Much to be Thankful for in Boston

Did you know that a Boston team hasn't finished with a record below .500 since the 2006-07 Celtics? We're one of 13 cities across the country which have all four of the "Big 4" sports leagues, and let me say, none of those cities have had even close to the run of good fortune we've had here in the Bay State. It seems as though in every other city, there will be one championship contender, one solid playoff team, and one or two more laughing stocks.

Not here. Since the Celtics run of futility ended following their 24-58 campaign, no Boston team has finished with a worse winning percentage than .549, the 2010 Red Sox (89-73). Of a possible 14 playoff appearances, 12 have have been clinched by Boston teams (the 2008 Patriots and the 2010 Red Sox being the exceptions). If you want to get cynical, you can point the Patriots failure to complete the march to 19-0, or the Bruins blowing a 3-0 series lead to Philly, or the Celtics blowing a 13 point lead in Game 7 of the finals, but you know what? How many other cities have had teams even in those positions?

There's no doubt the sting of 18-1 hurts, the Bruins becoming just he 4th team ever to blow a 3-0 series lead is embarrassing, but year in, year out, all four of our teams are contenders. Of the 3 teams actively playing right now, can you definitively write off any of their chances to win a title this season? The Patriots lead the NFL in points and Tom Brady is an MVP candidate. The Bruins have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL and it looks like Milan Lucic is blossoming into a bona fide superstar. The Celtics have arguably the best point guard alive right now in Rajon Rondo, and Delonte West just broke his wrist so we won't have to worry about him screwing things up for a few weeks anyways. 

And even outside of Boston, it's great to watch some of our chief rivals falling apart. The Miami Heat are 8-7! If they were in the Western Conference, they wouldn't even be a playoff team if the season ended today. What should you do, LeBron? The Yankees are royally screwing up their negotiations with franchise icon Derek Jeter, to the point he could absolutely pull a Favre and play for one of the Yankees arch-rivals......The Colts are on the outside looking in of the playoff picture and have absolutely no running game to speak of.

If this is possible.....

.....So is this

I'm not saying we're winning the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, AND NBA Finals. But if it does happen, will I be all that shocked? Absolutely not. Because even one of those would be a huge treat. Patriots are about to kick off here on Thanksgiving against the Lions, I'm thinking Pats 35-14. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Ramblin' Man: 11/20/10

First things first, RIP Pat Burns, former Bruins coach succumbed to cancer after a lengthy battle yesterday. Burns hoisted the Stanley Cup in his first season as New Jersey Devils coach in 2003, and was the only coach to win the Jack Adams Award (NHL coach of the year) on three separate occasions, once with the B's in 1998. Rest easy Pat.

If you caught the Celtics last night, and saw their final offensive possession with Delonte West shooting the potential game-tying 3, did you find yourself screaming at the television too? I know I was. How is it that with the best 3-point shooter of ALL-TIME (sorry, Reggie) on our team, that Delonte freakin' West gets to take a shot in that situation? Not to mention Paul Pierce, who knows a thing or ten about knocking down clutch shots. I know its simply an early regular season game, but Durant didn't even play last night for the Zombie Sonics. Safe to say, I think we've seen the last of Delonte West on the floor in crunch time. And if you don't know who I'm referring to as the best three point shooter of all-time, well, this isn't the blog site for you.

I mean, he beat Denzel one-on-one.

Speaking of Durant, troubling news out of Portland. 2007 no. 1 overall pick Greg Oden is out for the season--again--and will undergo microfracture surgery on his left knee. This will be the second time Oden has missed an entire season due to a knee injury; he missed his entire rookie campaign as well, resulting in microfracture surgery on his right knee. You've really gotta feel for Oden. He seems like a genuinely good guy, he obviously possesses an amazing skill set, and yet he'll have played in just 82 out of a possible 328 career games by the end of this season. What does this have to do with Durant? You might recall that the Blazers had a choice of whom to select with that no. 1 pick back in 2007, considered one of the deepest draft classes of the decade, and went with the Buckeye Oden over the Longhorn Durant. It just seems like the Blazers have been through this before......

Sam Bowie through 3 seasons: 10.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg
Michael Jordan through 3 seasons: 31.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3 all-star appearances, 1984-85 Rookie of the Year, 2 scoring titles

Greg Oden through 3 seasons: 9.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg
Kevin Durant through 3 seasons: 25.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1 all-star appearance, 2007-08 Rookie of the Year, 1 scoring title

For those who weren't aware, Portland had the no. 2 overall pick in the 1984 draft. Hakeem Olajuwon went no. 1 to Houston, and then the Blazers were left to decide between center Sam Bowie or swingman Michael Jordan. Oden plays center, Durant's also on the wing. Draw your own conclusions. Is Portland just Cleveland West? Does God hate Rip City? It could be worse, Portland fans. You guys own the entire Pacific Northwest since the Sonics were hijacked to Oklahoma.

Would it make Sonics fans feel any better had Oden become Oklahoma City's problem?

So there's lots of talk coming out right now about Justin Upton being on the trade market. I can't help but ask.....why? He's 23 years old, really one of the only bright spots on the dreadful Diamondbacks over the past couple of years, has averaged 19 stolen bases over the past two years, already has 60 career home runs, and a very respectable .824 OPS that should only go up as he improves his plate discipline. Theoretically, he doesn't hit his prime for a few years even. The 2009 all-star has numbers that compare favorably with Andruw Jones, Jack Clark, and Juan Gonzalez through their first 3 seasons. All 3 of them wound up with multiple all-star appearances, and Gonzalez was a two-time AL MVP. So the question becomes: if the Diamondbacks are serious about trading him, what parts can the Red Sox give them in return? 2009 1st Round draft choice Casey Kelly would almost certainly have to be included in any deal, as would young reliever Daniel Bard. Jacoby Ellsbury would likely have to be dealt as well. Bottom line? As long as the Diamondbacks don't ask for anyone named "Lester" or "Buchholz", I do this deal in a heartbeat without even thinking about it. 

Not that it matters, but Upton is VERY affordable, being signed through the 2015 season under a 6 year/$50 million contract. Which just adds to the head scratching of his availability.

If Ellsbury was to be included in any package, I'm in favor of signing Carl Crawford to replace him in the outfield. But we'll touch on this in a later blog. 

Pats-Colts tomorrow. As I mentioned earlier, it's the teams' first meeting since The 4th and 2 Game. The premier rivalry in the NFL, Tom Brady is 7-4 against Peyton Manning since 2001. However, since 2005, the Colts are 5-1 against the Pats (with an additional win coming against Matt Cassel in 2008), the Patriots lone victory being the 18-0 season. It's time for the Pats to regain that swag they possessed earlier this millennium and knock Indy down consistently again. Prediction: Patriots 27, Colts 21.

If LeBron feels all high and mighty over his recent "Time Person of the Year" nomination, he should probably look at some of his competition before he gets too excited. Sarah Palin and Lady Gaga are also among the finalists. So what exactly are the qualifications for this award again?

Patriots vs. Steelers: Week 10

25-2. Remember that record for a minute or two and continue on.

What is the significance of 25-2? It would be the Patriots record following a loss since the 2003 season. It seems hard to fathom that a team could only lose back-to-back games twice over the past 7+ seasons, but thanks to a classic bounce-back performance last night, the Patriots can still lay claim to that impressive stat.

Following the shocking 34-14 dismantling at the hands of the Cleveland Browns (no, that's not a misprint, the Browns dismantled the Patriots), it wasn't too far-fetched to think that perhaps the Pats' 6-1 start was a mirage, and with the Steelers and Colts lurking they would begin to fall back to the pack. Was Tom Brady missing Randy Moss? Was the young defense starting to experience growing pains? What happened to the surprisingly effective running game?

One for each Gronkowski TD reception last night.

For now, all of those fears can be tossed to the curb after a 39-26 victory for the Patriots. Brady looked as good as he had all season, completing 30 of 43 passes for 350 yards to go along with 4 touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing). Eight different Patriots caught a pass, hearkening memories of the old-school "finding the open receiver" edition of Brady. He didn't seem to have much trouble at all with the much ballyhooed Pittsburgh D, be it from deep within his own territory or in the red zone. Wes Welker reeled in 8 passes, matching a season high, while Deion Branch, who'd been quiet since his initial triumphant return to New England, caught 7, which was as many as his previous three games combined. But the story of the night amongst the receivers has to be rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski, who snagged a career-high 5 passes with 3 for touchdowns, also a career high. Gronk now has 6 TD's on the season, which is more than Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, and Heath Miller combined. He is fast emerging into one of Brady's favorite red zone targets, a role which is there for the taking sans Moss.

It had to feel especially good for Gronkowski, the 2nd round pick out of Arizona, after a dreadful performance the previous week against Cleveland. Gronk lost a fumble on the goal line when New England could have cut the deficit to 17-14 shortly before the half, which would have greatly changed the complexion of the game from there on. He also had several drops in the contest.

Along with Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots tight end corps has certainly eased the painful memories of Ben Watson from the past several years.

The Patriots also became the first team all season long to rush for more than 100 yards against the Steelers, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis leading the charge, accumulating 87 yards on 18 carries.

On the defensive side of the ball, these kids continue to make strides that no one saw coming, certainly not this soon. Albeit against a depleted Pittsburgh offensive line, the Patriots pass-rush sacked Ben Roethlisberger 5 times, with Mike Wright and Tully Banta-Cain leading the way with 1.5 each. "Big Ben", known for his elusiveness, was being hounded by the Patriots D all night long, being flushed from the pocket on several other occasions and being knocked down on many others.

Normally elusive in the pocket, the only thing Roethlisberger could have eluded last night was the law, something else he's excelled in over the years.

Jerod Mayo had 9 more tackles, becoming the first player in the NFL this season to reach the 100 mark. With 105 tackles, he leads Chad Greenway of the Vikings by 13 for first place. Mayo may not be the flashiest middle linebacker type like a Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher, but he's everywhere you need him to be, and he rarely, if ever, blows an assignment. Excelling in stopping the run ("Run Prevention" if you will, maybe Theo goes after him this off-season?), the 2008 defensive rookie of the year looks like a safe bet to make his first Pro Bowl appearance. 

As tough as it is to draw any negatives out of a game like last nights, it warrants mentioning that the Patriots let the Steelers hang around right until the end, never definitively stomping on the proverbial throat. In a way this game reminded me of Week 1 against Cincinatti, where the Patriots dominated the early portion of the game but allowed the Bengals to accumulate a ton of garbage-time points. Nothing to get too worked up over, especially considering that the Steelers are still an elite team, we think.

It's also fairly easy to see why Shayne Graham was sitting around on the streets, waiting for an injury in order to find work again. It's one thing to have an extra-point blocked, but to straight up miss one wide? Inexcusable for a professional kicker. Hey, at least he didn't miss 3 field goal attempts like a certain kicker from the Meadowlands, who's team continues to get luckier by the week and will almost certainly eventually fail. And no, I'm not talking about the Giants.

To adopt a tradition from hockey, I'm going to award "3 Stars" to the top performers of the game yesterday:

3. Mike Wright and Tully-Banta Cain

2. Tom Brady

1. Rob Gronkowski

Next up for the Pats? Peyton Manning and the Colts come rolling into Foxboro. I believe these teams know each other fairly well. Much has changed since their last meeting, the "4th and 2" game, but the rivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning remains very much the same. The MVP race could be shaped by the outcome of this one.

The Mossapalooza Tour

In some ways, it really isn't all that surprising. The whispers had been getting louder and louder over the course of the off-season. Randy Moss felt "unhappy" and "unwanted" in New England. He was making it very clear that he wasn't happy with his contract expiring at the end of the season, to the point that it was becoming somewhat of a distraction in Foxboro. A distraction? In Foxboro, home of Bill Belichick? Those simply don't happen in these parts, not under the reign the Hoodie.

Moss pissed and moaned and did everything short of holding out (which, ironically, probably looks like it would have served him better now), and was traded back to the Minnesota Vikings, a team with which he became an national icon--for better and for worse--from 1998-2004.

It seemed like the cards were starting to fall in Moss's favor. Minnesota's offense was in dire straits at the time of the trade, averaging just under 10 points a game while sputtering to a 1-2 start. That wasn't how it was supposed to go down in 'Sota this year, not with Brett Favre returning for one last run and with virtually the same team returning in tact from their NFC Championship Game run of a year ago. Moss would be labeled as the savior, establishing a long-desired connection with Brett Favre, that would pave his way to monstrous numbers, but more importantly, a monstrous contract extension.

Moss Part II in Minnesota is exactly like Caddyshack II: Let's just pretend it never happened and not tarnish the original.

Don't sell yourself short Randy, you're a tremendous slouch. When you want to be.

Just four weeks after Moss's return to the land of 10,000 Lakes, he's on the road again. The Vikings went just 1-3 with Moss back in his familiar no. 84, while the Patriots have prospered, going 3-0 without Rand University's most famous alum, including a win over those very Vikings this past Halloween.

Which brings us to why exactly it's gotten to this point. If you haven't seen Moss's post-game news conference yet, you need to do so. It's perplexing, hilarious, damaging, and ridiculous, all wrapped into one. This could go right up there with Allen Iverson's "practice", Dennis Green's "they are who we thought they were", or Jim Mora's "playoffs". To summarize, Moss spends virtually no time talking about the game, instead praising the Patriots, in particular coach Belichick. Moss refers to BB as "the best coach in football history" towards the end, and spends the rest of the rant talking about how much he misses New England.

The expression goes, you don't realize how much you love something until it's gone, something like that anyways. Only now does Moss realize that his best chance to put up those gaudy numbers was here with the Patriots.  To a degree, I think Moss certainly does miss being a Patriot. But reading between the lines, you have to wonder how much he really misses being here versus how much he's going to miss the opportunity for a big new contract at the end of the year.

Randy Moss is now bound for Tennessee, which will become his third team of the season. It's rare enough for players to change teams mid-season anyways, especially star players. To change teams THREE times? That just doesn't happen. I don't have the exact numbers, but I'd be willing to bet that never before in the NFL has a player the caliber of Randy Moss suited up for three different teams in one season while still in their prime.

Will it work for Moss as a Titan? He instantly upgrades the receiving corps there, which has been a rather underwhelming crew for the past several years. He gives Vince Young an established target, the likes of which he hasn't yet had in the NFL. Teams will start to focus a bit more on the Titans passing game, opening up more lanes for superstar running back Chris Johnson in the middle of the field. So for Tennessee, this move was a no-brainer. Jeff Fisher is definitely one of the few coaches out there who should be able to make the most of Moss's abilities, all while keeping him under control. Then again, so was Bill Belichick. And make no mistake, "accuracy" certainly isn't a word that comes to mind when describing Vince Young, which is definitely something to consider.

With the Titans entering a Bye this week, Moss will have some time to get acclimated into his new surroundings. For his sake, he'd better hope the extra week to prepare serves him well, as he begins the stretch run for what is likely to be his final big pay day in the NFL. Because if this final chance doesn't, it's not even the paycheck he'll have to worry about; it could be whether there will even be a paycheck to worry about.