Category: Sports

The Big Story: Four months into the 2022 season the Red Sox are f-i-n-a-l-l-y the big story in town. They’ve won 15 of 22 in July to climb to within 2.5 games back of Toronto for the final wild card spot to start the week, something that seemed quite unlikely even a month ago.

Better yet, the schedule is in their favor as they have three with those Blue Jays this weekend followed by 10 straight with bottom-dwelling KC, Detroit and Washington.

So if they held their own vs. the three, with wild card competitor Seattle earlier in the week, they’ll have a chance to pass both current WC place-holders Toronto and Houston this week.

All of which makes for an exciting time for baseball in these parts over the next month at least.

Sports 101: The Red Sox have had 15 different guys pitch for them who have won the Cy Young Award. Four did it for them while the other 11 did it elsewhere. How many can you name?

News Item – AL Pennant Race Update: With Baltimore and Tampa Bay on top, the Yanks in last place and the Sox a game ahead of them, the AL East seems like Bizarro World. But with a 1.5-game lead on the faltering D-Rays, the Orioles are the surprise of baseball, while even with their struggles TB still looks like a lock for the first wild card. That leaves a free-for-all for the last two wild card slots between current leaders Houston and Toronto followed by the Sox, Yanks, Mariners and, after smartly committing to not trading Shohei Ohtani, the Angels bunched a few games back.

News Item – Patriots With Most On The Line: With pre-season camp underway, one interesting story line is guys who have a lot on the line. Here are the top three: Mac Jones – No surprise. He needs to show the brass he’s the guy to build the team’s future around. Bill O’Brien – After last year’s offensive disaster, he’s back in the mix to be a head coach this winter if Mac gets back to where he appeared headed as a rookie and the offense becomes reliable. Bill Belichick – He’s 19 wins behind Don Shula to become the all-time winningest coach in history. So he needs at least 10 wins to be in position to do it in 2024.

Random Thoughts

What does it say about Bruce Bochy that after the three-time world champion came out of retirement to manage Texas, they’re on pace to win 94 games after losing 94 in 2022 with mostly the same players?

Got to think dumping a considerable chunk of Max Scherzer’s (probable) $57 million contract for 2024 via his weekend trade to Texas signals the Mets will be all in on the Ohtani free agent sweepstakes this winter.

… Of the Week Awards

Player: Speaking of Ohtani, he’s not going into free agency quietly. He did something last week only five others in history have: pitched a shutout on the same day he hit two home runs. The shutout was a one-hit, 6-0 Game 1 win over Detroit, and the bombs came when the Angels routed them 11-4 in the nightcap. It was also his first career complete game, and the homers boosted his league-leading total to 38.

Weirdest No-Hitter: First, Portland using three pitchers is a reminder of how the powers that be don’t get that a single pitcher throwing a no-no is the most suspenseful one-game moment in the game and relentless micro-management of pitchers is eliminating that.

Second, the trio of Sox prospects, all-name teamer Wikelman Gonzalez and relievers Brendan Cellucci and Luis Guerrero, managed to give up one run without a hit, not once, but twice, in separate innings during the 6-2 Portland win.

Triple Play: The Red Sox ran themselves into a rare triple play after Adam Duvall inexplicably ran to second on a routine pop-up to center, to become the second out when CF Michael Harris II threw to first baseman Matt Olson, who then threw out Masataka Yoshida trying to go to third. It was the first 8-3-5 triple play since the Boston Beaneaters last pulled one off in 1884!

Sports 101 Answer: The Sox’ four Cy Young winners were Jim Lonborg, Roger Clemens. Pedro Martinez and Rick Porcello.The other 11 are Sparky Lyle, Fergie Jenkins, Tom Seaver, Bret Saberhagen, The Eck, Frank Viola, Jake Peavy, Bartolo Colón, Eric Gagne, David Price and Corey Kluber.

Final Thought – Thumbs Up, Patrice Bergeron:Tip of the cap to a great Boston sports all-timer upon his retirement after 19 years of excellence. Reliable, tough, clutch and, most of all, classy.

Bravo and thanks for the memories.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

The Big Story: Amid unending talk about Bill Belichick’s job security, the Patriots got back to work on Wednesday in what is a big year for many, including the coach and his hand-picked QB. They begin camp without much fanfare nationally, where almost everyone is picking them for last in the AFC East. And after trading for Aaron Rodgers, New Yawkas are sensing blood in the water after having it shoved down their throats since Belichick resigned as HC of the NYJ’s over 20 years ago. So buckle up, because it should be interesting, if not as enjoyable as it was in these parts for so long.

Football 101: Name the two men who hold the NFL record for most losses by a head coach at 165.

News Item – 3 Biggest Patriots Question Marks: You would think they’d have addressed the first two in free agency and the draft, but incredibly, by going defense with their three draft picks they didn’t. This leaves the focus on the offense.

The Receivers: They were below average last year and besides a slight upgrade in JuJu Smith-Schuster over the departed Jakobi Meyers the GM didn’t give Mac Jones much new help, though putting all out of their misery by sending mistake-prone Jonnu Smith elsewhere was addition by subtraction.

The O-Line: The big question is, was Trent Brown hurt, out of shape or deep into the back nine? Because he was a procedure penalty or sack give-up waiting to happen. Determining his status is a major key, because the protection for Jones last year was uneven at best and terrible at worst.

Mac Jones: The Pats need to find out if 2022 was just a bad year brought on by a combination of factors, not the least of which was having an inexperienced and completely over his head offensive coordinator in charge of his development, or if he’s just not good enough to build around. I think it was the former, but only time will tell, making this the make-or-break year for Mac.

Numbers:

2 – times the Patriots will wear their Pat the Patriot throwback uniforms in 2023. They’ll do it against old-time AFL day foes Miami in Week 2 and in Week 13 vs. the Chargers.

12 – teams scoring in double digits Tuesday night, which was the first time that has happened since 1994, with the highlight being the Cubs’ 16-13 over Atlanta.

Injured List: Trevor Story – There appeared to be no setbacks in his rehab weekend in AA Portland. He played shortstop three times while going 2-8 with a homer and 3 RBI.

Of the Week Awards:

Who’s Hot: Triston Casas –The batting average of the Sox rookie continued to climb. After an 8 for 17 week he’s hitting .348 in July. That’s taken the average to .247 after being .131 on May 1.

Hippo Jinx – Right after I lauded the recent performance of Sox rookie hurler Brayan Bello, he got lit up by the lowly A’s for six runs in four innings before the column even came out.

In Case You Missed It – The Stolen Base: Thanks to the pitch clock and other new rules, the stolen base is back. After eight years without anyone stealing 50+, at least two players are going to 50, including Braves star Ronald Acuna, who with 45 is on pace to swipe 80 and he could be joined by four more.

Football 101 Answer: The late Dan Reeves (190 wins) and longtime Oilers/Titans coach Jeff Fisher (176 wins) hold the record for most losses by an NFL coach at 165.

Final Thought – Prediction: While an avalanche of media types can’t talk about anything else, count me as one who doesn’t buy that Coach B is on a category 4 hot seat. The detractors are broken into two camps: (1) national media, many of whom are speculating without any real evidence and looking for payback on the cantankerous Coach B, and (2) the local gaggle all hitting on the same follow-the-leader conspiracy theories. Now the latter are closer to things than me, but I’m better at logic and reading people. And the reason I don’t think he’s in real trouble (outside of a two-win season) is the needy owner’s unending desire to sit at the cool kids’ table. Like his forays to hang with 20-something rappers at star-studded parties in the Hamptons each summer. Or showing up at the Academy Awards despite not being in the movie business. So while everyone wants another Super Bowl, with six his dynasty already has two more than anyone else in one run. Thus a bigger prize (besides him getting in the Hall of Fame) is him being able to bask in the glow of the coach he picked becoming the winningest coach in NFL history.

So no matter what, Belichick the coach stays because Bob Kraft doesn’t want to see Coach B pass Don Shula while on the sideline for someone else. Simple as that.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

The Big Story: Things are looking up for the Red Sox, who’ve cut five games off the Tampa Bay lead that peaked at 13.5 games in late June.

And with Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Corey Kluber spending extended time on the DL they’ve done it with just three healthy starters. The good news is divided into two categories:

Young Guys: While young hurlers like WhitlockandHouckhave had bright moments amid inconsistency, the biggest bright spot is 24-year-old Brayan Bello. Thanks to being 4-1 in his last five starts he’s climbed to 7-5 with a 3.14 ERA and is inching toward being the guy the brass always thought he’d be, a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Right behind him is the maturation of speedster Jarren Duran, who’s now hitting .318 with 28 doubles and 17 steals. And while the RBI’s still lag, Triston Casas has found his stroke. As after his three-homer weekend at Wrigley Field the average is now up to .233 (with 12 homers) from the .131 it was on May 1.

Chaim Was Right And I Was Wrong: Well, I wasn’t wrong per se, but I was skeptical in wondering if Masataka Yoshida could be a Japanese version of Rusney Castillo. He put that to rest with a solid WBC, and after Sunday’s six-RBI party at Wrigley, he’s hitting .317 with 31 extra-base hits and 50 RBI, and it’s been more apparent he’s no Rusney. Ditto for Justin Turner, who’s been solid offensively and versatile defensively.

They start the week at 50-44 and two games behind Houston for the final play-in game slot. With six games ahead vs. the epically struggling A’s and epically under-achieving Mets they can make up more ground this week.

Sports 101: Who leads MLB in complete games pitched in 2023?

News Item – Jaylen Brown’s Contract: Word on the street is JB’s (semi) contract drama will end this week. But in the latest example the world has gone mad, it will make the (arguably) 15th best player in the NBA its highest paid player, as well as pay him an astonishing $70 million in the final season of the five-year deal. Hate to see what ticket prices will be.

News Item – DeAndre Hopkins Loss: Not to let Coach B off the hook, because he still doesn’t seem to get the importance of an A+ wide receiving threat in the 2023 NFL. But as the Hopkins saga dragged on it became obvious either he didn’t want to be here (probably OC Bill O’Brien) or he was only about getting every last nickel. Which means the fit probably wasn’t right.

The Numbers:

6 –bet you’d never have guessed it was Shohei Ohtani with this MLB-leading number of triples.

59 – strikeouts in just 39 innings with the Phillies for still-has-his-fastball Sox alum Craig Kimbrel.

… Of the Week Award: Predictable Occurrence – Hardly surprising Fox Sports is having difficulty finding anyone who wants to work with Skip Bayless after the abrupt departure of Shannon Sharpe on the Undisputed show. Sports Illustrated reports it’s now on hiatus while they’re searching for their next sucker.

Random Thought: Asante Samuel – give it a rest. If he hadn’t Bucknered the pick that would’ve iced the undefeated season maybe I’d listen. But he did, and now just seems bitter and a looney Antonio Brown wannabe.

Sports 101 Answer: Withtwo, baseball’s complete game leader is none other than ex-Sox hurler Nate Eovaldi.

A Little History – Complete Games: While Eovaldi’s two are downright herculean by today’s standard, it’s doubtful he’ll match the 30 complete games Steve Carlton had in his magical 27-10 season of 1972, or the 48 Yankees (then Highlanders) hurler Jack Chesboro had when he won 41 in 1904. Let alone the all-time record 75 Will White had in 1871.

Final Thought: While you have to be encouraged by recent trends, with baseball’s trade deadline fast approaching, if I’m the Red Sox brass, I take a page out of 2015. That would be if the right deal comes along for vets like Adam Duvall I’d do it and compete for the play-in spot with players for the future. So I’d hand Duran the center field job and stick with Casas defensively at first and all the young pitchers to let them learn on the job under pressure to find out what they are, or are not, as they did with Betts, Bradley Jr., Castillo and Blake Swihart. So they’ll be more ready next year.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

The Big Story: With the All-Star Game history, the Red Sox are on the clock to decide whether they’ll be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, which is 18 days away. Their task is made more complicated by their going into the break at 48-43 and on a five-game winning streak, though they’re still last in the AL East with several teams to climb past to get into the play-in game. The clock is ticking.

Sports 101: Which pitcher in All-Star Game history has (a) given up the most hits, (b) given up the most earned runs, (c) pitched the most total innings, and (d) pitched in the most games?

News Item – Shohei Ohtani: After having the best hitting month of June since Lou Gehrig’s 1.470 OPS in 1936, Ohtani is the top story in baseball. The resume will include being the first in 10 years to hit 30 homers before July 1 after a June when he hit 15 homers and 29 RBI while hitting .394 with a third best ever (behind only Babe Ruth’s 1920 and ’21) .952 slugging percentage. And, oh by the way, he’s also 7-4, with a 3.32 ERA, third in baseball 132 strikeouts and the lowest batting average against at .180.

Thumbs Up – LPGA Golfer Amy Olson: In going 79-77 on Thursday and Friday she didn’t make it into the weekend, but let’s give Olson a standing O for having the grit and toughness to compete in the women’s U.S. Open while seven months pregnant. Bravo.

Thumbs Down – ESPN: When the parent company is cutting 7,000 jobs, somebody has to go. But for ESPN to let go its single best analyst overall, Jeff Van Gundy, is nuts. Especially given the number of slugs who survived.

The Numbers:

1 – Red Sox players invited to play for the AL in the All Star game.

80 – age Greg Popovich will be at the end of the $80 million deal he signed last week to remain head coach of the San Antonio Spurs for the next five years.

Of the Week Awards:

Player –TheCincinnati rookie sensation Ely De La Cruz became the first Reds player since 1919 to steal second, third and home in the same plate appearance. It came vs. Milwaukee on Saturday right after he knocked in the lead run and then provided the insurance run with his antics in an 8-5 Reds win on Saturday.

Most Idiotic Idea (If Not in the History of Mankind) –From supposed CBS-NBA Insider Sam Quinn, who proposed (before Grant Williams was traded to Dallas) the Celtics do the following to give them a “true” Big Three with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown: send Williams, Al Horford, Malcolm Brogdon, Peyton Pritchard and multiple first-round picks to the 76er’s for, no, not Joel Embiid, but (are you ready for this?) 33-year-old no-defense James Harden, last seen stinking up the joint in five of the seven games against the C’s in the 2023 playoffs.

Laugh Out Loud Moment: It was the hilarity of hearing Red Sox right fielder Alex Verdugo whining he’d been unfairly snubbed by the AL All-Star team while hitting a 17th best in the AL .284, with a 94th best six homers and 113th best 35 RBI totals.

Sports 101 Answer: Most hits and earned runs allowed: WhiteyFord(19 and 11). Don Drysdale’s 19.1 innings pitched is the most ever and Roger Clemens with 9 has pitched in the most ASG’s.

Final Thought: Sorry to see Mike Trout get injured ( broken wrist), but it brings to mind something I’ve been meaning to mention for a while. And this comment is aimed at the yackers, not Trout himself. I don’t get how anyone (besides stat geeks) can say he fits among the all-time baseball greats like Aaron, Mays and Ruth. Very good player, yes. But he’s in his 13th year, and while he’s got 368 homers, he’s got just three 100-RBI seasons, with a high of 111. By contrast Junior Griffey did it eight times, with highs of 147 and 146 before he turned 30. A–Rod (I know he has issues) did it 14 times with a high of 156 and for Albert Pujols it’s 13 and three 130-plus seasons.

Then there are his three MVP’s. I’m fine with 2014 when the Angels won the AL West. But being picked over Mookie Betts in 2016 was a joke. Mookie led the AL in total bases, was second in hits and doubles with 31 homers and 113 as his team won the AL East, while Trout’s Angels finished 21 games back and he wasn’t in the Top 10 in homers or RBI. And 2019, when three Red Sox players alone had more total bases, was an even bigger joke. How can a guy be the most valuable player in any league when his team finished dead last 35 games out in their division? It speaks to the ridiculous ways stats are looked at today, where the contrived WAR somehow trumps the only thing that matters, winning.

Trout an all-time all-timer? Sorry, but no.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

The Big Story: Baseball passed the 81-game mid-year point last week. Here’s a snapshot of where it all stood for the Red Sox and for some of the bigger stories in progress all around baseball.

Sports 101: Who hit the first pinch-hit homer in World Series play?

News Item – Red Sox: They were 40-41 overall, 14 games out of first with five teams ahead of them to grab the last play-in slot.

Chaim Got It Right: Not on much, but he did with Masataka Yoshida, who was hitting .297 with eight bombs and 39 RBI in his first season in America.

Who’s Hot – Triston Casas: He might have gotten a tongue-lashing recently for his statistically worst in the majors D. But the highly touted rookie has finally started to hit. After hitting .137 in April, it was .257 in May and .288 in June, which has him up to .227 overall with nine homers and 27 RBI in 225 at-bats. That projects to 18 and 54.

Reason for Optimism: Though the numbers may not quite show it, it’s their young starters Bryan Bello, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck showing promise, though not consistently, for the future.

Best Sign for Immediate Future: Probably if a sell-off does come, disposable veterans Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and James Paxton could have enough value to bring back some minor-leaguers with promise.

Reason for Pessimism: They were undone by a second-most-in-baseball 53 errors, led by not-up-to-it fill-in shortstop Kiké Hernandez’s most in baseball 14, a number in stark contrast to the 10 Xander Bogaerts committed last year.

Biggest Disappointment: Chris Sale going down with another injury after it appeared he might have gotten over the hump after four injury-plagued seasons. After a terrific eight-game stretch where he struck out 52 in 47 innings with a 2.64 ERA and a 5-2 record, he’s out again until at least early August.

Alumni News

Xander Bogaerts: The grass isn’t always greener (even though the money is) on the other side of the fence. At .259 with eight homers, 28 RBI’s and a paltry (for him) 13 doubles, he’s not exactly ragging it away from the Fenway Park doubles factory, while the high-spending Pads are an underachieving 37-44.

Kyle Schwarber: He may have the weirdest season in progress. With a sixth-best-in-baseball 20 homers he’s on pace to top 40 again, and his 55 walks is second best overall. But those homers aren’t all that productive, as he has knocked in a 56th-best 40 runs. If you take away the homers, he’s got just 30 other hits in 257 at-bats. Good for a .113 average when he doesn’t hit a homer and .181 overall.

The Numbers

4 – sold-out crowds the once sellout-crazed Red Sox have so far in 2023.

108 – projected wins by the franchise often mocked by Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy in calling the Red Sox “Tampa Bay North” even though the Rays are doing it with a payroll $100 million less than Boston’s.

Notable Seasons

At 20-60 Oakland is going for the record set by the 40-120 Mets of 1962 for ineptitude.

Miami’s Luis Arraez was still threatening hitting .400 when he and the Marlins left Fenway last week at .397.

A Little History – 1968 The Sequel: It was known as Year of the Pitcher, because pitching so dominated the game, particularly in the AL, where the only .300 hitter was batting champ Carl Yastrzemski, who hit just .301. The NL was a little better, where Pete Rose led it at .335, but only four others topped .300. It led to big changes to shrink the strike zone and restrict how high the pitcher’s mound could be.

With only eight guys hitting .300, 2023 is like 1968 except this time the lowly totals came after rule changes like banning the shift happened.

Sports 101 Answer: Yogi Berra took Brooklyn’s Ralph Branca deep for the first ever World Series pinch-hit homer in the 252nd Series game, hitting a two-run seventh-inning bomb in Game 3 for the eventual 1947 world champs.

Ironically it wasn’t Branca’s last brush with history. Four years later he threw the pitch Bobby Thomson hit for baseball’s most famous homer, the bottom-of-the-ninth “shot heard round the world” that let the Giants literally walk off with the NL pennant.

Final Thoughts: With the spend-crazy Mets and Padres massively under-achieving with first- and third-highest payrolls and the Rays and D-Backs leading the AL East and NL West respectively with the third- and eighth-lowest payrolls it’s a reminder that it’s not how much you spend, it’s how you spend it. So hats off to Tampa Bay for superior work in those areas.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

The Big Story – Celtics’ Blockbuster:Say one thing about Brad Stevens the GM, he doesn’t sit on his hands and wait for things to happen. Instead, for the third time in his two-year tenure he pulled off a major deal, with last week’s being the biggest of all. A shocker as well, in sending team leader Marcus Smart to Memphis in a three-way deal that brought back 7’3” one-time Knick Kristaps Porzingis, who NYC media positively (incorrectly) slobbered over as the second coming when Phil Jackson drafted him.

Sports 101:Name the last players taken first overall from historic basketball programs UCLA and UNC.

News Item – What’s Not to Like About Porzingis: He comes with durability concerns. But he played 65 games last year and was a healthy scratch in their last five while the Wizards tanked for draft position. But it’s not like Smart plays 82 a year; he’s averaged just 64 per over his nine-year career and Jayson Tatum was the only First Team All-NBA who even hit 70. That he forced his way out of New York because he didn’t like the direction New York was headed and not getting along with Luka in Dallas makes me wonder about the attitude a bit.

News Item – Things to Like About the Deal: (a) it fills their biggest need — finding the eventual replacement for Al Horford; (b) It adds size up front for the three-man defensive rotation, where Grant Williams is too small for that role; (c) it gives them a legit post up inside scoring option to go to when the threes aren’t falling; (d) he contributed eight rebounds and nearly two blocks last year; (e) the restricted (to fourth overall) 2024 first pick belonging to Golden State they got as well.

News Item – A Can’t-Miss Pick: Hard to not drool at French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama’s gifts — 7’4”, mobile, quick, with the handle of a guard. But is it a guarantee of the greatness being predicted for the NBA’s first overall pick by everyone without a second thought? Sorry, I’ve seen other absolute locks, like Ralph Sampson, not live up to the hype. Ditto for others due to injuries (Zion Williamson and Greg Oden), lack of drive (Derrick Coleman), what-was-I thinking-of talent evaluation (Kent Benson, Kwame Brown), or simple lack of heart and toughness (Ben Simmons). Tools are nice, but real greatness comes from hating to lose. So while I’m curious and he’s saying all the right things, Wembanyama’s got to show me what he’s made of before I start drooling.

The Numbers:

14 – million in cap space the Patriots have to spend on a wideout or left tackle if the right one becomes available.

17 – times Mookie Betts has played errorless second base this year for the Dodgers.

55 – lead-off now hit by Toronto’s George Springer to move him into second place behind Rickey Henderson’s all-time best 81.

Random Thoughts:

I know this isn’t a news flash, but Skip Bayless saying trading Marcus Smart will be catastrophic for Boston tells me it’ll be up there with Rick Robey for DJ. For once Charles Barkley is 100 percent right.

If DeAndre Hopkins is holding on hoping another team bids on him, I’m OK with that. But if he’s slowing his choice to get out of pre-season camp, the Pats should let him go elsewhere. Not interested in another Albert Haynesworth.

Not a fan of the Bradley Beal to the Suns deal. Too many chiefs who need/want the ball and not enough scrubs who do the important little things.

Thumbs Up – Brad Stevens: Turns out the guy who lacked imagination beyond chucking up rushed threes as a coach has a great imagination as a GM with a knack for making solid trades.

Thumbs Down – ESPN: F- for its NBA draft coverage and that’s before we get to the “hey everyone look at me” pink zoot suit worn by Steven A. Blowhard. Too many panels with no one of consequence on them saying over and over in 21st-century draft speak, “That guy is really good,” and an endless parade of parents that no one gives a flip about droning on about junior.

Sports 101 Answer: Believe it or not Bill Walton in 1974 was the last first overall NBA pick from tradition-rich UCLA and for UNC their last top pick was Brad Daugherty 10 years later, who went one pick ahead of the Celtics when they took Len Bias in 1984.

Final Thoughts: I hate giving up Marcus Smart. But the team had a redundancy at guard and needed a shake-up, and you have to give up something to get something. So thanks for memories of all the fight you play with, Marcus, and good luck in Memphis. All that’s left now is to hope Draymond Green doesn’t re-sign with Golden State and they crater to make their 2024 first-round pick the C’s own more valuable.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].