At the height of their success, the Kraut Line for the Boston Bruins was off to war. North America had stayed out of the conflict for the most part, but when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor the future was set. Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer had previously joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and it was time for deployment.
30 January 1942 Medical Exam Recruits: Bobby Bauer; Milt Schmidt; “Woody” Dumart Photo by DND Archives
When the time came to go to war, the trio of friends were concerned about their German heritage and how it would be perceived by the other troops. Schmidt asked his mother’s permission to change his last name from Schmidt to Smith. His mother gave permission but ultimately Schmidt thought better of it. Speaking with Jeff Blair of Sportsnet in 2014, Milt said, “To heck with it. What was good enough for my mother and dad is good enough for me.” It turned out to be a moot point, as well. The troops knew quite well who he was and were more than happy to have him with them.
Hockey During the War
During World War II Dumart and Schmidt were stationed in northern England. They were there for three years and, despite the war, couldn’t leave hockey on hold. Since they couldn’t play in the NHL, they joined the RCAF League consisting of 12 teams. Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart played for opposing teams, and Dumart’s won the Championship. The following season, however, revenge would be had when Bobby Bauer arrived in England and was assigned to Schmidt’s team. They beat Dumart’s team and won the Championship in 1944. Perfectly summing up the talent of the trio of The Kraut Line, even when separated, they each won a hockey championship in consecutive seasons.
Milt Schmidt showing off his RCAF hockey gear. Photo by DND Archives
In 1945 it was finally time to come home. Milt Schmidt later recalled, “Bob went home first. I remember that. Woody and I ended up on the same boat home. Actually, he was going to be going home before I did because I was going to be assigned to another post in the east. I’m not sure I ever knew where that post was. But then good ol’ Harry (Truman) saved me. He dropped the bomb and that ended it.”
Returning Home and to the Bruins
Upon their return home, the Kraut Line reunited with the Boston Bruins for the 1946 season. They hadn’t missed a beat, they were on form and dominating games. And they returned to a bit of controversy as well. Not wanting to be considered politically incorrect after the war, the Bruins held a contest to rename “The Kraut Line”. The winning nickname was “The Buddy Line”. The fans never took the new name seriously, and it only lasted about a month before “The Kraut Line” was permanently reattached to the trio.
While they returned to form and played their always fierce and intense game, Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumont wouldn’t win another Stanley Cup as players (though Schmidt would win two more in 1970 and ’72 as Bruins General Manager). Bobby Bauer won the Lady Byng again in 1947, and Schmidt won the Hart Trophy for MVP in 1951.
The End of an Era
The Kraut Line officially ended with Bauer’s retirement in 1947. Dumart retired in 1954, and Schmidt retired part-way through the following season to take over as the Bruins head coach. All three of them played their entire careers for the Boston Bruins. After his retirement, Bobby Bauer went back to Kitchener, Ontario, where he coached several amateur hockey teams. He died of a heart attack in 1964, at the age of 49. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.
Woodrow Wilson Clarence “Woody” Dumart remained in Boston, where he worked as the official scorer at Boston Garden, as well as being the coach of the Bruins’ Alumni Association Team. He died from heart failure in 2001 at age 84. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
Milt Schmidt went from star Bruins player to Bruins Head Coach for 11 seasons before becoming General Manager. He won a total of four Stanley Cups, all with the Bruins organization. In 1980 Schmidt’s #15 jersey was retired, and to this day he’s known as “The Ultimate Bruin”. Schmidt died of a stroke in 2017 at the age of 98. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. The Kraut Line is arguably the greatest line in the history of hockey. But they’re more than just a catchy name. These were men of honor. They had a sense of pride and a sense of duty. And they were better at hockey than everyone else.
Bruins Coach Milt Schmidt Photo courtesy of Getty Images
After an active and hectic first couple of days of NBA Free Agency the dust is starting to settle and we look forward to next season. But first, we have the NBA Summer League beginning on July 6th as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers. Much as been made of the Celtics moves to get younger this season, and the Summer League is no exception. Here’s a full preview of what to expect:
Point Guards: Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters, Jon Elmore, Javonte Green
Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
The name that jumps out at you here is Carsen Edwards. The ultimate ‘heat-check’, Edwards has a lot to prove after the Boston Celtics picked him in this year’s draft. Was last year a one-time thing? Can he sustain his pace and production over a season? We’ll get to see this upcoming weekend. As for the other guys, they have a lot to prove. Waters is Marcus Smart with less offense, and we’re not sure what Elmore and Green are capable of. We’ll see what they bring to the table this summer.
Wings: Romeo Langford(INJ), Aaron Harrison, Kendrick Ray, Max Straus
via bulletsforever.com
The interest of this group was diminished when the Celtics announced that Langford would sit out with a thumb injury. However, one other interesting prospect is Aaron Harrison. A former star SG at Kentucky, Harrison has had little success at the next level. This makes him a perfect guy to take a flyer on and see what he’s got. If he performs well, he could be a quality bench option for the C’s
Frontcourt: Robert Williams, Guerschon Yabusele, Grant Williams, Tacko Fall, Chinanau Onuaku
via volnation.com
This may be the most interesting position group on the entire team. Robert Williams has high expectations this season at center, and his performance here could translate to big minutes come September. Yabusele has a chance to earn a promotion from G-League play with a strong showing. Grant Williams was a first-round pick of the Celtics this year, and is shaping up to be a fan-favorite. He can amplify those claims by showing that he’s become more well-rounded. Tacko Fall is a 7’6″ center. The Celtics need height at center. If he can play hard and defend well, the Celtics could have a secret weapon this season.
What to Watch For: Young guns, Raw talent
This group is interesting because they could be the Summer League champions or not be there at all. The 2019 draft class seem to be very close with one another, and overall this Summer League team appears to be friendly with each other. The chemistry this team shows will reflect upon what we can expect come September. If the young kids can refine that raw talent into basketball production, then the future is bright for the Boston Celtics.
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If there’s one constant with Boston Sports throughout the years, it’s that you can never count out the Bean Town boys. The Red Sox did it in 2004 when they came back from an 0-3 deficit to win the ALCS. In 2011 the Bruins roared back after going down 2 games to 0, by scoring 8 goals and winning at home. Then there’s my personal favorite, the Patriots coming back from a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons in 2017.
The Uprising were following the footsteps of its older siblings by becoming the first team to perform 3 reverse sweeps in a row. But the second half of Stage 2 became quite the rough patch for Boston. Tough losses against London, Hangzhou, and Washington left fans and players with a bad taste in their mouth. Not to worry though, because this is what Boston does – we get down and beaten up, but never give up.
What people weren’t expecting was how far the Uprising would fall. After 2 weeks and their most recent loss to San Francisco, Boston is 0-5, going 2-17 in overall map wins in Stage 3 . In fact, since beating Toronto in week 1 of Stage 2, Boston has won just 7 of 26 maps in that span including two map 5 losses.
It’s one thing to be frustrated as a fan watching your favorite team lose over and over (we feel you Florida),. But it is completely different to be a player on that team. Putting your heart and soul in each match, it’s only a matter of time before emotions get to you. Watching Fusions slam his desk was heartbreaking, and his thoughts on the stage so far are just as saddening.
I don't know what to say, literally hit rock bottom. I don't want this feeling ever again. GGs @Outlaws
Rock bottom is certainly where a lot of fans feel right now. Losing sucks for any team, but the constant shifting of lineups and stale meta have made things rough for Boston fans.
The Spiral
How did we get here?
The week following our incredible back to back reverse sweep, Boston lost an absolute heart breaker to the Hangzhou Spark in Stage 2. The Spark at the time were ranked quite poorly, as it was clear they needed more time to practice on stage in Stage 1. Unfortunately for Boston, it was their match when the Spark cashed in their “scrim bucks” and transformed into a top-tier team. In hindsight, it was more surprising that Boston took the Spark to five maps, but at the time it was a shocking upset.
Morale took a pretty big hit after that match, and the rough streak continued as Boston got stomped by both London and Vancouver. The following game Boston upset the LA Gladiators in an impressive 3-1 match.
Out of all games, the loss against the Washington Justice that initiated the spiral towards rock bottom. Getting reverse swept themselves Boston left Stage 2 without a playoff spot and plenty of film to watch in the All-Star Break.
People saw the Washington game as fluke, and the Los Angeles game as a true testament as to who the Uprising were as a team. There was a lot of conversation about how “Boston only planned against LAG because they knew they were going to stomp the Justice”. It looked to be the case anyway, and Boston only lost that game after getting too cocky and let a worse team stick around. The outlook for Stage 3 remained mostly positive, even I thought it would pan out as a positive stage for Boston.
Instead of going up the ladder, Boston fell straight to rock bottom.
The Rock Bottom Pit Stop
Fusions visibly upset after the loss against Houston
The Lineup Shakeup
At the start of Stage 3 we saw Boston go into the game against London with a completely new support lineup of Persia and Alemao. This was an incredibly shocking move on Boston’s part, as both Kellex and Aimgod had played very well this season. On top of that, playing two green players against a team like London during a pivotal stage seemed truly out of character for the Boston coaching staff. To the surprise of very few viewers, Boston was easily 4-0’d by London to start the stage.
Next up was the match against Paris, and Boston again shook up the lineup a second time. Boston decided to play Alemao over Kellex again, but swap back AimGod in over Persia. Another strange move as most support duos perform much stronger when playing against a common partner. Constant support switching can hurt a team, as they have to relearn the play styles of the new player. After winning Illios in convincing fashion, fans thought Boston was back in form. But the Eternal had other plans, and proceeded to roll Boston three maps in the row to take the win.
The Houston Game
As Boston faced off against Houston they wanted to try out one more iteration – Persia and Kellex. As the longest standing member of the Uprising, it was extremely apparent his leadership was missing in the games he sat out. Back on stage with the team, he was the only one to record an elimination on Nepal-Sanctum against the Outlaws. It would proceed to be another very long game for the Uprising as they go on to lose 4-0. Again.
The Houston game also brought us a swap in roles, as blase and Colourhex traded Brig and Zarya. I personally think this was the switch that truly hurt Boston against Houston. Colourhex looked incredibly passive on Brig, and blase’s bubble management on Zarya was atrocious. The two players that are necessary to keep Fusions alive were failing to do their job. It wasn’t 100% their fault however. Houston’s Danteh was an absolute terror on the Boston support line, specifically targeting Persia in order to deny his ultimates.
It was this game where Boston found themselves on the brink. They had made it to rock bottom and it sucks. There’s no wifi and nothing to do.
The Long Road Back
The Promising Hackfist
Despite being smacked around by various teams, Boston still used each game to experiment with new compositions and strategies. In the match against Houston, Boston wasted no time trying out new triple-DPS comps. On Nepal-Village Boston came out firing with Pharah, Sombra, and Tracer. Their game plan here is to outplay the Outlaws DPS players. While they lost the map – and eventually the map – Boston saw the immediate difference between playing GOATs and playing DPS. There was a spark of hope in the pit of despair.
Then came the Philadelphia game, where Boston’s new strategy really shined – for a moment at least.
I discuss this before in a previous article, but what fueled Boston’s rise was their use of the Hackfist comp. Boston again came out strong, utilizing more DPS characters against Philly on Ilios. Boston cruised to a 2-0 victory to start the match. As the match went on, Boston began to lose steam and decided to run GOATs just one more time. They lost terribly, and thus made their findings clear. Boston should move on from jamming GOATs into every map.
Rocket Punch out of the Pit
Finally the week was upon Boston, where they must face the Stage 2 champions, the San Francisco Shock. Everyone already knew the outcome of the match but no one expected Boston to play so well. Boston started with the Hackfist comp to less than ideal success. rCk seemed to be telegraphing his routes and San Fran seemed to know where he was at all times. It’s one thing to smash lesser teams with an experimental comp, but its a completely different game when facing a top tier GOATs squad.
Fast forward to Hollywood where Boston again busts out the triple DPS comp. This time it is Colourhex’s show. His Pharah was incredible, bringing Boston almost to cap two points against the San Fran defense. Again Boston comes up just short to lose the map, but the improvement and progress was noticed by casters and fans.
That brings us to the Paris Eternal rematch. Now confident in their new comps, Boston started playing DPS comps and never looked back. With the original support line of AimGod and Kellex back together, Boston looked like a new team. At least, in the second half.
The first half Boston looked extremely shaky. Missed opportunities, sloppy mistakes, and a whole lot of dying early caused Boston to go down 2 maps to none. Don’t forget though, this is a Boston team through and through. They aren’t done till the clock says 00:00. Or in this case, till the screen says Victory.
Paris Reverse Sweep
On Boston’s second attack at Eichenwalde they had only a minute to take a tick. When push comes to shove, expect someone on Boston to make a hero play. This is the moment we viewers were blessed by one of the craziest Doomfist plays in OWL. I also talked about this one here, but please watch it again because the play is just that good.
Then of course was the insane shatter from Fusions, and a massive 3k from Colourhex to stop the Eternal at 3.37m. Dorado was more excellent DPS highlights from Boston as Colourhex puts on a clinic for aspiring Pharah players. On Nepal Boston looked near unstoppable. rCk played out of his mind on Nepal-Sanctuary, actually hitting a Kruise with a hack before EMP’ing the rest of the Eternal. Every single player stepped up and it absolutely warmed my heart and inspired hope moving forward.
The Thriller Against Philly
In the last match of the stage, Boston faced Philly once again. With a win under their belt and the support line settled, Boston was ready to even out the series. Hell, the entire fan base was ready for a sort of Phoenix-like renewal from the Uprising. What we really got was a spark of hope that slowly fizzled out.
After a truly awful Nepal start, Boston took back Horizon Lunar Colony to go into half time. These first two maps were so important because they set the tone for the rest of the series.
No one knew who was going to win when DPS were involved.
On Nepal we saw an absolutely vintage Carpe performance with Widowmaker. On Lunar Colony we saw Boston’s DPS overwhelm the Philly defense, and then thwart the attack with a bunker comp. Sadly, Boston was then let down by that same bunker comp, as they failed to even take the first point on Numbani.
Stage 4 and Beyond
I’ve been saying it for a while but I’ll mention it one last time – Boston’s DPS palyers shine when they are playing DPS. This match highlights that even with a slow start, Boston is a team very much in hunt for season playoffs.
Stage 4 is looking to be a very weak schedule for Boston, and I hope this momentum carries them forward. Boston looks to be out of rock bottom, and inching closer to the promise land of Wells Fargo Center.
Be sure to follow Brock on twitter for more breakdowns and analysis #BostonUp
Exemplary Victories by Boston Sports Teams Over the Years
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the sports teams from Boston have managed to win a total of 12 championships. The New England Patriots are leading the pack with a total of 6 championships, while the Boston Red Sox have accumulated 4 along with the Bruins and Celtics claiming one each. The longest championship drought belongs to the Boston Celtics that last won the title back in 2008.
In most cases, championships are followed by playoff success and according to recent statistics, the four professional sports teams in the city of Boston have claimed more playoff game wins that any other city since the start of the 21st century. Boston currently boasts 268 victories, followed by 259 wins by the Bay Area along with 240 wins by Los Angeles. The only difference between these three cities is that the Bay Area and Los Angeles have 6 teams each, while Boston only has 4 teams.
With statistics like these, there’s never been a better time to become a sportsbetting enthusiast, especially if you live in Boston. If you fancy becoming a sports bettor in Boston but don’t know where to start, we have a comprehensive guide on offshore sportsbetting in the U.S that will show you how to place a bet on your favourite sports teams in Boston in a safe and secure environment. Let’s take a look at the most iconic wins by Boston sports teams in the 21st century to see if you can help figure out when the next win will come.
New England Patriots – 2001
This NFL Super Bowl team came from nowhere and it wouldn’t have been possible if Drew Bledsoe didn’t experience a severe injury during Week 2 of the NFL regular season. This is when an unproven, second-year quarterback by the name of Tom Brady started for the team, a move that completely changed the history of the game and the franchise. The New England Patriots managed to finish with an 11-5 record, underwent a controversial call during a snow-covered playoff game, and made it to the Super Bowl where they were considered huge underdogs against the Rams, the greatest team on turf at the time. Instead of playing for overtime, Tom Brady decided to lead his team down the field with only minutes remaining on the clock to get them within field goal distance. A 48-yard field goal was then kicked by Adam Vinatieri that sent everyone into hysterics.
Boston Bruins – 2011
Once 2011 rolled around, three of the four professional sports teams in Boston managed to win a championship. The only team that didn’t have a championship under their belt was the Boston Bruins. Ice hockey is enormous in Boston and the history behind the Bruins, also known as the Original Six team, is extremely rich. Fortunately, during 2011, the Boston Bruins managed to claim their first Stanley Cup win since 1972. In fact, three out of the four playoff series went on for 7 games which included the Stanley Cup Final where they defeated Vancouver away from home, 4-0. The sports teams in Boston love to give heart attacks to their fans en route to championships, and the Boston Bruins were certainly no difference. Fans also experienced plenty of exciting moments during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues, but this time around the St. Louis Blues were victorious to claim their first every NHL championship.
Boston Red Sox – 2004
Boston has been a baseball town for the longest time. A baseball town that is filled with brutal headaches and pain. Thankfully, this all changed during the fall of 2004 when history was made by the Red Sox. The team managed to make an extraordinary comeback from a 3-0 deficit over their rivaled Yankees, claiming victory in both Game 6 and Game 7 in the Bronx. The Red Sox then played in a highly anticipated World Series against the Cardinals that ended in 4 games. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4, time seemed to stand still when the comebacker to the mount by Edgar Renteria bounced into the glove of Keith Foulke before he took a couple of steps toward 1st base. All those 1918 chants, all those heartbreaking defeats, all the doubts whether this team would win it again ended as Foulke threw the ball to first for a victory that will never be forgotten. This ended the Curse of the Bambino that lasted 86 years.
Boston Celtics – 2008
The Celtics are extremely special in Boston. It’s a remarkable franchise that has managed to deliver some of the most unforgettable moments in sports history, claiming a total of 16 titles before 2008 was on the horizon. The Boston Celtics had loads of legends in its squad and before the 2008 regular season got underway, Danny Ainge decided to introduce an additional two legends to join Paul Pierce, including Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The team had one primary objective, win an NBA championship. The brand-new “Big Three” did exactly that in their first season together and no one could have scripted this better when the Boston Celtics managed to defeat Kobe Bryant and the reviled Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA Finals. Shortly after the Celtics won their first NBA championship, Kevin Garnett yelled into a microphone that anything is possible. After the Celtics claimed the NBA Championship, online sportsbetting was booming. So much so that online casinos started creating their very own online sportsbetting sites to keep up with the times, just like at this casino that now offers a comprehensive online casino and phenomenal online sportsbook to cater to all your online betting needs.
Sportsbetting in Boston
With a total of 12 championships since the start of the 21st century, it should come as no surprise that sportsbetting is an extremely popular pastime in Boston. Not only do they place bets on their four major professional sports teams, but they also make an assortment of wagers on other sporting events from across northern American and further afield. One such sport is football in Canada, and there are tons of reasons why betting on the Canadian Football League is growing in popularity. With players being traded all around the league, this is no surprise as there are plenty of legends such as Joe Kapp who once played for both the CFL (the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions), in addition to the Patriots.
Kemba Walker has signed a $141 million deal with the Celtics, which is for 4 years. Walker had collected an average of 25.6 points last season, out of which 5.9 were assists and 4.4 rebounds each game for Charlotte. He is not a Pussy Cat but a heavyweight receiving all-NBA recognition of the third team. Furthermore, it has been stated that Brooklyn player Kyrie Irving will be replaced by Celtics’ Kemba Walker. According to the Boston Globe, the last season was quite frustrating for Celtic and the start to summer games was also disastrous. The Celtics’ could not acquire Anthony Davis and also were informed that Al Horsford and Kyrie Irving were interested in signing in other clubs.
The entire happenings were sufficient to make the franchise tremble and have second thoughts on rotating the system and make it a complete youth movement. However things were about to change and on Sunday, the Celtics made a comeback. Sports channel ESPN reported that they struck a 4 year deal with three times All-star point guard, Hornet’s Kemba Walker. It was yet to be confirmed officially but it was rather clear that this deal was on the cards. Walker has many a time proclaimed that he would always like to return back to the Hornets, who offered him a 5-year supermax contract worth $221 million or a max contract of $190 million.
Having said this, Walker also confirmed that Hornets never offered any such deal that even came close. As per reports, it has been noticed that the club and Walker have chosen to go in different directions because of all these issues. Everyone is now curious to watch how Brad Stevens, Boston’s coach will use Walker’s strengths. Celtic has been since then all the more focused on strengthening their frontcourt. He was playing for Hornets since the beginning of his first 8 seasons of the game.
In fact, it has been clarified that Walker was offered significantly less than what they should have because of Hornet’s luxury tax issues. Celtic had to persuade Walker to join them after leaving Hornet for all stated reasons and the 29-year-old player had done the same after much retrospection. It is high time that now the Celtics’ focus only on the replacement of Al Horford, who should be as big as him, in the team. On Sunday, it has been reported that there is news of a 3 team tier which involves Charlotte for Terry Rozier, Brooklyn for Kyrie Irving and Boston for Kemba Walker.
This is to be initiated so that Horford can be brought back and the amount of $9.8 million that is the full mid-level deviation value is generated. Celtic is on a continuous high since they signed Walker which is like a breath of fresh air from all the inconsistencies they have been facing for quite some time. As soon as this collaboration happened between Walker and Celtics, the winning streak of the historic NBA franchise was back. After joining Celtic, he also addressed questions where he was asked about the decision to quit Charlotte Hornets and join Boston. He addressed the issue with Scott Van Pelt, host of SportsCenter.
Walker has stated that he wanted to collaborate with something that was special where he would be able to compete at the highest level. He also added that he wanted to give himself “the best opportunity to make a run in the playoffs.” With the Hornets, he could qualify for the playoffs only twice in spite of playing for eight seasons. According to Walker, Celtics is only about the championship and winning and this is what he believes in and wants. He said that during the initial years of his career, he was not able to achieve what he truly wanted and was inconsistent in his victories.
Walker also said that it is only in Boston that he feels he will be able to achieve all the success and Boston too has been on a rose after he joined them. After the replacement of Kyrie Irving with Kemba Walker, Celtic will surely shoot up to make a place in the top 4 teams in the next season of Eastern Conference. Walker has a firm belief that the Celtics have great moves to make but is lacking in the center and depth in power forward in the frontcourt. He was the best leading scorer in Charlotte’s Hornet. The entire thing was informed to Charlotte by Walker himself and he also said that he is going to Celtic because Fe things have not been working as he would like them to.
Walker’s exit from Hornet’s will come as a huge blow for the entire team and as they say “one man’s loss is another man’s gain” and Celtic has definitely gained from this collaboration. This merger is proved to create a domino effect throughout the entire NBA free agency and a chain of events are said to follow. The Hornets will have to rebuild the entire team with Walker missing from his position and a player of the same level has to be brought as a replacement. The advantage that Celtics m ahs in this situation is that they will have an impressive line-up of four great players Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward.
After all the drama and negativity that surrounded Celtic before Walker had joined, would now reduce or rather go away. Walker’s skills that he has developed over the years is something that is missing in some players of the same level and his dedication to honing them is what makes him better and different. His free throws have been known to be better than Kyrie Irving’s and his mere presence in the team will provide to be a huge Impetus for the team’s performance in the forthcoming matches. The transformation that came with Kyrie Irving being replaced by Kemba Walker was quite smooth as one all-rounder was replaced by another for the betterment of the team. Walker is definitely a better fit for the Celtics which will be shown in the future performances of the team.
Tom Brady proved that his age is just the number and his NO-12 would still sell. NFL Players Association had released a report which was filed to the Department of labor that revealed about Brady that he led the NFL league in terms of royalties earned. He earned worth $2.35 million in the last season. The report would tell us how much each player of the NFL had made from the group listings.
The group may consist of either six or more number of players. It has been noticed that maximum profits have been made by selling jersey of Nike, trading card sales and the video games. When you look at Brandy’s earnings it doesn’t include his own endorsements. The various endorsements of his own include Ugg to Aston Martin and Under Armour. Russ Spielman who is the Sports Marketing President at the GSE Worldwide said that it is amazing to see that there are a huge number of patriot’s fans who are willing to own his jersey. When it comes to who would earn more royalties along with the various NFL players then it is definitely Tom Brady who is still the top in the list. He has a huge fan following and his fans would love to get his signature. He had played around 9 super bowls out of which he had won 6 which is maximum any football player would ever win.
Though Brady is one of the oldest quarterbacks in NFL, he is still popular among the younger generations and his popularity continues. He made around $2.5 million royalties in the last season and in 2018 NFL season his jersey sale was on the top. Dak Prescott who came second had earned $2 million that was included in NFLPA’S list. The third position was Antonio Browns who earned $1.5 million.
Though many players earn money by playing live casino games, Tom Brady is a star due to his fantastic playing skills. According to the Forbes magazine, they have listed out the 100 who make more than that of the Patriots QB. They have detailed about the top 100 players who actually have the highest earnings in all the sports in the annual list of Worlds highly paid athletes. The list has been made considering their total earnings which will be broken by winnings or salary and the endorsements which they have been part of.
The list reveals that four Boston athletes had actually earned more than that of Tom Brady.
Out of 10 sports and 25 different countries, FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi stood at the top position with $127 million, while his fellow footballers Cristiano Ronaldo obtained second with $109 million and Neymar was at the third with $94 million. You can even find several others who would be included in the top 10 like Canelo Alvarez, Steph Curry, Russell Wilson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Roger Federer, and Aaron Rodgers.
Though Boston has 6 athletes who were ranked among the best-paid players in the world, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been ranked at the bottom of the pack at no 81 though he had the super bowl rings. He actually earned around $27 million in the year 2018 while his endorsement was worth $12 million and a salary of $15 million per year. He was one among the highest paid quarterbacks with a total net worth of $180 million was estimated in the year 2018 and was considered to be one of the wealthiest athletes. But he was not considered to be the best-paid athlete in New England.
The following are the money makers who had earned more than Tom Brady.
Kyrie Irving: $43.3 million earnings:
In Boston Kyrie Irving is the highest paid athlete in the current scenario. He is earning around $20.3 million in salary and making $23 million out of his endorsements. They have several brand endorsements that they make every year. This year he had endorsements with the most successful shoe deal i.e. Nike which has come up with a variety of signature sneakers like the Future is Female and Cereal Pack. He was also on the cover of the NBA’S 2K video game and he also released even a feature film known as Uncle Drew.
Gordon Hayward: $31.3 million earnings:
He had signed up a free agent contract with Celtics which has got a total net worth of $128 million which is for 4 years period and is the 6th highest in NBA. When you look at his ventures that are off the court, it would include shoe deal with Anta, the gaming chair through a partnership along with AutoFull Global as well as his endorsement with the Esport gaming company Hyper X. The total worth of his endorsements can be considered to be around $3 million in total.
Al Horford: $32 million:
When you look at his past season, he was the highest salaried person of any center in NBA with $29 million. In between, he has to decide on whether he would go for the $30 million deal with C’s which would be for four years by the end of June month, the contract which was signed in the year 2016. He also used to earn around $3 million out of his individual endorsements. Earlier he was playing with Atlanta Hawks for past 9 years. He was the one who had helped Florida Gators to get them back to back NCAA titles.
David Price: $ 31.7 million earning:
David Price had signed an important $217 million contract which was with Red Sox in the year 2015. It was known to be one of the richest deals in the baseball ever for a pitcher. After winning the last world services 2018, he had decided not to use opt-out clause with Sox last season. It is not the first time that he was on the list. He was ranked in the year 2017 as well as 2018 with an average salary of about $30.7 million per year. The endorsements values were around $950k and he got his place again his year too. The Sox teammate J.D Martinez had made Forbes list in this year. He was ranked as number 94 with total earnings of $25.6 million.
The Red Sox are nothing if not frustratingly consistent, even when playing a “home” game in a different country. The Red Sox form at home has been a consistent issue all season, as they currently have a 20-22 record in designated home games. In terms of true home games that is a 20-20 record, but .500 is not good enough at home. However, their road performances have been strong since a tough start, and now they get six road games to try and rebound from being swept by the Yankees in London.
In order to try and make a positive out of what happened with Rick Porcello in London at least, he is well-rested. Porcello allowed six runs in the first innings on Saturday, and did did not make it out of the first inning. However, he only threw 33 pitches, so will come into this game in a slightly different situation to what the Red Sox will have expected. A negative for Porcello is that he has a 5.17 ERA in 78 1/3 innings in Rogers Center. However, in his career he has been better in the second half of the season, starting with July, In June he has a career 5.06 ERA, but in July that drops by over a run to 3.97 in July. Let’s hope that trend continues in this series.
When the Blue Jays came to Fenway I raved about Thornton’s road ERA, and he caused the Red Sox problems. Now the tables are turned, as Thornton has real issues pitching in Toronto. In 31 innings at home, he has allowed 22 earned runs, nine home runs, and a .528 slugging percentage.
2019 has not been kind to Sean Reid-Foley. The 49th overall pick in 2014 has struggled both in the majors and at Triple-A. In two starts and one relief appearance in the majors, he has managed 9 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs, two home runs, and walking six. At Triple-A his numbers are arguably worse, with 45 earned runs allowed in 69 innings, walking a whopping 51 hitters. Between Reid-Foley and Thornton, the Red Sox should be disappointed if they don’t leave Toronto with two wins from those two games.
HITTERS
The Red Sox are absolutely raking against right-handed pitchers. They rank first in the majors in batting average BABIP and OBP, as well as second in BB% and joint third in wRC+. Three righties in this series should be a good sign for the Red Sox.
Toronto has struggled massively at home this season. They rank dead last in batting average, OBP and BABIP, as well as bottom-10 in wRC+, K%, and BB%. However, they have had success hitting for power, ranking 13th in ISO. However, that ISO falls to the 12th worst in the league when you look at their numbers against left-handed pitching. This series could be a fantastic opportunity for the Red Sox to exploit the Blue Jay weaknesses.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Pitching: The extra day’s rest is going to be a great relief to the Red Sox after this weekend. Saturday saw the bullpen stretched to its extremes, and thankfully Eduardo Rodriguez did a solid job on Sunday to spare further issues. That performance from Rodriguez, and the Monday off, plus two days off before the London Series, should mean that this bullpen is not in dire straights come Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the Red Sox coaching staff will be hoping Price and Sale can put together plenty of innings this weekend, so they can keep their bullpen out of the firing line as long as possible.
Hitting: You couldn’t ask for much more from the Red Sox hitters in the London Series. 21 runs in two games should yield at least one win. Sadly it did not, and now the hitters need to keep that form up in the second half of the season.
An interesting statistic for the Red Sox has been their inability to get hits from the leadoff hitter in the first innings. Four hitters have been the first hitter of the game, and all four have a batting average below .200. In fact, the first spot in the lineup has been a nightmare, with a combined .230 batting average from that spot. When you are not getting off to good starts in games and your top of the order hitter is struggling it puts a lot of pressure on your team. The Red Sox need to get someone hitting consistently in that one spot in the second half of the season.
EXPECTATIONS
The Red Sox are now 11 games behind the Yankees in the race for the division, as well as being two games behind the Rangers for the wildcard spot. The Red Sox need to start turning this around or they are going to find it tough come September. Six games in Toronto and Detroit before the All-Star break is their opportunity and they must capitalize.
Coming out of this series and these six games without series wins, and at least four of the six games. Realistically facing two of the worst four teams in the American League, the Red Sox should be looking at winning five or even all six of these. Do that and the All-Star break will feel a lot more comfortable. There is still plenty of time in this season, but they have to win games against bad teams or they are going to be in trouble.
The Boston Celtics signed center Enes Kanter to a 2-year $10 Million contract Monday. The former Trailblazer will make $4.7 Million in 2019-2020 with a player option for 2020-2021. Kanter averaged 13.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on shooting splits of 54.9/29.4/78.7 in 67 games between the New York Knicks and Portland Trailblazers last season. The veteran center had a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 22.3, which ranked in the top-30. In fact, in 583 games Kanter’s career 20.6 PER would put him ahead of Chris Bosh for 62nd all-time.
The move fills a big hole for the Boston Celtics after trading Aron Baynes and losing Al Horford when Horford declined his player option. Before signing Kanter the only center on the Celtics roster was 21-year old Robert Williams. Williams averaged 2.5 points and 8.8 minutes per game in 2018-2019. Kanter isn’t the defender Horford and Baynes are, but Kanter brings the same production at a fraction of the cost. Coaching won’t help Kanter in the paint against Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo, so the Celtics still have work to do. The addition of Kanter through the full room exception is a great step at an incredible value.
The Boston Celtics are going to look drastically different than they looked in 2018-2019. Staff Photo by Matt Stone
2019-2020 Roster Revisited
The 2019-2020 Boston Celtics roster is shaping up. After signingKemba Walker and Kanter the starting lineup will likely consist of Walker (point guard), Marcus Smart (guard), Jayson Tatum (small forward) and Kanter (center). Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward will likely battle for the 5th guard/forward spot. Smart could come off the bench, but that starting unit would be a defensive liability. Neither lineup contains a power forward, but the Celtics roster currently only has two: Guerschon Yabusele and Semi Ojeyele. Ojeyele’s contract was just guaranteed, but both power forwards combined for only 16.1 minutes per game in 2018-2019. The Celtics also drafted power forward Grant Williams with their second pick in the 2019 draft.
The additions of Walker and Kanter bring much-needed offensive veteran production at relatively good value. Walker has similar on-court tendencies to Kyrie Irving, but Walker is a leader unconcerned with waxing philosophical. Kanter brings a high level of efficiency to a young coaching staff that relies on it. Boston can now focus on another defensive post presence to provide defensive stability and a mentor for the Celtics young big men. The Celtics salary cap currently sits at $103.7 Million, which leaves enough room for a veteran minimum contract. That number could also cover their draft picks or undrafted free agents. The Celtics need to make that move or use those pieces to trade for one more impact big man that will separate the Celtics from the rest of the Eastern Conference.
The Boston Red Sox took on the New York Yankees in a two game series played in London. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, they came away losing both games in the series, 17-13 and 12-8 respectively. The end result is obviously not what we wanted as Red Sox fans. But, there were some interesting tidbits picked up along the way. Let’s look at a few takeaways from the Red Sox and Yankees London Series.
Rafael Devers Continues To Hit Well
Rafael Devers continues to prove to everyone that he is for real at the plate. Devers is hitting .322 at the plate with 12 homeruns and 50 RBI’s so far this season. His hot bat continued in the London series. In the first game, Devers went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. In the second game, he went 1-5. Granted, the second game isn’t what we are used to seeing this season. But, everyone has an off game. The overall point is that Devers continues to swing the bat well. In a season where the Red Sox have stayed inconsistent, Devers has been a very consistent lineup piece.
Xander Bogaerts Continues To Prove He Should Have Been An All-Star
What more does the MLB have to see to finally put Xander Bogaerts on the American League All-Star team? This is still baffling to me personally. Bogaerts went into the London series and continued to put together a strong first half of 2019. He went 2-6 in the two games with 2 RBI’s. On the season, Bogaerts is hitting .299 with 16 homeruns and 57 RBI’s. He has also played a great shortstop this year. So again, what more does this man have to do to get a bid in the All-Star game? He continues to prove that the contract extension in the off-season was well worth it.
J.D. Martinez Is Starting To Get Hot
One of the guys that gets the Red Sox offense going is J.D. Martinez. Martinez seemed to have found his consistent swing again in London as he was red hot in those two games. In game one, he went 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored. The next day in game two, he went 3-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Hopefully, this is a sign that J.D. Martinez will have a monster second half of the 2019 season.
The Red Sox Can Hit The Yankees Pitching
Keep in mind, it’s not like the Red Sox got creamed in both games. They lost 17-13 and 12-8 in the two games. For those keeping track at home, that’s 21 runs in 18 innings. If you have any pitching at all, you win that series. Everyone knows the Red Sox rotation on paper is a very strong one. The bullpen…that’s another story. But, if the Red Sox pitching can turn a corner, then they know they can keep up with the Yankees offensively.
In Conclusion
You can always take away a positive with losses and there are some good positives in these particular losses. The Red Sox seemed to have found their offense. Their pitching can be better, which is a good sign. Also, last time I checked; there is a whole second half of the season to play. Crazier things have happened, and this Red Sox team is very talented. Don’t be surprised if the Red Sox make a run in the second half of the season, with a few moves to help them along the way.
Are you fed up and ready to bury the 2019 Red Sox? Are their bullpen implosions making you tear your hair out? The feeling around here hasn’t been this dire, with big expectations not being met, since that early to mid summer of 2004.
2004 Drama
Just before the nadir of that 2004 season it was the salad days of high drama for the Red Sox. Most noteworthy Nomar Garciaparra got traded, then July 24th 2004 happened. Remember that one? On the NESN DVD for the 2004 team you can see Kevin Millar talking about going 2-0 that day. Bill Mueller hit a walk-off homer against the great Mariano Rivera, after the Sox maybe or maybe not won one of the last true fights in the rivalry. What people don’t talk about is the aftermath of that game.
Storm clouds
From being 8.5 games behind the Yankees after that game, through August 6th of 2004, the Red Sox dropped to a season low 10.5 games behind the Yankees. All that momentum from winning two out of three in Fenway against the Yankees vanished. It took until August 16th of 2004 for the Red Sox to finally stay above the 10.5 game drop.
That was a dark time. I personally watched Red Sox stickers being torn off cars in the work parking lot during lunch breaks.
Right now references to the 2018 World Championship team are met with disdain and anger. 2018 World Championship gear? At best it’s in the closet. At worst it’s about to be burned in the upcoming Fourth of July celebrations in Red Sox Nation. This is a very familiar feeling.
More old is new again, including hope
From June 29th to July 1st of 2004 the Red Sox were on the road against the Yankees and got swept. Two of those games were bullpen meltdowns. One each saddled on Curt Leskanic and Mike Timlin. Derek Lowe took the other loss. Sound familiar? Put Eduardo Rodriguez in Derek Lowe’s place and it’s almost a carbon copy of what just happened.
At that time the Red Sox were 42-34. Right now the 2019 team is 44-40. This illustrates that the 2019 has dealt with a compressed schedule, putting even more pressure on the bullpen and team overall. Yes, the 2004 team was eight games over .500, this team is half that. But they’ve also played eight more games than their 2004 counterparts by the same date in the calendar.
Curt Leskanic and Mike Myers were added in the summer of 2004. With Alex Cora and, more importantly, principal owner John Henry making noise about being disappointed with this team we’re sure to see some bullpen additions between now and July 31st.
Yes, the 2004 team never did close the gap on the Yankees. And the Wild Card is now a play in game in contrast to a five game series. This team has the talent and resources to still make a run, and will be favored in any play in game. Despite the panic there’s still plenty of time. 2004 is the road map.
