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During an apparent lull in the Trump-storm (if precedent is any guide, it won’t be for long), let me toss in my two cents on the Boston sports scene. I have some strong things to say about the Patriots and the Red Sox, but right now on the Celtics front, Game 6 vs the Raptors is about to start, so I’m not sure whether to praise or disparage those tall guys in the green shorts.
Regardless, let me get my roundball thoughts out of the way. The Celtics will win this series against the Raptors, either tonight or in Game 7. They’ll go on to lose to whomever comes out of the West (I hope it’s not the hated Lakers), and they will be labeled as great and upcoming by those whose glass is always 50% full, or as chokers who can’t win it all (at least until they get a big man who can play) by those whose glass never quite makes it past 49%.
As for the Red Sox, so many people regret the fact that fans are not in the stands to amp up the players. Yes, but that assumes that there’s anything to cheer about. If there’s one thing that Boston fans are good at doing—when the home town team is playing badly, and wow, are they playing badly—is to boo. If COVID existed only in our dreams and nightmares, and if there were people who actually paid to see these guys in person, can you possibly imagine the decibel level of hoots and hollers, jeers and catcalls that would emanate from the Fenway-not-so-faithful. It’s so bad that I’m told that even the cardboard cut-outs have begun to grumble.
There’s an old expression, “You can’t tell the players without a score card.” Who are these guys, these imposters? I barely recognize any of the anonymous crew they put on the mound, even though I thought I was aware of all their top prospects. Not only have I never heard of them, but I don’t even want to try to commit their names to memory. There’s another expression, this one about career length, “He was up for a cup of coffee in the bigs.” The guys they put out there each night better make it instant coffee if the want to drink it before they find housing in that fine Rhode Island town, Pawtucket.
Ah, but the Pats. While so many of us bemoaned the loss of Tom Brady, and praised the Lord at the coming of big, bad Cam Newton, for me personally it was time for Brady to go, and I’m withholding judgement as to whether Cam is the Second Coming. He’s a great athlete, sure. A big strong guy who can take off and extend plays or run for first downs. But will he master the playbook? Will he buy into the Belichick-McDaniels approach to offense, find the open man, and deliver accurately? Time will tell.
I’m a skeptic, so don’t tell me he can run. For the past few seasons that’s exactly what he’s done and exactly why he has sat injured on the sidelines. I can’t possibly imagine that McDaniels is designing plays that expose Cam to hits in the open field, and I see the coaches cringing every time he takes off with the pigskin. Wow, look at Cam scramble–and look at Jarrett Stidham putting on his helmet and running on to the field.
His receivers? I love Julian Edelman, I’d dance the hora at his planned Bar Mitzvah if only he’d invite me, but how many more hits can he take, and how quickly will Cam figure out just how to use him. Beyond Edelman, I cringe in fear that N’Keal Harry is the latest example of the Pats’ inability to draft receivers who will succeed at this level. Beyond that, we’ve got two rookie tight ends, a collection of receivers who are about as well-proven as the Sox relievers, and zero kickers worthy of roster spots.
But offense won’t be what takes the 2020 Patriots down. First on my list is defense. How can you possibly lose all of your starting linebackers, the guys at the heart of your defense, and survive. Long gone are Kyle Van Noy and & Jamie Collins, off to collect big paychecks elsewhere. And Don’t’a Hightower is gone via COVID concerns. Don’t tell me the defense will be good because they have a great secondary. If you cannot control the line of scrimmage with your front seven, if your starting linebackers are a combination of unprovens and rookies, there’s only so much that a good secondary can do.
Finally, the Pats usually win because they are the smartest team, the best prepared team, the team can change schemes on a dime to combat their opponents’ strengths. But you can only hope that rookie linebackers are going to master the Pats’ complex schemes and be where they need to be. You can only correct so many mistakes with training camp when pre-season games , where corrections and adjustments are made, do not exist. We all know that the Pats typically start slow and get better each season as they adapt, correct errors, and find an identity. But this edition of the Pats hasn’t had the standard opportunity to iron out wrinkles, and I fear that they will flounder early and may never get out of the tail spin that begins in the fall.
I hope I’m dead wrong to be so pessimistic about the Pats, and that I will have to eat humble pie. But right now my Pats glass is hovering at 48%, my Celtics glass is 83% full, and my Sox glass has barely a few droplets.
At least, all those athletic guys we love (and love to hate) are actually playing, even in their empty arenas and stadiums.
Oh yes, and Go Revs!
“I’d dance the hora at his planned Bar Mitzvah if only he’d invite me”
good one