Next stop Williamsport

You know it’s strange when a Little League team from Manchester and Hooksett gets to the New England Regional Final game and doesn’t even get to use their own name because the team they played was Manchester of Connecticut. At least according to the Hartford Courant. So North Manchester-Hooksett is New Hampshire. But someone tell me why the other guys weren’t called Connecticut? And don’t get me started on a championship game being called after four innings on the mercy rule with North — ah, New Hampshire leading 11-1. How in the name of Frank Malzone can a championship game be decided by the mercy rule? Incredible.

However, that’s the “get off my lawn” portion of this column, so let me add: North Manchester-Hooksett in the Little League World Series — wow! Thrill of a lifetime. Congrats. Looking forward to all those accounts from my one-time broadcasting partner Jamie Staton streaming in on WMUR.

OK, here’s some other stuff that’s going on.

People often forget what a marathon an MLB baseball season is. Latest example is the Yankees being just three games behind the Sox as their crucial series started on Tuesday after being given up for dead on July 24 after falling nine back of the Sox after losing three of four to them at the Stadium.

I don’t get the criticism of Chaim Bloom bringing in Kyle Schwarber over Anthony Rizzo at the trade deadline. The prime objective was to get a productive left-handed bat to balance off the lineup against right-handed pitching. At the deadline Rizzo was hitting .213 with 9 homers and 26 RBI against righties vs. Schwarber’s .258, 23 homers and 46 RBI. So he got a better 2021 hitter for a better price. Thus instead of (now red hot) Bobby Dalbec sitting out, it’s .215 hitting rookie Jarren Duran, with Alex Verdugo playing center, Schwarber and J.D. Martinez splitting time at DH and in left field. Not a defensive enhancement for sure, but half the time it’ll be in left at Fenway, where anyone can play. Dicier on the road, so Duran gets more time as a defensive replacement. True, Schwarber was IL’d at the time of the deal, but after a hot start Rizzo went to the Covid-19 inactive list on Aug. 7.

Ditto on the pitching. True, it’s a bit risky to rely on Chris Sale, but if healthy who got a better starter at the deadline than maybe the Dodgers? As for the relievers he got, I’m guessing with Garrett Richards and Martin Perez now in the bullpen they’re unneeded/mop-up arms stockpiled in case someone gets hurt.

Since we’ve already had a record eight no-hitters this year, my claim micro-managers are taking the drama/thrill out of one of baseball’s great feats by regularly yanking guys with no-no’s in progress sounds a little dumb, doesn’t it? They didn’t even have that many in the Year of the Pitcher in 1968. Though they did see San Francisco’s Gaylord Perry no-hit the Cardinals one day and the Cards’ Ray Washburn come back the next day and no-hit Perry’s Giants.

The best of the best was Arizona’s Tyler Gilbert throwing on Friday in his first major league start. Only the fourth time that’s happened since they started pitching overhand in 1884.

Speaking of first ever starts, Mac Jones made his during the 21-13 win over the Washington Football Team last Thursday. Not bad, but not earth-shattering as some made it sound. Basically, he was Brady 2001 in dinking and dunking his way to a meager 4.6 yards-per-attempt average. Overall he was 13-19 for 87 yards with no TD drives against WFT’s second teamers. In a word: progress.

What a Stupid I Yam Note of the Week: In last week’s column on the biggest Patriots stories as pre-season play began, I left out arguably the most important story: With likely six new starters on offense and six more on D, the key to the season is how quickly the new people assimilate to the system and mesh with their new teammates.

Speaking of dumb, am I the only one who thinks it’s beyond ridiculous that the PGA Tour forbids players from wearing shorts on super hot days? What does that accomplish?

The Celtics fan in me has always hated the newly acquired Dennis Schroder whenever he’s played against them because he plays chippy. But he brings what’s needed most to the oh so placid Celtics, someone who plays with a feisty edge. They haven’t had anyone like that since they foolishly let Marcus Morris walk after 2018. And thanks to a whopper of a business error, they get him for a measly $5.7 million.

Can’t take credit for this as I saw it on one of those dumb internet trade proposal things. It has the Celtics getting the dying to get out of Sacramento Marvin Bagley III for Grant Williams, Romeo Langford and a pair of second-round picks. He’s been disappointing so far, so it’s a risk, but one with a high upside if the former second overall pick gets it together. If he doesn’t, he’s still a 14 and 7 career guy who can come off the bench to play the 4, and even 5 in small lineups, while also making them bigger. Worth the risk — do it.

OK, one more “get off my lawn” comment. Forget Shohei Ohtani, just think of what Tristan Lucier’s 2 home run, 9 strikeout effort would have been if the Final had gone the full six innings vs. the other Manchester! And finally, hey, New Hampshire, er, I mean North Manchester-Hooksett! Everyone back here is pulling for you!

P.S. Whatever you do, next time you see him, don’t ask Staton about our interview with John McCain during a pretty good football game between Dartmouth and Cornell the day of the first GOP debate at Dartmouth during primary season back in 2000.

A disaster.

Pats redux starts tonight

The Patriots are into Week 3 of training camp amid one breathless account after another about the so-called battle going at QB between Cam Newton and top draft pick Mac Jones. It’s so overdone it’s nuts, with the most ridiculous being hearing Big Jim Murray saying on Boston’s Sports Hub that it was “concerning that Jones hadn’t popped yet” and there was no buzz about him after his eighth practice as a Patriot.

After he had a very good practice the next day (phew), the angst then was over it being done with them back in shells, and, O-M-G, was that done to bolster his confidence? A day later he was just as good playing in pads, so two days after being “concerned” the conversation was now he’s been much better than Cam so far, so does that put Mac ahead in the lead to start on opening day?

Just utter nonsense. The first thing to know is that Big Jim is a 100 percent I told you so Tom Brady binky, and if he’s not hoping Mac fails, it won’t wreck his day, because it’ll make Coach B look bad to let him keep pumping Brady’s tires as the sole reason for the dynasty. A debate for another day, which will come here right before Brady returns on Oct. 3. As for the no buzz nonsense, there was no “buzz” around Brady his entire rookie year. After spending five years at Michigan and being a year older than Jones is right now he was fourth on the depth chart. The coaches may have known they had something in the young Brady during the 2001 pre-season, but the Brady “buzz” didn’t start until Drew Bledsoe got hurt and the 0-2 Patriots started winning with the new guy.

So block out the noise as pre-season gets underway on Thursday, Aug. 12, vs. the Washington Football Team and judge for yourself. And while you do that, here are a few of the biggest 2021 stories to keep an eye on.

The receivers: My top question going in is are the new guys any good? In particular, how real are Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne? Where the speedy Agholor’s only real solid year in five NFL seasons came last year. Myth or reality? Meanwhile the new slot guy has never caught more than 48 passes. Of course unheralded Wes Welker had only one season better than that before becoming an unstoppable force in Foxboro. As for the tight ends, after last year’s debacle, expectations are high. Hunter Henry (60) and Jonnu Smith (65) caught a combined 125 passes in 2020. If the offense is to rebound they need to get close to that again to give either QB big targets in the middle of the field, where the throws are shorter and quicker.

N’Keal Harry: Given the precarious position he’s in he could be gone by the time you see this. But even if he isn’t I would not advise him to unpack. Then again, while I’m not holding my breath, call me crazy but I have a feeling (based on nothing) that he finally gets it, which would give them another big body to throw at in the red zone.

Running back log jam: It’s crowded back there with presumed starting tailback Damian Harris and third down back James White the only locks for the five slots. That leaves Sony Michel, Brandon Bolden, JJ Taylor, fullback Jakob Johnson and fourth-round pick Rhamondre Stevenson fighting for the other three. Most think Michel is the odd man out. But, if they’re going to ground and pound in the age of the two-headed tailback, it doesn’t make sense dumping a guy who averaged 5.7 yards a carry last year when the lead back has missed a lot of time with injuries both years in New England. So if Taylor can return kicks or Stevenson reverses what’s going on at the moment, I say Bolden is the odd man out.

Quarterback battle: You can talk all you want about this, but Bill says he’s going with Cam on opening day and I don’t see any reason to think he won’t. Yes, 2020 wasn’t really good, but with a year plus in the system and a real training camp he’ll know the offense better and he’ll likely have a much more talented group of receivers to throw to as well. So he’ll be a lot better this year. How long that lasts, we’ll see, but I’m betting he’s the starter for the whole year.

Stephon Gilmore contract: People have made a big deal out of Gilmore being underpaid. But I don’t expect it to be an issue because he knows he’s playing for his next contract.

Local bubble boy Chase Winovich: It’s not going to make his new best pal Chris Sununu happyif the New Hampshire-loving edge rusher loses the battle of numbers and gets traded before opening day. Given their buddy-buddy TV spots, they’d be a 21st-century version of when Steve Lyons did a commercial in 1986 for Frank Yanco’s Queen City Toyota. Trouble was he got traded for Tom Seaver about a week after it began running so they had to airbrush out the Red Sox uniform, which had folks asking after that, who’s that guy on TV with Frank? But the good news is if he survives the new influx of edge rushers it will make it harder to block everyone, opening more avenues to get to the QB.

Return of you know who: The hype and noise all week will be insane. And for once that will be fun being part of. To kick it off, stand and give him a rousing ovation of appreciation for his role in the Pats dynasty with him under center. Then, when the first passing situation arrives, send the house up the middle to collapse the pocket to let him know he’s not in Kansas anymore.

The week that was

It was a week filled with big news from all fronts. Here are some thoughts.

News Item: Chaim Conservative at Trade Deadline

There was a lot of talk radio yakking going on after Chaim Bloom went conservative during baseball’s highly active trade deadline. Especially with big names like Max Scherzer, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant changing addresses. That wasn’t helped by the Sox getting swept by Tampa Bay in the direct aftermath. Many pointed to the Dodgers giving up major prospects to get Scherzer and Trea Turner as a reason for their dismay. I say it’s the exact opposite, the plan Bloom stuck to is the one his former boss Andrew Friedman used when he first got to L.A., which was to first clear up the payroll mess from the ridiculous Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez 2012 trade with the Sox, and then build a deep high talent farm system that gave them low-cost production in key spots, providing the ability to spend big for difference-making outsiders (Mookie Betts) without blowing up the payroll. It also let them send blocked talent like Alex Verdugo elsewhere to outbid teams as they did to San Francisco after it appeared Scherzer was headed there. No matter what they did, the Sox don’t have enough now. So with Chaim showing me enough with the unheralded moves that helped fortify this team, I’m willing to sacrifice one year to keep the long-term plan on track because it’s led to nine straight NL West titles and three World Series in L.A. Especially with big future deals looming for Raffy Devers and Xander Bogaerts.

News Item: Lakers And Celtics Going in Different Directions

Anyone have any idea what the Celtics are doing? Because while the Lakers are finding a way to fit Russell Westbrook’s mammoth $44 million salary into their bloated salary cap the Celtics are giving away a 20-point scorer and a first-round pick to save a few million by swapping the bad contracts of Kemba Walker and 36-year-old Al Horford. Then giving up Tristan Thompson for a point guard who can’t shoot or stay healthy who’ll be playing on his fourth team in a five-year NBA career. Not that I love Thompson, but if he’s added to a package with Marcus Smart to a big man-needy team instead of being given away, the larger deal might let them get a point guard who can actually shoot and, as importantly, knows when not to.

As for L.A., many think the Westbrook deal doesn’t help their long-range shooting issues. True, but with LeBron playing point forward and Anthony Davis able to draw bigs outside, it opens the floor to let Westbrook attack the basket while also adding real help on the boards. And they still have their $9 million cap exception to add someone like Duncan Robinson to provide distance shooting. All of which makes it more likely L.A. wins a record-breaking 18th league title than it will be for the descending Celtics.

News Item: Major Change Likely Coming in College Football

It’s long past the point where fans can be surprised money is behind every horrible change in sport. It was the thing that ended the greatest college basketball league ever. I know the eight-team ACC was the model for everything else, but from its inception in 1979 and late into the 1990’s The Big East was college hoop heaven. Then came the lust for football money, which destroyed the intimacy, regional flavor and rivalries that made it special by doubling its size with teams/schools that had no connection to the Northeast. Followed by Syracuse and BC bolting for the ACC, which pretty much ended my love affair with college basketball, where I don’t know who plays in what conference and no longer care to find out.

The latest is word Texas and Oklahoma soon will leave the Big 12 for the football-crazed SEC. So much for the Power 5 and the regional rivalries it will destroy. Disregard your long time Big 12 business partners, as previously done by Texas A&M and Missouri so what’s the big deal? The only good thing is the insufferable Texas alumni behind the regular firing of head coaches will have this one stuffed back their throats. Because if they can’t win even enough in the inferior Big 12, how can they compete with Georgia, Clemson and Alabama? Just deserts. Roll Tide.

News Item: A Second Thought for Mookie in L.A.

Anyone else notice the Dodgers played Mookie Betts at second last weekend? Regular readers may recall me saying Alex Cora should consider playing him there when injuries hit right before the 2018 playoffs, which got “no you can’t” email blowback. L.A. says they’ll do it periodically to relieve stress on his body. Which seems weird as with double play breaks-ups and moving on every play most see playing infield as more stressful on the body than catching three fly balls a game in the outfield. No errors and a homer in his first game there, incidentally.

News Item: Biles Bails on Chance for Gold

Uber gymnast Simone Biles pulled away from the Olympics for mental health issues and naturally criticism followed on social media. I don’t know how people can criticize her, unless they’ve actually experienced what she goes through. I know I don’t have a clue what that feels like, so I think those talking about her in a negative way should stand down and show some compassion without firsthand knowledge of what dogs her.

News Item: Best Line of the Olympics So Far

It was the advice U.S. Men’s Basketball Coach Greg Popovich gave to Jayson Tatum after he put him in the starting line-up last week, which was, “act like you’re playing the Spurs.” A reference to the 60 points he put on the board against Pop’s team last winter. Which he did with a 27-point effort in a pivotal win over the Czech Republican.

Greek was a Freak in Game 6

A really good NBA Finals came to an exciting conclusion right before our last edition hit the streets, so today is the first chance I have to gush over it. It was pretty good salve for local hoopers burned by a sickening, under-achieving Celtics season. But that’s a gripe for another day.

Today I want to talk about Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 6.It was aclimb on my back. boys, I‘m taking us home” inspirational effort that brought to mind Yaz in the final two weeks of 1967, when he closed out the greatest pennant race ever by going 7 for 8 and knocking in the winning runs in the final two games to drag the Sox over the finish line to their first pennant in 21 years. Which is exactly what the Greek Freak did.

I’m mixing my sports and eras, but that’s the point. I spent the next day trying to decide where his incredible 50-point, 14-rebound, five-block game ranks among the best championship-winning and season-ending closeout games I personally have seen. Which, among others, leaves out Tommy Heinsohn’s 36-point, 23-rebound Game 7 vs. the St. Louis Hawks as the Celtics won their first title in 1957, and Bob Pettit’s 50 and 19 game when the Hawks’ returned serve on the Cs in Game 7 the next year.

It’s easier than you think, because most jump to mind. Though, probably because their greatest seemed so routine, none oddly do for Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, whose best closeout games muster just honorable mention.

Here are the guidelines for consideration. We’re looking for an individual in a game that clinches the championship and meets two of the following criteria: (1) not judged just on stats, (2) helps the team overcome being outmanned or fills a hole for an injured star, (3) completely dominates the game with a spectacular flair, (4) the effort strongly answers critics who’ve been yakking at them all series or all year, and (5) an “it’s me against the entire other team” effort that brings to mind King Kong hanging onto the flagpole on the Empire State Building while trying to fight off the squadron planes buzzing around him with the other hand. And the winners are:

Magic Johnson – 1980 NBA Finals: MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is out for Game 6 with L.A. up on Philly three games to two. So who in the name of George Mikan plays center? Rookie Magic Johnson does and goes for 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists in a 123-107 rout to give the Lakers their first of five titles in the 198s.

Bill Walton – 1973 NCAA Finals: Walton shreds the hopes of my at-the-game friend Jeff Eisenberg and his hometown Memphis State Tigers with an unstoppable 21-for-22 effort from the field in a 44-point, 13-rebound night to lead UCLA to its seventh straight NCAA title.

Jack Nicklaus – 1986 Masters: He hadn’t won a major since 1980 and at 46 was never in contention until the back 9 hole on Sunday. But then he shoots a record-breaking 30 to grab the sixth green jacket no one ever thought he’d get.

Sandy Koufax – 1965 World Series: Throwing 130 pitches in a three-hit, 10-strikeout Game 7 shutout on two days, after shutting Minnesota down with a four-hit, 10k, 135-pitch gem in Game 5.

Tom Brady – Super Bowl 51: Down 28-3 deep in the third quarter, he hits James White for a five-yard TD to start a 25-0 run that gives the signature win of the dynasty, 34-28 in OT as Brady goes 43-62 for 466 yards and two TDs.

Reggie Jackson – 1977 World Series: His manager hated him and so did just about everyone else, it seemed, as they waited for him to fail. But he didn’t, and after the Yanks charged into the World Series he hit five homers vs. L.A., including three in Game 6 with the exclamation point to his critics being a titanic blast into the center field bleachers to clinch the series.

Secretariat – 1973 Belmont Stakes: The only one of these I saw in person and I picked a doozy. In becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1947, he delivered a performance for the ages when the lead coming down the stretch was so big not even Dave Wottle could have caught him.

Vince Young – 2006 Rose Bowl: In the best football game I’ve ever seen, Young passed for 269 yards, ran for another 200, scored three times and led the pulsating final drive to give Texas a 41-37 win in the national title game. It was King Kong on the ESB.

Phil Esposito – Canada-U.S.S.R. Summit of 1972: It was just an exhibition series. But it really wasn’t. It’s too hard to comprehend the magnitude of what this series meant if you didn’t live then. Nothing today is remotely close. Canada was in deep trouble after going down 3-1-1 in the eight-game series. Especially with the last being played back in the U.S.S.R. But they got back to 3-3-1 to set up a winner-take-all final in the shadow of the (gulp) Kremlin. Big trouble again as they went down 5-3 late in the final period, before Espo scored and then assisted on the final two, including Paul Henderson’s game-winner with 34 seconds left for a tension-ridden 6-5 win. With a four-point game Espo was immense to give him the best closeout game I’ve seen anyone ever have.

So where does that leave Giannas? He was Kong holding off the planes with clutch play after clutch play on O and D. And by going 18 for 20 from the foul he also told all the countdown mockers to stuff it, pal!

That puts him third best overall.

Nice job, big fella.

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.

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