Who Dat? The Answer...

Who Dat? It's time for the answer you've been awaiting all day. Couple good guesses once again. The regular participators are making guesses which is great. I love the efforts. Was one of those efforts successful today? It just might have been. But you can't be sure unless you check it out now.

What Aren't They Telling Us About Rondo?

Rajon Rondo supposedly withdrew from Team USA for family matters, but many aren't so sure.

It all seems so strange. Earlier this week, Rajon Rondo told reporters that he felt as though he was on the bubble for Team USA's roster. Later that day, he withdraws from the team. Most of the speculators believe that the coaching staff must have had something to do with this. We've seen guys in the past (a la Gilbert Arenas & Chauncey Billups in recent history) get bumped from the squad when they seemingly deserved to be there. But to me, Rondo makes less sense than anyone to take off the team. Derrick Rose? Stephen Curry? Russell Westbrook? I mean, these are the guys that will see time at point guard over Rondo. Mark Spears said it best in a radio interview today with 98.5. Those guys haven't had the clutch game experience Rondo has. In the final minutes of a tight game, you know what you're going to get -- both offensively and defensively -- out of Rajon Rondo. Westbrook and Curry? Not so much. Derrick Rose? Never been to the biggest stage. Some say it's because Rondo doesn't have the jump shot he needs. Since when does international basketball mean your point guard needs to shoot the lights out? Rondo has an improving jumper that isn't exactly massive steps down from the jumper of Derrick Rose. By all indications, Rondo was lighting it up in practice and his team was always winning the inter-squad scrimmages. The players love playing with him and he was getting along with the players. How exactly does an all-NBA point guard go from the starting lineup to the very back of the bench, leading him to withdraw himself from the team? Something else is going on here. It's not family matters. Too big of a coincidence that he said he was on the bubble earlier that day. So I'll jump to a conclusion and raise a question off of that. Why? Why doesn't this coaching staff want Rajon Rondo on this team? I can't seem to make much sense of it. Kid is a proven winner and probably the best all-around point guard in the league. Offensively, I'll give an edge to Chris Paul. But the steals that Rondo puts up, the rebounding (don't forget his 37-18-13 game against Cleveland) and everything else -- it's phenomenal. He's the best in the league in my opinion. And it's just such a strange phenomenon to see a guy starting one day and withdrawing himself the next. I don't know if news will break eventually about something else they didn't tell us here, but I'm pretty convinced there's something. Major or minor, there's another reason why Rajon Rondo isn't suiting up for Team USA at these world championships.

Fantasy MythBuster -- Sam Bradford

Rookie QB Sam Bradford was mighty impressive in his first start against New England.

This blog post might even be pointless, I don't know. But I just felt the need to make it, since Bradford's stock is actually rising and some fantasy players are actually picking him up. Maybe you're a smart fantasy guy and you didn't invest in Bradford's start against New England. But some people are investing in it, and I'm here to reprimand you for that.

Sam Bradford looked relatively unimpressive in his first two preseason games, but he shined in his start against the Patriots. I'll give you that. He was very, very impressive and he has a very bright future in this league. But it's not going to happen this year, people. Definitely not from a fantasy perspective. Hell, he's still not even listed as #1 on the depth chart yet. A.J. Feeley is the Rams starter. But let's say, for the sake of argument, Bradford becomes their opening day starter. He'll be under center behind an offensive line that allowed 44 sacks last season, and he has a receiving core that was already pretty bad before losing top wideout Donny Avery for the season (torn ACL vs Patriots). Steven Jackson is far and away their top offensive weapon and that will not change. It's not a passing offense out there in St. Louis. So that's working against Bradford. And ultimately, I can't believe that anyone is putting stock into a preseason game that the Patriots played in. Haven't you learned not to do that by now? They beat the Super Bowl champs and they lost to the 1-15 Rams. What did you notice about that Patriots defensive gameplan the other night? In the first two games, the DB's were jamming at the line and playing a very aggressive style. In this game, they were dropping into coverage. It wasn't because jamming didn't work. It was because Belichick needed to get a look at how guys play when dropping into coverage. We learned a few things that Devin McCourty needs to work on. Those things wouldn't have been exposed if they kept the same game plan as before. If that were a regular season game, Sam Bradford would have seen such a different defensive scheme from New England that I would guarantee his passer rating would have dropped a solid 20-30 points. Bradford won't see coverages that easy to pick apart in the regular season. It just won't happen.

But, for the sake of argument, let's say it does. Let's say Bradford plays the way he did against the Patriots once the regular season rolls around. Is he even fantasy worthy? Most leagues stick with 1 QB these days, and the answer for leagues like that is no chance in hell. In a 2-QB league, I can maybe see the reasoning behind considering adding him for your bench. And only to keep your bench warm. But you need depth at running back and wide receiver. Those are the guys you fill your bench with. Not rookie QBs who are #2 on the depth chart earning the spot on your squad based on one preseason showing against New England. I'm sorry, but it's just nearly impossible for Bradford to become a viable fantasy option this season. I know bench slots are very valuable and precious in my league. If they are remotely important in your own league, just take my advice -- don't sign Bradford.

A Month Later, ESPN Catches On

This morning there was an article on ESPN Boston written by Gordon Edes. It is partially in response to the Bill Simmons article that I bashed on July 30th. A month ago. And now ESPN is fully on board with the idea that the Red Sox are not boring. Come on! How can you call them boring? Look what's happening! Welcome to the party, ESPN. Some of us have been keeping the seat warm for a while now.

"For all of you who decided that these Boston Red Sox are boring -- and evidently, there are a lot of you, considering that 'Red Sox boring' produced 350,000 hits on Google -- you can leave now. Turn off the lights. And close the door behind you." -- Gordon Edes, ESPN Boston (August 28th).


I mean, hey -- I'm glad that Gordon Edes had his epiphany that the Sox aren't boring. Now that they are within 4.5 games, they will admit that they're exciting. They all have to wait for something great to happen before they'll go forward with the idea. Personally, I didn't see the need to wait until the midst of a crucial series with the Rays with the AL East lead as achievable as it's been in months.

"Just about every damn contributor on this team has gotten injured and missed time. How can you expect them to be riveting and exciting with Darnell McDonald starting in center every day and Bill Hall playing second base? Kevin Cash catching? Triple-A players being called upon to fill the shoes of all-stars? Given the hand they have been dealt, I think it has been pretty exciting watching the Red Sox this year." -- DRob, Ultimate Boston (July 30th).


They've been exciting all year. I'm not buying this stuff about how now, all of a sudden, they're exciting because they beat the Rays in the first game. Spare me the misery. The Sox are playing the same baseball they have been for a while now. What's the difference? The Rays and Yankees are losing. New York's pitching rotation is a mess right now. Tampa's offense will just straight up flop on any given night. And above all, these Red Sox have always been within striking distance. You don't see me bash people all the time. But when people throw in the towel on a season before August rolls around, I can't help myself. Kind of like when "El Pres" said that Boston's August 7th game was "do or die." Seriously? I can't just let that go. And trust me, if the Red Sox make a nice run and get into the playoffs past one of these two teams, El Pres will never hear the end of it (even if he never even hears it in the first place because nobody actually reads Ultimate Boston). Long story short, I'm getting a little tired of the people who give up on this team and say it's all over in early August. But it's not just those people. If you're not a Red Sox fan, hey -- no big deal. I don't care. But when Boston makes the playoffs, El Pres and everyone else will be right back on the bandwagon hootin' and hollerin' for a world series ring. It happens every season with the Bruins and it will definitely be happening this year if the Sox make the playoffs. The fan base just magically triples in size for the postseason. Gotta love the bandwagoners.

Anyway, the exciting Sox will take on the Rays again in what can be another huge step forward in their hunt for a postseason spot. Cy Young contender Clay Buchholz is slated to take on Matt Garza for the Rays. Start time is 7:10 PM ET from the Trop.

Who Dat? Take a Guess

Sorry this is about a half-hour late. But Who Dat? There's this nifty leaderboard down here and it's begging to have your name added to it. Yesterday was a tough one with Rhona Mitra. What about today though? Can you bounce back strong?

Bruce	5 points
Fitch	3 points
Ed B	2 points
Enahs	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Magz	2 points
Hink	1 point
Mikey Diggs	1 point

Who Dat? Figure it out!

Why Would NESN Daily Interview Jerome Bettis?

I know a lot of people have made a complete mockery of NESN Daily and have turned it into a complete comedy. I didn't post this to accomplish that goal, but how can I avoid it? Jade McCarthy and Uri whatever his last name is just remind me of news reporters on The Onion. It looks like it's just a completely staged corny newscast sometimes. Like why the hell are we interviewing Jerome Bettis? He's a retired Steelers running back with no real connection to the Patriots except probably hating them on the field. And the sign-off line by Uri is just phenomenal. "Have fun." I guess that's a nice goodbye saying. It can apply to anything. She didn't exactly specific what she hoped Jerome would have fun doing, but she wants him to have fun. With life, I guess. But back to "The Bus." His analysis is just completely ridiculous. "The team that doesn't have the most injuries would be the team that probably wins." Just some great stuff there. But nothing trumps Uri's quote there after Jerome wouldn't give a Super Bowl prediction. "I was hoping you were gonna say, you know what? Tom Brady's gonna go out there and break every record that's out there. I know that running back by committee is gonna be the illest." Seriously, that's stuff you don't find anywhere else. I mean, everyone's calling NESN Daily awful television and how it's so bad it's good. Well, folks, that makes no sense. If people are watching it, it's good television. Because that's the point of television. It's not bad if everyone watches it every night. It may be different (and it absolutely is different with Jade & Uri) ... but it's not bad.
PS -- I still just want someone to tell me why on earth we called up Jerome Bettis while he was in Vegas to do an interview with NESN Daily.

Martinez, Lester Lead Sox Past Rays

Victor Martinez tags out BJ Upton on a play at home plate in the 6th inning.

Nobody has forgotten to mention that this series with the Tampa Bay Rays just might be the most important set of the season for the Boston Red Sox. In a matchup of lefty aces tonight, the Price was not right for Tampa -- Jon Lester was able to out-duel David Price to pick up his 14th win of the season. Boston 3, Tampa Bay 1.

Jon Lester allowed just 2 hits in 7 IP.

Lester was brilliant in most areas for the Sox, hurling 7 strong innings and fanning 10 batters. The Sox lefty allowed just 2 hits and 1 run (unearned) despite walking 5 and hitting a batter. He was carrying a no-hitter into the fourth inning before Carlos Pena beat the shift and drove a single into left-center field. The win bumps Lester to 14-8 on the season with an ERA of 3.12.

Offensively, Victor Martinez rose to the task for Boston tonight. Martinez got the Sox on the board in the first inning with a solo blast to left field, and he put on the duplication act with his seventh-inning blast to the same area of the ballpark. The long balls were the 11th and 12th homers of the season for Martinez. Jed Lowrie picked up the other RBI on his bloop single in the fourth frame. Everyone in the Red Sox order with the exception of the #9 slot -- occupied by Bill Hall and then Ryan Kalish -- recorded at least one hit in the game.

With Lester's 7 strong frames, he was able to build the bridge himself to Daniel Bard for the eighth inning. Bard was lights-out as usual, setting the table for closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth. As we have grown accustomed to with Pap, he gave us quite a heart-attack -- the winning run came to the plate with two outs -- but he managed to survive and pick up his 33rd save of the season. Through his recently improved performances, Papelbon has lowered his ERA to a respectable 2.91.

The Sox pick up one game on Tampa with the win, moving to within 4.5 of the Rays for the Wild Card. They might move within that same distance of the Yankees for the division lead, as well -- New York is losing 9-2 in the fifth as I write this. Their work is very, very far from being done, but tonight's win was a huge stepping stone in the right direction down the road of what could be a very special late season run.

This is Unacceptable to Me

So being the jersey hawk that I am, I decided to meander over to NFL.com's jersey selection and check out what they were selling to the loyal fans of the best league in the world. As I'm scrolling through, checking out different jerseys for different players (but not really intending to buy any of them) I come across what you see in the bottom-right corner of this picture here. Notice a difference? Every damn player on this whole page is represented by the same type of jersey for the thumbnail. Except for Tom Brady. To see Brady's jerseys, you have to click on a picture of a women's jersey for Brady. I wonder if he signed off on this (I wouldn't be surprised, actually). Is this subliminal messaging by the NFL? Are they trying to say that our QB is a prima donna pretty boy now? Sure, he probably (definitely) sells more women's jerseys than any player in the league. Chicks dig Brady. I understand that. But come on. Just about every player on that page is represented by a standard photo of an authentic style jersey. The jersey the player actually wears. Except Brady and a few others. Who are they? Well, Wes Welker is one of them. Represented by a picture of a damn T-Shirt! Are you for real, NFL? Is there any particular reason you couldn't just use pictures of the jerseys when I'm searching in the player jersey selection? Is that so much to ask? Troy Polamalu is represented by some strange picture of a bobblehead or something. Philip Rivers by a framed picture of himself. Why? I'm shopping for jerseys. You are misleading me.

Anyway, just wanted to rant about that real quick and reiterate the fact that it doesn't matter who thinks Tom Brady is a pretty boy. He's going to win a Patriots-Packers Super Bowl this season and beat out NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to win his third Super Bowl MVP award. You can go ahead and copy-paste this paragraph and stick it somewhere safe. Then you can run back to me and call me Nostradamus in February. Or, if you have the audacity, you can bookmark this page and criticize me when I'm wrong. I don't really care what you do with it, but when I'm right, you know I'm going to come straight back to this page and quote what I said on August 27th, 2010. That is all.

Who Dat? The Answer...

First of all, I just wanted to point out the improvement to our layout here. Did you notice the interface is wider? We're hoping this will make things look better to you, being able to see larger pictures and such. Anyway, I won't lie to you. Today's Who Dat was difficult. One of the toughest calls we've had so far. Did anyone get it, though? Better hurry and check it out.

Manny Ramirez Might Have a New Home

The White Sox have the rights to negotiate for Manny Ramirez for the next 4 days.

The Sox have been awarded their waiver claim on Manny Ramirez. But before you scratch your head and wonder how that's going to work -- note that it's the Chicago White Sox that I'm talking about.

Chicago now has 4 days to work out a deal with the LA Dodgers to acquire the future HOF slugger, who has missed a lot of time over the last two seasons due to suspensions and injuries. The White Sox are in a race for the central division title with the Minnesota Twins, and if Ramirez could produce, he could certainly help the team. Chicago is 3.5 games behind Minnesota and have very little chance of catching the Rays for the AL Wild Card spot.

We've seen it all before. The Manny era in Boston is long gone, both the good and the bad. I mean, the guy did win us a few World Series titles. You can't take that away from his name. But sometimes, the antics were too much to handle. They were certainly too much for the Dodgers to handle. Can Ozzie Guillen keep everything under control for his White Sox? That remains to be seen. If they do acquire Manny, though, they certainly better know what they're getting themselves into.

One important factor to note, also, is that Ramirez will likely be very cheap for whatever team ends up getting him. Los Angeles will end up paying a hefty portion of his remaining salary, by all indications. Chicago was one of three teams to place a claim on Ramirez. The Texas Rangers are believed to have made one of those other claims, while it is speculated that the Tampa Bay Rays were the third team interested.

Dear Red Sox Starters: Time to Earn Your Pay

Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and John Lackey are a combined 40-20 this season for Boston.

It's that time of year. We have reached the juncture of the season where your big-money guys need to play like big-money guys. With the most important series of the season kicking off tonight, Boston's top three starters all season -- Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and John Lackey -- will get the starts against the Tampa Bay Rays. And, without being too greedy, the Red Sox could really use a sweep in this weekend set from the Trop.

Boston is 5.5 games back of both the Rays and the Yankees. The good part is that the Sox still play each team 6 more times. If they can get hot against one of those teams, anything is still possible. Throw in the fact that the Yankees and Rays play each other 7 more times, and this hunt is far from over. But it starts tonight. Jon Lester needs to pitch like the Cy Young contender he was in the first half of the season. It won't be easy for Lester, who is going up against one of the only southpaws in the league as good as himself. David Price is 15-5 with a 2.96 ERA, and this rag-tag Red Sox lineup is going to have to find ways to produce against the ace of Tampa's staff.

Dustin Pedroia may need surgery on his sore foot that would end his 2010 campaign. It isn't definite as of yet, but the Red Sox have to move forward under the assumption that Pedroia isn't returning this year. Hell, it's going to be a very difficult go of it. Can you remember a team so decimated by injuries to have still made a splash in the postseason? Just getting there is enough of a challenge. And the Red Sox won't get there unless their top players produce to their abilities. Drop 2 out of 3 to the Rays in this series and you can all but kiss our playoff hopes goodbye.

Still, optimism reigns with this Red Sox club. They all feel like they're playing good baseball and that they have a big run left in them. Right now, just about every analyst on planet earth is etching the Yankees and Rays into the playoff stone. A three-game sweep and a huge momentum swing would cut that deficit to just 2.5 games and might start turning a few heads. The Rays have gotten the best of Boston just about all season long. This is the exact type of scenario for which we signed guys like Jon Lackey in the offseason. This is the situation that we hoped guys like Lester and Buchholz would be able to rise to the occasion for. In this town, you don't gain legendary status without clutch performances in games like these. Clay Buchholz -- do you ever want to reach Pedro status? You have a long road ahead of you, but it's important to know that putting up regular season stats isn't the only thing that makes someone great in Boston. This market comes with expectations, and clutch performances when everything is on the line are the factors that win these fans over. The Red Sox have their three best going up against Tampa's three best. It's as close to a playoff series for Boston as you'll get in the regular season. How will they respond?

There's a famous quote that reads, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." We all might remember Clay Buchholz's fabulous season this year. We all remember Jon Lester's fight back from cancer and his world series-clinching victory against the Rockies. We'll remember the quality starter that John Lackey can be. But will any of these guys become legends? That remains to be seen, but they're already headed down the road. Now it's time to show they have the gas in the tank to reach the end of that road. It starts tonight.

Torn Ligament for Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg is the biggest phenomenon on Nationals history.

It was pretty much the worst thing that they could imagine. The Washington Nationals have seemingly rushed the devlopment of Stephen Strasburg, and it has resulted in a torn ligament. So he'll just come back at full strength next year, right? Well, it's a torn ulnar collateral ligament that will likely require Tommy John surgery. That's right -- Tommy John surgery.

For those of you who don't know, Tommy John surgery is a process to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament, located in the elbow. That ligament is removed and replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body. Back when Tommy John had the first surgery on this in 1976, doctors put the chances of a full recovery at 1%. Now, those estimates are up to 85-92% for Tommy John patients, but that's still, not a great percentage given the investment Washington has in Strasburg. Additionally, it usually takes a full year for a pitcher to be back to full strength, so Strasburg will likely miss most of next season to go through rehab.

It isn't always bad, though. Some pitchers have had the surgery, recovered fully, and even come back a little stronger. Will that be the case with Strasburg? I know one team that sure hopes so -- otherwise, their multi-million dollar investment and the face of their future will starting to turn belly-up.

Who Dat? Take a Guess

We're getting tricky today. Or are we? Am I just saying that to make you think it's some wicked obscure chick when it's actually just like someone as popular as Taylor Swift? Or is it really a wicked obscure chick? Or is it somewhere in the middle? I don't know, but I'm not telling you until after 5 like every day, so why not guess right now? Hey, you could end up on this leaderboard.

Bruce	5 points
Fitch	3 points
Ed B	2 points
Enahs	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Magz	2 points
Hink	1 point
Mikey Diggs	1 point

Looks good, huh? Wouldn't it look even better with your name on it? That's what I thought. So make a guess and make a correct guess. And then your name goes here.

Cause for Concern?

New England's defense was dominated for parts of tonight's preseason
game against Sam Bradford and his St. Louis Rams.

In a game where the starters were expected to play most of the game, you might have figured New England would trump the St. Louis Rams, who went an embarrassing 1-15 last season. You would have been wrong about those Rams, who took down the Patriots by a 36-35 tally.

Now, granted, they won the game late with the second teams in the game. But for the first half and then a ways into the third quarter, this New England defense was absolutely dominated. In every way. Rookie Sam Bradford, who was unimpressive in his previous preseason starts, lit it up for St. Louis. He fired 2 touchdowns on 15-for-22 passing, racking up 189 yards in the process and throwing no interceptions. The ground game was equally effective for the Rams, who got a combined 123 yards and 1 touchdown out of the four different running backs who got 5+ carries. Steven Jackson carried 5 times for 22 yards before being taken out of the game.

The offense wasn't in full swing for parts of the first half either, but they looked pretty impressive overall.  Tom Brady and the first team played into the early fourth quarter before being taken out. The starters left with a 28-27 lead. Brady was fantastic, going 18-for-22 for 273 yards and 3 scores. He connected for a 65-yard downfield strike to Randy Moss for a touchdown in the third, a very good sign that the duo lacked in the early stages of last season. Rob Gronkowski continued to impress as well, hauling in 3 catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns -- both from Brady.

In the special teams department, Brandon Tate opened the game with a 97-yard kick return touchdown to spot the Patriots a quick 7-0 lead. He followed that up with a 43-yard return the next time St. Louis kicked off, making a serious case for that return man slot on the depth chart. Tate also reeled in 2 catches for 17 yards in the first quarter.

The problem tonight for the offense was the running game. As a team, the Patriots rushed the ball 11 times for just 28 yards, their longest run being a Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis 5-yarder. Laurence Maroney didn't get a single touch, which I mentioned earlier might be an indicator that he has truly slid down on that running back depth chart. However, it might still be too early to jump to those conclusions. Fred Taylor didn't see any carries, and Sammy Morris got the touches tonight. Morris, by all signs, seems to be the main full back at this point. So it's very possible that Bill Belichick is simply taking precautionary measures with the injury-prone Maroney and the aging Taylor -- if that is the duo he wishes to move forward with as a primary option.

It's been a good preseason overall, but tonight showed some serious concerns in that defense. Sam Bradford shouldn't be making your first-team defense look like a JV squad. Not yet, anyway. But he did, and Belichick will have to go back to the drawing board to make some final adjustments before the 12th, when New England faces what has the potential to be a very potent passing attack for the Cincinnati Bengals. If you ask me, though, I'm sick of this preseason stuff. I'm just counting the days until Gostkowski sends away that opening kickoff for the 2010 regular season.

PS -- I am aware that we might receive to start the year and that it goes by a coin toss. It's called a poetic license.

And The Winner Is...

Boston Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal

The fans have voted and they voted Shaquille O'Neal as the winner over John Madden by a small margin -- 57-43 on the percentages. The Big Leprechaun moves on to the next round, where he will face Cam Neely. That one should be quite interesting. As we wind down into the final quarter of the first round, we have another football commentator entering the octagon. In our next fight, it's the infamous football announcer Chris Collinsworth against Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Who Dat? The Answer...

Your guesses are in and there were some good ones. Was one of them right? Better find out now...

Is Maroney In Belichick's Equation?

Laurence Maroney scored a career high 9 touchdowns last season, but
he also reached a career high with 4 total fumbles lost.

For Patriots fans around the country, the common request is for Laurence Maroney to finally have a breakout season. For a kid that came in with the hype he did, Maroney has been quite a disappointment in his four seasons with the New England Patriots. Last season, he reached a career high with 9 rushing touchdowns. However, his 4 fumbles -- including a few goal line drops -- and his dull 3.9 yards-per-carry average are what attract most of the criticism. With many analysts saying that Maroney might be due for a breakout year, this preseason has me wondering if Maroney is even in Bill Belichick's formula for success at all.

In the first two preseason games, a different man has gotten the starting job and the most prominent role out of the Patriots backfield. In their opener against New Orleans, Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis got the bulk of the carries and suited up with the first team. In their next game against Atlanta, it was Fred Taylor who was the horse of the backfield -- and he looked mighty impressive. Tonight, we just might get a look down the road of the Patriots' immediate future in regards to their running game. It should be Maroney's turn to get the bulk of the carries. It might make sense to have Maroney's game be the third, since the starters will play most of that game. But what if it isn't? What if Maroney doesn't touch the ball more than 5 times tonight? To me, that would be a very telling sign. The way Taylor and Green-Ellis have run the ball, there's no reason to believe that Maroney has that #1 spot on lockdown. I know, Green-Ellis always runs well in preseason. But we rarely see Maroney getting the shortage of carries that he has this year. Belichick was never shy about pulling the plug on Maroney when things went wrong. After some of his fumbles last season, he would find himself riding the bench until the following Sunday. If he's not getting the job done, everybody knows that Belichick will waste no time filling in a replacement. Names and jersey numbers mean nothing to New England's mastermind. It's all about whether you're versatile and whether you can help the team win.

Usually, I'm a big optimist when it comes to Boston sports and all of their athletes. And I wouldn't say I'm being pessimistic here, because I still think the Patriots running attack will be formidable. They have a good offensive line and three guys in the backfield who are capable. But if we don't see Maroney get a heavy workload tonight, I'd be hardcore selling his chances of having a breakout season. This game will either make or break the theory that we're looking at a straight up platoon in the backfield, as opposed to a backfield headed by Laurence Maroney. Only time will tell.

Regardless, tonight's game is one that you don't want to miss. Of all the preseason games, this is the one you'll want to watch. The starters generally play most of the 3rd game and almost none of the 4th game. This is Tom Brady and the first unit's final significant tune-up before their opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 12th. Hey, maybe we'll go undefeated again?

VOTE NOW on Fight #22: Shaq vs Madden

vs

The Matchup: Future Hall-of-Fame NBA center Shaquille O'Neal versus Hall-of-Fame NFL commentator John Madden.

The Fight: Shaq vs Madden. A heavyweight bout. The thing is, Madden is no heavyweight compared to Shaq. I'm just now, this instant, realizing my mistake in arranging this tournament. Madden shouldn't be in it. He should have commentated every fight. And I could have used a Madden quote for every one. But it's too late for that now. He's in the ring. Does he have a chance against Shaq? Probably not. But there is one fact about John Madden working to his advantage. Being in his presence, by default, lowers your IQ. So maybe Shaq will suffer from this and be unable to fight back. I'm not sure. But it's clear Shaq has the physical advantage in every way on Madden, and even as he nears 40 years old, he's still a few decades younger than the guy who has had a video game named after him for 22 years and counting. There's no way Shaq loses this fight.

My Vote: Shaq knocks out John Madden in the first round.

Your turn. Who's moving on?

Beltre Tossed For Friendly Smack Talk

"That's one," Felix Hernandez shouted out to Adrian Beltre (in Spanish) during warmups for the top of the 3rd inning last night. Hernandez had been playfully smack-talking his ex-teammate all week, saying he would strike him out 3 times to make him his 1,000th strikeout victim.

Beltre hollered back, still in his native language, that he would take Hernandez deep in his next at bat if he left a pitch up in the zone. With that remark, Beltre swiped his hands across his knees to indicate the bottom of the zone in which he'd take a pitch from his Seattle Mariners "little brother" over the monster.

And then, he was gone. Ejected from the game.

Rookie umpire Dan Bellino misinterpreted Beltre's friendly banter for something else. Despite the fact that Adrian was shouting into the Seattle dugout at Felix, Bellino must have saw something that made it seem like a knock against himself. In the previous frame, Beltre disagreed with a called third strike that appeared to be low. On their way back out to the field, Hernandez reminded Beltre that he was one-third of the way there.

"He's talking to Felix," Marco Scutaro beckoned to Bellino upon the ejection. What was Bellino's response?

"It doesn't matter," the young umpire fired back.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" said Scutaro, who just might have been as infuriated as I am about it. It doesn't matter? How does it not matter that he was having a conversation in Spanish with an ex-teammate and you tossed him for it? A close game in a pennant race, and you eject Boston's best hitter against a Cy Young-caliber flamethrower? Well, thanks for the effort, but you have basically shattered our chances of winning this game, haven't you?

"He got in the midst of something he didn't know. It shouldn't have happened. It's a shame," said Terry Francona, who was also ejected merely for trying to get an explanation out of Bellino. Francona is as direct and to the point as you could be. He got into something he didn't know -- a Spanish conversation between two good friends. And he jumped to conclusions on Beltre. He acted irrationally. And then he tossed our leading offensive player in just about every category. No, it shouldn't have happened. And yes, it is a shame.

The Sox could have moved within 4.5 games of both teams at the top of the AL East had they won that game. Instead, they remain 5.5 -- still a 0.5-game improvement yesterday from the day before -- heading into a 3-game set at Tropicana Field. Without demanding too much -- we need a sweep here, boys.

Who Dat? Take a Guess

Two days in a row with these stumps! I'm starting to feel like a forest with its trees getting chopped down. Stumps all over the place. Funny, I know. But anyway, you see.... there's this leaderboard. And your name is finally going to be on it after you guess it right today. So guess it. And be right. And then everything is all good and well.

Bruce	5 points
Ed B	2 points
Enahs	2 points
Fitch	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Magz	2 points
Hink	1 point
Mikey Diggs	1 point

Who Dat?

Yeah, He's That Good.

10-for-9. I never thought it was possible to complete 10 passes on 9 attempts. But anything is possible with Tom Brady. You know it. I know it. Madden knows it. That's why they implement glitches like this one. Just to solidify that Tom Brady is superhuman. 10-for-9. That's a completion percentage of 111%.

Thug Life Prevails

Felix Hernandez may have left the mound in total thug fashion tonight, with his hat crooked and his clothes baggy with an angry swagger about him. But all that mattered was that he dominated the Red Sox in the night cap of today's doubleheader and handcuffed them to a split.

Hernandez dealt 7.1 innings and yielded just 2 runs -- 1 earned -- while striking out 9. He was fabulous as usual, and the Seattle bullpen was able to escape the jams they got into for the 4-2 win and a split in the doubleheader. JD Drew homered for the Red Sox, who still picked up a half-game overall on both New York and Tampa. Both teams lost their games today.

In a last minute change, Jon Lester was given the night off and Tim Wakefield pitched in his place. The scratch was reportedly brought about because Daisuke Matsuzaka cannot make his start on Friday. Lester is expected to go on that day instead as the Red Sox kick off a very crucial series with the Tampa Bay Rays from Tropicana field. If Boston loses the series, they can all but kiss their chances goodbye. A sweep, though, would throw them right back into the fire. This will be the biggest series of the season. Hopefully the Sox are up to the task.

Who Dat? The Answer...

Got pretty good participation today, but were any of them right? Nobody guessed it yesterday, will they nail it today? Or will I get the point for the second straight day? I just finished counting and I believe this is exactly 1 way to find out if you got the answer right (see below).

Game One to Boston

Josh Beckett struck out 7 and walked
just 1 in Boston's 5-3 victory over Seattle.

The Red Sox came out strong for the first half of their doubleheader with the Seattle Mariners today, taking them down by a 5-3 final score.

Josh Beckett hurled 6 very strong shutout innings before things fell apart for him in the 7th. Two homers gave the Mariners 3 runs before the Sox fireballer exited with 1 out in the inning. The final line on Beckett showed 6.1 innings pitched with just 3 earned runs -- still a solid outing for the righty, who picked up his 4th win of the season.

Offensively, it was the 5-6-7 spots in the order that got the job done for Boston. Daniel Nava had 2 RBIs on his single in the sixth inning, and Adrian Beltre, Mike Lowell, and Darnell McDonald each drove in a run as well. For Beltre, it was his team-leading 87th RBI of the season.

Bridging the gap from Beckett to Papelbon, Daniel Bard was impressive once again today. He tossed 1.2 hitless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.82 on the year. Papelbon continued his resurgence at the back end of that bullpen, picking up his 32nd save of the season and dropping his ERA under 3.00 (2.96).

The Sox will rest for a little while before gearing up for game two of this doubleheader tonight. Jon Lester will take the mound in an exciting pitching matchup that sets Felix Hernandez as the opposing starter. All we can hope for is another big win and some losses for our counterparts residing further down the coast.

Nordegren: "I've Been Through Hell"

Tiger Woods cheated on
Elin Nordegren several times
during their marriage, which
lasted for nearly 6 years.

Tiger Woods and now ex-wife Elin Nordegren have made their divorce official. The two are now legally split after Woods allegedly cheated on her with more than a few mistresses over a several-year span.

"I've been through hell," Nordegren said when asked about the whole experience. "It's hard to think you have this life, and then all of a sudden -- was it a lie? You're struggling because it wasn't real. But I survived. It was hard, but it didn't kill me."

The divorce ends a marriage that would have seen its 6th anniversary on October 5th of this year. Woods and Nordegren tied the knot on that date in 2004, a day in Barbados which Nordegren described as "one of the happiest days of [her] life." Their three-year-old daughter and 18-month-old son are hardly old enough to have the slightest clue as to what's going on.

For Tiger, one may speculate that making this official will help relieve some of the stress he has been under and allow his golf game to get back into full swing. Woods has had some struggles ever since his return at the Masters. Who would have ever thought Tiger would be on the bubble for making the Ryder Cup team?

Tiger Woods has been off his
golf game since the
revelation of his actions.

For Nordegren, she technically has equal custody to the children as Tiger does. However, the children will stay with Elin and Woods will need permission in order to get past the guards at the gate for the community Nordegren will be living in. She said that, eventually, she'll forgive Tiger. But it takes time, and that will be the very last step in this long grieving process.

"The word betrayal isn't strong enough," Nordegren admitted. "I felt like my whole world had fallen apart. It seemed that my world as I thought it was had never existed. I felt embarrassed for having been so deceived. I felt betrayed by many people around me."

And even despite getting what most believe is quite a large sum of money in the divorce settlement, Elin explained that the damage is not reparable by any means at all.

"Money can't buy happiness or put my family back together."

 

Another Foe for the Sox

Rain has forced several delays and a cancellation at Fenway this week.

Just when you thought the Red Sox had their hands full with the Rays and the Yankees, another opponent gets thrown into the mix. This one, though, comes straight for mother nature.

As the rain relentlessly gushed down from the skies last night, Boston sat through their third rain delay in just two days, which ultimately amounted to a cancellation. No problem, right? Just play a day-night doubleheader today, and everything will be fine. Well, the thing is, it's pouring again today. Nonetheless, Boston will need to fight through basically every condition as we head down the stretch. These games need to be played and they need to be won. It's frustrating to see Tampa and New York winning every time they take the field. It makes you think that the Red Sox need to go unbeaten to have a chance to make up that deficit. still, we can't forget that we play the Yanks 6 times, we play the Rays 6 times, and those two teams play each other 7 times. There is definitely room for us to slide into that wild card spot. When the teams play each other, we've got to be rooting for the division leader to sweep all 7 games. It's our best chance. And it's not incredibly preposterous, either. Both of these teams have hit big slumps at times this year. We will just need the timing to be perfect for another one as we enter the final month of the 2010 season.

Sweeping the day-night would help, too. Beckett and Lester take the hill today for Boston against Seattle. A year ago, one might have called that an automatic sweep. Today, though, we can only hope that we see the Beckett of old instead of the shaky, unpredictable Beckett we've seen of late. With Johnny Damon declining the possibility of coming to Boston, it looks more and more likely that this is the squad we will have to make the big run with. Can we do it? The cards are stacked against the Sox right now, but I can recall a few times in the past decade that Boston overcame a steep stack.

Who Dat? Take a Guess

Nobody was able to guess Kellie Pickler yesterday. Chances are, I wouldn't pick a country singer two days in a row. Or would I? Am I just playing mind games with you, leading you to believe one thing when it's something completely different? It could be a model or an actress. Or maybe it's still a singer but just a different genre? Hell, you're not going to get a free clue. I've only stumped you 1 day in a row. That's nothing to break the bank over. Here's the leaderboard that still hasn't changed but I always post to motivate you fools to make guesses.

Bruce	5 points
Ed B	2 points
Enahs	2 points
Fitch	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Magz	2 points
Hink	1 point
Mikey Diggs	1 point

Who Dat?? Figure it out!

Robbie! Robbie!

This is why the Little League World Series is basically the most awesome thing on earth. Isiah Hatch is just in there firing 75 MPH fastballs (which is equivalent to about 100 on a big-league field) and they pull him at the pitch limit to bring in.... ROBBIE WILSON! All 5 feet, 87 pounds of him and his 46 MPH heater. And this is the greatest moment of his life. And his entire team is also elated x 1,483. You see their faces? You see Robbie's face? Kudos, coach. This is a coach who sees the big picture. Common sense says not to go to a tiny little centerfielder who has never pitched in a game before to close out an elimination game at the Little League World Series. But he just made that kid's life. He'll cherish that moment, that highlight, for the rest of his life. Way to go, Robbie.
PS -- Awful attempt at a joke by the catcher in the middle of that mound conference.

Damon: "I Love Detroit"

Tigers outfielder Johnny Damon

The Red Sox placed a claim on Johnny Damon yesterday, and that claim has fallen through. Damon elected to remain a Detroit Tiger, utilizing his no-trade clause to avoid landing with the Red Sox.

"I love Detroit," Damon said when asked about the matter. He said that several players, including David Ortiz, reached out to him from Boston in efforts to get him to join the team. Despite loving those guys, Damon said that staying in Detroit was the best option for himself and his family.

That stuff makes sense. A guy who puts his family first can never be criticized for doing so. But Damon ensued to be very adamant about the idea that the Tigers are "still in this," referring to the hunt for a postseason spot. Detroit (62-63) remains 10 games back of the red-hot Minnesota Twins in the central division and 15 games back of the Rays and Yankees for the wild card. Still in it, Johnny? The Tigers have about as good a shot at making the playoffs as JaMarcus Russell does for winning the NFL MVP this season. Plain and simple, it's not happening.

Still, I don't blame him for turning down the chance to come to Boston. Nobody can be sure what kind of reception he would have gotten from Fenway -- he left town on fairly bad terms, going to the Yankees. The Sox are far from a lock to see the postseason, so what would Damon have to gain? Nothing except the chance that Boston makes a magical run. If the Tigers don't play Damon, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see him end up on some other team before the roster lock on August 31st. That team, though, is almost assuredly going to be located outside of New England.

Who Dat? The Answer...

You've made your guesses. Were any of them right? Did Bruce continue his domination? Or did someone else get on the board? Or did I stump you? What happened? Only one way to find out.

Rondo Withdraws from Team USA

Rajon Rondo withdrew from Team USA to attend family matters.

Earlier today, Rajon Rondo was sources as saying that he believed he was on the bubble for making Team USA's roster. Just a few hours later, Rondo has called it quits to attend to what he is calling family matters.

The timing seems fishy for Rondo to really have family matters to attend to, but I personally can't even believe he was ever on the bubble. I mean, he's such a dynamic player and probably the best defending guard in the game. Even if Chris Paul were to get starts over Rondo, I think he would have definitely seen significant time off the bench. But whatever the reason, the Celtics' guard has withdrawn from the world championships. Hey, whatever... I guess it's just less of a risk that he hurts himself now or something. Or maybe he just wanted to get as far away from LeBron James as possible. Yeah, that's actually much more likely. Nobody likes LeBron James. 

At Least I'm Not a Bills Fan

Bills QB Trent Edwards

ESPN  -  Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey won't put up with fans criticizing his players during training camp, and he has let them know it.

Immediately after practice ended Tuesday morning, Gailey marched to a group of teenagers standing near the field, and told them off for heckling players. Gailey said if "you dog one of us, you dog all of us."

Gailey then told them that Bills players would not go to that section of the stands to sign autographs.

A couple of members of the group spent part of practice focusing much of their criticism on quarterback Trent Edwards, who's attempting to reclaim the starting job he lost last season.



Can you even imagine a fan heckling the Patriots players at a practice? If I'm not mistaken, most Pats fans would probably give their right arm to spend time up close and personal with some of the players. And the Bills can't even get through practice without scolding teenagers for heckling them. It's about as low as it gets for Buffalo. They're almost assuredly going to be in the basement of the NFL standings once again, and they can't even do it with the love and support of their fans. They need to do something here. I don't know if it's a uniform change, personnel change, style change -- could be anything. I like the excitement that CJ Spiller might bring, but he's just about the only thing I'd be getting excited for if I was a Bills fan. And apparently the actual Bills fans are thinking the same way, since they're heckling Trent Edwards off the field before the third preseason game has even kicked off. It's time to go back to the drawing board in Buffalo.

Sidney Rice Likely to Miss Half the Season

Vikings WR Sidney Rice

Do you think Brett Favre is second-guessing his decision to return yet?

A few days after returning, Favre lost his most explosive receiver -- the young Percy Harvin -- to severe migraines that will indefinitely sideline him. Today, it was revealed that he'll likely be without his most dominating receiver -- Sidney Rice -- with a hip injury that will keep him out for at least 8 weeks.

Rice confirmed today that he has had surgery on the hip and that it went well. He has already begun rehabbing it through physical therapy, but he is still expected to miss about half of the upcoming regular season. Rice injured the hip in the NFC championship game last season against New Orleans, and he missed all of training camp this year before addressing it. He's a big loss for Minnesota -- Rice made the pro bowl last season as a result of hauling in 83 receptions and 8 touchdowns.

With the Vikings suddenly very thin at wide receiver, they are expected to sign free agent veteran Javon Walker. Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported this possibility. Either way, it will be very interesting to see how things go in Minnesota. Does Favre have enough go-to targets to succeed in the early going? If the Vikings hit some troubles, will the old man pack it in? He came back for one reason and one reason only: to win a ring. With the receiving core now depleted as a result of this week's injuries, the chances of achieving that goal have considerably worsened.

War of Words Carries On With Respect

Tom Brady

You saw my post yesterday breaking down Tom Brady's comments about the Jets and the HBO television program Hard Knocks. Well, as the media would have it no other way -- Rex Ryan was asked about it. And as Rex would have it no other way -- he answered.

"Hell, he knows we hate the Patriots. So what's the difference?" Ryan said, fully understanding of Brady's thoughts. "My brother's got a couple Super Bowl rings [as Patriots assistant]. He loves Tom Brady. But I don't have them, so I don't like Tom Brady. I respect him, but I don't like him."

Rex Ryan

No matter how people want to break down Ryan's comments, he handled everything with class this time. I know, I know -- you're not used to that concept. But there is nothing to criticize about Ryan's views here. Everyone knows it. The Patriots hate the Jets. The Jets hate the Patriots. Boston. New York. It's as elementary as it gets.

Jets center Nick Mangold -- who recently inked a big extension with the team -- explained that it's all part of the business. "It's part of the excitement of games -- you dislike the other team," Mangold told reporters. "I don't expect him to be sitting there with a bowl of popcorn enjoying the show every Wednesday."

You see? The Jets do have some class, sometimes. But the media is on a mission, and that is to stir up controversy. So they head straight for offensive lineman Rob Turner, who basically lives his life with a chip on his shoulder. When asked whether or not Brady's comments might stir up a scuffle on the field when the teams meet, Turner scoffed at the idea.

"Brady wouldn't fight me," he said. "I'd break his jaw."

Turner wasn't probably being totally serious there, but it's all a result of a ridiculous media question. Will Brady's comments cause a fight on the field 5 weeks from now? Come on. Let's focus on the preseason right now and getting through that to opening week, let alone the Pats and Jets matchup in Week 2.

Ultimately, though, little wars of words like this one are what make the hype of this rivalry so great. We've seen the Sox-Yanks rivalry lose some steam since the fiery guys like Pedro Martinez drifted away. It's football. Trash talking is a part of the game. And better yet, trash talking within the division is a part of life. They love to do it. We love to hear it. Everything is fine.

Rangers, Rays Pursuing Manny

Manny Ramirez

He patrolled (if you can call it that) left field at Fenway for nearly 8 years. He has blasted 554 homers in his career and is a .313 hitter. He's driven in close to 2,000 runs. And he might be on the move again.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly considering waiving Manny Ramirez, an investment that didn't exactly pan out as they had hoped it would. According to the LA Times, both the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays had scouts attending his most recent rehab performance. I'm not too concerned about the thought of Texas hauling in Ramirez. I'm interested in the Man-Ram-ifications that might result from Tampa snatching the slugger.

We're in a pretty critical stretch of the season where we need either the Rays or the Yanks to experience a drop-off. The Rays are playing a little bit better than New York right now, having tied them for the division lead last night. But what would Manny Ramirez bring to Tampa? My first reaction is that this would put Tampa over the hump and lock up their playoff spot. But upon further consideration, I can't be so sure that Ramirez wouldn't just bring more problems than solutions -- just the way he did in Los Angeles. Tampa prides themselves on being a team without the big name superstars. We easily forget that just a few years ago, the Rays were the Devil Rays and they were the stinkers of the MLB. This group of players has developed and risen to the task. Is Manny a fit on that squad? I'm not so sure. I mean, I guess a proven slugger is a good acquisition down the stretch for anyone. But his personality is a stark contrast to those already making up that Rays lineup.

Still, I'd just as soon keep Manny in the National League and avoid the circumstance by which he hits a homer that turns into the dagger through the heart of Boston's playoff hopes. Let's extend the Mannywood era just a few weeks longer.

Who Dat? Take a Guess

If anyone has any suggestions as to how we can make this more challenging to halt Bruce's streak, do tell. Because Big Bruce is dashing full speed ahead with a 5-2 lead over the next closest competitor. Today might be a great day for you to stop him. So who is it? Who Dat?

Bruce	5 points
Ed B	2 points
Enahs	2 points
Fitch	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Magz	2 points
Hink	1 point
Mikey Diggs	1 point