Author Archives: @stevea1127

About @stevea1127

I'm 25 from Taunton Ma and have a passion for sports especially Boston. My strong sports are MLB and the NFL. I'm hoping to get a job in sports writing someday.

The Patriots Travel to Miami to Take on the Dolphins

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Monday Night Football

FOXBORO, MA – NOVEMBER 26: Dion Lewis #33 of the New England Patriots carries the ball during the first quarter of a game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The Patriots travel to Miami to play the Dolphins on Monday night without Rob Gronkowski. He lost his appeal and will serve his one game suspension on Monday night. The Patriots however should beat the Dolphins without Gronk anyway. Far from elite quarterback Jay Cutler, who will be playing on Monday night, has never beaten the Patriots in his career. In the three times Cutler has played the Patriots his team was outscored by 34, 29, and 28 points. In two of the three times Cutler didn’t even finish the game.

Bill Belichick on Playing Without Gronk

ORCHARD PARK, NY – OCTOBER 30: Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball during NFL game action as Robert Blanton #26 of the Buffalo Bills and Zach Brown #53 and Jonathan Meeks #36 and Stephon Gilmore #24 gang tackle him at New Era Field on October 30, 2016 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

With Gronk not playing Bill Belichick was asked if the offensive game plan will change during his weekly Wednesday press conference:

“Well, we’ll just do what we always do. Take the players that we have available and match them up against the great team that Miami has, their defense and how difficult they are to play against and block and move the ball. Try to come up with the best plan that we can to be competitive with them Monday night.”

Another good question from today was how Brady was playing at such a high level at the age of 40.

“Yeah, well, Tom works hard. I think Tom’s talked a lot about that and discussed his personal training methods and so forth. So, I mean, he’s probably a better person to comment on that than I am, but Tom works hard. He’s here every day and puts an awful lot into his preparation, both physically and mentally for the game. So, I think that has a lot to do with it.”

The Patriots Should Win Monday Night

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on from the sideline during the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The Patriots should be clear winners on Monday night. They are 10 point favorites and were 12 before Gronk lost his appeal. The defense is playing better and should be all over Cutler, who doesn’t want to play for the Dolphins anyway. The Patriots should walk away with a 34-17 win. Then it’s on to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers a week from Sunday.

Trade Jackie Bradley Jr.

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Writers That Cover the Red Sox

Writers of the Boston media don’t want to trade Bradley Jr. for Jose Abreu. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe wrote that Abreu offers more power, while Bradley is more a complete and arguably more valuable player, given his defense and base running. What is with the people that don’t want to trade for power? Bradley is better Okay let’s look at some stats. Abreu has 124 home runs in his career while Bradley only has 57 home runs. Abreu has 410 RBI’s while Bradley has 233 RBI’s in his career.

Trade Jackie Bradley

BOSTON – JULY 9: Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. made a spectacular diving catch to rob Chicago’s Tyler Flowers of a hit in the top of the second inning. The Boston Red Sox hosted the Chicago White Sox in a MLB game at Fenway Park. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Bradley in the postseason is batting a .160 average, but he’s better than Abreu, right? The Red Sox are missing power in their lineup. Stanton is not going to happen as the Giants seem to be the front runner to land him. Out of the Red Sox prospects: Bradley, Bogaerts, Betts, and Benintendi, the first to go out of those four is Bradley. The Red Sox have made it clear they won’t trade Benintendi and Betts. Abreu is the power bat you need to win now the Red Sox are done with the rebuilding stage. They have their core, they just need a bat. I’m sure many of the writers that cover the team wish Farrell was still the manager for some reason. They hate change and don’t want to win now.

Comparing Jackie Bradley to Jose Abreu

In 2017 Jose Abreu had 33 home runs 102 RBI’s and a .304 batting average. Bradley had 17 home runs 63 RBI’s and a batting average of .245, but his defense is going to win championships. Right, writers that cover the team? If the White Sox GM makes that trade for Bradley because he thinks Bradley is better than Abreu the GM should be fired. The Red Sox should really go through with this trade and bring the power hitter Abreu to the Red Sox.

Will Garoppolo Return to the New England Patriots?

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Jimmy Garoppolo Throws a Touchdown Pass in 9ers Debut

Jimmy Garoppolo made his San Francisco 49ers debut Sunday, throwing a touchdown pass with time running out in the fourth quarter. The 49ers are starting Garoppolo on Sunday. Jimmy found out Tuesday morning according to my source. It seems like they are holding him until next season and might give him the franchise tag in 2018. I have a source that says Garoppolo is not happy San Francisco won’t pay him.

Will Garoppolo Comeback to New England in the Future?

My source also said Garoppolo doesn’t know if he would comeback to New England after Tom Brady retires. He is currently on his last year of his four year contract, worth $3,483,898 according to spotrac.com. This season he is making $434,158. It looks like the 49ers are going to franchise him next season, see how he plays, and them offer him a contract extension. If Garoppolo signs a three year deal with San Francisco, would he come back to New England afterwards? He knows the system and he has been a starter in the league for three seasons. At that point Brady would be 43 and would probably call it a great Hall of Fame Career. Even if he doesn’t Jimmy Garoppolo could still possibly come back.

Garoppolo Deserves to Start

When Garoppolo was traded, the head coach for the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan, said that there was no rush to play him.

“By no means are we trying to rush the process. I would definitely not expect it this week. We’ll look at it each week and when we feel that he’s comfortable and has a chance to go in and have a success with the time he has put in and the reps he has gotten in practice then we’ll decide that time is right.”

After C.J. Beathard got hurt, Garoppolo got his time to shine and prove that learning from Tom Brady has paid off. Garoppolo deserves to be a starter in the league, which is why he was traded.

Patriots Fans Have Nothing to Worry About During the Last Month of the Season

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December Is Right Around the Corner

The Patriots begin the final stretch of the regular season next week in Buffalo. They took care of business in Denver, then in Mexico against the Raiders. Yesterday they played the Dolphins for the first time this season, and going in everyone figured it was going to be a blowout. Let’s face it: the AFC blows. Nobody is catching the Patriots. They have the easiest division in football. They have the greatest quarterback of all time on their team and a coaching staff that can make any opponent look bad.

Patriots Always Find Ways to Win

(Mexico City 11/19/17) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady congratulates wide receiver Brandin Cooks’s touchdown during the third quarter of the NFL game against the Oakland Raiders at Azteca Stadium on Sunday, November 19, 2017. Staff Photo by Matt Stone

The Patriots always find ways to win games. The final stretch of the season includes Buffalo, Miami, Pittsburgh Buffalo and the Jets. According to the odds at freebets.org, in January we’ll be looking at a 14-2 team yet again. This is the 17th consecutive season the Patriots have a winning record. It’s unheard of, and it has to do with how smart the Patriots are, causing the rest of the AFC to look just plain dumb.

The Patriots and Everybody Else

The Steelers have no shot at beating the Patriots. None of the players want to play for the team anyway, and Big Ben is done after this year. Patriots fans can buy their plane ticket now for the Super Bowl cause that’s where they are headed. The state of the AFC will be like this until Brady retires. It has been a great run and of course we don’t want it to end. But I do wish the games were sometimes more competitive. At the end of the day it’s the Patriots versus everybody else.

Young Athletes’ Relationships

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Young Athletes in Relationships

Young athletes who are in their 20’s are very popular sometimes in the public eye. Sometimes girls that are in their late teens crush on a athlete who is in their early 20’s. For example Kobe Bryant was 23 when he met his future wife. She was a senior in high school at the time they met. Yes, he made some bad choices, but they are still married to this day. Even with the cheating scandals on Kobe’s part. Reports said it was cheaper for Kobe to stay married with Vanessa.

Mark Sanchez’s Friendship with Eliza

In 2011 Mark Sanchez went to a bar and met a seventeen-year-old high school girl. Her name was Eliza Kruger. Sanchez was a quarterback for the New York Jets at the time and was 25 years-old. The age of consent is 17 in the state of New York. All that happened though was she went to his house for dinner. He lives on a golf course and she took pictures of his bedroom. She bragged about meeting him on Facebook and he wouldn’t date her because she was too young.

What’s the Right Time?

Even though the age of consent is 16 in New York, Mark would still be on the friendship level with Eliza. He just liked her company. Today Mark is 31 and Eliza is 23. If they wanted to be more than friends at this point they could. She’s older and more mature. But back when she was 17 it wasn’t going to be anymore than friendship. Not only the age but the maturity and she probably had a lot going on.

This Goes for the Average Person, Not Just an Athlete

There’s nothing wrong with a young athlete or an young guy liking a younger girl. As long as the girl is at the age of consent. The same principle goes when genders are flopped. But the most important thing about any relationship is respect. If the average guy, say 25, was friends with a 17 year old girl like Mark Sanchez and Eliza and they got along well. As long as he respects her then there’s no problem with it. Like I said nothing more than a friendship at the point because of the gap and maturity but now who knows. But the average person is obviously different from a NFL quarterback or a young athlete, but the point is if they have respect for one another.

Will Jeter Send Stanton To Red Sox?

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Red Sox Stanton Talks Heating Up

According to the Miami Herald, the Red Sox Stanton talks are “heating up.” Dombrowski told the Boston Herald he could not comment on any trade talks at this time. Let’s take a look at what the Red Sox may have to give up. They really do need a power hitter, after missing David Ortiz. The question is, who has to go in order to get Stanton? The Red Sox would probably have to send them Jason Groome, Jackie Bradley Jr., and either Devers, or Nunez.

Will Andrew Benintendi Stay Or Will He Go?

Will Andrew Benintendi be in a Red Sox uniform next season? I sure hope so. You really don’t want to give up Benintendi. He is a great asset to the team, and has a future as a player. The Red Sox want to win, they aren’t in a rebuilding stage at this point. The Marlins are rebuilding. Stanton has made it clear he wants to win now, he doesn’t want to be on a rebuilding team. The other three teams interested in Stanton are the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.

Stanton’s Contract?

The Red Sox have to figure out if Stanton has a no-trade clause. With any trade for the outfielder, they have to deal with the $295 million owed over the next 10 seasons remaining on his contract. He can opt out after the 2020 season. The Red Sox hit the fewest home runs in the American League last season, a power bat would help their lineup greatly. Stanton has a better shot of winning with the Red Sox, with a new manager. They have the pitching, and really have controlled the division the last two seasons.

Red Sox Need The Bat In The Middle Of There Lineup

With Aaron Judge in the middle of the Yankees lineup, it’s clear the Red Sox need a big bat. Otherwise, they could find themselves in the wild card spot come next postseason.

Mike Felger Rant

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Mike Felger Rant

If you listen to 98.5, The Sports Hub, daily like I do, you know they have the highest rated station in Boston. They have great shows, and the 2-6 show in the afternoon has a lot of hot takes. For people that listen or watch Felger and Mazz, you will know they have very strong takes and opinions everyday. They are the most critical show on that station, which is why it’s very popular. When the news came out about Roy Halladay dying in a plane crash, you probably thought what a tragic accident–a player flying his own plane, and something malfunctioned with the plane and it crashed. Mike Felger had something to say about it.

TMZ Released A Video Of Hallady Flying Up and Down Over The Water

Then video came out, released by TMZ Sports, that had Halladay flying very close to the water, joyriding up and down. Then the questions started. Why would someone be joyriding in a plane with little experience over the water? His wife told him not to get the plane and he did it anyway. I heard the Mike Felger rant this morning, he is 90% correct. However, like Scott Zolak said this morning, nobody deserves to die, but you don’t joyride in a plane close to the water acting like nothing will happen.

Cory Lidle Was A Tragic Accident

A tragic accident was when Cory Lidle, along with his flight instructor, crashed into a building in New York City. Cory wasn’t joyriding or by himself, a strong wind blew the plane into the building as it was making an 180-degree turn. If you do something you know is stupid, and do it anyway, you suffer or your family suffers the consequences. I’ve learned things you do in life affect not only you, but the people around you. Felger is right, it’s a tragedy for his family and his kids who now will grow up without a father, because he decided to joyride on a plane and thought nothing would happen.

WEEI Needs To Get A Grip

As for WEEI, the Kirk and Callahan show needs to get a grip. I’m so glad the Sports Hub has to give you show content, you can’t provide your own show content. Kirk went to the Sports Hub parking lot this morning with a sign saying Fire Felger. He is just doing it because his show can’t get any content. This is why the Sports Hub beats WEEI in ratings all the time. They are original, while WEEI acts like babies, and needs content from another station to talk about.

Felger And Mazz Have High Ratings For A Reason

At the end of the day, Felger is going to be Felger, and again NOBODY DESERVES TO DIE. However, if you do something you know is stupid, you or your family will suffer the consequences, and have to pick up the pieces. That, ladies and gentleman, was Mike Felger’s point. If you don’t understand that, then educate yourself, or don’t listen to Felger and Mazz.

Alex Cora Excited To Be Back

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Manager Alex Cora Is In Boston

Alex Cora was introduced yesterday at Fenway Park. My takeaway from that press conference was him saying Boston won’t be a challenge for him.

“Boston, for a lot of people, is a challenge. For me, it’s not, I don’t think experience is going to be an obstacle for me. I think I’m prepared.”

I think it’s a good look for this team with a lot of young talent. The Red Sox hired Tony Larussa to as a resource for Cora, if needed. Questions remain if Cora was Dave Dombrowski’s choice, or some believe ownership may have stepped in. Either way, this market is a tough place to manage. The Red Sox have a winning reputation, and division titles don’t mean anything. It’s all about world championships. This whole city is all about championships, from the Red Sox to the Patriots.

Alex Goes Down Memory Lane

Cora played with Dustin Pedroia back in 2007. He made his debut for the Red Sox in July of 2005. The Red Sox won the World series in 2007. He said yesterday, Boston talks baseball 24/7 and that’s what he grew up with. Cora was saying that experience as a manager didn’t really matter when he was a players coach and a bench coach. He watched how the game was played, and managed throughout his career as a player, and as a bench coach.

Alex Is Coming Off A World Series Win

Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora sits in the dugout during media day for baseball’s World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Cora just won a World Series with the Houston Astros. What an accomplishment that was, after everything Texas has been through. He talked about forming the relationships with the players now, so when they get down to Fort Myers, he has an idea of who the players are and what they want to get out of next season in 2018.

On To 2018…

Cora is all about moving forward in talking about David Price.

“For me, it’s unfair to talk about what happened last year. It’s in the past. I’m here to move forward This guy is very important for me. Whatever I can do to help him out, I’m going to be there for him. And at the same time, whatever I can do for him to be successful, I have to be there for him. The whole clubhouse thing, we’ll be fine. You guys know how I dealt with Manny with all the situations. We tried to bring this thing together. We’re going to be fine.”

He Sounds Confident

He sounds confident, and that’s good. Let’s see how this team looks in February for Spring Training. Until then, they need to find another power hitter.

Is Belichick Only Thinking Of Now, Not The Future?

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In Bill We Trust?

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media following an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) ORG XMIT: NYOTK

Last night, the night before the NFL trade deadline and Halloween, Belichick made a massive trade. The Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ERS, for a 2018 second round pick. With this move, it’s clear the Patriots expect Brady to be the guy at least until his contract is up. I believe Brady will play until he is 45, and retire a Patriot, which means he and Belichick will walk away together. Thus leaving the Patriots with no decent quarterback. I get Garoppolo wanted a chance to play, but why not give him a contract to be a backup until Brady is done?

The Future Of The Patriots Post Brady/Belichick?

I know people think it’s a stupid idea to do that. If you’re planning for the future, which is post Brady, you give Garoppolo a contract to back up Brady now. When Brady is done, and Bill is done, Jimmy is the starter, and Josh Mcdaniels the head coach. Instead, Brian Hoyer could be coming back here, and he is no Garoppolo. They have to draft another quarterback to again shadow Brady. Garoppolo has two Super Bowl rings, and has been here for two and a half years shadowing Brady.

Will Garoppolo Comeback?

Will Garoppolo comeback and be the starter after Brady is gone in five years at most? That question remains to be answered, but here is an alternative or fake news fact: Brady gets traded to San Francisco in three years, and Garoppolo comes back as the starter. That would never happen, Brady is bigger than the team, and the Krafts won’t let Belichick trade or cut Brady. In 10 years, the Patriots could be the next Cleveland Browns. Whichever quarterback they have hopefully gets them on the right track. This could still be Garoppolo, who again could get some playing time, and come back when the time is right.

Will The Patriots Be The Next Cleveland Browns Post Brady/Belichick

Garoppolo wasn’t told about this trade by Belichick, but rather was told by his agent, Don Yee (Yee is also agent to Brady). Belichick said in his conference call this morning, that he and Jimmy had weekly meetings. You would think a potential trade would have come up in one of those meetings. Apparently not, as Garoppolo was caught off guard. Enjoy these last two to five years of Brady. After he’s gone, it will be back to the way it was before. Hopefully Garoppolo comes back, because at least they would have a decent quarterback.

The Patriots At The Half Way Point

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The Patriots Are 6-2 Going Into The Bye Week

We have reached the halfway point in the NFL season. The Patriots are going in to the bye week at 6-2. Yesterday’s win was all about field goals for the Patriots. They couldn’t convert in the red area. Good thing the Chargers are stupid, if it had been a better team, they could have lost.

Bill Belichick was asked about the offense not scoring and the defense giving up big plays. He said, “Yeah, we’re obviously not doing a very good job in that area and that’s something we have to do better at. No question about it. We’re giving up too many big plays on defense and can’t convert on third down in the read area. Those are two huge issues. ”

The Patriots Have A Lot Of Road Games

Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots makes the Broncos defenders look silly. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The Patriots have five road games from now until Christmas Eve. Starting with Denver a week from Sunday, they then travel to Mexico to play the Raiders. In the AFC, there are only two other teams besides the Patriots who are 6-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have issues with players not getting the ball enough and a quarterback who doesn’t know if he still has it. The Kansas City Chiefs, who will find a way to choke when it matters the most.

The Patriots Have Issues On Defense And Offense

FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 07: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on September 7, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

As far as the injuries go, Hightower out for the season is a huge loss. Gilmore will hopefully be back for the game in Denver, but has been out for three straight weeks. Will the Patriots get another receiver like Calvin Johnson? This remains to be seen, but here is Brady on yesterday’s win and not executing on offense:

“Yep, that’s a good word for it. We didn’t finish them off. We just have to do a better job of that. I know I’ve said that about 100 times this year, but it’s tough and we’re trying. It’s just the execution is coming up a little short in critical times. I’m glad we won. That’s the most important thing. You know, starting 0-1 and then being 6-2 – you know, a lot of mental toughness. So, that’s good, and we’ve got to keep it going. You know, biggest games are ahead of us, so we’re going to have to go play well. ”

We’ll see what happens in the second half of the season . There is still a lot of work to do.