How Not to Treat a Legend

Posted on February 9, 2012 by leibo4

Peyton Manning has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in over a decade. As a Patriots fan, he would absolutely terrify me whenever the Colts had the ball. Tom Brady would sustain his drives and grind down the clock so that Peyton would have to sit on the sidelines. Has Brady ever had to do that for another quarterback? Think quarterbacks tore up the Patriots defense this year? If Manning was healthy the Colts would have picked the holes in the Patriots defense all game. The way that the Colts are treating this situation is inexcusable. It is the anti-Brett Favre situation. The owner is creating all the controversy where the player just wants to get back to playing. The Patriots are the only other team who have a quarterback right now who means as much to the franchise as the Colts. While the Patriots have not always been the most loyal to players (Lawyer Milloy anyone?), they would NEVER let Tom Brady play a down for another team.

Peyton Manning’s an 11 time Pro-Bowler, has been named the NFL MVP 4 times, and the AFC Player of the Year 6 times. He is the fastest player ever to reach 50,000 yards passing and 4000 completions. He is the Colts all-time leader in Career wins, Passing Touchdowns, Pass Attempts, Pass completions and Passing Yards. He holds or shares 40 NFL regular season records and 11 playoff records. In 2010, which was just two seasons ago, he had his most passing yards of his career and led the league in completions. He is the Indianapolis Colts.

The funny part of the whole situation is that Peyton has stated that he wants to play for the Colts. It’s where he wants to finish his career. But Jim Irsay just does not seem to want him. When Peyton was cleared by his doctors and announced himself healthy, Irsay tweeted “Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for the Indianapolis Colts.” There is just a lot of bad karma with this move. This player has been the face of your team for the past thirteen seasons. He goes through three neck surgeries and the owner basically throws him to the curb. It reminds me of when the 49ers were dealing with the Joe Montana/Steve Young debate. While everyone knew that Steve Young had a great future ahead of him. Montana was not done yet. In his final two years he led the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs twice, one AFC championship game, and beat the 49ers in their only game. Manning is arguably healthier than Montana at the same stage in his career and has the potential to have about five good years left.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe the Colt’s doctors decided that Peyton will never play another down in the NFL. But it doesn’t give the team an excuse to alienate the player that has been the team for the past 12 seasons. Even though he is owed 28 million if he stays on after March 8^th, remember he was the guy just last year. He took much less money than he deserved just so the Colts could sign free agents around him.

What do you guys think? Leave some comments. Also look for an article for potential destinations for Peyton Manning later on this week.

Remember the Eagles?

Posted on February 9, 2012 by christoph131

Boston College was a great basketball team once upon a time. Well, they showed that kind of life again last night when they stunned #17 Florida State in a conference battle. The 8-16 Eagles were led by 5 Foot 8 guard Jordan Daniels. Although he normally only averages 5.8 points per game, he was able to dish in 21 on Wednesday night. He shot 7-13 from the field, and 4-7 from 3-point range. Jordan is merely a freshman, but then again, BC has 9 freshmen on their roster, so they are definitely built for the future. So, although I’m a not a fan of Boston college Hockey (because I go to Merrimack), I am still happy for their basketball team.

Patriots Offseason: Running Backs

Posted on February 9, 2012 by davecouture

The Patriots least famed position over the past decade has certainly been the running back position. With Kevin Faulk set for retirement, the only other question mark in the backfield goes to Benjarvus Green-Ellis. Green-Ellis has proven himself to be a consistent runner for the Pats and I expect him to re-sign here in the New England. I think Benjarvus knows his value is at its peak here in New England because of the mixture of players they throw out there every Sunday. The Pats also have Woodhead, Ridley, and Vereen under contract going into next season and seeing as the latter two were both 2011 draft picks I don’t expect this to be a position the Patriots address on draft day. There’s a slight possibility the Pats could try to pick up a veteran back but I also don’t see that happening if they keep Green-Ellis. If for some reason they let Green-Ellis walk, then you can expect the Pats to take a look at some of these options…

Peyton Hillis – Hard Runner, coming off a very tough season. Could be a low-risk high reward signing.

Cedric Benson – This is definitely a stretch for the Pats, but at the same time I don’t expect him to be in Cincy next year.

Ryan Grant – Not really an every down back anymore but can certainly take over Green-Ellis’ roll at a similar price.

Other possibilities:

Tim Hightower

Ronnie Brown

Jason Snelling

Rivalry Night in Boston

Posted on February 9, 2012 by jtulz07

Big day for the Celtics. Kobe is in town. What better timing for the old school rivalry to reunite than after Kobe passes Shaq in scoring for LA and just days after Pierce passes Bird in all time scoring for the C’s. It’s only fitting the two key figures in the new school rivalry make headlines just days before they go head to head for the first of two matchups the teams have together this year. Everyone’s been ripping on the C’s and how they’re old and finished, but the boys in green have turned things around lately, winning their last 5 games and 9 of their last 10. Not too bad for an aging team huh? They’re sneakily only 3 games back of Philly for first in the Atlantic Division.

Kobe and the Lakers of course aren’t the same team as three years ago, but I think it’s safe to say Kobe hasn’t lost his touch. He hasn’t exactly taken the #7 pre season player ranking by ESPN too lightly, proving he’s still in a league of his own. And that’s coming from a Boston fan. Regardless, the Lakers have lost their last two and sit with a 3-9 record on the road, while an impressive 11-2 at home. The Celts have moved up to 14-10 and are 10-6 at home on the season. But let’s be real, we all know when it comes to these two teams, records don’t mean anything. They’ll be going at it like it’s the 2008 playoffs. For our sake, hopefully more like Game 6.

Boeheim Making History

Posted on February 9, 2012 by christoph131

It was more than just a big night for the Syracuse men’s basketball team. It was a huge night for their coach. Coach Jim Boeheim passed legend Dean Smith for third all time in wins, with 880. He now only trails Bob Knight (902) and Coach K (919). Coach K will coach until he’s 103 so I don’t see him catching up unless my dreams come true and Duke finally starts to suck. But unless Bob Knight makes a return to coaching, or Boeheim gets on the wrong end of the scandal allegations (See Joe Paterno), then Boeheim should be able to pass Knight by next season. However, Boeheim now holds the record for most wins at a single school. (Coach K coached Army and Duke)

It was a great win in overtime over Georgetown 64-61. He has been head coach at Syracuse University since 1976 and was an assistant coach for 7 years prior to that. He has coached great players such as Carmelo Anthony, Wesley Johnson, Billy Owens, and won the NCAA tournament in 2003. Congratulations to Coach Jim Boeheim!

Crazy Rivalry Night

Posted on February 9, 2012 by christoph131

This night seemed to turn out a little bit better for my picks than usual. #10 Kansas topped #6 Baylor 68-54. Junior 7 foot center, Jeff Withey was able to drop 25 points on 8-10 shooting from the field. Thomas Robinson added 15 points of his own while snagging 11 rebounds. On the flip side, Baylor’s Perry Jones III shot 1-8 from the field and only scored 5 points against the Jayhawks.

#2 Syracuse barely escaped an upset from #11 Georgetown in an overtime thriller. The final score was 64-61. Syracuse senior forward, Kris Joseph, was able to put up 29 points against G-Town while Fab Melo was only able to pitch in 11 of his own.

Finally, in case you somehow missed it, #9 Duke shocked #5 UNC at the buzzer as Austin Rivers made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give them the win, 85-84. Doc’s son finished with a career high 29 points and the biggest shot of his career thus far. Both Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes both finished with 25 and 23 points, respectively. This was probably the most exciting game to watch this season, with an NBA-like vibe and score.

Bruins vs. Sabres Tonight @ 7:30

Posted on February 8, 2012 by amazze

The Bruins look to keep the momentum going tonight vs the lowly 22-24-6 Sabres in Buffalo tonight. Tuukka Rask is getting the start tonight as Timmy has been in net for the past two games. As we move closer to the postseason I would expect to become a familiar pattern with the hope of keeping Thomas healthy and well-rested.

Projected lineup:

Milan Lucic-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-David Krejcik-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas

AL East Position Matchup: Catcher

Posted on February 8, 2012 by TOB$

Spring training is around the corner and it looks like all the rosters are pretty much set in the MLB. I will begin to evaluate how the Red Sox matchup against their four counterparts in the AL East in different positions.

First up will be catcher (remember this is primarily based on projected starters):

1. Matt Wieters, Baltimore
2. J.P. Arencibia, Blue Jays
3. Russell Martin, Yankees
4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox
5. Jose Molina, Rays

Wieters was a no brainer here in the first slot. He was a can’t miss prospect since he was drafted 5th overall in 2007. He is not the superstar people once believed after a monster first year in the minors (.388 BA), but he provides decent pop (22 HR’s last year) and won a Gold Glove last year.

The next three were tough to call. I went with Arencibia next after his breakout campaign last year. He provided a bad batting average, but hit 23 Hr’s and had 78 RBI’s in 129 games in his rookie season. Arencibia is still a pretty raw talent, but with his good arm behind the plate and incredible power, he should have a pretty decent career. Third on the list is Russell Martin, who is not the player he was in the beginning of his career with the Dodgers. He has battled through knee and hip injuries since he broke out as a youngster in ’06-’08. He has had a declining batting average since ’08, although he saw in increase in HR and RBI’s for the Bronx Bombers last year. Even though Martin says he is healthy this year, I find it hard to believe he is a better option than Arencibia.

The Red Sox and Saltalamacchia are rated fourth due to the muddled cloud over the position and also an attempt to not be biased in this column. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the clear number one on the roster right now, although I think Ryan Lavarnway is the better long term solution. The Red Sox also signed Kelly Shoppach over the offseason, which confused me in terms of Lavarnway’s spot on the team. First off, Salty had a huge year for the Red Sox last year. He was a low risk young guy who had an incredible amount of confidence issues (to the point of him struggling to complete throws back to the pitcher). It looked like he found the stroke and confidence that he had as a good prospect growing up in the Braves farm system. Salty and Varitek combined to be some of the worst at throwing out runners last year (25.1% and 23.1%, respectively), and Shoppach should provide some defensive help. The true value of the Sox catcher situation lies in how they deal with Lavarnway. Lavarnway is a 6-4, 225 prospect with a very solid baseball IQ, which is very important behind the plate. The Yale-alum has average catching skills, but has a solid bat and could even provide some help from the DH spot. Sox fans immediately fell in love with Lavarnway when he provided 2 HR and 4RBI’s in a must win game on the second to last game of the season last year in which the Sox won 8-7. This was real impressive in such a high pressure situation in his rookie year and hopefully he will get a chance to build on his progress throughout this season. Also, as an end to the Red Sox section, I see Jason Varitek’s roster spot on the Red Sox gone. I hope they treat him in a similar manner as the Patriots with Kevin Faulk, by keeping him in the organization as a leader but not taking up a valuable roster spot with his declining abilities.

Lastly, the Rays are clearly the bottom of the pile here. I see them making some changes either in the season or during these last few weeks before camp. Right now they have 36 year old Jose Molina slotted behind the plate and he has never even had more than 268 AB’s in a season. Most Sox fans remember him from his days as a Yankees backup. He provides some help defensively (threw out 32.4% of runners), but it is always a good sign for opposing pitchers when he is in the on deck circle.

Stay tuned for more position evaluations throughout the next few weeks.

Meet Bruins Star Johnny Boychuk!

Posted on February 8, 2012 by jtulz07

Clear your schedules this Monday, February 13^th! The Boston Sports Blog will be joining ilovebostonsports.com and the Bruins Johnny Boychuk at the next stop on the Bru-Tang Clan World Tour! Come down, chat with fans, check out the newest line of Bruins t-shirts, meet Johnny Boychuk, and get a few autographs. Not a bad day. If you missed Brad last week, make sure you come into Boston and meet Johnny next week! The event will be at the Real Deal Deli, located at 1882 Centre Street in West Roxbury from 3-5pm. What better way to spend the day before Valentine’s Day than with your favorite Bruins player? Thanks again to ilovebostonsports.com! We hope to see you guys there!

Rivalry Week Continued

Posted on February 8, 2012 by christoph131

As rivalry continues, we take a look at the biggest night of the week. First off, #2 Syracuse will take on #11 Georgetown. Although I think it will be a closer game than most think, I believe Georgetown can hang with the Orange, but I still think that Syracuse will win the game.

Secondly, #9 Duke plays #5 North Carolina in the biggest rivalry game of the season. Yes, I know that they are not the highest seeds, but this is always a good game even though I despise both teams. Duke is strong but even Coach K said that UNC is the most talented team in the country and I see them winning.

Finally, #10 Kansas looks to jump back from a loss against Mizzou when they play #6 Baylor. I know that I picked the underdog Kansas last week and it didn’t work, but I am going to have to do it again. I think they are strong and Thomas Robinson is one of the best players in the country. Plus, they beat them by 18 points a few weeks ago. Yeah the Bruins are on tonight, but this will be a nice thing to flip the channel too every now and then.