Jagged Island for Jacksonville’s Jags?

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Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, wishes to buy Wembley Stadium. This is seen by many as a major step in moving the Jags to London; an admirable goal which isn’t as crazy as initial thoughts would have you believe. They have built up a large fan base in Britain and due to the size of the United States NFL teams already have to fly to many away games. He also owns Fulham Football Club, but he’s not going to move the team from Craven Cottage because A, it’s not in Fulham, and B, they’d never fill it.

I presumed The Queen owned Wembley, the same way she owns Canada and all the swans. I don’t think Wembley should be sold, placed in private hands or be home to an NFL team.

IT’S FOOTBALL, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

Does this look like a tailgate? Credit SASi

Don’t get me wrong; I love watching the NFL in London, but it’s nothing like watching it in America. We can do the game fine but we fall short on the tailgate. There just isn’t enough spare real estate around Wembley; it’s all industrial estates and railway lines.

NFL UK are a fantastic organization. They know the issues so have morphed the tailgate into food trucks and entertainment. It’s not that British fans aren’t trusted to entertain ourselves, more that we prefer local pubs and don’t own Chevy Silverados. Also, I don’t know how many readers have been to a London parking lot; they don’t give you any space between the spaces which, similarly, aren’t very spacious.

WALKING IN A WEMBLEY WONDERLAND

Colts @ Jags 2016 (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Walking down Wembley Way, surrounded by an army of NFL jerseys is a special feeling. The atmosphere on the bleachers is wonderfully British; we don’t scream and yell at the pitch, rather we enthusiastically applaud. However, the home team is rarely the more popular, most fans just want to see a close game (not too close because OT risks missing the last train home) and the scoreboards show games that won’t be starting for hours.

If the Jaguars are to move to London then Mr Khan is better suited throwing his cash at a new stadium with the space to cater to a full NFL experience. Fans come from all over the UK to watch the international series. You won’t find 90,000 people paying to watch Blake Bortles every other week, no matter how entertaining Jalen Ramsey is. The current NFL UK format works because of rarity and spectacle, if we’re going to have our own team the venue needs to be designed accordingly. Wembley is the home of English soccer and long may she remain that way.

NFL Draft Party Presented by Agent Sean Stellato: Sights and Sounds

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Ever wonder what it’s like to attend an NFL draft party, complete with NFL players, agents, and staff? Look no further, as I’m going to take you through my experience this past Thursday, when the NFL kicked off the 2018 season with the annual NFL Draft. This event was graciously hosted by Stellato Sports and its founder and NFL agent, Sean Stellato.

Arrival

I arrived in Middleton, MA around 5 PM on Thursday, April 26th, at this gorgeous country club where you could see employees and vendors setting up and getting ready for the arriving guests as you pulled up. Being early, I decided to poke around and get a feel of the place and a realistic perspective of how poor I really am. This place was nice. The lot was flooded with BMWs, Porches, and I even spotted a midnight black Lambo that would stop any car enthusiast in their tracks. Making my way into the clubhouse, I ran into to some folks discussing table placement, buffet arrangements, and where to put bags and coats. Being unfamiliar, I asked this kind gentleman in a suit where I might be able to check in at the media desk for entry. He let me know I was early, but didn’t mind if I wondered the grounds so long as I was back for check-in. No problem. I headed up to the rooftop deck where they were also setting up for the event, but I decided to take in the scenery and snap some beautiful pictures of the course from above. The smell of grass and the sounds of golf balls getting hammered down the green was in a way soothing, and with the sky a pretty blue, it created the perfect backdrop for the party. As time ticked away, and check-in being 6 PM, I went back down stairs to get ready for entry.

Let’s Get This Party Started

As I stood in line to get my wristband, in plain sight and about 50-ft away, was New England Patriots LB Marquis Flowers checking his phone and chatting up a group of kids and fans who were excited to see him. All smiles, Marquis was kind throughout and never wavered when approached. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot the whitest Benz I think I’ve ever seen pulling up to a parking spot. I mean whiter than white out. Out comes Sean Stellato, NFL agent, party host, and author. When I say this dude was stylin’, he would have given Michael Jackson a run for his money. Also, Sean if you’re reading this, nice shoes that day (picture below). After the “Hello”s and “See you all inside”s, we got our bands, goody bag with gifts (gift cards to eateries, party favors, etc), and headed to our designated areas. I was upstairs on the VIP/Media deck.

Networking/Pre-Draft

After getting upstairs, the rooftop filled quickly. CEOs, Founders, and Owners of things were mostly in attendance, but you had your fair share of the everyday fan. You could hear conversations ranging from “This is nice, good weather”, to “Let me tell you about this new high-tech water my company makes.” There was no short in levels of interaction. Chatting it up with a few big-wigs and becoming friends on LinkedIn, I grabbed a drink from the bar and mosied my way to the number of buffets that were provided. Sushi, cheese and crackers, wine, and a dinner buffet that featured classic Italian cuisine. Meanwhile, event employees were setting up a display for a photo-op with New England Patriot players who were slated to be there, while they also placed the five shining Vince Lombardi trophies from each of New England’s Super Bowl victories on a stand for viewing and pictures.

Once most had a bit to eat and drink, Sean made the announcement that Patriots players Marquis Flowers, Brandon King, and Rob Ninkovich would be attending. He also noted that Tony DeMarco, aka “The Boston Bomber” (58-12 pro record), would be there. Not many people got excited, but I did as this dude is a stone-cold legend around Boston. He even has his own statue! Even so, the crowd started to hover around the display hoping to get their chance to meet and greet with the players, phone in hand already on camera mode.

Then comes out the players and the crowd gets chatty. Some fight to get up close, some yelling from the back, but it was all in good spirit. I happened to be lucky enough to get a “front row seat”, but admittedly found it difficult to have a lengthy conversation with the stars of the show due to them being pulled in all directions. I did manage to get a few pictures and chat it up with both Tony and Sean, who were equally as pleasant and accommodating. My time with Tony lasted longer, which was pretty cool to hear a few of his “war stories” from the ring. Overall, it was neat to shake hands and talk with polarizing figures. With the actual draft beginning at 8 PM, I made my way downstairs ready for the draft to begin.

Draft/After-Party

Once the draft started and all were full and happy, the networking and conversation seemed to remain steady. There were a few still sticking to their marketing pitch and investment strategies, but most wanted to have a good time at that point. Flowers, Jones, and Ninkovich were saying hello and making conversation while ESPN was on the projector screen for viewing at the head of the room. There was a nice speech thanking all of us for coming and enjoying ourselves, which was nice. Pick after pick people chatted and enjoyed themselves and the wonderful reception that followed the pre-party. As the draft grew later in the night, a good portion of folks started to head home for the evening, myself included, as an hour and 40 minute drive was staring me in the face. Leaving shortly after, I relived the events of the evening and how cool of an experience it was.

Recap

This was such a unique experience, and shout out to Boston Sports Extra and Sean Stellato for allowing me to attend. Not only was I able to meet some pretty cool and smart business executives, I was surrounded by the energy and prestige of upper level executives and NFL caliber talent, as well as positive spirits. I met a boxing legend in Tony Demarco, shook hands with NFL players, and took a picture and chatted with a real, big-time NFL agent. I ate 5-star food and got free stuff, not a bad deal. Overall, it was the perfect event to network, grab some free stuff, and just have a low-key good time especially as a football fan. If I were you, I would absolutely recommend to one day attend a draft party if you’re able. Aside from a good time, you never know who you might meet.

Don’t worry, that’s water 😉

Be sure follow my Twitter @JaxBrown725. Leave a comment and share!

Mookie Betts Having a Great Season so Far

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Mookie Betts Seems More Comfortable This Season at the Plate

Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts celebrates his home run with Andrew Benintendi, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Anaheim Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)Mookie Betts has gotten off to a solid start this season. He has eight home runs, 18 RBI’s and a batting average of .344. Last season at this time his batting average was .293. Mookie Betts has been swinging early in the count and being more aggressive at the plate this season. Also, Betts and other players on the team are connecting with Cora a lot better than they connected with John Farrell.

Alex Cora Likes Mookie Bett’s Approach at the Plate

Betts has a hamstring injury, and it’s not certain if he’ll play against the Kansas City Royals. But overall this season Betts is playing really well. Alex Cora told WEEI earlier this month: “There’s a different approach this season I think Betts set the tempo on the first-pitch fastball of the season when he almost took it out of the ballpark in Tampa against [Chris] Archer. Instead of just working the count, taking pitches right down the middle and falling behind, he’s ready to attack from the get-go. You can see now pitchers, they know what’s going on so they have to grind from the first pitch with every at-bat. I don’t think it’s a hot stretch. I think this is the guy. Obviously, his OPS is not going to be 1.400. He’ll be over .900, and that’s a good leadoff hitter. I mean, that’s elite. That’s what we wanted from the get-go, and he’s done an outstanding job.”

The 20-7 Red Sox have the best record in baseball. They also avoided a sweep this past weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. The question remains if Betts will be able to keep this up all season along and into October. That remains to be unseen, but he seems to be more comfortable at the plate.  The Red Sox will have their slumps and so will Betts. It’s a long season. However, It’s been a very fun and watchable team so far.

Keys for the Bruins Ahead of Game 2 in Tampa

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The Bruins hope to take Game 2 tonight in the same fashion they took Game 1: by dominating one of the best teams in hockey in all three zones. Heading into this series the Bruins were considered the underdog, with many expecting the Lightning to handle them. But the B’s took it right to the number one seed in the conference, playing their best game of the playoffs. Now let’s take a look at what it’s going to take for the Bruins to take a commanding 2-0 heading back to Boston.

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The Perfection Line Must Be Perfect

En route to a 6-2 beat down of the Bolts, “the perfection line” was, well, perfect. The Marchand/Bergeron/Pastranak line reminded the Bolts why they are the best line in hockey. The Lightning’s top line of J.T. Miller, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov gives the team an edge against just about any other line in hockey. Except for the fact that on the other end Bergeron is heading a historically good line. In Game 1, the trio combined for 11 points, torching the Bolts in all facets of the game. Marchand scored and added three assists, Bergeron potted two goals and added a helper, while Pastranak dished out four assists continuing his phenomenal start to the postseason.

This was the best way for the Bruins to play defense against J.T. Miller, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov. The Bolts’ top line was a minus -4 with only seven shots on goal. The Bolts are going to come out with a lot of passion in Game 2, and the Bruins have to be mindful of the elite talent of Stamkos and Kucherov. Let’s see if the Lightning can find an answer to a problem no other team has been able to.

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Tuukka Rask Must Continue to Play with Passion

It’s amazing how much can change from game to game in hockey. In Game 7, when the Bruins were down 4-3, people were calling for Tuukka Rask to never start another game for the B’s. Now less than a week later, Rask just played one of his more impressive games of the season. That’s how fine the line is when you have a goalie like Rask. He needs to be engaged into every single play fighting for every single puck. When Rask is emotionally engaged he never misses an angle and makes it look effortless.

Maybe the most promising thing from Rask was after he lost his skate blade. Rask was noticeably furious throwing his broken blade against the boards. This is exactly what we need to see from Rask: some fire and fight to his game. Do not be fooled by Game 1; Tampa can flat out score and Tuukka needs to play like an elite goaltender for the B’s to win the series.

In Game 2, the Lightning are going to come out firing on all cylinders in the first period. The Bruins are going to have to weather the storm in Tampa. Rask is going to have to be ready to be able to make some big time saves tonight. The question is which Rask is going show up: Game 7 Tuukka or Game 1 Tuukka?

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The Bruins Must Feed Rick Nash

Throughout his career Rick Nash has been snake bit in the playoffs. Nash only put up two points in round one against Toronto. In Game 1, Nash matched his point production from the first round, scoring two goals, and was one of the best players on the ice. Nash is one of the keys to this series. Everyone knows how good the top line is, but the Bruins need their second line to be dominant. On Saturday, everyone saw why it is so important that this line produces. Now that Nash has some confidence going and has put a couple past a Vezina candidate, the B’s must continue to feed the awoken giant. Nash can tip the balance in this series. All eyes will be on him in Game 2.

In the third period Jake Debrusk showed why this Bruins team has made it this far. He took a high hit, got right back up blocked a shot. Then, he out hustled everyone on the ice to make a diving clear of the puck. Seeing Debrusk hobble back to the bench showed what this kid and this team is made of. Later in the period Debrusk was rewarded with his sixth goal of the postseason. That is what it’s going to take to win the Stanley Cup.

On This Day In Red Sox History: Ted Williams Day

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April 30, 1952 was proclaimed “Ted Williams Day.” Williams had been recalled to active military duty and this was to be his final game before reporting to Willow Grove Naval Reserve Base. The Red Sox held an on field celebration for Teddy Ballgame and gave him a car as a gift.

Tigers vs Red Sox

The 2-8 Tigers visited Fenway Park to face the 9-2 Red Sox on “Ted Williams Day.” The Red Sox sent their ace to the mound, Mel Parnell, who had won 61 games over the previous three seasons. He was opposed by Virgil Trucks of the Tigers, who was an All-Star in 1949 and won 19 games. At first, the game was a pitcher’s duel.

The Tigers got two men in scoring position in the top half of the first, but failed to score. Dom DiMaggio was the Red Sox leadoff hitter, the only remaining member aside from Ted Williams of the group of friends. DiMaggio started things off with a hit to center and proceeded to steal second base. However, DiMaggio was erased on a fielder’s choice. Ted Williams singled in his first at-bat on his day, but the Red Sox failed to score in the first.

The Tigers threatened in the top of the third, getting men on the corners with one out. Bud Souchock hit a line drive that was caught by Ted Lepcio at second base. Lepcio then threw to first to double up the runner who was too far off the base and end the threat.

The Scoring Begins

The Tigers finally got to Parnell in the fifth inning. A single and a walk had two men on with one out and the Tigers best hitter, George Kell, coming up. Kell doubled to left to score the game’s first run. Parnell struck out Vic Wertz and then got a lineout off the bat of Johnny Groth to get out of the jam with no further damage.

Facing their first deficit, the Red Sox bat awakened in the bottom of the inning. Ted Lepcio doubled to left. Catcher Sammy White followed that up with a single and the Sox had men on the corners with no one out. Mel Parnell hit one out in front of the plate which catcher Matt Batts pounced on. Batts had a play at first but threw the ball away, allowing both Sox runners to come around and score. Parnell wound up all the way on third base on the play and the Sox had a 2-1 lead. Dom DiMaggio followed with a base hit to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead. The Sox would get a couple more runners but the scoring was over.

The Tigers got a lead-off walk from George Kell in the 7th. After retiring the next batter, Parnell allowed a home run to Vic Wertz to tie the game at three. The Tigers got two more hits before Ike Delock replaced Parnell to finish out the inning. Parnell allowed three runs over six and two-thirds innings.

Ted Williams Plays the Hero

With the game tied, Dom DiMaggio led off the seventh reaching on an error. Jimmy Piersall flew out to bring Ted Williams to the plate. This could possibly be his final at-bat before heading back to war. For that matter, no one knew what might happen over there; this could be the final at-bat of the great Ted Williams’ career. Facing Dizzy Trout, Williams hit one deep to right field and over the wall for the go-ahead two-run homer. That homer would also prove to be the game winner, as Ike Delock shut the Tigers down for the rest of the game to pick up the victory. Ted Williams, ever having the knack for heroics, hit the game-winning home run in his final at-bat before heading off to Korea.

Ted Williams

Williams would go on to fly 39 combat missions in Korea. His plane was shot several times, and he had to make an emergency landing in a burning aircraft another time. He could have easily never made it home and had that home run be the final at-bat of his career. As things turned out, he still homered in the final at-bat of his career; it just came eight years later.

When Williams returned from Korea he was 35 years old and hadn’t played baseball in over a year. Not only that, he had fought a war! There were doubts that he would be any good once he returned. Of course, he proved those doubters wrong. In 91 at-bats during the 1953 season, Ted Williams batted .407 and hit 13 home runs! There is a reason he is the greatest hitter who ever lived.

Capt. Howard A. Anderson Jr., looked on as Williams signed papers at the Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, Pa.

 

 

Featured picture from MLB.com

Needing a Big Win, Rick Porcello Came Through

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Going into the weekend series against Tampa Bay, the Red Sox had Drew Pomeranz and David Price slated to start the first two games. Those were two games that they should have won. However, they did not. Pomeranz gave up three homers on Friday night’s game and only lasted five innings. Price allowed five runs while pitching 5 2/3 innings as well. The offense certainly had a tough time with runners in scoring position, but when your starters are not doing well, it’s tough to win ballgames. In comes Rick Porcello.

Rick Porcello, who has been the most consistent starter on the staff so far this year, received the nod on Sunday. The Red Sox needed a win on Sunday to avoid a three game sweep at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. Which, of course, is inexcusable.

Rick’s ERA was below 2.0 heading into Sunday’s game. The question was could he keep it going into an important game that this team needed to win badly. The answer is yes. Besides a bad pitch to Denard Span that wound up into the right field seats, Porcello was fantastic. He pitched 7 2/3 innings, walked no one, and struck out six while giving up only three runs. The Red Sox, who had struggled lately, losing five of their last eight games heading into Sunday needed a strong start. And get one they did. The offense was also able to come through and get some big runs across the board to help out Porcello, who loves pitching with run support.

After the game I saw a really interesting yet awesome stat by Porcello that @SoxNotes posted on Twitter:

Pretty good, I’d say.

Porcello has always been a guy where you really never know what you are going to get from him. And this has pretty much been a year to year thing. In 2015, his first year in Boston, he had a 4.92 ERA. In 2016, he won the Cy Young riding a 3.15 ERA. The following year? A 4.65 ERA. So going into this year, we were pretty much clueless about which Porcello was going to show up this season. But as the pattern has shown, he should be having a good year in 2018. And so far, he has been solid.

In a year where Chris Sale hasn’t been the same type of guy to start, and with Price still figuring it out, Porcello has really stepped up and done his job very well. That continued on Sunday, as he would help get the Sox their 20th win of the season. A big win as well, as they avoided getting swept by the Rays.

The Future Is Now for the Patriots

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The Patriots Selected a Quarterback

The New England Patriots are planning for the future. The Patriots set a record in this draft after making eight trades. Though frustrating, they now have a lot of picks in 2019. The Patriots took a quarterback Danny Etling from LSU in the seventh round. All of the Lamar Jackson talks were false and the Patriots were eyeing Etling all along. According to Albert Breer, Etling has already been working with Tom Brady’s throwing coaches in California. Danny Etling completed sixty percent of his passes at LSU and had 16 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Etling is excited to learn from the greatest quarterback of all time, saying yesterday, “It’s an opportunity to learn from the greatest quarterback. You don’t expect anything, absorb as much information as you can and continue to keep on improving and prepare for your opportunity when it comes. You just want to watch a guy who has been so great and know how he does it. … It’s such a great quarterback room. I’m so excited to be a part of it”.

Are the Patriots Doing Some Team Building for the Future?

Nick Caserio also spoke yesterday and hinted that they were eying a quarterback: “We knew we were going to add a quarterback to our team at some point, so it’s relative to what other options we might have, relative to other positions. There’s no template like, ‘Well we’re going to take one here, we’re going to take one there.’ You just evaluate the player and we think Danny has some decent traits and some decent qualities to work with, so we’ll put him in our program and see how he does”.

The Patriots are building a team for the future. They gave Brady offensive line help, and also added a running back, tight end, wide receiver. New England also added some defensive help, too. Also, they have lots of picks in next year’s draft. Josh McDaniels’s presence in the draft room is still pretty clear to me what’s still in play. After this season you could be looking at Josh being the next head coach of the Patriots.

Brock

Brock Holt’s 2018 Resurgence

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The Boston Red Sox acquired Brock Holt in the 2012 offseason. He quickly became a fan favorite due to his all out hustle. In 2014 he finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting, and was an All-Star the following season. Since his breakout 2015 season, Holt’s averaged has dropped from .280 to a career low .200 last year. So far this season he has shown that his All-Star form may not be gone as it appeared to be.

Holt’s Uncertain Spring Training

When Spring Training began, Holt found himself in an odd position. For the first time since being traded to Boston, he was fighting for a spot on the roster. He was coming off a year in which he hit a career low .200 and battled injuries for a second consecutive year. Holt’s competition was a former top prospect Blake Swihart and defensive standout in Devin Marrero. It seemed as if Holt’s tenure in Boston was coming to an end. Holt won a bench spot after he hit .308 in seventeen games, and he has carried that momentum into the regular season.

Brock

Photo Credit: Frank Jansky/ Icon Sportswire

Brock Holt’s Hot Start

Holt began 2018 struggling at the plate. On April 10th, shortstop Xander Bogaerts was placed on the ten day DL due to an ankle injury. This was Holt’s opportunity to get regular at bats. He took full advantage, as from April 17th to 26th he raised his average from .207 to .340. During that span Holt had six runs batted in. Last year, in 64 games he had only seven runs batted in. Holt already has seven extra base hits, which is more than he had all of last year (6). Unfortunately for Brock, the Red Sox were forced to place him on the ten day DL on Friday due to a left hamstring strain.

Brock

Photo Credit: Jae C. Hong AP/ Photo

Can He Keep It Up?

Holt will not bat .340 all year, and this injury should not ruin his season. For the first time in two years, Holt is showing life with the bat that many thought was gone. The Red Sox do not need him to hit .340 all year as anything he adds with the bat is a plus. If he can hit .280 like he did from 2014-2015, then the Red Sox bench becomes much deeper. It allows the Red Sox to play Holt all over the diamond without losing any offense. This will be key down the stretch as the Red Sox look to keep their stars such as Bogaerts and Pedroia fresh for the playoffs. Holt’s resurgence gives this team more weapons and reminds people why he is so important to this team.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, round 2

Stanley Cup Round 2- Bruins Meet Tampa

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WELCOME TO ROUND 2

TAMPA- Boy, it was a hot one Saturday afternoon. The race to clinch the Atlantic Division bounced back and forth between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Throughout the regular season Tampa came out and dominated, leaving very little room for any other team to overtake first place. But when it comes to the playoffs, all bets are off and regular season stats go out the window. For the Boston Bruins, they have managed to once again get into the minds of the Lightning, as they clobbered their way to a 6-2 victory.

A GOOD START

The Bruins quickly came out strong with Rick Nash scoring on a power play in the first period. Patrice Bergeron scored another goal in the second. Forward Brad Marchand looked to score what would be their third goal, however it was waved off as a cross checking penalty on David Pastrnak was called prior. This is where things got a bit wild.

BOLTS STRIKE BACK WITH A BIT OF CONTROVERSY

As the Lightning were looking to gain momentum, Tuukka Rask had some wardrobe malfunction as a skate blade came off, limiting his movement in net. As he tried to get the attention of the refs, Tampa took advantage and Mikhail Sergachev scored cutting the goal deficit by one. To say he was frustrated was putting in mildly, but the referees made the right call. The NHL public relations quickly explained the rule #9.6:

“There is no goal for referees to stop play for a broken piece of equipment, regardless of whether the equipment belongs to a goaltender or a skater. the lone exception is when referees may stop play after a goaltender has lost his helmet.”

HUSTLE AND FLOW

The Marchand-Bergeron and Pastrnak line has produced a total of 12 goals and 41 points in their last five games. Rick Nash got the Bruins on board from an assist with David Pastrnak during a power play. Forty-two seconds into the second, once again, Pastrnak found Patrice Bergeron and got the Bruins on board, making the score 2-0. However, Tampa answered back as Dan Girardi got the Lightning on board two minutes into the second. A waved-off goal by Marchand and with Pastrnak in the penalty box, the Bruins were able to kill a power play off. Rick Nash quickly scored his second goal of the game, giving the Bruins a 3-1 lead.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE REFS?

After an interesting call on Jake DeBrusk for “interference” and the Rask blade controversy in the second, Tampa were looking to close that gap. But Boston kept control of the game.  The Bruins shook off the remnants of wild second period and with goals from Marchand, Bergeron, and an empty netter by DeBrusk. Boston defeated Tampa 6-2.

SHINING IN NET

Stanley Cup Playoff series round 2

Tuukka Rask stopping a shot

After looking shaky in net in the last few games of the series, many will be looking to Tuukka Rask to have more confidence.  There have been many narratives about Rask getting the start in net against Tampa. In Game 1 of this tough series, it’s easy to see that Tuukka was in the zone. He allowed only two goals throughout the game and stopped 34 shots on net. Pretty good numbers if you consider he was screened by his own defensemen and lost a blade on his left skate.

“These freaking skates nowadays, the blades come off. I was yelling at the ref for 10 seconds. He didn’t  hear me. It sucks. I’m glad we won.”

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Rick Nash Had two goals in the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Tuukka Rask and Rick Nash were the stars of this game. Vasilevsky was shaky in net, but much like with Toronto, Boston will have to take it one game at a time. Rask needs to continue to shine in net. Offensively, the Bruins need to drive to the net full force and bring back that momentum when they return to Boston. The last time these two teams met was in 2011, and that series went to seven games (with Nathan Horton scoring the clinching goal at the Garden). And we all know how that year ended. This will be a tough series and will only get tougher as we head into June. Will the 2018 Boston Bruins see a repeat of what happened in 2011?

Let the best team win.

 

Follow Liz Rizzo on Twitter @pastagrl88

What If the Red Sox Didn’t Trade for Chris Sale?

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NOTE: There is no way anyone can tell what would actually happen, so these educated guesses are based on rumors from MLBTradeRumors.com

On December 6, 2016, the Red Sox acquired starting pitcher Chris Sale for four prospects. These prospects were infielder Yoan Moncada, starting pitcher Michael Kopech, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, and relief pitcher Victor Diaz. In this alternate universe, this groundbreaking trade never happened.

Where Does Chris Sale Go?

It was inevitable that White Sox GM Rick Hahn was going to trade Chris Sale, but who would be Chicago’s trade partner? Well, according to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, the Nationals had the next highest bid, so Chris Sale would be a Washington National. The package going to Chicago would’ve consisted of outfielder prospect Victor Robles, as well as starting pitcher prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. This also means that the Nationals have to alter the package going to Chicago for outfielder Adam Eaton. So instead of Lucas Giolito, the Nats trade starting pitcher prospect Dylan Cease.

What Happens to the Red Sox’s 2017 Season?

The Red Sox no longer have Chris Sale, so in the offseason they do not trade starting pitcher Clay Buchholz to the Phillies. They need the pitching depth, and the Sox think they can get 2015 Clay Buchholz rather than the 2016 version. Also, since the Red Sox don’t completely trust the starting pitching depth they have, they sign Doug Fister in the offseason instead of in the middle of the season.

Clay Buchholz still tears a flexor tendon in his right arm in early April, so the Doug Fister signing makes even more sense. Also, David Price starts the season on the DL. So this means the Red Sox rotation after the Buchholz injury is Rick Porcello, Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Doug Fister. Injuries also hinder Steven Wright in early April, so Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez both get many spot starts to fill the voids.

Yoan Moncada starts the season as the everyday third baseman with Pablo Sandoval on the bench, occasionally DHing.

Trade Deadline

The Red Sox, headlined by an injury-prone starting rotation and a stagnant offense, still find themselves in the AL East race. They believe one trade can get them over the top. They decide to go after a starting pitcher, because there are a lot of quality starters on the trade market. Since the trade value is the lowest and they have the cap space, the Red Sox trade for starter Justin Verlander. The Tigers receive left-hander Jay Groome, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, and catcher Roldani Baldwin in the deal. The Red Sox agree to pay the rest of Verlander’s contract.

Since Justin Verlander is a Red Sock now, the Astros don’t pull off a trade. They were too late for the Yu Darvish and Jose Quintana deals, so they settle with what they have.

The Sox send down Yoan Moncada to AAA because of offensive struggles, so they still bring up Rafael Devers. Also, Boston still releases Pablo Sandoval.

Justin Verlander

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Playoffs

The Red Sox make the playoffs as the first wild card team instead of winning the division. They defeat the Twins in the Wild Card game with Justin Verlander on the mound in Fenway Park. The success stops there, though. The Red Sox lose to the Indians in four games in the ALDS.

The Indians lose to the Yankees in the ALCS, who beat the Verlander-less Astros in six games in the ALDS. The Yankees face the powerhouse Washington Nationals in the World Series. Led by a rotation of Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals sweep the Yankees in the World Series.

2017-2018 Offseason

The Red Sox feel that they need to do something to boost the offense, so they make a huge trade. The rumors say that the Red Sox had interest in trading for Manny Machado, so that’s just what they do. The Orioles receive shortstop Xander Bogaerts, prospect Yoan Moncada, and starting pitcher prospect Michael Kopech. Yes, the Orioles were hesitant towards trading Machado, but that is an offer that no one can refuse. Then, the Orioles probably trade Zach Britton. I will say he goes to the Astros,

The Red Sox have to pay the remainder of Justin Verlander’s deal. They also feel that they have to opportunity to extend Manny Machado’s expiring contract. Because of this, the Red Sox do not sign J.D. Martinez. Instead, Martinez signs a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Conclusion

There is no telling what happens afterwards. Even so, it is interesting to think of what could happen if the Red Sox didn’t trade for Chris Sale.

Sources:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/nationals-offered-victor-robles-lucas-giolito-reynaldo-lopez-in-chris-sale-bid.html