to be their head coach midway through the season after Brad Friedel was a complete disaster. Perhaps most importantly, they signed some big-time designated players (midfielders Gustavo Bou and Carles Gil) who have been great from Day 1 with the Revs. After six long seasons, the team finally won their first playoff match since 2014 with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Montreal Impact tonight at an empty Gillette Stadium. With that result, they advance to the first round of the playoffs and they'll go to Philadelphia (the top team in MLS this season) next Tuesday night (8, ESPN).

    Wouldn't you know that Gil (finally healthy after missing much of this season with a foot injury) and Bou (who has also battled injuries in 2020 as well) were the two main heroes for New England? 10 of the 14 teams in the Eastern Conference qualified for the postseason in this Covid-19 campaign and Montreal finished ninth so that should tell you most of what you need to know about a team with no players that anyone has ever heard of. However, they are coached by one of the best players of his generation-French striker Thierry Henry-so that's really the only reason to watch them. Talk about a coaching mismatch too since that was Arena's MLS record (by a wide margin) 33rd career playoff victory. 

    You don't need a full tedious recap from an MLS play-in playoff game but the Revs took a 1-0 lead late in the first half (38th minute) as Gil volleyed a perfectly weighted chipped pass from Bou. It was a beautiful play and goal, the likes of which we rarely see in MLS. The Impact had a -10 goal differential in the regular season (that's awful for a playoff team) so they had their work cut out for them trailing 1-0 at halftime. After controlling play for much of the first 45 minutes, the Revolution started to ease up which allowed Montreal to tie it at one in the 61st minute. The Impact had a free kick outside the box and something called Rudy Camacho headed it to Romell Quioto (surely your favorite soccer player in the world) who deposited it into the far corner of New England's net past goalkeeper Matt Turner with a header of his own. Ugh. 

    I was convinced at that point it would go to overtime then penalty kicks where the Revs would no doubt lose in their typical epic fashion. New England striker Adam Buksa hit the crossbar in the first half with a header and similarly in stoppage time of the second half, he saw another one of his headers glance off Montreal goalkeeper Clement Diop's outstretched hand and then off the post. That felt like the Revolution's chance to win it in regulation. Not so fast my friends, thanks to a more than generous amount of stoppage time (over 5 minutes), the Revs were able to get it done as fullback DeJuan Jones was able to get the ball to Bou at the top of the box and he unleashed a rocket into the bottom left corner for an incredible goal that was No. 2 on SportsCenter's Top-10 plays this evening. 

    Would you believe that this will be the sixth meeting of the season between the Revs and the Union? Even more shocking than that is the fact that New England is still looking for their first win against Philly who went 14-4-5 in the regular season including 4-0-1 against the Revolution. The Revs have lost their last three matches with Philadelphia including a 2-0 loss at Subaru Park on Decision Day (the last day of MLS regular season). Obviously, you'd be stupid to bet against the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield winner for the best record in the entire league but I will say that I like two simple factors in the road team's favor: 1) while it is a short break between playoff games for New England, Philly figures to be rusty in their first live action in over two weeks plus all the pressure and expectations are on them and 2) aren't the Revs long overdue to beat the Union at some point in 2020? I realize this probably isn't enough to convince you to watch this matchup on Tuesday but then again, we are still in a serious pandemic and winter is just about to begin, so what else could you possibly be doing?

In A Monsoon At Gillette Stadium, Pats Pick Up Their Best Win Of the Season, 23-17 vs. Ravens

 

    Starting this season with a woeful record of 2-5, the Patriots (4-5 overall, 3-2 home) put themselves in a major hole to even dream about a shot at the playoffs. However, on a short week after barely getting by the winless Jets (0-9) on Monday, the Pats won back-to-back games for the first time in 2020 as they held off the overrated Ravens (6-3 overall, 4-1 away) 23-17 tonight at rain-soaked Gillette Stadium. So much for tanking since a victory like this shows what they are capable of doing when they play classic complimentary football against one of the better teams in the AFC. It was not a fluke either because they held Baltimore's superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson (24-of-34 for 249 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 55 yards rushing) somewhat in check while New England's new top running back Damien Harris ran for a career-high 121 yards (his 3rd 100-yard game of the season) on just 22 carries. 

    Pats quarterback Cam Newton (13-of-17 for 118 yards, TD; 21 yards rushing, TD) couldn't match the numbers that Jackson put up but he didn't need to with so many of his teammates stepping up to help him and most importantly, he had zero turnovers. Pats wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (5 catches for 59 yards on 7 targets; 24-yard touchdown pass!) continues to make plays while running back Rex Burkhead (66 total yards) caught a pair of touchdowns and cornerback J.C. Jackson set a franchise record with an interception in his fifth straight game and he also leads the NFL in picks this season with six. Besides some terrible snaps by Ravens center Matt Skura that caused three fumbles (!!) the terrible weather didn't affect the outcome as much as you would expect. Rain or no rain, throwing the ball still isn't Jackson's main strength and New England's defense at least contained his explosive play capability for the most part.  

    In a lot of ways, these teams want to do similar things offensively: control the clock and methodically march down the field before scoring. For that reason, neither is really built to play from behind so while Baltimore was up 7-0 in the second quarter then 10-7, New England took a 13-10 halftime lead and never looked back as they did just enough to hang on. Oddly enough, the first quarter and the fourth quarter were both scoreless so all the points came from the middle frames. The Ravens looked like undisciplined front-runners as they clearly let their frustrations get to them to the tune of eight penalties for 64 yards. The Patriots notched six more first downs (25-19) and surprisingly against one of the NFL's top rushing attacks, New England outgained them 173-115 on the ground. 

    Getting the ball to Harris was key from the start for the home team and he actually took hand-offs on the first five offensive plays. On the first play of the second quarter, Willie Snead (5 catches for 64 yards on 7 targets) took a flip from Jackson-officially credited as a pass-and got to the corner of the end zone first. The NFL's best kicker Justin Tucker added the PAT for a 7-0 Ravens lead. To call that drive impressive for Baltimore was an understatement as they went almost the entire field (94 yards in 13 plays) which took up over half a quarter (8:04). The Patriots answered with a strong drive of their own: 75 yards in seven plays that took 3:08. Burkhead caught a screen pass from Newton and rumbled in from seven yards out. Nick Folk's PAT tied it up at seven.

    The next drive for the Ravens stalled in the red zone as Jackson short-hopped a pass to his wide open tight end Mark Andrews (7 catches for 61 yards on 9 targets) in the middle of the end zone so they were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Tucker. The Pats went into halftime with a 13-10 lead thanks to another great drive: 10 plays, 75 yards in 4:30. The go-ahead score came thanks to a moment of brilliance from Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who called for a pass from Newton to Meyers who then lofted it into the end zone for a diving Burkhead. Folk missed the point after (which I was convinced would come back to bite them later) but that couldn't ruin what otherwise was a great effort in the first 30 minutes by the Patriots. The cherry on top was Lamar forcing a deep pass down the sideline and J.C. (no relation) picking it off which allowed Newton to kneel to end the half. 

    The Patriots added to their lead in the third quarter as Newton rushed for a four-yard touchdown (his 9th rushing TD of the season) followed by Folk's PAT. Speaking of Nick, he was called on for a chip shot (20 yard field goal) after Newton bounced a pass to Meyers that should have been a touchdown. Still, the Patriots were up by two touchdowns (23-10) which was a bit of a shock considering that they entered as a seven-point underdog. Lamar's best throw of the game was unquestionably his 18-yard dart to Snead with eight seconds left in the quarter. After Tucker's point after kick, that was as close as Baltimore would get as New England sacked Jackson twice (by John Simon and rookie Josh Uche) while rookie safety Kyle Duggar (12 tackles, 7 solo, 1/2 tackle for a loss) had his best game as a pro. Undrafted second-year linebacker Terez Hall (10 tackles, 8 solo) played well-whoever that is-while Chase Winovich (7 tackles, 6 solo) continues to dig himself out of Bill Belichick's dog house.

    As I've said before, absolutely nothing is guaranteed for this Patriots team but for once, they will be favored next Sunday (1, CBS) as they visit the awful Texans (2-7 overall, 1-3 home). Quarterback Deshaun Watson is stuck with that loser team while old friend Romeo Crennel is the interim head coach after Bill O'Brien was mercifully fired earlier this season. It is gross to say out loud but simply getting back to .500 (5-5) would be a real nice accomplishment for the Pats after their season looked completely doomed. If nothing else, they are giving us a good reason to watch them while the days get shorter and the weather continues to go downhill toward winter. Thankfully, it looks like we can at least have a football season after all and in 2020, we'll take it!

There Will Never Be Another Tommy Heinsohn: Farewell and RIP To A Singular Celtics Legend

 

    I'm not nearly old enough to have seen Tommy Heinsohn serve as head coach of the Celtics from 1969-78 let alone play for them from 1956-65 and yet when I heard the awful news that he had passed away this afternoon, it served as an immediate reminder of how omnipresent he was for most of my life as a one-of-a-kind color commentator. He grew up in Northern New Jersey then went to college at Holy Cross with Bob Cousy (ever heard of him?!) and basically never left the Bay State after that since he played for the C's, coached them and then worked as a broadcaster up until this past year. Nobody will ever be more dedicated to the franchise as he was affiliated with them in one form or another for almost 60 (!) years including winning 10 NBA championships (8 as a player and 2 as a coach) and being inducted twice into the Basketball Hall of Fame (as a player and coach) along with the College Basketball Hall of Fame. No big deal.

    Tommy only ever played for the Celtics and coached the Celtics so it makes sense that after his No. 24 was retired in Worcester at Holy Cross, the Celts honored him by retiring his No. 15 as well. College and professional sports are filled with former players and coaches who used to play and work for teams but what separated Tommy from most others with similar impeccable resumes was his unique style. To outsiders it probably felt like an act (the token loudmouth Celtics honk) but you can't fake the passion that he brought to every game, no matter if it was a pointless contest during the forgettable Rick Pitino led years to watching the C's at their peak in my fandom with the Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Heinsohn always made you tune in because you never knew what kind of hilarious rant he would go on about the crooked NBA refs-his constant enemy-sprinkled with endless stories of a life spent around the highest level of basketball in the world. 

    Tommy was 6-foot-7 but he seemed even bigger than that with his booming voice and larger-than-life personality. If you were at TD Garden for a Celtics game, you couldn't help but notice the massive older gentleman sitting courtside game after game and year after year. Even if you could usually guess what he would say while he watched the action unfold right in front of him, it never got old to hear such an accomplished guy whine about the exact same stuff that fans at the Garden, at home or at a bar (remember those?) would be saying with their family, friends and to random strangers. He was the loud uncle or grandfather that you loved to see at holidays since he would make you laugh and smile non-stop for however much time that you spent around him. You also would learn plenty from him about this great sport but in a fun, organic way.

    One of the few real downsides of the NBA's huge (and yet still growing) popularity these days is that a majority of the extensive coverage of the game has mostly become so homogenized and dull. Every announcer and on-air personality seems to have gone to Syracuse (which don't get me wrong is a fine school) and nobody dares risk becoming a meme by saying something remotely different from the rest. Not Tommy, besides the refs, he would never hesitate to rail on opposing players and coaches while showering praise on even the most mediocre Celtics ("I love Walta!"). It didn't matter if he was talking about Hall of Famers, All-Stars or scrubs on the end of the bench, Tommy always kept it interesting and the chemistry with his incomparable play-by-play partner Mike Gorman-who he worked with since 1981-was off the charts. 2020 has been and sadly continues to be utterly devastating for many reasons and it has taken countless special people away from all of us locally, nationally and around the globe. For Celtics fans, Heinsohn represented a life well-lived: how cool is it to get to do something that you love so deeply for that long? Hopefully, heaven has plenty of Tommy Points to hand out once he settles in up there.

Down 27-17 After 3 Quarters, The Pats Squeaked One Out Against the Soon-To-Be 0-16 Jets, 30-27

 

    I have to admit, for a game that pitted two mostly wretched teams who entered with a combined record of 2-13, tonight's special edition of Dollar Store Monday Night Football was way more entertaining than it should have been. In the end, there was actually a winner (no overtime needed!) when Nick Folk hit a 51-yard field goal as time expired for a dare I say ironically thrilling 30-27 win by the Patriots (3-5 overall, 1-3 away) vs. the Tank for Trevor Lawrence Jets (0-9 overall, 0-5 home). For Pats fans, it served as a painful exercise that showed just how hard it is to win a single game in the NFL, even against the league's worst team. This snapped a four-game losing streak for New England while also extending their win streak vs. New York to nine games. It is the first time in Jets franchise history that they have started a campaign 0-9 and they now have a bye week before their last seven games. PS Week 17 is at Gillette Stadium vs. the Pats. Haha imagine the possibilities for that must-see turd sandwich!

    After failing in all three previous chances this season (at Seattle, vs. Denver and last week in Buffalo) to put together a game-winning drive, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (27-of-35 for 274 yards; 2 rushing TDs) was finally able to make it happen. Any other opponent would have put this to bed since the Jets led by 10 points not only at halftime (20-10) but also after three quarters (27-17). Luckily for Pats head coach Bill Belichick, Adam Gase somehow is still the Jets head coach and his truly miserable team managed to run four total plays in the final 15 minutes, good for three yards and 1:24 on the clock. Did I mention that Sam Darnold was out with a shoulder injury so former Ravens great and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco (18-of-25 for 262 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) was left to shred the Pats secondary for most of the night?

    2020 continues to be the scariest and strangest year of our collective lives so naturally we are all here to witness Jakobi Meyers (12 catches, 169 yards on 14 targets) become the promising young wide receiver that New England has lacked for years. On his 24th birthday no less, the former NC State quarterback had his third solid outing in a row culminating in the best performance of his brief NFL career. Damiere Byrd (5 catches, 65 yards on 9 targets) also made some plays in the passing game including a clutch 31-yard catch-and-run which led to Newton's one-yard touchdown run that coupled with Folk's PAT tied it at 27 with 1:57 left in regulation.

    The Patriots' running game was a positive as well with Damien Harris (14 carries, 71 yards) showing some more nice burst before he left late with a chest injury after absorbing a big hit. Rex Burkhead (12 carries, 56 yards, TD) kept finding holes as well when he got the ball. Another former Raven-wide receiver Breshad Perriman (5 catches, 101 yards, 2 TDs on 7 targets)-toyed with J.C. Jackson for much of the evening but thankfully, the Pats cornerback had the last laugh as he picked off Flacco's stupid deep ball that led to Newton's tying touchdown run. He now leads the NFL with five interceptions and in the process, he set a Patriots record by notching a pick in four straight contests. For the first time as a Patriot, Newton was not sacked and Deatrich Wise Jr. (4 tackles, 2 assists) had New England's lone sack which was very timely: on the second play of New York's last drive that turned out to be a 3-and-out which stupidly stopped the clock and saved a timeout for the Pats. 

    Not surprisingly given the halftime score, the Jets led for most of the game before the fourth quarter. Sergio Castillo hit a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter to open the scoring before Newton had a five-yard touchdown run later in the frame. Believe it or not, that was the first touchdown for the Patriots in any first quarter this season. Oof. The second quarter was much more of a Jets affair as Perriman caught a 50-yard bomb against Jackson for a 10-7 lead. Castillo added a 50-yard field goal, answered by Folk's 45-yard kick with 1:03 left in the first half. Going into the break down 13-10 wouldn't have been that awful all things considered (shoutout to NPR) but that wasn't enough of a deficit for the Pats. Nope, instead they allowed a touchdown drive that went 77 yards in two plays. Flacco hit rookie Denzel Mims (4 catches, 62 yards on 8 targets) with a 15-yard pass before Jason McCourty was called for pass interference on Perriman that went for 42 yards. On the next play, Flacco threw his best pass in years as Jamison Crowder used great footwork to drag both feet in the end zone before his momentum took him out of bounds. Initially it was called incomplete but then it was rightfully overturned on replay for a 20-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half. 

    New England got the ball to start the third quarter and they had an awesome drive that took more than half (7:33) of the frame. They went 78 yards in 13 plays culminating in a one-yard touchdown plunge by Burkhead. Unfortunately, New York wasn't fazed by it as they responded with a nearly identical drive of their own (11 plays for 75 yards in 6:57). Their touchdown came on a 15-yard catch by Perriman after Jackson had slipped And-1 Mixtape style (remember those?!). With any sliver of hope for a playoff spot fading away in Tony Soprano Land aka North Jersey, the Patriots finally woke up and outscored the Jets 13-0 in the fourth quarter. All of their points actually came in the final 6:04 of regulation: Folk hit a 29-yard field goal, Newton powered his way in for the one-yard score and then Folk crushed his most important kick in years. 

    Nothing about this victory for New England was easy but needless to say, they will have to play infinitely better on Sunday night (8:20, NBC) to have any chance to begin their first win streak of the season as they host superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (6-2 overall, 4-0 away) at Gillette Stadium. Miami (5-3) looks like a playoff team and they are two games ahead of the Patriots in the AFC East while the Bills (7-2) are setting the pace with their best start since 1993. I despise cliches but it really is a game-by-game type of focus for the Pats who aren't nearly talented enough to assume anything (for example: witness tonight where they came in as a 9.5-point favorite). Losing always sucks and multiply that during a pandemic where every low seems like it'll never end. Not to get too cheesy but it was refreshing to see the players and coaches on New England look genuinely happy and excited after this win. We all have been dealing with plenty of serious issues more important than football since mid-March but imagine on top of that, everyone in the region and around the country was also dumping on you non-stop for failing at your job. Good times!

Red Sox Finally End Their Fake Manager Search & Rehire Alex Cora Like We All Knew They Would

 

    Quick question, who was the Red Sox manager in the utterly forgettable 60-game season of the 2020 Covid-19 campaign? Answer: good old Ron Roenicke. Thankfully nobody was watching since the team was a wretched 24-36 as they didn't even pretend to try to win. Sadly, they couldn't even tank properly in the shortest regular season in MLB history and thus earn the No. 1 pick (it would have been a 1st in franchise history) in the 2021 MLB Draft. Well the pandemic is still here in a big way and despite having our Presidential Election on Tuesday, as I write this late on Friday night, the race still hasn't been officially called in favor of Joe Biden but it's getting mighty close my friends. Anywho, back to the Sox who did their classic Friday night news dump (bonus points for having the balls to do it during this national nightmare) this evening with the much-expected announcement that Alex Cora is back from purgatory to manage the team. He gets a two-year deal with a two-year club option for 2023 and 2024.

    Alex picked a perfect time to get punished for cheating with the 2017 Astros (when he was their bench coach) by skipping out on this fake season. Boston had no choice but to fire him in January after all the sordid revelations (and most importantly for the Red Sox owners: bad publicity) came to light. The Red Sox and MLB in general have plenty of issues to get back to relevance since nobody under the age of 95 watches or cares about baseball even a little bit but for Boston, this was a most obvious quick fix. Let's be real, managers in MLB have very little to do with winning or losing, they are more like the figure heads of their franchises. They need to make sure the star players are happy and keep everyone else's spirits up while the nerds in the team's analytics departments give them lengthy print outs to closely follow in each game. 

    Look no further than the 2020 World Series for an example of how useless managers have become in baseball: Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash pulled ace Blake Snell in a must-win Game 6 way too early (because that's what the spreadsheets said to do) and the Dodgers ended up rallying to capture their first World Series title since 1988. Thanks dorks! Whatever happened to having a feel for the game? I guess that doesn't exist anymore or more likely, it's not a thing to the Sabermetics crowd. Oddly enough, the two managers that preceded Cora with the Red Sox also won World Series crowns in their first years in charge: Terry Francona in 2004 and John Farrell in 2013. Cora's 2018 was perfect as the team put up a franchise-record 108 wins in the regular season then they barely sweated en route to their fourth World Series title in 15 years. 

    Way back when, Boston used to be a brutal market to handle for managers and top Red Sox players alike but those days are long gone. I would argue that for most ages outside of senior citizens, the Sox have fallen to fourth-place in terms of popularity behind the Patriots, Celtics and yes even the Bruins. You can't expect Cora to turn things around right away unless the ownership group fortifies this terrible roster with some more talent-namely starting pitchers-but that would force owner John Henry to open up his wallet. After all, his second year was a complete flop as the Sox went 84-78 in 2019. Nope, Cora's biggest role for the time being is to bring positive attention back to the club (which would sound crazy to say years ago but it is 100% valid now) and also supporting the Latino players-Xavier Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Eduardo Rodriguez, Christian Vazquez and J.D. Martinez who happen to still be most of their best players. At age 45 not to mention being a proud Puerto Rican, Cora by nature is able to relate so much better to modern players than the typical old white guy baseball lifer that happens to be a manager in MLB.

    I'd like to think that baseball will learn from its myriad mistakes from this past doomed summer: letting teams stay at home and travel to road games while not utilizing a bubble until the postseason was a mind-numbingly stupid decision although not quite on par with allowing LA's third baseman Justin Turner to run around after Game 6 without a mask when he had tested positive for Coronavirus but I digress. For that reason, I doubt that fans will be allowed anytime soon back in Fenway Park assuming that it starts on a somewhat normal schedule. Speaking of which, can they please get rid of the 162-game regular season? Nobody besides ESPN's Tim Kurkjian needs that much baseball in their lives every year. 

    Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's pick for manager had to be former Rays outfielder Sam Fuld (currently the Phillies' Director of Integrative Performance-whatever that means) as it apparently came down to Cora and Fuld after the original list of nine candidates had been whittled down to those two guys. Fuld has to be really smart since he graduated from Stanford so you know that Bloom was dying to geek out with him over a shared love of baseball analytics. Unfortunately for them, nobody except the most die-hard fans (which don't really exist anymore for this dying sport) knows who Fuld is or anything about him. Conversely, Cora brings instant name recognition both locally and nationally. I honestly doubt that many people even care that much about the cheating scandal anymore with what else has transpired in the worst year ever. After all, the Astros' manager at the time-A.J. Hinch-was fired by Houston then also suspended for this past season but he was hired just last week to be Detroit's manager. These guys have paid their penance and honestly, baseball more than any other sport has always been a game built on cheating in one form or another: sign-stealing, steroids, pine tar, corked bats, spit balls, etc. Not to get too cheesy here (it is baseball so come on!) but things couldn't be much worse both for our country and the Red Sox at the moment, however with any luck Biden and Cora are the perfect guys to start to turn things around and bring some positive energy back to their respective vitally important positions. 

It's Clear That In 2020 The Patriots (2-5) Simply Cannot Have Any Nice Things Without Tom Brady

 

    Remember when we thought this NFL year would be a fun debate over who was ultimately more important to the Patriots' dynasty: Tom Brady or Bill Belichick? It's not even halfway through the regular season for New England (2-5 for the 1st time since 2000) but after their heartbreaking 24-21 loss this afternoon against the Bills (6-2) at New Era Field, we can conclude that while Belichick is the greatest head coach in league history, he wouldn't have been anything close to that without Brady who has the Bucs (5-2) sitting pretty with an easy win on the docket tomorrow night at the Giants (1-6). This was the fourth straight loss for the Pats (for the 1st time since 2002) and unquestionably the worst given the stakes: there was a path to climb back into the playoff race if they could beat the AFC East leader. Instead, now you wonder what their plan is for Tuesday's trade deadline (4 pm) and then for the rest of the cursed 2020 campaign. 

    In the good old days, this had all the makings of a contest that the Patriots come out on top of based mostly on its opponent falling apart in key moments. Instead, already in field goal range (that would have sent it to overtime) Cam Newton (15-of-25 for 174 yards; 54 yards rushing, TD) fumbled after a hit by something called Justin Zimmer with another nobody (Dean Marlowe) recovering it at the Bills' 13-yard line. Game over. New England's dominance vs. Buffalo was renowned when Brady was here, in fact this marked the first time the Bills had beaten the Patriots at home (!) since 2011. Expect many other stats and streaks like that to continue to fall for the Pats over their final nine games.

    With their best defensive player (cornerback Stephon Gilmore) and their best offensive player (wide receiver Julian Edelman) both out with various injuries, the Pats did a more than admirable job hanging in there with a pair of second-year players-running back Damien Harris (16 carries, 102 yards, TD) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (6 catches, 58 yards on 10 targets) giving them the biggest boosts while also bringing up the question of why weren't they getting more touches earlier this season while the offense continued to flat-line? Moreover, while his lack of arm strength is still very scary, Newton at least was making plays consistently for the first time since he contracted Covid-19. He outplayed Bills quarterback Josh Allen (11-of-18 for 154 yards, INT; 23 yards rushing, TD) who continues to regress since his strong start to his third pro season. 

    Like the Pats, Buffalo got most of its offense done on the ground-Massachusetts high school style (you know when that was still a thing pre-Covid). Devin Singletary (14 carries, 86 yards) and rookie Zach Moss (14 carries, 81 yards) had nearly identical numbers save for the fact that Moss found the end zone twice for his first two scores in the NFL. The Bills made the most of having Stefon Diggs (6 catches, 92 yards on 9 targets) on their team as he looks every bit the part of one of the best receivers in the league. New England never led in the entire game so I guess it would have felt a bit like stealing if they had somehow won. Allen did his part to keep it close by throwing an awful interception right to Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson and rookie receiver Gabriel Davis dropped a sure-touchdown on Buffalo's final drive. 

    I get that he has limited options right now but I doubt that you will be hearing Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' name mentioned anytime soon for another crack at a head coaching job in the league. Like Bill, many of his warts are being exposed without TB12 to gloss over them with his insane skills and brilliant football mind. New England's offense took awhile to get going as Moss' eight-yard touchdown run was the only score of the first quarter. Patriots kicker Nick Folk accounted for all the points in the second quarter on a 43-yard kick and a 33-yard kick (when the Pats didn't even dare to try and call one more play from the red zone before halftime). 

    Moss added a four-yard touchdown on Buffalo's first drive of the third quarter but Harris answered with an impressive 22-yard touchdown run (his first NFL TD) of his own late in the frame. The Pats tied it up at 14 and grabbed the momentum thanks to Newton's two-point conversion pass to Meyers. Allen's two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter was mirrored by Cam's two-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive. Rookie Tyler Bass' 28-yard field goal turned out to be the winning-play for the Bills after Gabriel's drop. No surprise, you could see Newton's visible frustration while he sat on the bench after he gave the game away. You have to feel for a guy that at one time was an NFL MVP, it has to be brutal to see your skills erode to this sad point.

    I never thought I would say this but for as long as I can remember, this is the first Patriots season that I hardly care much about. I think that's due to a combination of factors: the pandemic has shown how trivial many things in life can be plus watching the Pats lose week after week admittedly takes much of the enjoyment out of the whole process. I know, I know, we were so incredibly spoiled for almost 20 years. To use a modern analogy, this is the equivalent of breaking up with or no longer being friends with someone then seeing them on social media supposedly thriving with another person. After cheaping out on weapons for Brady the past few years and due to his many turd-filled draft classes, it seems like Belichick the GM is getting what he deserves. On the other side, TB12 is 43 on one of the great losers in pro sports and yet he's already created a huge culture change playing for a dopey head coach (Bruce Arians) who at least had the knowledge to surround his star with tons of great players. 

    At this point, the Pats would probably have to go at least 7-2 down the stretch to have a realistic shot at making the NFL playoffs. Is there any chance you can see that as a remote possibility for this woefully thin roster? Yeah, me neither. They are doubly screwed too because they still have to play the Jets (0-8) twice and New York is halfway to a winless season for the sole purpose of having the No. 1 overall pick and presumably drafting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Additionally, it's tough to picture Belichick or many of the veteran Patriots shamefully tanking at any time no matter how bleak the outlook appears to be. For some unknown reason, ESPN booked Pats-Jets for Monday Night Football (8:15) next week at Metlife Stadium. Even before the season began, who was dumb enough to think that meeting would have any juice? You might hate me for saying this but I'd almost root for New England to lose that one but with the way this year has gone, I know they would undoubtedly screw that up too. Oy, the weather this weekend felt like winter and without the NBA and NHL seasons likely starting again until 2021, we need something to watch sportswise until then. Unfortunately, in that way and countless others, the Patriots just aren't getting the job done anymore when we could truly use them the most.