Basketball is at center court

With a pretty entertaining NBA Finals standing 3-2 Milwaukee as I write this week and the U.S. national team making everyone nervous on the eve of the Olympics, it’s time for some random thoughts on basketball from all over the globe.

With three games over 30, including 40- and 41-point submissions, so much for the strategy of putting up a so-called wall to stop the Greek Freak, because he’s just relentless. He doesn’t play like him, but his effort reminds of the great Dave Cowens during his prime.

Basketball 101: Name the team with four former first overall draft picks on their roster when they won the NBA title.

Khris Middleton has got to be in the running for most under-rated NBA player.

Surprise Players of the Finals: Suns– Deandre Ayton, not first-overall-pick great, but better than I thought he was. Bucks– Bobby Portis, better than I’ve ever seen him. Works hard on D and the offensive boards.

Best Stat of the Finals: Hope all the stat geeks noticed Devin Booker going for 41 in Game 4 without making a three. It was done mostly on drives and throwback pull up jumpers. Needless to say, I like that kid’s game.

Best Finals Stat Ever: It comes from the famous Willis Reed Game 7 in the 1970 Finals where instead of driving the injured Reed into the ground, Wilt Chamberlain went 1-11 from the foul line in the blowout loss. All those who say Russell won all those titles because he had better teammates should remember Wilt also shrank from the moment the year after Russell retired.

Idiotic Comment of the NBA Finals: Note to ESPN contributor Ryan Clark: No one is going to take you seriously on a serious issue if you trot out the race card on every issue. The latest imbecilic comment was Clark saying Jeff Van Gundy was using “code” when he said Booker “looked like a choirboy but played like a thug.” Sorry, nothing racial there. What Van Gundy was simply saying was that by looking so young, Booker can disarm to start before you realize he plays with an edge and toughness. The code he’s using explains why he’s good to everyone but hyper-sensitive folks constantly looking to turn things into something they aren’t. And while he might have used a better word than thug, when I heard it I thought of the NBA’s biggest thug ever, Bill Laimbeer.

While it’s annoying seeing Booker complain on every call and non-call involving him, it’s worse seeing Milwaukee’s Anthony Mason play-alike PJ Tucker do it every time something’s called on him. Dude, your job is to clutch, grab, push, bang and body top scorers. So you do foul on almost every play.

Basketball 101 Answer: In Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Mychal Thompson the 1987 Lakers had four first overalls when they beat the Celtics in six games. They also had Byron Scott, who went fourth overall in 1982. They played together for three seasons (’87-’89) and won in 1988 as well.

Remember when Jae Crowder let Celtics Nation know he was ticked off when the crowd gave it up for free agent to be Gordon Hayward to replace him when Utah came to the Garden in 2016? That was followed by getting dumped to Cleveland in the Kyrie trade after Hayward signed here. With him beating the C’s in the Eastern Finals last year, being in the Finals two straight years and Hayward’s time in Boston best described as having no high points before he stuck it to them by leaving with nothing coming back by way of trade, Crowder has gotten the last laugh, hasn’t he?

Basketball 102: Name the three other Celtics alums playing in this Final.

That the Nets went out early was enjoyable to see, but between his injury-related year off and surly, thin-skinned adolescent social media trolling I sorta forgot how good Kevin Durant was. He was all-world against both the Celtics and Bucks.

Basketball 102 Answer: While they’re not getting as much time as Crowder, the other ex-Celtics in this Final are Abdel Nader and E’Twaun Moore for Phoenix and Jeff Teague for Milwaukee.

After losing exhibition games to teams from Nigeria and Australia composed of NBA also-ran and never-was players, can’t say I have great confidence in Team USA’s chances for gold at the Olympics. Especially after adding America’s 300th or so best player JaVale McGee and Kelton Johnson (whoever he is) to fortify the roster after losing Bradley Beal to Covid protocols. What, Mark Blount wasn’t available?

Then there’s the fact that in USA’s first turn under Greg Popovich they finished seventh in the World Cup two years ago when new Celtics headman Ime Udoka was an assistant. With Pop’s team only winning one playoff series in three tries in the five seasons since Matt Bonner and his sidekick Tim Duncan retired and missing the tournament completely the last two, why don’t we hear the “it was all Bonner (and Duncan)” rap, like we endlessly do about Belichick and Brady? Seems similar to me.

Hey Max Kellerman, Giannis’ Game 4 block on Ayton the best ever in the Finals? What about Bill Russell making up a half-court lead to catch Slater Martin from behind to swat away his game-winning lay-up in the final seconds of regulation to save Game 7 and the 1957 title? Tommy Heinsohn told me that’s the best play he saw in his 66 NBA years. Better to say, it’s the best one I’ve seen — not greatest ever, unless you’ve seen every play.

Then there’s Kevin McHale’s, ah, block on Kurt Rambis in Game 4 of the 1984 Finals. Though some might call it more like a tackle, while Kurt, the Rambis Youth and everyone in L.A. called it thug ball.

Red Sox grades at 2021

With the restart of baseball set to go as the All-Star break ends, it’s time to hand out grades for the first half of this surprising Red Sox season. We’ll focus on key players or important parts of the team to start and leave the grades for the team and general manager until last.

Alex Cora: A+ The way he babies the pitchers still makes me crazy, but with him back in charge the karma seems so comfortable, which reduces angst when things are going bad for individuals, and that seems to make it easier for the team to do its job. If he’s not the best manager in baseball he’s darn close.

Middle of the Order: A With Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and JD Martinez all deserving All-Stars they’ve done what was needed. Their projected numbers over 162 games gives context to the season each is having: Bogey .332, 26 (homers) and 97 (RBI), Raffy .282. 40 and 128, JD .299, 32, 110.

Matt Barnes: A Thanks to whoever convinced him to challenge hitters from the first pitch my frustration level from watching him pitch has dropped by about three area codes. It’s turned him from a guy with tantalizing stuff who constantly made his job harder into an All-Star closer and the best pitcher on the team.

Nate Eovaldi: A- The brass took a lot of flak for spending big after his solid post season of 2018 and with him winning just six games since then it was justified. But by going 9-5 he has stepped up to be the ace the Sox needed without Chris Sale and through Eduardo Rodriguez’s struggles. So bravo for that, but as the question always is for him, will it continue all year?

The Bullpen Overall: B How many times have we seen a starter come out in the fifth followed by the pen putting up doughnuts to close out a win? A lot more than most thought, and that’s particularly important with Cora yanking his untested or less trusted starter regularly in the fifth or sixth because of his trust in the pen.

Bargain Basement/Reclamation Pickups: B When Hunter Renfroe, Christian Arroyo and Kiké Hernández signed it didn’t make a ripple. In fact, it amplified the Tampa Bay North vibe growing since Chaim Bloom left TB to be Sox GM. But the first two have made positive if unspectacular contributions, while the $3 million per Renfroe has been solid offensively since May 1 and leads baseball in outfield assists. Plus while everyone from the defensively versatile bench is hitting around the Mendozza line, Marwin Gonzalez and company have had their moments. And let’s not forget Garrett Whitlock, whom Bloom took off the Yankees’ hands for pennies before he delivered a 3-1, 1.44 ERA season as a major bullpen contributor.

Alex Verdugo: C+ The prize (outside of the payroll flexibility gained) from the Mookie Betts trade has been very good defensively, but at .273 and his 9 homers and 31 RBI in 304 at-bats he’s projecting to just 16 and 55 over 162 games, so the offense hasn’t met expectations.

The Defense: C It’s shaky in spots, which can hurt when the margin of error gets tighter in big games. But shortstop and catcher (on offense as well) are solid and the outfield, where Verdugo’s versatility gives Cora options, throws people out trying to get the extra base better than almost everyone. Not great, but probably good enough to let them get by.

E-Rod: C- I proclaimed after the first month he was none the worse for missing all last year. Well, I was wrong. He’s been horrible at times, as evidenced by the team’s losing all five of his May starts, and inconsistent at others, as they then won all five June starts, though they had to score 12, 10 and 8 runs twice to do it. History says he’ll probably turn it around, but as of now the 5.52 ERA doesn’t make it.

Bobby Dalbec: C- With him hitting .191 against right-handed pitching and on track to strike out nearly 200 times he hasn’t been as solid as last year’s 28-game debut suggested he might be. Still he’s on track for 20 homers and 70 RBI, so maybe he’ll pick it up as the rookie adjustments continue.

End of the Bullpen: C- While the ERA’s of Darwinzon Hernandez (2.70) and Hirokazu Sawamura (2.45) are respectable, their 1.227 and 1.50 WHIPS give no confidence they’ll throw strikes when it counts. Then there is Matt Andriese with the unsightly 6.05 ERA, 1.768 WHIP and team-leading 7 homers (tied with Sawamura) allowed in just 30 innings. They need improvement in two spots at least.

Chaim Bloom: B While the early returns from bargain pick-up making significant contributions are encouraging, what he does to help the team fill in the holes at the trade deadline will determine the year’s final grade. So the question is with need for a lefty hitter, two bullpen slots and probably a starter (though Sale’s return could be that) will he let all that slide in a bid to keep all his minor-league assets intact or smartly determine who the keepers are and use the rest to fill his holes as best he can?

The Team: A Overall they are flawed, entered the break after losing four of their last six and despite solid work from Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta in particular, I’m still not certain about the starters. But against all odds they’re tied with Houston for the most wins in the league, lead the AL East by a game and a half over Tampa Bay, are eight ahead of the Yankees and on pace to win 97 games. And while in the words of Bloom they have not accomplished anything yet, it’s hard to find fault with a team that has exceeded even the wildest expectations so far.

A new NBA era?

It’s been a most surprising NBA season, and not just locally. Before it started, very few in Celtics Nation would’ve figured that when it ended Brad Stevens would be out as coach, Danny Ainge would be out as GM and Kemba Walker would be out of town. That happened after the Celtics delivered their second dumpster fire season in three years, which was a bad surprise to many.

But outside of a rash of injuries that sidelined a lot of big-name players during the playoffs, league-wide the surprises were mostly of the good kind. At the heart is the predictability factor saying you can’t win a title without a Top 5 player taking a direct broadside hit. It quieted talk that only three of four teams have a real shot winning in any given year. It went along the line that that’s because it immediately eliminates 25 teams right off the bat. Though with the Lakers having LeBron and Anthony Davis, that makes it 26 teams with no chance. But that hasn’t been the case in 2020-21 in two ways.

First because with the arrival of some new, young stars, I’m not sure we know definitively who the Top 5 are anyway. Kevin Durant certainly showed he’s one of them, but his team, helped by injuries, went out in Round 2. With Steph Curry and Golden State barely making it into the play-in round despite his sensational season and the aforementioned Lakers getting dusted by Portland in Round 1 that’s four of the thought to be Top 5 players when the year started. It may be just an aberration, but maybe there’s just been a leveling off of the talent at the top and the Top 5 theory should be expanded to be more like having a Top 10 player now gives you a real chance.

Second, this year was more like the NFL, which rigs its schedule to give bad teams from the previous year an easier schedule the next season to help them make big one-year jumps into contention. Like the Patriots going from 6-10 in 2000 to 11-6 and World Champions the next. That never happens in the NBA. At least until this year when Phoenix and Atlanta jumped into the Final Three after being 34-39 and 20-47 respectively a year ago. As I write this column for an early holiday-induced deadline, Milwaukee led Atlanta 3-2, so I don’t know who’s in the Finals from the Eastern Conference. But regardless of who survived, the Bucks will be a big story for getting there with Giannis Antetokounmpo (the last of the Top 5) missing Game 5 at least and likely being significantly hampered after that at best. If it’s the Hawks, they’ll be a library of stories starting with having done it with Top 10’er Trae Young missing crunch time in Game 4 and all of Game 5 at least. It also will have happened after the 14-20 on March 1 Hawks fired their coach to spark a 27-11 tear that let them finish the year 41-31 and be the 5-seed. And, oh by the way, it’ll be their first time they’ve been to the NBA Finals in 60 long years, which I’ll get to in a bit.

As for Phoenix, they’re in the finals for the first time since the heist of Charles Barkley from Philly in 1993. Before losing that one to MJ and Chicago in the days when Scottie Pippen seemed sane, it was when the 42-40 Suns somehow knocked off defending champion Rick Barry-led Golden State in 1976 to make the Finals, where it was tied 2-2 with the Celtics before losing the epic triple-OT Game 5 thriller and Game 6 to end their Bill Murray-like Cinderella story (“17th at Augusta it’s in the hole”). Thus they’re still looking for their first title, so a win is history. For Milwaukee it’s their first time back since 1974, when they also lost to the Havlicek-Cowens-led Celtics. That was an epic seven-gamer where the visiting team won all seven times in the other guy’s gym! That never happened before or since. There’s also real symmetry if it’s a Bucks and Suns final, since they entered the league together as expansion teams in 1968. Both finished last in Year 1, but 27-win Milwaukee got lucky in capital letters to win the coin toss for the first overall draft pick, which gave them UCLA all-time all-timer Lew Alcindor. They shot to 56 wins in 1969-70 and, after trading for Oscar Robertson in another heist, NBA champs in the now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s second year. Meanwhile the Suns’ consolation prize was center Neal Walk, which, trust me, was a lot worse than the Celtics coming away with Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer after losing out on Tim Duncan in 1997.

For the Hawks, the last time they were in the Finals was 1961, which for the mathematically challenged is 60 years ago. They were still the Hawks, but after being Milwaukee’s first NBA team, long before the Bucks, they were then living in St. Louis and led by the first great power forward, Bob Pettit. It was the last of four Finals meetings between Boston and St. Louis over five seasons, which started after St. Louis (thankfully) traded Boston the rights to Bill Russell because the NBA’s southernmost city didn’t want Black players. The C’s won three times including the first in 1957 when rookie Tommy Heinsohn went for 37 points and 23 rebounds in one of the (forgotten) great Game 7 performances in history as they won their first of 11 titles over 13 years. The Hawks won in ’58, by taking a doozy of a Game 7 (110-109) behind Pettit’s 50-point, 19-rebound night for their first and last title.

So with predictability out the window and some history to be made, we’re on to the new/2021 version of the NBA Finals.

Baseball hits midyear

Believe it or not, baseball hits the midpoint this weekend. And with the local nine leading the AL East it’s been a year of pleasant surprises for Red Sox Nation. I did not see this coming, mainly because I didn’t think they had the pitching and still don’t. But as I said in an earlier column, I didn’t think they had enough in 2013 and was convinced of that right up until they won the World Series. So there is precedent for me being wrong from wire to wire. So this time, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy it.

However, they’re not the only story in baseball creating buzz throughout the game. So here are a few other stories, even in the National League, which I generally talk more about on my annual weekend trip to Long Island each July than I do with folks up here the rest of the entire season. But not this year.

San Francisco Giants: Their having the best record in baseball may be more surprising than the Sox. Here are four things about them of interest to Red Sox Nation. (1) Yaz’s grandson Mike Yastrzemski is the right fielder with 10 homers, 27 RBI, and is hitting .221. (2) Since I hadn’t heard his name in years, I assumed Johnny Cueto was dead. But he’s alive and still pitching at 35, where he’s 6-2 with 3.63 ERA. (3) Their two best starters are ex-Oriole meatballer Kevin Gausman and the Irish kid Anthony DeSclafani, who are 16-3 combined with ERA’s of 1.49 and 2.77 respectively. (4) Somehow they’re doing it with Sox alum Gabe Kapler as manager, who more than once forgot how many outs there were while managing in Philly.

NL West Race: That could portend a raucous race for playoff spots in the NL West involving the West Coast G-Men, defending champion Dodgers and upstart Padres led by the exciting Fernando Tatis. They could be even better in the second half if newcomer Blake Snell (3-3, 5.29) ever shakes off the frustration of being yanked by idiot manager Kevin Cash after six untouchable Game 7 innings to hand the Dodgers the World Series.

Jacob deGrom:While the numbers are incredible — 0.69 ERA, 122 K’s in 78 innings, which is 14.07 K’s per 9 innings compared to Nolan Ryan’s best ever 10.6 — how come he doesn’t win more games? He’s only won more than 11 twice with a high of 15 in 2017. Can his hitters be that bad? Can’t be as bad as the team behind Koufax in L.A., who took fly swatters to the plate. Or is he the poster boy for the stat geeks’ belief that wins are an irrelevant stat for starters?

Ticky Tack Baseballs: Once again baseball shoots itself in the head thanks to whiny pitchers like Garrett Richards and idiot managers like Joe Girardi causing a ruckus because they’re no longer allowed to use illegal substances to make baseballs spin better. Again, but slower this time: histrionics by crybabies over being prevented from doing something illegal. If that’s not so 2021 America, nothing is.

The F-Cat Trio: It’s not that folks didn’t know what was in store for the sons of three major leaguers when they played for the F-Cats a few years back. But by hitting .342 and leading the majors in homers (26) and RBI (66) the Blue Jays’ Vlad Guerrero Jr. is now the best young hitter in baseball. Not far behind are Manchester bros shortstop Bo Bichette (.281/14/50) and injury-plagued third baseman Cavan Biggio (.217/6/17). The year’s highlight was all going deep in the same game at Fenway in June.

Shohei Ohtani: While Vlad’s season has been great, Otahni’s is historic. After four years he’s finally healthy and playing as the first full-time hitter/pitcher since Babe Ruth. He was 3-1 with a 2.58 ERA after 11 starts to go with 25 jacks and 59 RBI. What’s not to like?

Why 12 Years Was Too Much For Mookie: For the answer, all you needed to do was be at Fenway Park for Dustin Pedroia Night on Friday. The night of course was well-earned by Pedey and congrats to him. But it was a reminder that after signing an eight-year deal he played the following games by year: 135, 93, 164, 105, 3, 6, 0, and they are still paying him in 2021. In the other dugout was Giancarlo Stanton, who played 41 games in 2018 and 19 early in a $30 million per, 12-year deal going to 2028. Lesson to be learned: Stuff happens, so the considerable risk is too great.

Mookie vs. Alex Verdugo Update: Games, Runs, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, Average and paycheck. Mook’s numbers are first. 66/72 , 47/47, 20/15 , 3/1 , 9/9, 28/32, .248/.276, $22.9 million/$560K.

The New York Yankees: After just suffering a second straight weekend sweep to the Red Sox and another disappointing season in progress, the natives are restless in the Apple. If these were the good old days, Aaron Boone would have been fired and rehired two or three times by now. But the weirdest of all is that while the Red Sox have fired three GM’s despite winning four World Series this century, Yankees GM Brian Cashman has somehow managed to keep his job after winning the WS just once in 20 years with that gigantic payroll. George Steinbrenner has to be rolling over in his grave.

Theo Epstein Curse: It was the only flaw in his resume, as from Carl Crawford to Jason Heyward almost no one Theolavished big money on ever lived up to expectations. Even when one worked, like with Ben Zobrist helping the Cubs finally win in 2016, there’s a dark twist. For poor Ben, it’s suing his own minister last week for allegedly having an affair with his wife! Can’t trust your own minister. Again, so 2021.

We’ll get to the Sox after the All-Star game.

Celtics reconstruction starts

The reshaping of the Celtics began late last week when Brad Stevens sent Kemba Walker and his 2021 first-round pick to Oak City for old friend Al Horford, 21-year-old seven-footer Moses Brown, and swapped 2022 second-round picks. There were all kinds of rationales for why it was a solid deal, including from media sage Kendrick Perkins, who is worth listening to, but when I was asked about it the next day I said I don’t know.

I don’t think you can judge it until you see what Oak City GM Sam Presti gets back for Kemba when he re-gifts him to a contender in need of a scorer. And if it’s another first-round pick – Brad got taken. Though, to be fair, Presti has the luxury of letting Kemba rehabilitate his value by showing people he’s healthy next year while Brad had to move on now.

I know Kemba makes a lot of money, and the financial flexibility/relief the deal provides is hailed as why it’s a good deal. But it seems odd to me that the Celtics had to also include their 2021 first-round draft and take back another bad contract as well to give Oak City a 20-point-a-game scorer, big contract or not. A contract I might point out they didn’t want to give two years ago, because they felt Horford would be too old in the second half of the four-year deal he got from Philly to justify paying him $27 million a year, which was smart thinking then. But now it’s not? I don’t get that.
They say it’s in the numbers, so let’s look at them. Boston saves $9 million this year. Which for the moment takes them out of luxury tax territory, but with Jayson Tatum’s max contract extension kicking in not under the cap. But assuming he wants to return, it lets them re-sign Evan Fournier to give them a proven scorer off the bench. Thus the deal’s net is Horford, Brown and Fournier for their first-round pick and Kemba. They can save another $13 million next year by buying out Horford. But that still doesn’t get them under the cap, meaning the real relief doesn’t come until 2023-24, which is when Kemba’s deal comes off the books as well for wherever he winds up. Which doesn’t add up to being worth that first-round pick, unless the throw in guy turns out to be something akin to the (holy) Moses Brown, who looked like Wilt Chamberlain grabbing 19 first-half rebounds against the Cs in March. Not likely, but that would make the deal more to my liking. And it’s worth noting Brad was there, so maybe he saw something he really liked.
Here are a few more thoughts on stories related to the deal.

The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn reporting on Kemba’s departure almost sounded like his eulogy. Here’s mine. While the classy Kemba had some major positives, he wasn’t the right fit because they needed a real point guard and he’s not that. Not his fault. He is what he is, a Ray Allen-like 2 guard scorer/slasher who’s called a point guard because he’s just 6 feet tall and too small to cover big guards.

But they went after him in the wake of losing Kyrie, due to Danny Ainge’s misguided obsession with shoot-first point guards. That dates back to constant rumors he was trying to move Rajon Rondo for Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, despite Rajon being a playoff star and the other two being regular playoff busts in championship-less careers. It also led to the disastrous Irving trade and then after losing Kyrie in free agency Kemba. I wrote at the time I’d rather keep Terry Rozier, who has outplayed Kemba since, and use the money saved to sign free agent seven-footer Clint Capela, now with rampaging Atlanta after leading the NBA in rebounding at 14 per. No guarantee they’d have gotten Capela, but if they had they’d be much better off with those two than where they are now.

It would also make it easier now to give up Marcus Smart, whose point guard/top defender role likely goes to (gulp) Romeo Langford if a trade goes down.

Moses, incidentally, is a 21-year-old 7-foot-2 rookie who averaged nine rebounds in just 21 minutes per after that record-setting game vs. the Cs. Combined with Robert Williams’ seven boards per over 18 minutes, it’s a 16-rebound combo from their centers, which isn’t bad.

I doubt they’ll make that leap of faith before seeing more, but if they do, it puts Tristan Thompson in play after his strong playoff performance.

With the reconstruction underway, here are the top four priorities as I saw it at season’s end. (1) Get a new coach that drives this team harder — halfway there. (2) Get bigger — with Horford at PF, a new 7’2” backup center and a point guard who’ll likely be bigger than Kemba they will be. (3) Restructure the half-court offense — mission is to get a point guard whose first job is to run the offense to get Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others the ball where they can do something with it. Halfway done. (4) Get consistent bench scoring.

The top three on my point guard wish list are Indiana’s Malcom Brogdon, free agent Derrick Rose and getting Rozier back from Charlotte. All can run the offense first, score second and are better defensively than Kemba. With the Gordon Hayward trade exception they can get Brogdon on a deal involving young players, Rose would have to be willing to sign for the veteran level $9 million exception while Thompson and the Hayward exception might do it for Rozier. Yes, Rozier isn’t perfect. But the last time they seemed whole was when he was the point guard in the exciting playoff run of 2017 that ended a game away from the NBA Finals.

Crimes and misdemeanors

A few days before every college basketball season started our coach would bring the new game balls to practice to scuff them up and for us to get used to playing with them. Being brand new they were slippery and with no accumulated floor dust or sweat were much lighter than our practice balls. That made the balls bounce higher and quicker off the floor and harder off the rim, taking the favorable roll on shots we were used to with it.

The problem was they’d been inflated right out of the box by a student worker in the equipment room who wouldn’t know the feel or bounce of a properly inflated ball if it hit them in the head. So I took it upon myself to take them to the equipment room after practice to deflate and reinflate them until the bounce was just right by trial and error. And while I was doing that, it never occurred to me it might be violating some obscure rule for how many pounds they needed to be inflated to.

I bring this up because in an environment where the word “cheater” is used so easily and imprecisely today I probably would have been branded as one, even though all I was doing was just trying to get the new balls to bounce right. When Deflate-gate hit and Tom Brady was branded a cheater I always thought he did something similar to what I did. Which is to say, after getting stuck with over-inflated rock-hard football balls in one game he likely told the equipment guys either directly or by implication to make sure they were “grippable” going forward without having a clue there was a rule for how inflated they had to be. I believe that because I’ve been playing, coaching or covering sports since I was 6 and have never known even one player who gave it any thought beyond “this is too hard or not inflated enough.” Plus, I was a quarterback back in the day, so I know there was nothing worse than playing with rock-hard footballs. But my little thing was not subject to fan jealousy or the media chance to pay back Bill Belichick’s churlishness with them, and so taking a little air out of a ball was blown completely out of proportion.

Beyond the role of public perception, my problem with the word “cheater” being thrown around so loosely is it’s done without any distinction between what’s on the low end of the scale and real cheating. The latter is what the Astros did by using technology and an organized plan to circumvent the rules on the way to winning the 2017 World Series. In saner times, the low end of the scale was called looking for an edge, like DBs clutching and grabbing receivers in football or flopping in basketball to sell a call. Those sports have penalties to address those issues. In baseball it’s the guy on second base seeing the catcher signs and then relaying them to the hitter. To those who know what’s what, it’s an art and no big deal.

There are a million stories of real cheating, quasi-cheating or what people see erroneously as cheating and isn’t. Like Belichick using a funky formation to confuse the Ravens defense in the 2014 playoffs that made it hard to tell who the eligible receivers were. Even though it was a legal, clever ploy, the “it was cheating” folks didn’t like that it worked. Paranoia has fueled some of it too, like George Allen being convinced (without evidence) the Cowboys had scouts in a hotel overlooking the Redskins practice field in the 1970s to steal his game plan. Still others are real, like Adolph Rupp having an assistant coach pose as a janitor to spy on Michigan the day before a big game at Kentucky. Though from the way ex-Michigan coach Johnny Orr chuckled as he told it in an ESPN SportsCentury episode, he didn’t think it mattered much. Today the woke folk would want to give Adolph the chair.

Then there’s the public perception, like Gaylord Perry being celebrated as he cruised into the Hall of Fame even though he was a notorious spit baller. How come he’s in and the steroid guys are pariahs? How about the 1951 NY Giants? They’re remembered fondly, even though they basically did what Houston did by sticking a guy in the scoreboard with binoculars to read the catcher’s signs and relay them via a buzzer in the dugout as they erased Brooklyn’s 14-game lead in the last six weeks of that legendary season.

The Patriots’ rise and Coach B’s secretive ways played a role in this gaining momentum, which thanks to spy-gate it’s earned. Ditto for Barry Bonds’steroid-aided run at the beloved Hank Aaron’s home run record. But it really picked up steam with what the Astros did as attitudes in went nuts. Which is just in time for baseball’s newest scandal: using tacking substance to give the ball better spin rates (whatever that means) to make it tougher on hitters. To their credit baseball is getting out in front of it with new guidelines and penalties about to be announced. Coincidentally, since news of a crackdown was coming 10 days ago, the surprisingly good till then Red Sox pitching has been abysmal, culminating in Sunday’s 18-4 loss to Toronto. Hmmmmm. A story for another day.

What’s particularly irritating is this nonsense clouds what is cheating and what’s not. Applying a substance to the ball is wrong. But I’ve heard wokes actually say bench jockeys figuring out signs from a third base coach and relaying them to the team is cheating. It’s not and it’s been a valuable skill and honored part of baseball for 100 years. Not the crime on humanity these historically clueless drones are trying to make it.

As for me, I’m safe from them, as the statute of limitations on my inflation act has long since expired.

Ainge out, Stevens in

It’s been a week since the demise of the Celtics brass.

It came a day after their playoff wipeout to the Nets, when news broke GM Danny Ainge was “retiring” and Brad Stevens was being kicked upstairs to replace Danny. If you read this column regularly you know I’ve been saying since early February both had a lot to do with the disaster evolving in front of our eyes, and, since last summer, that the team needed to be constructed away from its no-point-guard, 3-ball-centric, hoist-it-up approach.

So, while both have done very good things here, not so much lately and as a result the change is a good thing. Just not as good as it could have been. Because for the last year or so I’ve felt like Bob Kraft did when he said upon firing Pete Carroll in 1999, “We need a momentum change.”

So here are a few hot takes following the shakeup.

The good news: Being a glass is half full kind of guy, with the Lakers also getting run out in Round 1, L.A. and the C’s remain tied for most NBA league titles won (17) for another year. That seemed in peril at the start of 2020-2021.

That does it for the good news. Now for the bad.

Pitino reboot: When I said the change didn’t go far enough, I meant making Stevens GM will be the worst move since hiring Rick Pitino 25 years ago. Although Danny trading up in the 2013 draft for Kelly Olynyk and leaving Giannis Antetokounmpo on the board was pretty bad. That means the same policies and demeanor that led to the abyss remain, starting with likely selecting a head coach who thinks as he does. The team badly needs a culture change, more emotion/passion and an inside scoring approach to complement the 3-ball game.

Where’s George Steinbrenner when you really need him? This comes from the Sports Hub’s Tony Maz, who suggests the only reason Stevens moved upstairs is that the team owes him close to $25 million after foolishly extending him for six long years during last season. That seems like a really dumb thing for the owners of a $2 billion enterprise to do. And while George’s lunacy way back when was the reason I stopped being a Yankees fan (a good thing after last weekend), for once I’m with George. Because he’d have broomed everyone by now.

Brad Stevens: Far be it from me to tell someone else what’s best for them career-wise. But I’ll make an exception. It’s not that he can’t coach; it’s that he hasn’t changed or adapted to new circumstances. As Larry Bird said all through his time coaching Indiana, there’s a shelf-life for coaches and Brad hit his in Boston. He needs a change in the way Andy Reid did after he got fired in Philly. Ditto for Bill Belichick after Cleveland ended in disaster. Both came back stronger than before and maybe Stevens can too in a new locale.

Jayson Tatum: I know, guys who can score 60 in a game don’t grow on trees. Especially those who put in the work and are good kids. But sorry, I want more. The only time he ever shows emotion is when calls don’t go his way. The best player on the team almost always has to be the leader. He’s not, and whether he can score 70 or even 80 he’ll never be a Top 5 player until he assumes that role. Thus he’ll be a No. 2 like Kevin McHale was to Bird’s alpha dog and if it’s truly not in him, like it wasn’t for Anthony Davis in New Orleans, they’ve got to bring in someone Jimmy Butler-like, who can lead as he mentors him to become one. Which brings me to the next coach.

The next coach: I hope they hire an ex-player with major NBA playing cred for the players to look up to, and fill in his holes with veteran assistants. Somebody like Kevin Garnett. I know, he has no coaching experience. Plus I have no idea if he can coach, has the temperament to coach or even wants to. I also know major stars from Willis Reed to Dan Issel didn’t cut it when given a shot by their old team. But I do know KG scared the bejeebers out of everyone when he arrived in 2008 and his fire totally transformed the team’s culture. After being under the NBA’s answer to Mr. Rogers the last eight years, this team that doesn’t value winning enough needs that badly. Especially Tatum. It won’t happen, but that is the first call I’d make if I owned the team.

Reflection on days gone by: Hope no one has missedtheirony of where the Nets and Celtics are seven years after the blockbuster trade of 2014. Since Day 1, Brooklyn was universally mocked for giving up their future for two guys (Garnett and Paul Pierce) that were too deep into the back nine to have the impact the Nets brass expected. It got worse as the choices they gave up (Tatum and Jaylen Brown) became emerging stars. The narrative was, the C’s were set up to have a deep, talented team for years to come, while the Nets would be mired at the bottom because they gave away the draft positions that generate real talent. Flash forward to 2021, where thanks to savvy trades, big and small free agent pickups and salary cap manipulation the Nets are the deeper team with three big talents at the top of their roster. Tip of the cap to Nets GM Sean Marks, who did all that. Meanwhile, after squandering many of their picks with bad drafting and a reluctance to trade them for immediate veteran help, the C’s are scrambling.

It shows life not only doesn’t turn out like everyone expects, it can turn out to be 180 degrees opposite.

Airing out the attic

Time to clear out the attic of my cluttered sports mind.

I don’t know much about European soccer, but I do know a disaster when I see one and the effort by 12 greedy owners to abandon ancient partner clubs to form a so-called “Super League” was a catastrophe of epic proportions. It’s likely the dumbest move anyone has made since those dingbats from Coke in the early ’80s changed the formula of the world’s most popular soft drink. The one silver lining is that the enormous backlash shows fans do have a voice and don’t have to just take it when greedy owners try to line their pockets while screwing loyal fans.

Has any city lost two stars like Mookie Betts and Tom Brady in the same year and then seen the teams they left for win the championship as the Dodgers and Bucs did? Can’t think of any time that happened.

While it’s a nice promotion, it’s hard to believe after nearly 600,000 in the U.S. have died from Covid-19 that CVS has to bribe people with a chance to win tickets to the Super Bowl or Final Four to get vaccinated against the virus.

Since the latter doesn’t even talk to his own family, I’m guessing Aaron Rodgers isn’t a low-maintenance guy. So with his replacement already in place and AR under contract for three more years, if I’m the Green Bay brass I let him sit out the year or retire. If he wants to pass on $87 million because of his hissy fit with the team, so be it. The worst thing you can do when a baby cries to get their way is give in. Unless some team offers four first-round picks. Then it’s don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Love all those so convinced Mac Jones will be the Patriots’ Week 1 starter. Many were the same folks saying they wouldn’t re-sign Cam Newton, Jimmy G was a lock to be traded here and if not, he was certainly headed somewhere else. None of which happened, so you know their track record. Personally, while I’m not sure how good Cam will be in 2021, I’ll be shocked if he’s not the starter.

With Franchy Cordero sent to the minors and Andrew Benintendi hitting .285 and projecting to go for 16 homers and 84 RBI, it looks like Chaim Bloom’s gamble on Cordero’s potential ain’t paying off.

Loved the story comedian Kevin Pollak told Rich Eisen abouton his radio show about the first time he met grumpy old man and noted sports gambler Walter Matthau. It was on the set of Grumpy Old Men when he, in his words, foolishly tried to make small talk with Matthau by saying, “The script is pretty good,” to which Matthau replied, “The script sucks, kid, I’m only doing this ’cause I owe my bookie two million bucks,” and he wasn’t kidding. Further emphasizing how much he loved sports betting, KP said that on the back of the program for Matthau’s memorial service were his NFL picks for next Sunday’s games.

Thought I’d heard all the Yogisms there were, but I heard a new one the other day. His wife Carmen says to him one day, you were born in St. Louis, live in New Jersey and played ball in New York. So if you go before I do, where would you like me to have you buried? To which Yogi said, “surprise me.”

Finally, thumbs up to the greatest kicker of them all upon his retirement. Ultra-clutch Adam Vinatieri earned that honor for a resume that includes (1) making the game-winning FGs as time expired to give the Patriots dynasty its first two Super Bowl wins, (2) hitting the greatest field goal in NFL history that went through a blinding Foxboro snowstorm from 45 yards out off a field where the snow was 5 inches deep to send the first playoff game of the Belichick era to OT, which he later won with a 23-yard kick to beat Oakland 16-13 — no FG either time, no first SB win, and he also supplied the decisive margin in the third SB win over Philly, (3) being the NFLs all-time leader in both field goals and points scored. All were great, but my favorite moment was his 45-yard dash to chase down Olympic-level speedster Herschel Walker at the Dallas 18-yard line to prevent a kick return TD after having no real angle. Tuna famously said after that, “You’re no longer a kicker, you’re a football player.” No truer words have ever been spoken.

Baseball off to a great start

With six no-hitters already, the Mets’ Jacob DeGrom off to a historic start before going on the DL, Shohei Ohtani beautifully pulling off the pitcher-DH thing with 14 homers and a 2.37 ERA, and the surprising Giants, Red Sox and White Sox around the top of their divisions all year, baseball 2021 is off to an interesting start. But, as is usually the case for the sport that outsmarts itself more than all the others combined, it got its panties in a bunch over a story that takes away from all the good news.

That would be in Chicago, where with a few notable exceptions like 1959 and the Frank Thomas era, the White Sox have largely been a joke since throwing the 1919 World Series. So it makes sense that instead of just enjoying having baseball’s best record, the big story in Chi-Town was their 76-year-old manager calling his 28-year-old rookie catcher Yermin Mercedes “clueless” for hitting an eighth-inning homer with his team up double digits because it came on a 3-0 count. It immediately sparked an old-school vs. new-school debate that said after not managing for nine years Tony La Russa was out of touch with modern players who are not wedded to baseball’s ancient code of conduct.

I am no fan of La Russa, whose La Russification of managing pitching put baseball on the path to the endless game of today. But he is right about one thing. Mercedes was given the take sign and he either missed it or, worse, ignored it, which does make him clueless. On the other hand, his sportsmanship argument is stupid for two reasons. First, while they are rare, 13-run innings have happened, so follow Yogi Berra’s advice – because “it ain’t over till it’s over.” Second, Yermin didn’t put a 45-mile-an-hour non-pitching stiff into the game. That was Twins manager Rocco (head) Baldelli so as to not waste real pitchers in a lost cause. So, Rocco, your fault, because you reap what you sow. Then by having his pitcher throw behind Yermin’s head the next day as payback he’s the real villain because that leads to more beanballs, fights and maybe serious injury or worse. So boo Rocco.

In the meantime, as we wait for the real clueless people in Chicago to focus on what actually matters, here are a few other thoughts on baseball’s start.

Baseball 101: Yankees players have won the MVP award two times, but it was done only once by a pitcher. Name him.

Mentioned last week how good Matt Barnes has been so far, but how about Aroldis Chapman? As of Monday morning, the Yankees closer had 37 strikeouts in just 19 innings with an ERA of 0.47.

If you missed it, by hitting .335 with 13 bombs and 35 RBI F-Cat alum Vlad Guerrero Jr. is tearing it up in Toronto. With nine homers and 27 RBI, his Manchester teammate Bo Bichette is not far behind.

Alex Verdugo vs. Mookie Betts Update:While the Mookster is up one World Series win to none, the trade of Betts to L.A. was always a long-term move for the Sox and at the moment you’ve got to like the progress. Here’s what it looks like in Year 2, with Verdugo’s numbers listed first. Avg .297-.258. R 30-25. Doubles 8-15, Triples 1-0, HR 6-5 and RBI 20-16. Paycheck $450,000-$22 million (2021) and $400 million until 2032.

David Price, incidentally, hasbecome a very pricey bullpen pitcher. He’s made just one start in 10 appearances and that was as a two-inning opener on May 20. After opting out last year the start was rocky, but the ERA is down to 3.95.

That was quite a messy ending to the Albert Pujols era with the Angels, who said they had no room to play him. Of course then Mike Trout goes down for two months after he joined the Dodgers.

The question after that news was, is he the best first baseman ever? Well, he’s fifth all-time in total bases (5,963) and homers (668), third best RBI (2,117), which dwarves competitors like Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx, so it’s hard to say no. But it’s been so long since he was the astonishing hitter he was in St. Louis, it’s hard to wrap my head around saying yes too.

Here is my “only I would care about it” weird old-time baseball stat of day. The all-time winning percentage leader (100 wins or more) is the 1930s-40s Yankee Spud Chandler at 71.1 percent. What’s weird is he did it only after getting to the majors at 29, because he was just 46-53 the previous five years in the minors!

Sports 101 Answer: Good old Spud is also our answer. He was MVP in 1943 when he was 20-3 with an ERA of 1.64, the lowest of anyone between 1920 and 1967.

Stumbled on that after being asked if Jon Lester will be a Hall of Famer. He’s 37 and has 191 wins, so if he can hang on until 40 while averaging 12 wins per, he’ll be close to 230 wins with a terrific 62.9 winning percentage. That’s more than Curt Schilling (216) without the baggage. But unlike Clayton Kershaw (a lock), who has a truckload, he’s got no big awards. Plus, the not in so far Andy Pettitte has 256 wins and a record 19 postseason victories. So probably not, but he’ll get votes from the stat geeks, er, newer voting members with less traditional reasons for saying yes.

Two other interesting stats found during the search. (1) At 69.6 Kershaw’ is now on target to pass Whitey Ford for the highest winning percentage of anyone with 200 wins, though he is still 19 short. (2) Lester’s winning percentage for the Red Sox and Cubs was an identical 63.6 percent.

One of these days, I’ve got to start paying closer attention to the NL again.

2021 Sox a surprise so far

After a year of being a team no one wanted to own, the surprising 2021 Red Sox are back to my introducing them to one and all as being your Boston Red Sox. A team with a solid core, getting surprising production from retread newcomers like Garrett Richards or never-was-until-now guys like the 5-0 Nick Pivetta.

That makes them a classic case of “is the glass half empty or half full?” One hand, they lead the AL East by 1.5 games after entering 2021 with no expectations whatsoever from me. It has me wondering what I missed. On the other hand, while they do have an outstanding middle of the order, they appear to have (big) holes in the everyday lineup and throughout the pitching staff. That makes me wonder if they can keep it up, especially as they face a mostly tougher part of their schedule over the next six weeks.

Good Signs

Alex Cora: Outside of his maddening caution with his pitchers, one of baseball’s best managers is back in their dugout. That’ll be tested, because unless reinforcements arrive he’ll have to creatively mix and match all year to cover up the obvious holes they have.

Middle of the Order: With his in-game video review security blanket restored, J.D. Martinez is back to normal. So with him, Raffy Devers and Xander Bogaerts all on a pace for 35 homers and to knock in over 100, the lineup’s 3-4-5 can mash with anyone. It’s the strongest part of the team that will be extended on either side if/when Alex Verdugo and Christian Vazquez contribute as consistently as a year ago.

Eduardo Rodriguez: While the 4.15 ERA is higher than you’d like, the more important 5-1 record shows he’s come through missing 2020 with Covid-19-related heart issues OK. Major good news.

Matt Barnes: I’m nominating whoever’s behind getting/forcing him to attack from the first pitch for a Nobel Prize because he’s been outstanding. After watching him nibble himself through one seven-pitch at-bat after another, I usually was infuriated every time he pitched. But no more, as outings like his 12-pitch, three-strikeout save vs. Detroit on May 5, or Friday’s 11-pitch, 10-strike, 3-K save vs. the Angels, have become the norm. Even when Shohei Ohtani clipped him for a game-winning homer on Sunday, it came on a 1-2 pitch with two outs after only getting up because of a botched play in the field.

Things to Keep an Eye On

The Starters: Sorry, I don’t trust it yet behind E-Rod. While healthy so far, Nate Eovaldi has won double digits once in his 10-year career and that was six years ago. Richards is8-12 since 2016 and while Pivetta has been terrific, Philly gave up on his promise after he was 19-30 there. So I need a larger sample size from him.

The Bullpen: Beyond Barnes, it’s “who knows?” as according to Boston Globe stat geek scribe Alex Speier their six bullpen losses and five blown saves lead MLB for May. So I don’t trust anyone, especially eighth-inning setup guy Adam Ottavino, who looks like Nolan Ryan for three pitches and a human blow torch the next five.

Outside the Core: I like the bench’s defensive versatility, but all of them beyond short-timer Michael Chavis are hitting in the low .200s. They need to be far better, or Chaim needs to get people who can be.

Questions to Answer

Chris Sale: They’ve put no timetable on his return. A good thing because it allows no media pressure for a return by a certain date. He’ll be ready when he’s ready. And since no one knows what he will or can deliver when that day arrives, it’s better to consider anything he gives them as a bonus.

Bobby Dalbec and Hunter Renfroe:While they’re hit-or-miss guys at the moment the big “what if” for them is can they find the consistency that would give the Sox five guys with 30-homer potential. Renfro already hit 33 for San Diego in 2019 and Dalbec had a rare for the low minors 32-homer season at (mostly) AA in 2018. So it’s not that far-fetched.

Biggest Questions to be Answered

Nick Pivetta:By starting off 7-0 here since late last year, has the lightbulb finally gone on for the talented, once promising righty? Or is his terrific start a highly visible early season hot streak that ends with the clock striking 12 at some point?

Chaim Bloom: The fast start has gotten skeptics like me off his back for now. But the real question is if they stay in contention and need to fortify the bullpen or everyday spots, will he sit on his hands to sacrifice contending till the end to preserve the farm system’s rebuild for another year?

Chris Sale: If he’s ready to help after it’s too late to stretch him out, could he be used out of the bullpen? In a pre-designed programmed way to provide a certain number of quality innings per week that reduces arm stress as he builds back up? They probably won’t do that, but if able, he’s likely better than anyone they could get at the deadline, thus letting Chaim not use his prized prospects as trade chips.

So that’s the take for the first quarter of the season. Though one other thought has crept into my mind while examining the weaknesses. Is it possible that the 2021 Sox are like the 2013 edition? Who I kept saying about right up until the World Series, how are they doing this because they are not that good? So, with that highly enjoyable season in mind, regardless of where it all ends, put me on the “glass is half full” side.

At least for now.

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