One Of The More Underrated Patriots During Their Second Dynasty-RB James White-Quietly Retires

 

    There is a reason that the NFL is sarcastically said to mean Not For Long instead of National Football League. Unless your name is Tom Brady or you are a kicker or punter, your career even if you are very good will probably be over before you know it. We were reminded of that ever-present theme this morning as Patriots running back James White retired after three Super Bowl titles and eight seasons in the league-all here with New England. During both of their dynasties, the Pats have been blessed to have some brilliant pass-catching running backs like Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen, Danny Woodhead and White. Of those guys, Faulk (who is rightfully a Patriots Hall of Famer) seems to get most of the attention. I believe that White also deserves to get plenty of love too since he had some excellent seasons with Brady as well. 

    There is no greatest comeback in NFL history-when New England famously rallied from a 28-3 halftime deficit against Atlanta in Super Bowl 51-without White who probably should have been named the Super Bowl MVP instead of Brady. He scored 20 points all by himself (3 TDs and a 2-point conversion) in the second half and overtime combined including the winning touchdown run to memorably clinch it in the extra session. White was neither big (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) nor exceptionally fast, hence why he lasted until the fourth round of the NFL Draft in 2014 when the Patriots snatched him at pick #130. Still, who could have imagined what the running back from the University of Wisconsin would turn into performing in the perfect system for his unique set of skills? 

    After playing together for years, he and Brady seemed to have an innate ability to connect for just enough yardage when New England really needed it on third down. The shelf life of the average NFL running back is quite short but James managed to put together six solid seasons (14+ games) in a row after appearing in only three games in his rookie season. A brutal hip injury last season limited him to only three games and it ultimately spelled the end of his wonderful run with the Patriots. For his career, he finished with 381 catches for 3278 receiving yards and 25 receiving TDs along with 1278 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in the regular season (95 games). In 12 playoff games, he had 59 catches for 506 receiving yards and three receiving TDs along with 146 rushing yards and five rushing TDs. 

    More than anything, he should also be remembered as a team leader (he was named an offensive captain multiple times) who also persevered through an unspeakable tragedy early in the 2020 season when his father was killed in a car accident and his mother was left in critical condition. New England has some quality young running backs right now in Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson but who knows if they'll ever be as clutch or tough as White proved to be? Looking over his stats, my favorite one is that he only fumbled four times in his entire Patriots career in 795 touches! Thanks for all the awesome memories James and enjoy retirement with your wife and kids. 

As We All Thought, The Bruins Are Getting The Band Back Together For One More Farewell Tour

 

    At long last, the Bruins finally confirmed the news that we all knew was sure to be coming for months now: hours apart this morning, their longtime centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci both signed bargain one-year deals to return to Boston for what has to be a final attempt to win another elusive Stanley Cup with the black and gold. The timing of it all is one of the most interesting aspects of this expected story since Bergy took forever to thankfully decide to avoid retirement for another season while Krej apparently had more than enough of his homeland (Czech Republic) in one forgettable campaign back there. You have to wonder how much of a factor Jim Montgomery being the new head coach of the B's these days rather than that meanie Bruce Cassidy had to do with it all. 

    While it is way too easy to make fun of these moves by the Bruins on the surface, you cannot say that GM Don Sweeney has left them with many better options if they do not want to commit to a full scale rebuild. Sadly, this is what happens when you do not draft and develop well for years on end, you are forced to cling to the glory days from way back when. To their credit, Bergeron and Krejci are each taking very team friendly contracts even by hockey players' normally selfless standards. Bruins captain Patrice will make $2.5 million plus another $2.5 million in (quite attainable) performance-based incentives. David gets $1 million plus an additional $2 million in performance-based incentives. It says something about the character, professionalism, leadership and competitiveness of these guys that they both chose to play another season with the only NHL club that they have ever known rather than spend much more time with their families and friends.

    After last season, we still have a good feel for what the 37-year-old Bergeron has left in the tank because he had a real nice 2021-2022 with 25 goals, 40 assists and plus-16 in 73 regular season games followed by seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in their seven game, first round exit vs. Carolina. Krejci is a year younger than Bergy and a bit more of a wild card since the Czechia League is a far cry from the overall quality of the NHL, sorry Jaromir Jagr! Therefore, his numbers from good old HC Olomouc are completely irrelevant. When we last saw him stateside, David had 44 points (8 goals, 36 assists) in 51 regular season games in the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season then nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 11 playoff games. Bergeron is probably going to end up in the Hall of Fame and Krejci has been a great Bruin-particularly in the postseason-so despite their ages, Boston is a much better team today than they were yesterday when we were not sure (yeah right!) that they would be back in the B's lineup starting next month when training camp and the preseason begin.

After Almost Two Seasons Of Buffoonery, The Red Sox Finally Got A Real First Baseman-Eric Hosmer

 

    Today the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline came and went with the Red Sox (53-52 overall) thankfully making one final important move: they acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer (a four-time Gold Glover!), two minor leaguers and cash considerations from the Padres (60-46 overall) for minor league LHP Jay Groome. The back story is that Hosmer was supposed to be involved with the blockbuster Juan Soto trade from the Nationals (36-69 overall) but he used his no-trade clause to reject a move to DC. This allowed Boston's chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to swoop in and obtain the 32-year-old Hosmer with San Diego footing the rest of his contract. It was a move that would make Patriots head coach Bill Belichick proud in the way that Bloom was able to get a quality player and still make someone else pay for him.

    Boston's lack of a true first baseman had become a complete embarrassment these last few years. No more being forced to watch Franchy Cordero or Bobby Dalbec stumbling around trying to play a position that neither could handle at all. Hosmer was an All-Star in 2016 and he helped win the 2015 World Series with the Royals. The Padres had also picked up first baseman Josh Bell (who reportedly had been a Red Sox trade target) in the Soto deal so this left Hosmer as the odd man out for what is now one of the best teams in baseball. You cannot blame him for rejecting a move to Washington since the Nationals are going to be rebuilding for years to come. It's not like the Red Sox are exactly World Series contenders at the moment but at least he goes to a market and team that matters so if he plays well, he can set himself up for one last nice contract in MLB before he retires.

    Going back to his days with Kansas City, Hosmer (the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft) had long been rumored to be coveted by Boston. On a personal note, he is married to former NESN sideline reporter and host Kacie McDonnell who is currently pregnant with their first child. In 90 games this season with the Padres, Hosmer was hitting .272/.336/.391 with eight HRs and 40 RBIs. He has a reputation as a leader and a good clubhouse guy which Boston certainly needs more of both of those things these days. He won't be a Hall of Famer but he has put together a notable career in MLB, hitting a career-high 25 homers in both 2015 and 2016 with a career-best 104 RBIs in his All-Star season (when he was also the All-Star Game MVP). He even won the Silver Slugger for the American League first basemen in 2017 and for his career, his batting splits are .277/.336/.429. The Christian Vazquez trade to Houston (67-38 overall) doesn't make a ton of sense although the former Red Sox catcher admitted that he'd be open to returning here this winter in free agency but at least Boston drastically improved its biggest weakness-first base-with the addition of a fine pro like Hosmer.

On The Eve Of The MLB Trade Deadline, The Red Sox Flipped Christian Vazquez To The Astros

 

    With the Red Sox (52-52 overall, 26-25 road) firmly going nowhere this season, they finally started to make some notable moves with the MLB Trade Deadline now less than 24 hours away (Tuesday night at 6 pm EST). Ironically, they opened a three-game series tonight in Houston (67-37 overall, 33-16 home) and actually beat the Astros 3-2 but the move that the Red Sox made right before the game was particularly memorable since it involved catcher Christian Vazquez going to Houston. The homegrown catcher who is having a career-year offensively, was dealt for a pair of minor leaguers: infielder Enmanuel Valdez and outfielder Wilyer Abreu. I will not pretend to know anything about either of those guys but apparently, they are both supposed to be pretty good (at the Triple A and Double A levels respectively). 

    He nearly made his first All-Star team this season as the 31-year-old Vazquez is batting .282/.327/.432 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs. Heading into free agency this winter, he was an obvious asset to use since catcher is one of Houston's only weaknesses as they seek another World Series title. It's a good move personally for him since he will get to go for his second championship and cash in after he helped Boston win the 2018 World Series. The scary part for the Red Sox is that they have absolutely no other decent catcher at the Major League level (haha Kevin Plawecki is the definition of a terrible backup catcher at best in MLB) or in chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's beloved farm system. The role of catcher has become pretty irrelevant at least offensively as evidenced by the fact that Vazquez is one of the better hitting catchers in the game these days. He was known much more for his defensive prowess when he made his Red Sox debut in 2014 but as the years have gone on, his bat has gotten way better (in 2019 he topped out with 23 HRs and 72 RBIs). 

    In the other two much less important moves of the day, Boston acquired outfielder Tommy Pham from the Reds for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Also, they traded their crappy lefty reliever Jake Diekman to the White Sox for a backup catcher who stinks named Reece McGuire. Rumors have swirled for weeks with Boston's season going down the drain that starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (who pitched really well tonight) and designated hitter J.D. Martinez are the other biggest names that could be moved before the deadline now that (thankfully) third baseman Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are both said to be off the table. The addition of a third Wild Card team in the playoffs makes some people want to believe that the Red Sox are still in it since they are only three games out of that last spot but if you've watched this team at all in 2022, there is a reason (or rather many) that they are in last place in the AL East.

    Nobody needs a better deadline than Bloom since the shine has quickly come off of him in what has all the makings of a lost season. From what we can tell (since we rarely see that robot or hear from him), he still thinks that he works for the Tampa Bay Rays and operates on a shoestring budget with a media and fan base that is non-existent and therefore does not care. Baseball in general and the Red Sox certainly are not what they used to be in terms of relevance both nationally and locally but this is one of the few markets where it does still matter. With their basically unlimited payroll, Boston should never be this average (if you're being nice) or fatally flawed. It is wonderful that he has built their minor league clubs up (apparently) but so far, many of his top prospects have performed like far from gamechangers when they have finally reached the Red Sox. The Dodgers have also proven lately that you can be a World Series contender every year while still fielding a great farm system as well. Losing Vazquez stings and he is another guy (much like Kyle Schwarber with the Phillies and Hunter Renfroe with the Brewers this season) who will immediately do well on another better team than Boston. The clock is ticking on Bloom, he has to turn things around soon or else they will need to go in another direction ASAP before things get damaged any further.