Category: Sports

It’s weird that in the worst Patriots season in two decades, this football season/off-season has seemed to last longer than any of the previous 20. It’s mid-May and I’m still writing about legitimate, current Patriots news. Another example of how public interest for the NFL off season has overrun baseball and its once beguiling hot stove league. Also due I guess to my meager pre-season expectations for the surprising 2021 Red Sox, the sad, embarrassing disintegration of the Celtics’ once promising future and not even knowing if the Bruins are still playing because my streaming service has kicked NESN off its platform.

So football reigns. At least for one final week until we finally get to the Red Sox next week. That is, unless Coach B surprises everyone by pulling off the until now non-rumored Mac Jones for Tom Brady swap. Until that happens, though, here are our final thoughts on the draft and news around it until September.

Regardless of what I hear about draft and Patriots “steals” like Christian Barmore (a first-round talent), Ronnie Perkins (could be a great edge rusher) (which is what they said about Chase Winovich) orall-name teamer Rhamondre Stevenson (the next LeGarrette Blount),I don’t believe anything till I see guys play in real games.

Incidentally, when I hear the draft’s top-rated D-lineman (Barmore) fell to the Pats in the second round over maturity issues, I think Dominique Easley or Josh Gordon at best and Aaron Hernandez at worst. Not making any statement about a specific kid, just saying when I hear “slide” coupled with “maturity issues” that’s what pops into my head.

Football 101: Only five players in NFL history have been named first team All Pro in their first three years in the league. One is currently active. Name them.

When the latest Aaron Rodgers snit/pout comes to light, what word comes to mind first — self-centered, diva or crybaby?

But if you were SF would you have done the pre-draft rumored Rodgers-to-SF deal for the third overall pick and Jimmy G? Yes for me.

Albert Einstein Award: In my informal tracking of the most well-known mockers, only ESPN’s Todd McShay hit the Patriots’ draft day trifecta of being right that the 49er’s would take Trey Lance and not Jones at third overall, the Pats would stay home, not trade up, to get Jones at 15 and Jimmy G would not be traded.

Cosmo Kramer Hipster Doofus Award: Goes to “hey look at me” NBC contrarian Chris Simms, who always makes outlandish picks to look like the smartest, hippest dude in the room if they come out right. Then he’ll mention the one that only he got right, and neglect to mention the 30 others he got wrong. This year it was saying QB-needy New England would shock all by trading up to 11 for Alabama speedster Jaylen Waddle over taking a QB. Nope — they got Jones at 15, while Waddle went sixth to Miami and a QB, Justin Fields, did go at 11 to Chicago. Simms had Fields sliding to 32. Nice call, dude.

A Little History: With Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Lance going 1-2-3 it was the third time quarterbacks were taken with the first three picks, and the history is not great. The last time was 1999 when top pick Tim Couch and third pick Akili Smith both busted and, while second pick Donovan McNabb had a long career, I never warmed to him. The other was 1971 with Jim Plunkett (Stanford), dad of Peyton and Eli, Archie Manning (Mississippi) and Dan Pastorini (Santa Clara). All had long careers, but none are Hall of Famers and only Plunkett won Super Bowls (1980 and 1983). But only after he was beaten to a pulp after being taken first overall by the moribund Patriots and traded for the boatload of draft picks that laid the foundation for the good Chuck Fairbanks teams in the mid-1970’s.

Since history suggests at least two taken in Round 1 will bust, my picks are Fields and Wilson. Have nothing to back that up beyond history and my gut feeling. Gut— haven’t trusted an Ohio State QB since the Baltimore Colts gambled on Art Schlichter in 1982, with the most recent examples being Dwayne Haskins and Troy Smith. History — if anyone can screw it up it’s the Jets. I’ve been hearing since Al Woodall replaced Joe Namath how good the next QB will be. Al wasn’t, and not just because he was a dead ringer for Jethro on The Beverly Hillbillies.

I’ve got nothing against the likable Wilson. But from a small town in Utah to NYC seems like a bad combo. The ravenous NYC media is already making him out to be the second coming of Gandhi after also doing the same to Sam Darnold and Mark “Sanchize.” But in being better-looking than Brady and Jimmy G combined he’ll make a fortune in endorsements playing there.

By the way, after seeing the damage Waddle’s electrifying speed did in those ESPN video clips, I’d say the last piece Coach B needs is a No. 1/speed receiver. So I’m all in for a post-June 1 trade with cap-strapped Atlanta for Julio Jones.

I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that when/if Jones is ready, we could see a two-headed QB monster at some point, with Jones as the starter and Cam having a third and short/ goal line runner and change-of-pace passer wildcat QB role.

Football 110 Answer: The five who were All-Pros in their first three NFL seasons are Earl Campbell, Lawrence Taylor, 1990s Eagles tight end Keith Jackson, Barry Sanders, and the current one, Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson.

Finally, for the record, I’m not holding my breath on that rumored Mac-for-Tom swap started here today. But don’t forget to pass it on. And what’s the bet that if it happens the hipster dude Simms says he had it first?

With Bill Belichick soon to be on the clock really needing to get it 100 percent right for the first time since 2001, last Thursday’s NFL draft was a big day for Patriot Nation. But, given his exasperating draft history of mindlessly trading up and down the board, I didn’t enter the night with great confidence. Especially with his annoying penchant for trading out of the first round for a better “value” pick in the second and then blowing it on failed DBs like Joejuan Williams, Duke Dawson, Cyrus Jones, Jordan Richards, Tavon Wilson and Ras-I Dowling.

But after a less than satisfactory year after Tom Brady took his talents to a south beach, this time there couldn’t be any of the usual nonsense. He needed to get a long-term quarterback solution. That had everyone but those holding out for a trade for Jimmy G begging, and I mean begging, for a trade up to get one of the five top-rated quarterback prospects.

That set the stage as the night started. And the following is an account of how it went for David Long the fan, not the columnist, over the mostly excruciating 100 minutes from when Roger the Dodger opened the 2021 NFL draft until Coach B picked at 15.

I was calm, cool and collected through picks 1 and 2. Three was a shocker, at least to the “experts” who assured all that after trading three firsts and a third to move up there the 49ers would absolutely take Alabama QB Mac Jones. But somewhere along the line indecision crept into the SF war room and they went with ND State’s uber-athletic Trey Lance instead. That also put to rest the local media’s (except me) obsession with Jimmy Garoppolo’s return to Foxboro being inevitable. Never was, because no team has ever been imbecilic enough to dump a solid veteran QB to hand its legit Super Bowl ambitions over to any rookie on Day 1.

However, that didn’t change the equation for Patriot Nation, as two of the top five QBs remained as Lance was just swapped for Jones. That meant the real action, angst and worry now got started with all the picks to 8 trade-up possibilities. Scuttlebutt had the Falcons (4) and Carolina (8) as possibles to go QB. But thanks to enormous cap hit consequences on Matt Ryan and Carolina having just traded for Matt Darnold,that was unlikely.Still I crossed my fingers, but neither did. Phew. Denver, who clearly needs a QB, was next. But nope, they went DB Jaycee Horn to eliminate another QB contender or trade-up slot, making Denver’s choice both weird and lucky for New England. Phew again.

At 10, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg says “we’ve got a trade.” Please don’t say Chicago, WFT or New Orleans! Nope, in a move even weirder than Denver’s, hated rivals Philly and Dallas go all Henry Kissinger on us to swap 12 for 10. But turns out not to be détente but a desire to jointly screw another AFC East rival, as Philly jumped ahead of the G-Men to take Bama wideout Jaylen Waddle, whom the NYG’s badly wanted.

So, with the G-Men and Dallas having no QB interest, I’m back to the trade up mantra. Except at 11 I hear, “We’ve got another trade between the Giants and … Chicago.” Yikes! That means QB 4 is gone. Still, It’s still sort of lucky, as they took Ryan Day’s Ohio State QB Justin Fields to leave the already QB-solid Cowboys, Chargers and Minnesota between the Pats and the QB I wanted all along — Jones. So I’m back shouting, “GO UP will you please!” Although to be truthful it was more like begging him, along the lines of when I was on my knees begging Grady Little to take Pedro out of Game 7 vs. the Yanks during the 2003 baseball playoffs.

But then it’s all in jeopardy. Another trade is announced for the last pick before the Pats. Now it’s double fingers and legs crossed and I’m in full body contorted mode while squinting at the TV to help me both hear (good news) and not hear (if it was bad). Don’t ask me how it does either, because it doesn’t. Then comes the biggest shocker of the night, when the Jets of all teams save Bill from himself by moving into the 14th slot. They already took Zach Wilson, so no QB there. Of course, given his history I knew freaking Bill could still trade back and out of the first round.

But no — Roger the Dodger goes, “with the 15th pick the Patriots select” — please no DB, please no DB — “Mac Jones of Alabama.” Exhale and say PHEW as I uncross my cramped fingers, legs and de-contort my torso. Well, in truth I may have exaggerated the contorting parts just a bit. You’d have to be insane to do that at my age. Though when I was kid I once left my head resting on a radiator one Sunday in November as it kept getting warmer and warmer because doing it coincided with a big Giants comeback vs. Washington and I figured it was good luck. Hurt all the next day, but it was worth it. You know, once a lunatic fan, always a lunatic fan. So while exaggerated, that is how it played out in my head.

As for the net cost accounting to get the last three available QBs: (1) San Francisco — the position swap from 12 to third overall cost first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, along with 2022 third. (2) Chicago — their 2022 first pick to go from 20 to 11. (3) New England — thanks to a nice combo of strategy, guts and a little luck they spent nothing. We’ll hold back on “In Bill We Trust” stuff until we see the goods from the 4.0 GPA graduate-a-year-early ex-Alabama chucker.

So good luck and welcome to town, young man.

With Round 1 going off tonight, draft day has arrived. Finally! The mocks are done and all that’s left is the announcers introducing every single player taken as if they are certain Hall of Famers, which we all know they won’t be. Oh, and there’s uproar around here if Coach B freaking trades down or out of Round 1 altogether instead of addressing the need everyone around here wants him to address on the draft’s first round. If that happens, yowza.

In the meantime, with Jacksonville on the clock here are some topical thoughts.

The Quarterback Issues:With three QB’s expected to go 1-2-3 tonight (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and a mystery guy from the trio of Mac Jones, Trey Lance and Justin Fields to San Francisco), with the other two likely to be taken in the Top 10, QB’s will be the night’s biggest story whether that happens or not, but especially if it doesn’t.

When I see scouts bash someone anonymously, as some are doing to Jones or Fields, I’m thinking it’s either a smoke screen from a team with interest, or someone trying to pump their own tires with a reporter and not having the stones to put their name on it.

Given the varying degrees on how good people think the Tom Brady play-alike Jones is, if I were doing the evaluating I’d go back to Brady’s 2000 scouting reports to compare them with what’s being said about the Bama QB today. Of special interest would be what the knocks were and whether they actually mattered in the long run.

After the fourth QB comes off the board, would it be smart for Buffalo to trade up in front of the Pats and then re-auction it to a QB-needy team like Chicago at a lower price? Unconventional for sure. But depending how expensive it is, would a couple of lower draft picks be an acceptable cost to keep a long-term solution at QB away from their AFC East rival for a couple more years?

Does it seem weird that QB’s from Utah, Alabama and North Dakota will be in Cleveland tonight and Fields from nearby Columbus wont’? Could that mean it’s to save embarrassment because his camp thinks he could suffer a major slide?

Big Board All Name Team:(1) Kwity Paye, edge rusher, Michigan. (2) Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon. (3) Hamilcar Rashed Jr., edge, Oregon State. (4) Azeez (god bless you) Ojulari, OLB, Georgia. (5) Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington. (6) Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC. (7) Ifeatu Melifonwu, DB, Syracuse.(8) Hamsah Nasirildeen, DB, Florida State. (9) Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA. (10) Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State.

Although I’d have paid to be the announcer at UNC for the Chazz and Dazz show, which has LB Chazz Surratt and wideout Dazz Newsome ranked at 79 and 90 on the Big Board.

Speaking of the Big Board, the most recent one I saw had all five QB’s ranked accordingly, Expected first and second picks Lawrence and Zach Wilson ranked first and fifth overall. Lance was at eight, Fields nine and Jones at 20.

2020 Hunches Not Based on Facts or Scouting Reports: I get a bad feeling when people have been calling a guy a “generational talent” for as long as they have been doing it for Lawrence because after that happens evaluators get lazy and don’t see any flaws that develop.

To those hanging to Jimmy G coming to the Patriots like a dog with a bone: If the Pats don’t go QB in Round 1, I think Cam Newton is more likely to be the QB in Foxborough in 2022 than Jimbo.

Rumor Mill: After moving from 3 to 12 and then back to 6,rumor has it Miami is trying to get a second pick in the Top 10 by trading up with the 18th pick. The likely trade partner is Denver at 9, which would be bad news, good news for the Patriots. Bad because no one wants a division rival getting a talent infusion from two Top 10 picks. Good because if they do have their eye on a QB, Denver dropping behind them in the order takes out a QB-needy competitor out of the running.

With QB’s and potentially elite receivers expected to dominate the first 10 picks, teams looking for defensive or offensive help, like Cincinnati (who could go for a receiver) at 5, need help everywhere. Detroit (7), Carolina (8), Dallas (10) and the G-Men (11) are possible landing spots if a QB they like slides to those spots and the Pats want to act.

Ancient Draft History:If one of the ballyhooed QB’s slides to them and they act, it won’t be the first time they’ve taken a QB at 15. The other time was 1983 for (gulp) Tony Eason. Not a horrible player, but soft as a grape and got famously yanked in SB 20 because he was terrified of the Bears defense. Worse still, they passed on Dan Marino, who went 12 picks later to Miami. What might have been comes to mind, especially since the invincible Da Bears’ only loss in 1985 was a 38-24 verdict when Marino threw for 27 and three TDs.

Speaking of ancient history, when the Pats took Richard Seymour sixth overall in 2001, Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson went next to San Diego. So here’s the question: If that draft were held today would you stick with Big Richard or go with the top playmaker of that era? As good as LT was, but with three SBs being won by a defense-first team and he was its best player, they made the right call.

And One More Thing: With Brady winning the Super Bowl in Year 1 after basically being allowed to leave/pushed out, if Coach B trades does trade out of Round 1 altogether again, Patriot Nation will go berserk giving “In Bill We Trust” its second major hit in a year.

There are seven days left in the endless lead-up to the NFL draft, when mock drafts from so-called experts have grown from being fun draft-day reading into a four-month-long marathon. All being presented by “insiders” who act like they know exactly what each team is thinking. Except since everyone is different, it shows no one is doing anything more than guessing.

Case in point, all the yacking following the 49ers trading up to the third spot to supposedly get Alabama QB Mac Jones because he’s Coach Kyle Shanahan’s kind of pocket passing QB. That caught special attention in Patriot Nation because it could impact NE’s ability to fill their long-term need at QB in a draft filled with high upside options. Except then came stories knocking Jones for not being an elite athlete and that SF really wanted uber athletic Trey Lance of North Dakota State, until Ohio State’s Justin Fields ran a 4.3 40 during his Pro Day. So the reality is they’re all just guessing about who’ll go right after Trevor Lawrence and BYU’s Zach Wilson are the first two QBs taken off the board by the Jags and Jets.

So the bottom line is don’t take it all as gospel. Just enjoy it all because it informs you about needs of teams ahead of the Pats and for how the big board ranks those who’ll be in play leading up to the Pats pick at (for now) 15. Here’s a guide to what they face next Thursday night, with a sprinkle of what I’d do if I were the GM making their decisions.

Should They Trade Up? It would be like Coach B to make everyone crazy by gambling that the QB they like will fall to them at 15. That doesn’t seem likely, but stranger things have happened. Having said that, unless they’re certain they can get who they want, they shouldn’t deal until they can guarantee they’ll get him.

Is Trading Up Worth The Price? It’ll take a combination of picks from Rounds 1-3 to go up. Here’s who they’ve taken in Rounds 1-3 since 2012. So you be the judge how damaging losing any of those picks would have been to the cause. Round 1 – Dont’a Hightower, Chandler Jones, Dominique Easley, Malcom Brown,Isaiah Wynn, Sony Michel, N’Keal Harry. Round 2 – Tavon Wilson, Aaron Dobson, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cyrus Jones, Jordan Richards, Duke Dawson , Joejuan Williams, Kyle Dugger. Round 3 – Jake Bequette, Logan Ryan, Joe Thuney, Geneo Grissom, Antonio Garcia, Chase Winovich and Anfernee Jennings. For me, out of 24 picks or tradeouts, just Hightower, Jimmy G, Ryan, Thuney and Wynn are big losses and the last four could be replaced.

Who Needs To Be Boxed Out: (1) Denver (ninth) – Drew Lock is the latest John Elway QB failure. (2) Washington (19) – they’re going with 112-year-old short-term rental Ryan Fitzpatrick. (3) Chicago (20) – with the GM and coach on the hotseat, more likely they need immediate help from a veteran. (4) Pittsburgh (24) – Big Ben is on his last legs, so beware. (5) New Orleans (28) – if you missed the news Drew Brees just retired and has only question marks behind him.

The Possible Trade-Up Slots:

4 – Atlanta: With cap hits of $48 million, $40 million and $28 million over the next three years they can’t trade Matt Ryan. So it doesn’t make sense to draft a QB and sit him for two years. Realistic trade possibility.

5 – Cincinnati: Joe Burrow got killed all year leading to a torn ACL. So an improved O-Line is badly needed, which they can get at 15. Unless they prefer a top receiver like LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase.

6 – Miami: They’re not helping the Pats. But they can probably get one of Chase, Kyle Pitts, Devonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle among the top receivers they’re eyeing with the ninth spot they’d get in a trade with Denver.

7 – Carolina: They just gave up five draft picks for Sam Darnold so he’s probably on a two-year QB trial. A possible trade partner.

9 – Denver: They need a QB too and since the leap from 4, 5 or 6 from 9 is not as costly as it is from 15, they’re the biggest competitive threat.

Best Mock Draft Trade: Here’s the best trade-up deal I saw that gets the Pats in position to get a QB. It’s from NJ.com, which covers the Jets and Giants. They predicted a trade with Carolina for the eighth pick to take Lance in return for a first and third in 2021 and a second-round pick in 2022. Don’t know if it’s realistic, but the net is, their QB for just a second and a third. Providing I like the 17-0 in college Lance, where he never threw even one interception: done.

Is Athleticism Overrated? I guess the experts somehow missed that the 43-year-old who runs like an ostrich just won his seventh SB in February. And that 17 of the last 20 SB’s have been won by non-athletic QB’s. Which says that despite trendy thinking, QB athleticism is really a(n un-needed) luxury and that’s it.

Go QB Or Bust: I know they need one. But given that 34 of the 74 Round I QB’s since 1990 have been busts and 16 others just mediocre, picking in Round I guarantees nothing, not even for Lawrence. History shows one or more of the so-called top five QBs aren’t going to work out, and that 24 QB’s taken below Round 1 turned out to be very good to excellent, including three of the four leaders (Brady, Brees, Favre) in TD passes all-time. So we could look back in 10 years and see that likely second-rounders Kellen Mond of Texas A&M or Florida’s Kyle Trask were actually the guys who should have gone in Round I. All of which leaves me with only one clear feeling going into draft night.

One of my sports pet peeves is people who proclaim something as the greatest ever immediately after something great happens like the NCAA College Basketball semi-final game from two Saturdays ago won in overtime by Gonzaga over UCLA, which was sent to OT on a miraculous half-court heave by Zaga’s Jalen Suggs. Don’t mind the enthusiasm and I’m fine with saying that’s the best game I’ve ever seen because that goes to their personal history. What does bug me is that before you proclaim something to be the “greatest” ever, you should have seen, or know a lot about, what has happened before.

But there it was the next day on Facebook with a friend, who should know better, nominating Gonzaga-UCLA as the greatest game ever. Of course like the lunatic I am I launched back by writing back, “EVER? Really? Are you kidding me? I can name two off the top of my head right now that are better than last night.” Now, I don’t recommend it to the kids at home, and only people of a certain age will understand what I mean when I say when I hear something like that, it’s like Moe hearing N-I-A-G-A-R-A Falls on The Three Stooges right before he gives Curley the double-finger eye poke and then hits him over the head with the crowbar. My version of “slowly I turn” was firing back my list of 10 better games.

But before I get to them, let me say what in my not so humble opinion has to happen for a game to be great. (1) There needs to be a dramatic/memorable ending. (2) It has to be historic in some way. (3) There have to be great players involved who build a sense of anticipation going in, like Magic vs. Larry in 1979, though that didn’t live up to the hype, B-O-R-I-N-G. (4) Not perfection, but the ultra-competitive and an extremely high level of play. (5) It helps to have white hat and black hat teams, like Georgetown was during the Hoya Paranoia glory day. (6) A major upset or near miss. (7) A great player performance like Bill Walton’s 21-for-22 day vs. Memphis State in 1973 when the only miss was a disallowed dunk because they weren’t legal then. How many young’ns know that? (8) The game should be played by historically great teams. (9) Or the game itself is so dramatically exciting it renders all my conditions moot. The only game I’ve ever seen do that was The Miracle On Ice at the 1980 Olympics.

Here’s my list from 10th to best.

North Carolina 77, Michigan 71: The Fab 4 was arguably the most publicized team in college basketball history, but it was 73-71 when the leader of the now all sophomore starting lineup, Chris Webber, called the fateful timeout Michigan didn’t have. UNC gets free throws and the ball to close it out.

Indiana 74, Syracuse 73: Keith Smart baseline buzzer-beater in the 1987 Final gives Bobby Knight his third title.

UNC 63, Georgetown 62: Two Hall of Fame coaches, two all-time great players, Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan, and soon to be a first overall NBA pick James Worthy. Jordan’s all-time shot wins the 1983 Final right before Fred Brown mistakenly passes it to Worthy on final possession.

Duke 79, UNLV 77: Duke ends sinister UNLV’s bid for an undefeated season and a second straight title in the 1991 semi.

UNC 53, Kansas 52 in 3OT: With no one over 6’5” the Tar Heels survive a second straight triple-OT game to take down towering Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas, though MOP still goes to Wilt.

Villanova 66, Georgetown 64: Eight seed Nova shoots down its invincible Big East rival in the 1985 final by shooting 9 for 10 in the second half and 78 percent overall.

Duke 61, Butler 59: Largest lead was five and if Gordon Hayward’s mid-court shot drops the 2010 NCAA Final would have been the biggest upset in history. But instead the clock struck 12 to end Cinderella Butler’s dream as Coach K won his fourth title.

ND 71, UCLA 70: Second-ranked ND took down top-ranked UCLA to end its 88-game winning streak in January 1974 when with 29 seconds left as Dwight Clay’s 15-footer gave ND its only lead, followed by a Bruins miss and three frantic put backs before jubilant ND fans poured onto the court to celebrate the historic win.

Duke over Kentucky 104-103 in OT: The 1992 East Regional Final featured two HoF coaches and the most memorable full court pass in history from a Top 50 player (Grant Hill) to a Top 10 member (Christian Laettner) for the fake left, spin right foul line jumper that won it to make Laettner 10 for 10 from the field and 10 for 10 from the foul line in the game.

North Carolina State 80 UCLA 77 in 2OT: This wins for drama, historic nature, all-time figures (John Wooden, Bill Walton, David Thompson) and great performances along with NC State fighting back from 7 down in the final minutes of regulation and 5 down in the second OT. And, oh yeah, it ended UCLA’s 37-game tournament winning streak and reign of seven titles.

There’s my Top 10 with honorable mention going to 1966 when Texas Western’s first ever all-Black starting lineup took down Kentucky, NC State beating Houston with Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon a last-second Lorenzo Charles dunk, and the spectacular 1974 ACC 103-100 Final won by NC State over Maryland.

As for Gonzaga-UCLA: Great game, lots of drama and a historically memorable play. But I’ve seen many games I thought were better because, with all due respect, I didn’t think the teams were that good, Gonzaga’s quest for an undefeated season was aided by playing in a second-tier conference, there were no historic players, and the great Suggs shot wouldn’t have counted in H-O-R-S-E because he didn’t call the bank.

Well, the local nine put all those in Red Sox Nation with fears a second titanic-like season is dead ahead on Defcon 5 by getting swept by Baltimore right out of the box. It’s only the second time they’ve started a year with three straight losses at home and the first since 1948. Made all the worse by its being at the hands of the horrible for two decades Orioles.

Making matters even worse was after a historically bad team-wide pitching performance in 2020 they gave up 17 runs in three games and started the season with their two best pitchers on the DL. Though it’s expected that after missing all of last year it will be a short stay for Eduardo Rodriguez, who went there with the common late spring training malady “dead arm.” On the other hand the returning from Tommy John surgery Chris Sale likely won’t be seen before mid-July.

Compounding it all is the total organizational makeover underway by new (sort of) stat geek GM Chaim Bloom, which in two short seasons turned a 108-win world championship team into a last-place finish in the AL East. So, given the major skepticism coursing through the Nation for Bloom and his plan, it’s going to make finding even a glimmer of optimism a little tough. But seeing now that JD Martinez has his beloved video tools back he jumped out going 5-10 with a homer after his miserable 2020 campaign probably qualifies. There’s also, warts and all, the curiosity of seeing how/whether Bobby Dalbec develops into the Tony Conigliaro-like power hitter some are predicting, which would be sweet.

In the meantime, as some sit patiently, others not so much, watching the year unfold, here are some stories to keep an eye on around baseball as we begin the 2021 season.

Hoping Cleveland does what it appears Washington will do after dropping the Redskins nickname to be the Washington Football Team. Since contrived new nicknames rarely stick with anyone, The Cleveland Baseball Team rings true.

Baseball 101: Which player is the active leader in career hits?

Incidentally, if you follow these sort of things, Dalbec’s five strikeouts over the weekend project to 270 over 162 games. Probably a bit of an aberration, but if you’re headed to Vegas I’d bet the over on his K’s for the year no matter what it is.

For the record, the record for strikeouts in one season is 223 held by ex-Oriole Mark Reynolds in 2009. The 200-K season tells all what baseball has become in 2021. All 13 times someone has struck out 200-plus times have happened since 2008, when Reynolds whiffed 204 times. And you have to go all the way down to 31 on the single season list to find someone from the 20th century. That would be Barry’s father Bobby Bonds, who K’d 189 times with the Giants in 1969.

Actually there is another thing that exemplifies what baseball 2021 is: the handling of the pitching staff, and it only took all of two games for me to want to throw up in my mouth all over again on that after hearing Twins manager Rocco Baldelli pulled Jose Berrios on Saturday with a no-hitter in progress. Making it more maddening is that despite having a pitch count-consuming 12 strikeouts in six innings vs. Milwaukee he’d thrown just 84 pitches. Guess 84 is the new 100 pitch count. Despite that lunacy from Rocco, Minnesota still won 2-0. Here’s hoping Minnesota goes 1-161 after that.

However, from baseball’s sickening follow-the-leader approach to managing comes the story of Angels pitcher/outfielder Shohei Ohtani. In the first game he ever hit in the order on the day he pitched Ohtani achieved a first of its kind double-double. He registered 100 mph-plus three times in the first inning, then on the first pitch he saw later that inning he hit a 450-foot homer that went out at 115 mph. He also became the first pitcher to bat second in the order since the Cardinals’ Jack Dunleavy last did it in 1903!

Baseball 101 Answer: Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera is the hit leader with a 46th best all-time 2,867.

Cabrera is also 12 homers short of 500. But given recent history neither’s a lock for 2021. He’s only had the 133 hits needed for 3,000 once since the year after Dave Dombrowski made him the highest paid player in 2016. Ditto on the homers he needed for 500. And they still owe him a mind-bending $120 million.

Albert Pujols has even bigger historical targets in range, He’s 37 homers and 33 doubles shy of becoming the first ever member of the 700 club in both categories. Plus he’s 111 RBI behind Babe Ruth’s 2,214 for second best all time in runs batted in. However, like Cabrera he’s only reached each needed number one time in his nine years with the Angels.

Incidentally the $342 million 10-year contract Francisco Lindor just got from the Mets is not apples and apples with the Sox passing on a big one for Mookie Betts. The motivation in Metland was a new owner looking to make a good first impression. Plus they had just given up a lot of talent to bring him to NYC, and it would have made no sense to do that for a one-year rental. And new owner Steve Cohen is also a lifelong Mets fan boy and his team hadn’t won it since 1986.

Hearing that a Tommy John survivor hit 100 on the gun had to be music to Sale’s ears. Though never a strikeout pitcher like Sale, the real TJ went on to have three 20-win seasons, win 164 games overall and pitch until he was 46 after becoming the first to have it done in 1975.

So I’m guessing there is hope for an eventual return to form by Sale.