Archive for the ‘nfl’ Category

I was just thinking…

Just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do, to wit: While you might have the right to buy your son an AR-15 as a gift even after he has been investigated by the FBI as a potential school shooter but as a father I submit it’s the wrong thing to do.

I simply don’t understand why Elon Musk’s twitter/X/whatever stubbornly refuses to re-instate Robert Stacy McCain. He was one of the first conservatives banned by twitter for the monstrous crime of quoting Radical feminists in their very own words and while there have been many others whose have been re-platformed on twitter Stacy is not one of them.

The number of lonely liberal men in the world must be high because between James O’Keefe OMG, Project Veritas and now Stephen Crowder there seems to be a limitless supply of such men willing to spill their guts to a honey pot who shows interest in them. Hey somebody has to be paying the money to those only fans models.

I think it’s no coincidence that the rise in antisemitism and the attempts to re-write the history of World War 2 (particularly the holocaust) are taking place when the youngest world war 2 vets alive are 97 years old. You don’t have a Dick Winters to come on TV to call them out anymore.

The best move that Dwight D Eisenhower ever did was making every US soldier who was able to see the camps so they couldn’t be denied. I distinctly remember Andy Rooney talking about seeing the camps one day but I (unexpectedly) can’t find the video anywhere.

The Red Sox broke their losing streak by beating the worst team in baseball history The 2024 Chicago White Sox whose current winning Percentage (.225) is a full .025 points behind the legendary 1962 Mets (.250). With 20 games to go The White Sox will have to go 9-11 to avoid the new “Worst Team EVAH!” title (.450). I just don’t see that happening.

Speaking of the NY Mets winning percentage from 2017 – 2023 the Indiana Heat of the WNBA have a combined winning percentage equal to those 62 Mets (58-74) with no playoff appearances, no winning records. In 2022 their winning percentage was .139 (5-31). This season they have clinched one of the 8 playoff spots currently holding 6th but mathematically could still finish as high as 4th or as low as 7th. That’s how much of an impact has Caitlyn Clark has on her Indiana Fever team. That’s a Babe Ruth class impact.

To put that last phrase in context in the 12 season years before Babe Ruth joined the NY Yankees (Highlanders till 1913) they had managed only two winning seasons. Not only would they would not have a losing record with Ruth on the roster (1918-1934) but the Babe would not live to see them have a losing season. He would die in 1948 and they would not have a losing season until 1965

In my 1972 online baseball league by all rights the Cleveland Indians season should be finished. They sit at 68 – 80 with 14 to play 7 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins who currently hold the final wild card spot in the AL. However not only have the Twins been collapsing spectacularly (2-8 in last 10) but they get three head to head games vs them next with a chance to get themselves back in it and have a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way. Alas for them the only team with an easier schedule, are those same Twins.

Finally the NFL season has started and will have their first full set of games this Sunday. They opened with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Baltimore Ravens setting Patrick Mahomes on the path to another playoff season. How Dominant is Mahomes he has only lost 3 playoff games in his career and only one to a quarterback not named Tom Brady. How dominant are the pair of them? More than half of the Superbowls played in the 21st Century have had at least one of them playing in it (Brady 10, Mahomes 4) and the soonest that can no longer be true is 2027.

One of the side effects of the Boston Celtics being blown out in game four vs the Mavericks after winning the first three is to remind us just how Great Tom Brady is and why he deserves a place in the Pantheon with Bill Russell (11 rings) and Yogi Berra (13 Rings) or maybe even beyond them.

Both Yogi and Bill had an advantage that Tom did not, the ability to either:

  1. Have a bad game
  2. Have your opponent have a great game

This advantage is inherent to a playoff series. You can lose a single game or multiple games, you can have a bad night, your team can have a bad night, you can make a huge mistake in a game, and you can still win because it’s a best of seven series.

Not Tom Brady.

In football it’s one and done, if you have a bad day, tough luck, you’re out.

If your opponent has an incredible game (think Pats Eagles) even if you played great, tough luck you’re out.

If your opponent has a lucky break (Think Pats Giants and the Helmet catch) tough luck your out.

That’s why it’s so hard to win at that level in football and that’s why Tom Brady is and will remain the GOAT until someone matches his level.

Brady’s Pats were not allowed a game like the Celts had that why even if the green raise the trophy over their heads in the Garden Tomorrow, they will not be anywhere near Brady level great.

Bill Russell is in my opinion the greatest basketball player who ever lived and no man is more valuable in a world series that Yogi Berra, but when it comes to greatness Tom Brady is right there if not higher.

Period!

Tonight is game three of the series between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat which is a rematch of the Eastern Conference Final.

The Celtics were widely expected to sweep but after an embarrassing loss at home in game 2 they shut down the depleted heat in a defensive clinic that was a sight to behold. One might thing this would make tonight’s game a must win for Miami but I’m thinking it’s a must win for Boston.

On paper these two teams aren’t on the same planet but the Heat are one of the best coached teams in the game and have a never say die attitude. If they manage to steal game 4 at home all those old questions about the Celtics heart will return and it will mean that the Celtics will need to win at least one more at home where the Heat dominated them last year in the playoffs.

As they say, that’s why they play the games.


Speaking of playing the game the Boston Bruins are in almost every measurable sense worse than last year. Last year they set a record for regular season points, this year they finished 2nd in their division two Bruins greats retired.

Yet they now have a 3-1 advantage going into game 5 on Tuesday.

It would be quite an irony if their lesser team made the greater run this season. The real question however is will they return to their rotation at Goalie or will Swayman who has played in all of Boston’s wins get the call and Ullmark who lost game 2 remain on bench?

The media have a whole day to discuss it.


To say this young Boston Red Sox team has been a surprise is a understatement and a half

Despite trouble vs a good Cleveland team they managed to not only sweep a decent Pirates team in Pittsburgh but take two of three from a first place Cubs team even going so far as to put a 17-0 drubbing on them.

And this from a team whose disabled list is a who’s who of their opening day roster.

The young kids have delivered and now sit in 3rd place just 3 out of first and a 1/2 game behind in the wild card. All without spending tens of millions on free agents

Off in St. Louis I suspect Chaim Bloom is watching the team he built win and smiling.


There is a ton of talk about the Patriots drafting Drake May with the 3rd pick of the draft, and a lot will be written about him, but did you know the Pats picked up a second QB in round 6?

New England picked up QB Joe Milton III from Tennessee with the 193rd pick of the draft which they picked up from the Jaguars.

Jordan Schultz says this about the pick:

Milton checks in at an impressive 6-5, 235 pounds with an incredibly strong arm. Big time sleeper for me in this draft.

It may be insurance with their current crop of QB (except May) all free agents after this year, he may be converted to another position by the time he hits the field but historically New England has had a lot of luck with 6th round quarterbacks who had six or more QB’s picked ahead of him.


Finally my Dynasty face to face league opens up this weekend.

I should be more excited by this team. I have both Othani & Acuna Jr and more importantly an infield of Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez not only all returning from last season but all with A ratings for durability meaning that none can be injured for more than 3 games at a shot.

Yet for some reason I’m ambivalent about them.

I have no such qualms about my online squads. My 1997 Reds who just missed a playoff spot last year are running wild on the bases, which is to be expected on a team with Rickey Henderson and Lance Johnson in the outfield and despite Wade Boggs spending three series on the DL are tied for 1st place.

Meanwhile in 1972 my judicious trades for both draft picks and prospects has paid off big. Doug Rader my 1st pick in round one may have been my third choice to fill my 3B slot but he leads the team in HR & RBI and is fielding up a storm. Much to my shock my late first round picks turned into last year’s Cy Young winner Don Wilson (15th pick) and Blue Moon Odem (18th pick) and together with Ken Holtzman, Al Downing and Mike Torrez who retuned from last year have been putting up numbers to be proud of. Meanwhile Ken Berry is catching anything near him in center with 2nd year man Caesar Geronimo doing the same in right while Pete Rose is hitting anything that comes near him and old friend Ron Fairly his playing like there is someone out to take his job (Mike Jorgenson). All that adds up to first place.

A seven game lead with 123 games to go doesn’t mean a lot but it beats trailing the pack.

I’m sorry but I can’t be the only person in the world who can’t handle the irony of watching and listing to the folks of sports radio and talk all beating their breasts over the Ohtani story just before they reveal their bets sponsored by the official sports book of whatever sport they’re covering at the moment.

I think Pete Rose nailed it

I wonder if draft kings is the official site for Baseball fans to place a bet on how all this ends?


The coach of the Bruins has come out hard against his team’s laxity after a loss against Philly saying bluntly that they aren’t ready for the playoffs.

Mind you this is a Bruins team that is tied for the most points in the NHL, then again last year they had a record setting regular season only to lose their first round series in seven.

I must confess that it has reached the point that if they have a one goal lead or are tied with under two minutes to go I expect them to give up a goal.

I find it one of the oddest things I’ve ever seen in sports


Yesterday the Celtics put their 10 game winning streak on the line against an Atlanta Hawks team that had a dozen players injured and quickly built up a 30 point lead on the Hawk’s home court.

Then managed to squander that lead by the 4th quarter and lose a game that they were favored to win by 12. It’s why you actually play the games.

Now in fairness games like this are going to happen occasionally particularly after a long winning streak and when facing a team with absolutely nothing to lose, but it highlights the problem with sports gambling because ask yourself how many people who lost what seemed a really safe bet are asking themselves if the fix was in?


Am I the only person in the world who appreciates the irony of after letting Brady go and dumping Belichick the first move for the Pats at QB is to sign a guy who was drafted by Bill and Backed up Brady?

In fairness nobody seems to be talking about the Jacoby Brissette signing because they’ve been too busy commenting on a documentary that seems to be all about hitting Belichick.

It’s as if 2001-2018 never happened and the Krafts want to blame Bill for all that’s ever been wrong in the world even though he was the guy who drafted Brady, who kept four QB’s to keep him on the roster, who designated him as the backup and decided to go with him when Bledsoe had healed up. No Bill, no Brady.

But I understand the sports boys wanted to talk about the old stuff, because the new product is likely not going to be all that interesting to watch.


Finally there seems to be a lot of fuss coming about the impending coming of Caitlin Clark to the WNBA. Clark has been filling arenas all over the country and give the possibility that the WNBA team that has he and their opponents might actually draw enough fans to create a team that could be solvent without NBA subsidies.

It appears however that Clark might not be all that welcome as she is guilty of the twin crimes of being both white and straight in a league that is “98% gay” and the idea that she might draw a bunch straight white fans who might swamp the microscopic numbers that the league currently draws seems to horrify the league as well.

It will be interesting to see what she does to the TV numbers because if they shoot up enough the powers that be might decide to lay down the law to the league that currently only exists on the charity and guilt of others.


Finally off to a 7-2 start for my 1972 league. There is a long way to go but as long as Al Downing (0-2) doesn’t pitch ever day for me it’s looking good.