Boston Sports Then and Now

Brady’s hair outshines Rams

Since his appearance courtside during the NBA Finals, Tom Brady has drawn a lot of comparisons to Justin Bieber. They say it’s the hair. I’m not sure if that’s the case. I’ve never seen this Bieber kid, but from what I’ve heard, he’s the apple of the eye of every 12-year old girl whose mother thought Nick Carter was “dreamy” and couldn’t wait until marriage.

But last night at the Razor, it seems like Brady’s anti-fro got in his eyes. Or at least it must have seemed that way to the Rams’ secondary, who couldn’t get a read on anything that Brady was doing as he tore them up for over 270 yards and three touchdowns.

It seems the glare had its effect on the Pats’ defense, too, as they found themselves completely unable to stop anything, much less the laser arm of Sam Bradford, as the Rams defeated the Pats, 36-35 on a last-second Josh Brown field goal.

It all leaves one to wonder: Is Bradford the anti-Bieber? And if so, why hasn’t Jive records signed him to a deal?

Didn't he used to be so cute?

Red Sox continue to tread water in soggy Fens

This week at the YMCA, the “Tuna” group completed its first diving classes. The class is comprised mostly of once-members of the 2010 Boston Red Sox, and all 38 players passed with flying colors, although there were a few question marks during the class itself. Dustin Pedroia – once MVP and Rookie of the Year on the baseball diamond – spoke at length prior to the class about how he “invented the laser show” and didn’t “need no newfangled swimming lessons.”
Former Red Sox centerfielder and leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury complained that hitting the water “made [his] tummy hurt,” and some other whiny nonsense.

While the incapacitated version of the 2010 Red Sox were busy learning to swim, their able colleagues spent the week treading water in a rain-soaked Fenway Park against the soon-to-be Oklahoma City Mariners. Or Tornadoes. Well, whatever. Just don’t let the Starbucks guy near them.

Rondo leaves team USA, takes his Red Bull with him

Director of U.S. Basketball operations Jerry Colangelo is currently in talks with representatives from Five-Hour Energy, Monster and the Guys Who Used to Make Surge as he attempts to procure a method for giving his FIBA world championships team some motivation to win after stud point guard and Celtics poster-boy Rajon Rondo unexpectedly left the team, citing family issues. When asked about the circumstances surrounding his departure, Rondo noted that “one, I don’t play with no high-falootin’ Lakers and two, none of those guys are even close to 33. Didn’t Colangelo know I only play with guys who are past their prime?” He went on to amend his earlier statement, saying that “Glen Davis? He ain’t past his prime yet. But dude’s messed up something wicked.”

Colangelo’s attempts to procure another energy provider have not been terribly successful thus far. If talks with the energy beverage companies stay at an impasse, Colangelo has noted that he may pursue a relationship with National Grid because, while it may not give energy to the US team, it will also “knock the power out of those Canadian bastards, eh?” If all else fails, Colangelo has BP listed as his last resort.

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I knew it was over when I got back from the gym and turned on the Little League World Series.

Like so many hundreds/thousands/millions of others, I’d been fighting the demise of the Red Sox as hard and as long as I could. I fought it through getting swept by Baltimore. Fought it through sweeping at Tampa. Through injuries, an early-summer surge, the All-Star Break, a return to health and, most recently, more injuries.

I watched the Blue Jays rout the Sox on Friday night, a 16-2 shelling that featured a most un-Herculean effort from team ace Jon Lester, thinking much of the time that there was a chance the Sox could still come back.

I watched Dasiuke Matsuzaka give up a 4-1 lead when Lyle Overbay went yard into the right-field bleachers to tie the game at four, and continued to watch into extra innings until Jed Lowrie hit the team’s first walk-off home run of the season, thinking much of the time that there wasn’t a chance the Sox would pull it off.

Despite his game-winning heroics, Jed Lowrie's Red Sox are in a tough spot.

Six games back of Tampa and seven back of the Yankees, these Red Sox are doing nothing but treading water at this point. It’s a fitting place for a team that’s done little but tread water all season.

Speaking of water, the Jays-Sox game was delayed an hour and 44 minutes by rain at Fenway. In that time, the team from Panama manhandled the Saudi Arabians, 13-0 in less than four innings. By the time I turned back to the Red Sox, Buchholz had recorded eight outs and another rain delay was starting.

Almost as if the baseball gods wanted to spare us from watching anymore of it.

Now normally, I’d be excited about a rain delay – more face time for Heidi and Kathryn, a chance for me to get a nap in, all sorts of excitement could arise. But the thought of watching feature pieces on the Red Sox sort of scared me.

Of course, I still watched. After all, the LLWS was over, what else was I going to bide my time with?

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Beltre has turned around his career in Boston this season.

Adrian Beltre and his agent Scott Boras took a gamble this off-season; a big gamble. They turned down three guaranteed years from the Oakland Athletics to sign a one year deal (with a player option that escalated based on plate appearances) with the Red Sox.

This gamble is paying off.

Through 98 games Beltre has amassed stellar line: .332 average, 17 home runs, and 64 RBIs. Coming off a very average five-year stint in Seattle, many questioned the signing of the third baseman. Beltre has responded to the criticism and speculators while putting together his best season since his gaudy 2004 campaign.

He has been one of the few constants (Youkilis, Ortiz, and Scutaro being the others) in Terry Francona’s line-up card day in and day out. Batting anywhere in the line-up from 5th-7th, he has produced despite the protection around him.

The offensive production has been a huge surprise. In his five season in Seattle Beltre batted .266 and averaged 21 homers and 79 RBIs in 143 games per year. Why turnaround? Perhaps it is his increased line drive rate (and decreased ground ball rate). Or maybe playing on a contending team in a hitting ballpark has him more focused. Regardless, he has turned it around.

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The Brawl that changed it all.

Sometimes one play, one moment defines a season for a team.

For the 2001 Patriots, it was the game versus the New York Jets when starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe was injured by a thunderous hit administered by Mo Lewis.

Out comes Bledsoe, in goes Brady.

And the rest is history.

Brady became a three time NFL champion and Bledsoe was thrown on the scrap heap.

The Boston Red Sox had their own defining moment on July 24, 2004.

The “Curse” was now 86 years old and no thanks to the NY Yankees.

The season before , the Sox pushed the Bronx Bombers to Game Seven of the ALCS.  However, they lost in heartbreaking fashion yet again. It wasn’t the ’46, ‘67’, ’75 or ’86 World Series kind of pain and sorrow, but Aaron “Bleeping” Boone still broke the heart and perhaps will of Red Sox Nation.

Every tormented and tortured Red Sox fan asked, “Will we ever win a World Series?”

In 2004, the Red Sox front office was very active in building a team that could compete with the Yankees in the A.L. East. They picked up workhorse and World Series champion, Curt Schilling to shore up the pitching staff.

They also pursued highly talented, Alex “A-Rod” Rodriquez. However, yet again the Yankees found a way to swoop down and acquire A-Rod right from under the Red Sox brass’ noses.

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Kevin Youkilis slid into second base, pumped his fist and suddenly, on a July night against an out-of-division opponent, it felt like October in the Fens.

After a Marco Scutaro leadoff single and a successful sacrifice by Darnell McDonald, Youkilis caught an inside fastball and sneaked it by Rangers’ third baseman Michael Young for a game-tying RBI double with 2 outs in the home ninth.

The RBI effectively chased Cliff Lee, who, playing for his fourth team in less than a year, had continued to do what he always does so well: throw strikes.

Youkilis may be wild at times, but he's helped keep the Red Sox alive in spite of a glut of injuries.

The rest is history: Nelson Cruz extended the game when he robbed Mike Cameron of a walk-off home run, Papelbon and Delcarmen shut the Rangers down in extra innings and a poor decision on the part of Alexi Ogando loaded the bases and Youkilis won it in the 11th with a walk-off sacrifice fly.

It was a much-needed win for a team that had been 4-6 in its previous ten games and had lost 7 of 9 since inching to within a half-game of the New York Yankees for first place in the A.L. East on July 4th.

The Yankees and Rays have gone the other way, and by the time Boston and Texas got to extra innings last night, the Red Sox were 4 games behind Tampa and 6 behind New York in the AL Wild Card and East division standings, respectively.

It was as close to a must-win game as you’ll find in July. Since the All-Star Break, the Sox had received little encouraging news on the injury front and were staring down a potential sweep at the hands of the Rangers before heading west for a ten-game road trip – the first of two consecutive ten-game trips with yet another West Coast swing looming in September.

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