Adam McQuaid

Bruins Trade Adam McQuaid to New York

Leave a reply

As The Bruins gear up for their exhibition game in China, news hit that Boston officially traded defenseman Adam McQuaid to the New York Rangers. The news has hit social media and reactions have pretty much stated the same thing: the Bruins lost a tough player. For Coach Bruce Cassidy, this move felt a little more personal:

“It’s tough to see him go…10 years we’ve been together, going back to Providence. Today was a tough morning. We’ll miss him.”

With the trade, Boston has acquired defenseman Steven Kampfer, a 2019 fourth round pick, and a conditional 2019 seventh round pick. According to NBC’s Joe Haggerty, GM Don Sweeney “wasn’t worried about losing McQuaid’s toughness and fighting ability” as Boston has “team toughness.”

Image result for Adam Mcquaid fighting

Putting emotion aside, what exactly is Boston getting in losing a player that spent his entire 11 year career in Boston? McQuaid had one year left on his contract ($2.7 million). For the brass, that amount may have been a lot to pay for the 31-year-old player. With the amount of young guys and the depth being built up in Boston, McQuaid may not have had a regular spot on the roster. From a business perceptive, it makes sense to let go of a player like McQuaid, who’s been plagued with health issues over the season. It will also free up some cap space for the Bruins. But for many fans, losing someone like McQuaid is a tough sell.

LONE WOLF

Adam McQuaid

(Photo Credits: Don McPeak-USA Today Sports

Though he was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005, McQuaid was sent shipped out to Boston. There, he played in Providence for three seasons. He officially joined the varsity team in 2009. He became a solid, reliable blue-liner; McQuaid was there to not only help Rask out, but defend teammates when the need arose. He was also instrumental in helping Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011. He played throughout the series except for two games, ending with a plus 8 rating and four assists in 23 postseason games. McQuaid was good when the Bruins needed him. He played a career high of 77 games when he was healthy (healthy being the key word). Some quick NHL stats: McQuaid has played 462 games with 13 goals, 53 assists and 652 penalty minutes.

RETURN TO BOSTON

Image result for steven Kampfer

29 year old Kampfer returns to Boston having made his NHL debut with the Bruins during the 2010-2011 season. He played in 38 games for Boston. The Bruins traded Kampfer to the Minnesota Wild in 2012 in exchange for Greg Zanon. Kampfer had also played for the Florida Panthers prior to being shipped to New York. For the Rangers, he netted one goal and two assists. Some quick stats: Kampfer has played appeared in 166 NHL games and 249 in the AHL.  At 5’11, 195 lbs., the defenseman will have his work cut out for him. He will likely spend time between Providence and Boston.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Boston is going to miss McQuaid, who was a big presence on the ice. As mentioned beforehand, with this move, Boston is saving some money (Kampfer also comes with a $650k cap hit). Quaider was one of the last tough guys who wasn’t afraid to drop his gloves or take a skate to the neck. And for the guys in the locker room, he was a great teammate. Sad to see you go Quaider and all the best in New York.

Once a Bruin, always a Bruin.

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5riK4nPTEc&w=560&h=315]

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojfu69PNeqs&w=560&h=315]

The Pros and Cons of Brady’s Performance on Sunday

Leave a reply

Brady’s Performance on Sunday

Tom Brady looked sharp over the win against the Houston Texans. At the beginning of the game, it was just him and Gronkowski connecting on the field. All the skipping of offseason workouts for Brady did it mean anything? Or does were the Texans a bad example of a team? Brady did his own thing during the offseason working out his way. He gets to do that he’s the greatest of all time and has earned that right. What we saw Sunday is something we’ve seen Brady do find his main target and try to connect with them.

One pro from the game was Brady to Gronkowski. They both connected really well, all Brady has to do is throw it up there and Gronkowski finds a way to haul it in. Without Gronkowski it’s a little more difficult I think to maybe get the ball to the other receivers. Phillip Dorsett had himself a game too, so did Patterson and James White. Even Devlin had himself a game. My one con from the game was Chris Hogan Brady couldn’t connect with Hogan at all. He missed Hogan twice down the field with the long ball.

Brady To Gronk Was Piece Of Cake

Brady admitted after the game there are things to improve on. For example, leaving some points on the field. Patterson was really only a factor on some screen plays and didn’t go over into the middle of the field like Gronkowski did. Another pro for Brady was his calmness in the pocket looking for the open receiver, tight end, and running back. Without Gronkowski, the drive before halftime would not have gotten us points. My last con would be connecting with Patterson downfield. I think maybe they should try that this week and use it next week in Jacksonville. Also, Brady can’t throw it to Hogan when he’s tripled covered. Gronkowski or Edelman can catch that, but Hogan is neither one of those players.  Overall, I give Brady’s performance a B+ considering all the drama and talk all offseason. Brady is 41 and passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception on a tipped ball.

Use Code “BSE” for $20 off your first purchase when using Seat Geek!

Why is Jaylen Brown Being Overlooked?

Leave a reply

Jaylen Brown’s name hasn’t popped up much this summer.

Celtics players, staff, and fans are all preparing for training camp to open soon. As such, the hype surrounding the team continues to accumulate, and rightfully so. With the team fully healthy, the league and its fans are ready for the Celtics to make some noise. All summer long, fans have been raving about the return of Gordon Hayward, or the emergence of Jayson Tatum. Marcus Smart’s name was even thrown into the mix when he signed a new deal. One name that fans haven’t heard at all? That of Jaylen Brown.

However, Brown’s name should be showing up far more than it is. While people tend to look right at Kyrie Irving, Hayward, Tatum or even Al Horford, no one is giving Brown the attention he deserves. When given the choice between Brown and Tatum, most fans say that Tatum is better. Here’s why the third-year player deserves more hype heading into this season.

A Closer Look

Brown’s Impact Last Year

When ranking this year’s projected starting five, number 7 is often mentioned last. However, behind Kyrie, Brown was second on the team in scoring last year, with 14.5 points per game. Granted, Hayward was out, but most nights the team looked to him as the second option. In the playoffs, the spotlight was rightfully on Jayson Tatum as he scored 18.5 playoff points per game. However, Brown was right on his heels, with 18.0 points. He also had more rebounds than Tatum in the postseason. His impact on the team last year is overlooked far too often.

His Ability to Improve

The jump from year 1 to year 2 for Jaylen was absolutely incredible. He improved in nearly every statistical category. His PPG jumped from 6.6 to 14.5. He increased his rebounds per game from 2.8 to 4.9. His assists improved from 0.8 to 1.6 APG. He improved on the defensive end too, averaging 1.0 steals per game last year, up from 0.4. His blocks also took a small leap. It’s practically unheard of for a player to improve in every single one of those categories. To top it all off, his three-point percentage leaped from 34% to 39%. Unreal.

The kicker? Jaylen Brown is 21 years old. He’s not even sniffing his prime yet. Brown has at least three seasons to go before he starts entering the prime of his career. He doesn’t have to come close to the level of improvement from last year. If he’s anywhere in the ballpark, the kid is going to be a huge weapon on both sides of the ball this year.

There’s a reason that Danny Ainge considers and has always considered Jaylen Brown untouchable. When fans are in awe of Kyrie’s handles or a Tatum trey, they often forget about the highlight-reel slams from number 7. Jaylen Brown is an extremely valuable player on this roster and deserves far more recognition than he is receiving. This upcoming season, look out for Brown to have the best season of his young career. And just remember: he’s only getting better.

Follow me on Twitter for more: @jackbuffett_

Use Code “BSE” for $20 off your first purchase when using Seat Geek!

Patriots in general not impressed with the win today

Leave a reply

Patriots Get The Win On Opening Day

It felt like a fall day in Foxborough today when the Patriots hosted the Houston Texans. Tom Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski a lot today. Gronkowski really had himself a day catching seven passes for 123 yards and one touchdown to put the Patriots on the board first. After the game, however, Brady said “We’ve got to do a lot better than that, I don’t think we played anywhere near what our capabilities are. All of us probably look at the game and realize we could have done a lot of things differently.” As a team, the Patriots committed three turnovers on Sunday, two on the offense and one on special teams. Brady threw for 277 yards on the day.

The team thinks they can play better

Brady continued saying “It’s a good win, obviously, but we’ve got to do a lot better, You’ve got to coach hard and you’ve got to correct guys, and you’ve got to correct yourself and have high expectations for yourself. And that’s how you have high expectations for the team.” In my opinion, Brady’s best drive of the day was just before halftime when Brady led the offense down the field and scored to make it 21-6 Patriots at halftime.

Bill Belichick also spoke after the game and thought it was a good win. “Obviously, some things we need to improve on, clean up on. But that’s the way it always is in a game like this. Houston’s tough. We expected it to go all 60 minutes, like it did, and come down to the final play. That’s pretty much what we’ve got.” Belichick said. Considering the loss of Edelman and Amendola, the offense didn’t do too bad. Phillip Dorsett played well catching seven passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. James White also had a solid game and scored a touchdown as well. Even Cordarrelle Patterson played well and gained 19 yards on a screen pass. Rex Burkhead who rushed for 64 yards and James Devlin caught four passes for 22 yards was a big part of the offense today too.

Next week, the Patriots travel to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars. Gronkowski will have a great game and make Jalen Ramsey eat his words. The Patriots do their talking on the field while Ramsey does his talking during media sessions. Next Sunday should be a great game.

Use Code “BSE” for $20 off our first purchase when using Seat Geek!

Is Bill Belichick retiring sooner rather than later?

Leave a reply

Bill Belichick’s Days Numbered Has Patriots Head Coach

Via USA Today

I wrote in April that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was retiring after this season. This was after Josh McDaniels came back to be the offensive coordinator. In April, it was all about whether or not Rob Gronkowski or Tom Brady would be coming back for the 2018 season. After Gronkowski’s dirt bike press conference, there was a meeting with Belichick, Gronkowski, and his agent Drew Rosenhaus. Gronkowski would then post a video that he would be committed to the 2018 NFL season.

With Josh McDaniels coming back, I said the Belichick would be retiring at the end of the season. It was based on the events of last year and not being able to do things he wanted to do. For example, the trade of Jimmy Garoppolo for a 41-year-old quarterback. The only difference is Brady is playing at MVP level. The right decision in Kraft’s eyes and Belichick’s was to trade him.

What Does The Extension For Josh McDaniels Mean?

With this new five year extension for Josh McDaniels as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport yesterday, you don’t pay an offensive coordinator like a head coach unless you see that coordinator becoming the next head coach in my opinion. It’s not known how many years Belichick wants to coach. When I went to training camp this summer for Boston Sports Extra, I was told that if Belichick wants to retire he’s doing a great job hiding it. Again, the Patriots do the best at handling distractions.

I still believe Belichick is done at the end of this season. When McDaniels came back, he said he needed to know what his situation was going to be going forward. Once he found out Belichick was going to be on his way out quietly, McDaniels said yes to coming back and coaching his favorite quarterback. Say McDaniels was coaching the Colts, what would Brady’s reaction be? Brady, of course, had a say in bringing Josh McDaniels back like it was reported.

Belichick has accomplished a lot along with Tom Brady. Brady has stated he wants to play five more years. However, Belichick has not stated he wants to coach five more years. Belichick did state in 2009 that he would be coaching into his 70s. That’s not too far off. Don’t be surprised if you just see the breaking news one day that Belichick is retiring as head coach of the Patriots. There will be no season long going away party. It will come at the end of the season when people least expect it.

Use Code “BSE” for $20 off your first purchase when using Seat Geek!

Those Pesky Gronk Rumors Explained

1 Reply

The Value of a Rumor in the NFL

As we head into the beginning of the NFL season news broke that star tight end Rob Gronkowski attempted to discourage the New England Patriots from trading him. On the surface and out of context this would seem to play into the big bad, evil image of Bill Belichick. The problem with rumors in the football world is that they come out in dribs and drabs. The Gronk rumors appear to come out of the end of a long offseason drama series. And the Patriots attempted to nail down what his plans were for the upcoming season. Let’s take a look at each rumor in chronological order and see if the entire picture makes anymore sense.

Rumor #1: After the Super Bowl loss Rob Gronkowski contemplated retirement.

This is understandable looking back. He was coming off serious back surgery that ended his 2016 season. Gronk injured his groin in Week 2 that no doubt lingered for multiple weeks. The frustration over penalties culminated in the body slamming incident of Bill’s cornerback White. His suspension in Week 14 was an unpleasant punishment. Then the normal aches and pains that an NFL player goes through each week in order to suit up. And a concussion in the AFC Championship game. Reaching the Super Bowl and playing a spectacular game only to fall in the end. Elite athletes that put it all on the line to achieve their ultimate goal understandably suffer a severe letdown in the immediate aftermath.

 

Rumor #2: Rob Gronkowski was angling for a new deal.

Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end in the NFL. Full Stop. His contract is not paying him like that. The team and the player have been locked in negotiations for several years to come up with inventive solutions to rectify this. The team of course could cave and give Gronk’s camp everything they want and be completely unprotected and set a dangerous precedent. They don’t do this for anyone. They will continue to be tough negotiators in order to get the best deals for the team. A little sweetener, such as what he received after training camp was nearly done may have headed this off, or it may have not.

 

Rumor #3: Patriots quietly attempted to trade Gronk heading into the draft.

The bizarre press conference in late April with Gronkowski appearing in dirt bike uniform, standing at a podium talking about his biking skills. Rumors of a wrestling career, acting career and no clear statement from the tight end that he was preparing for a 2018 season came to a head. Belichick clearly believes in attempting to get the most value out of an asset if it’s good for the team. The antics of the player may have been wearing on the front office. And prompted them to reach out to some organizations in order to gauge interest and prices.  According to news reports, the 49ers, Lions and Titans were all involved. This make sense as they either have ties to the Patriots or have been recently been involved in quiet deals.

Rumor #4: Gronk makes his announcement.

Then the news that broke on Sunday just prior to the 2018 season that Gronk “protested strongly” any potential trade. This was accompanied by a powwow between the player, his agent and Patriots brass. Then on April 24th Gronkowski posted on his Instagram feed that he was coming back to the Patriots for the 2018 season. I’m sure the details regarding his involvement were all worked out ahead of time. Including his absences from voluntary team practices and his attendance at the mandatory ones. The result was that after a full participation in training camp and a healthy mindset, they inked a new set of incentives designed to give him up to a potential $4+ million dollars more.

Rumors and reports floating around breaking at different times during the offseason. Many times weeks or months after the actual events, it creates confusion. What is clear is that the franchise cornerstone is healthy, and ready to go. I’m sure there may be more rumors and hearsays in the months following another successful season. Just remember that these are business people and adults that all have a common goals. I’m going to ignore any more rumors and look to great games this season and a hopeful sixth championship at the end.

 

All photos courtesy of Getty images unless noted otherwise.

Be sure to check out other great articles for all your favorite Boston sports teams on Bostonsportsextra.com

Follow me on Twitter @ALykins32

How Can Trey Ball Adjust To The Outfield.

1 Reply

While others had made the jump in previous years, how will Trey Ball adapt to the change? It looks like it’s his last option.

The 24 year old former first round pick is considering moving to the outfield. The 7 overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft has had a rough go on the mound during his minor league career, posting a career 5.02 ERA in six seasons.

While taking on hitting at the end of Portland’s season, he went 1-9 at the plate, with an RBI double in his last at bat. The interesting part in all of this: he was a two way player throughout his high school career. His double was the first swing for him in a competitive game in over five years.

Image result for trey ball hitting

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe had an interview with Ben Crockett, Red Sox VP of player development. ” It’s definitely not a conversion at this time,” said Red Sox vice president of player development Ben Crockett. “There’s still good things with his stuff. “He’s been taking [batting practice] for a while. He continues to pitch. That’s kind of how we mapped it out for him — more exploratory than anything else. We’re still kind of in that initial stage at this point.” 

While many position players have made this transition: Mookie, Ian Desmond, Dee Gordon, Robin Yount, Jackie Robinson, and Pete Rose just to name a few. Although this list is of star proportions, this could workout very well for both parties. While he is still currently on a rookie contract this season, he made a cool $2.275 million. ( according to spotrac.com)

While we cannot compare his ability just yet, we can speculate he might be able to pull it off. The six foot six southpaw certainly has the quickness and size, but the key is having the ability to track down the fly ball consistently. With all new transitions, it will take time. Only time will tell if he can successfully adjust, not only in the outfield, but out of AA baseball.

Ray Allen Reflects on Time in Boston

Leave a reply

Ray Allen has long been a controversial figure in Boston.

However, the legendary shooting guard seems to look back fondly on his time as a Celtic. Allen entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. Earlier in the week, he set Celtics fans abuzz when he suggested to Shams Charania that he did not expect to receive congratulations from his former teammates. Later in the week, Allen did a customary interview as part of his Hall of Fame induction trip. He had many interesting things to say about his experience in Beantown.

His Comments

“People look at how I left, but I look at how I lived when I was there,” Ray told media on Thursday night. He’s not wrong- Allen was certainly the target of a lot of anger after he left the team. Allen departed Boston after the 2012 season due to apparent internal rifts with other players. The main culprit was then-point guard Rajon Rondo. That wasn’t the kicker, however. He left to go play on the defending champion Miami Heat with Lebron James. The Heat had become rivals with the Celtics, beating them on their way to the title that year. Allen also took nearly half as much money as Boston offered to take a far less lucrative offer from Miami.

Allen offered his take on that, too:

“Now, I do understand the angst that people have towards me…But, it becomes such a business that you ultimately have to decide when it’s time to fold up the tent. You gotta move on. There’s so many factors in play.”

No doubt some of those factors were the aforementioned Rondo disputes. It also may have had to do with the rising of young guard Avery Bradley at that time. But Allen has a point, it is a business. He felt that was the best path for him to wind down his career. He retired two years later.

Allen’s time in Boston meant the world to him

Allen doesn’t look back with regrets or anger, though. He said, “That to me is the most important time in my life because I had never won. And I was able to win. And that’s probably the most important thing that I want people to remember, is the time we spent together.” After years of bitter and petty feuding with members of the Celtics, it’s somewhat shocking to hear Allen call his tenure “the most important time in my life.” But he is has a point. He had enduring a long stretch in his career where he was unable to have any success. Though he became one of the greatest shooters of all time, he never won until he went to Boston.

Though many fans remember his exit, they also remember the banner he helped bring to Boston after 22 years. He was crucial in that 2008 playoff run, as the team went on a magical spurt against Detroit and LeBron’s Cavs. They then dispatched the Lakers in six games in the Finals behind Allen’s sharpshooting.

In the end, that’s the part of Allen’s legacy that will be immortalized in Boston lore, much like Allen is being immortalized in Springfield, MA.

Call-ups for the Red Sox in 2019

Leave a reply

The minor league season is over for the Red Sox, so the focus turns to next year for the prospects. There were risers and fallers in the system, but some of them could be on the major league team next year. The most likely call-ups are Michael Chavis, Travis Lakins, Durbin Feltman, and Bobby Dalbec.

Michael Chavis

Coming into the year, Chavis was the best prospect in the organization. An 80 game suspension for PEDs set him back, but Chavis raked when he came back. The 23-year old spent the bulk of the year in Double-A Portland and hit .303 with six home runs in 33 games there. The third baseman was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket and hit .273 in just eight games there. When Bobby Dalbec and Chavis were on the same team, Chavis moved to first base. Steve Pearce is a free agent and Mitch Moreland is under contract for next year, so the Red Sox will have to make some decisions with that. Also, moving Rafael Devers, who struggled at third, to first base, has been talked about. This would open the door for Chavis to be the opening day third baseman next year.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, right, poses with shortstop Michael Chavis from Sprayberry Senior High School in Marietta, Ga., at the 2014 MLB baseball draft Thursday, June 5, 2014, in Secaucus, N.J. Chavis was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 26th pick in the first round. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Lakins and Feltman

Travis Lakins got off to a rough start in his Red Sox career, but do not let his 4.42 career ERA fool you. His career was revived when he moved to the bullpen. Lakins was moved to bullpen full time when he was promoted from Portland to Pawtucket and did not disappoint. The righty posted a 1.65 ERA in ten appearances with Pawtucket, picking up two saves.

Durbin Feltman was drafted just a few months ago and has been very impressive already. It only took him four games in which he did not give up a run to be promoted to Greenville. Feltman posted a 2.57 ERA in seven games with Greenville then was promoted to Salem. He was good again in Salem, posting a 2.19 ERA in eleven games. All in all, Feltman had a 1.93 ERA in 22 games this season. The bullpen is obviously the biggest need for the Red Sox, so Feltman and Lakins could be the biggest pieces in the farm system.

 

Bobby Dalbec

Despite having a decent average, Dalbec makes up for that with walks and home runs. His on-base percentage is .361 which is up about 100 points from his .257 average. Dalbec showed his power this year, hitting 32 home runs in just 129 games with Portland and Salem. Dalbec fits today’s game because nobody really cares about hits and it’s all about getting on base and hitting the long ball. As I mentioned, the Red Sox have a hot corner conundrum. If Devers and Chavis are on the roster, Dalbec may have a tough time getting playing time. He has played third base his entire career so the Red Sox would have to change something to get him playing time.

Photo by Peter Aiken

Bottom Line

Right now, the Red Sox have one of the worst farm systems in the league. However, I still believe that they have great potential and are on the rise. Dombrowski has drafted well since he was hired, and some of the 2018 picks are off to a hot start. They have also gotten unlucky because there top three prospects (Chavis, Groome, Casas) were all suspended or injured at some point this season.

Jabari Bird Arrested for Assault on Friday

Leave a reply

Jabari Bird is in a whole lot of trouble.

The young Celtics guard was arrested Friday night in Brighton, Massachusetts. As of this morning, he was in custody at St. Elizabeth’s hospital. The matters appear to be very serious- the Domestic Violence Unit of the BPD became involved in the situation. Charges against Bird include assault, strangulation and kidnapping. There’s no doubt that this is going to be a sticky situation for the 24-year-old. While allegations against athletes are always hairy, this certainly does not look good for Jabari Bird.

The Boston Celtics released a statement regarding the matter on Saturday morning. It read, “We are aware of the incident involving Jabari Bird and are taking it very seriously. We are actively gathering information and will reserve further comment at this time.” It was a pretty standard statement for this type of situation, but it’s clear that Boston is on top of the situation.

What it Means

After the Summer League concluded, many fans had high hopes for Jabari Bird. He appeared to intrigue the Celtics as well, as the team inked him to a contract in late July. Bird, 24, spent last season as a two-way player, moving between Boston and the G-League affiliate Maine Red Claws. The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is where he really stood out, though. He averaged team-highs in both points and rebounds, gathering 18.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG.

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Though Bird wasn’t expected to play very much at all this season, fans were still excited about him. After this arrest, however, his future with the team becomes far more cloudy. According to sources, the Celtics aren’t expected to make any roster move regarding him on Saturday, but if the Celtics’ findings reflect poorly on the guard, there’s a good chance he’ll be swiftly shown the door. Seeing as he’s not likely to contribute to the team much, the Celtics won’t hesitate to cut Bird the second they decide that the allegations carry weight.

Fans will now play the waiting game to see if more information will trickle out throughout Saturday afternoon and over the weekend. Hopefully Bird is innocent and the allegations are false, but it certainly doesn’t seem that way. If true, there’s no place for someone like that on the Celtics.