tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172636682024-03-27T21:46:35.429-04:00Dan Shaughnessy WatchWe read him so you don't have to.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3665125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-64582301235096266962024-03-27T10:47:00.000-04:002024-03-27T10:47:03.093-04:00DHL Dan CCII - 'The Dynasty' - Hated it!Full Disclosure - I did not read past the headline when I started this post. Honest!<br></br>
If there's something that tends to portray New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft ina positive light, you can count on Shank <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/22/sports/dynasty-patriots-bob-kraft-bill-belichick/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">to take a piss on said light</a>:
<blockquote><b>Why the Patriots docuseries ‘The Dynasty’ is a farce, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces after heart surgery …<br></br>
▪ It was not my intention to return to these pages this soon, and I am far from 100 percent, but some things cannot wait. I remember ripping tubes out of my arms after sinus surgery when I got the word that the Red Sox had finally fired crusty manager John McNamara on Bastille Day in 1988. <b> been waiting three long seasons for that moment</b> and was not about to let another Globe scribe <b>Knife the Mac</b> on the day the Sox made the long-overdue sacking.<br></br></blockquote>Revenge is a dish best served cold!<br></br>
<blockquote>Which brings us to … “The Dynasty,” the entertaining yet loathsome 10-part Kraft hagiography/Belichick hit piece that dropped its final two episodes on Apple TV last weekend.<br></br>
The Globe’s estimable Ben Volin has already given great voice to the preposterousness and unfairness of the series, but my dark, healing heart would not allow this moment to pass without joining the chorus of “Dynasty” detractors.<br></br>
Bottom line: As Patriots/NFL history goes, “The Dynasty” is a farce.<br></br>
It’s great to have so much locker room footage, and the Apple folks give us a lot of credible and interesting voices. Hearing Rob Gronkowski tell his truth and Tom Brady drop F-bombs is new and enlightening. Free of Big Bad Bill, Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Ty Law, Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Willie McGinest, and Danny Amendola are worthy truth-tellers. It’s great to hear so much from Ernie Adams.<br></br>
But make no mistake: This is Bob Kraft’s authorized history of the Patriots. Nothing less.</blockquote>I haven't watched the series but nearly every discussion of 'The Dynasty' I've heard so far points to this sameconclusion and it's nearly impossible to think this wasn't done on purpose to try and bury Bill Belichick.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-24614240351575030842024-03-23T19:18:00.000-04:002024-03-23T19:18:01.067-04:00No ShowsThis theme includes a couple of items, chief among them not reporting Shank's <a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/newspapers/dan-shaughnessy-boston-globe-heart-surgery.html" target="_blank">heart surgery from last month</a>. I've been there myself, so I'm not exactly sure why I didn't post on this when it originally happened, but there it is.<br></br>
In other no shows, Red Sox ace Curt Schilling <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/20/sports/curt-schilling-2004-red-sox-anniversary/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">won't be at Opening Day 2024</a> to commemorate the 2004 Boston Red Sox championship:
<blockquote><b>Curt Schilling will not attend Red Sox’ 2004 World Series celebration at home opener</b><br></br>
Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has declined the team’s invitation to be part of the April 9 Opening Day ceremonies at Fenway Park, a source with direct knowledge told the Globe.<br></br>
The Sox on Monday announced plans to honor the 20th anniversary of the 2004 champions, who are famous for ending the team’s 86-year World Series drought.<br></br>
Schilling was a key part of that team, forever earning his place in Red Sox lore by pitching with a surgically repaired ankle in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees — known as the “Bloody Sock” game.<br></br>
The Sox also plan to honor the lives of Tim and Stacy Wakefield that day. Tim, who started Game 1 of the 2004 World Series against the Cardinals, died in October from brain cancer. His wife Stacy died from a different type of cancer in February.<br></br>
Schilling came under fire in September for revealing the health diagnoses of the Wakefields in the days before Tim’s death.</blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-33838039753586743632024-02-11T11:34:00.004-05:002024-02-11T11:34:26.181-05:00DHL Dan CCI - Theo's Back!Shank notes the return of <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/09/sports/theo-epstein-red-sox/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein</a> as an adviser to the team:
<blockquote><b>Theo Epstein has been away a while but he knows how the Red Sox work, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while remembering the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady nine Super Bowls from 2002-19 …<br></br>
▪ Theo Epstein is back with the Red Sox as a part-owner of Fenway Sports Group and a senior adviser to its many holdings.<br></br>
<i>Too many holdings.</i><br></br>
FSG’s insatiable quest to expand its portfolio and take over the world has made the Red Sox the abandoned stepchild of the corporation’s family. The Sox might as well be Connor Roy.<br></br>
Theo and Sam Kennedy were teammates at Brookline High and did a lot of their learning as very young men under the tutelage of Larry Lucchino with the Padres in the 1990s. When Lucchino came to Boston as part of John Henry’s group, he had to negotiate with the Padres to acquire the services of “The Brookline Two.”</blockquote>I don't think he's going to impact things much with the Sox, if at all.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-1263170173313264452024-02-03T14:43:00.002-05:002024-02-03T14:43:51.504-05:00DHL Dan CC - Hope Springs EternalShank thinks (or pretends to think) that <b>we're</b> <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/02/sports/celtics-bruins-nba-nhl-championships/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">winning two championships</a> this year:
<blockquote><b>Again <u>we</u> have two shots at championships this spring, but <u>we’d</u> settle for one, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while wondering if the Red Sox can get the Dollar Store to sponsor Truck Day …<br></br>
▪ This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of New England’s last men’s professional sports championship, when the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady Patriots beat the Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.<br></br>
By the gaudy standards of <b>our</b> 21st century sports high renaissance, five years without a parade is a certified drought.<br></br>
Which brings <b>us</b> to the spring of 2024, when both the Celtics and Bruins have a chance to get everybody back on the Duck Boats.<br></br>
I wrote about this one year ago (“Bruins and Celtics may be climbing toward a rare double this spring”) and we all know what happened: The Bruins, after compiling the greatest regular season in NHL history, flamed out in seven games of a first-round series against the Florida Panthers. The Celtics made it to the NBA’s Final Four for the fifth time in seven years, but dropped the first three games of their conference final series against the Heat, then collapsed in Game 7 at home.</blockquote>And Shank will pick right back up with negative / critical columns about both teams when their seasons end.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-36666325939568126192024-01-29T18:16:00.001-05:002024-01-29T18:16:31.300-05:00Dude, I'm Extremely HighShank's not trying to put <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/29/sports/joe-mazzulla-boston-celtics-coach-expectations/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">too much pressure on the guy</a>, is he?
<blockquote><b>Expectations are extremely high for the Celtics — and Joe Mazzulla is fine with that</b><br></br>
He grew up here, just like you and me, and he knows how important the Celtics are going to be in this spring of 2024. He has seen the recent decline of the once-great Patriots and Red Sox, and he knows fans think it’s about time for the Celtics to step forward and win a championship — the way they did regularly in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s.<br></br>
Rhode Island-raised Joe Mazzulla is still only 35 years old, and the franchise he coaches has won only one banner in his lifetime (2008), but he knows the expectations that come with coaching a team of All-Stars after recent playoffs featuring near-misses.<br></br>
Everybody says the Celtics have the best team this year. And … if the Green don’t win it all, everybody probably will say it’s because their coach is too inexperienced, and they rely too much on threes, and he doesn’t call enough timeouts, and he cares too much for analytics, and that the late-game execution is lacking when the score is close.</blockquote>This site has knocked Shank early and often when his columns contain the element of overhyping a team for the sole purpose of knocking them down later. I don't believe that applies with this team this year, but as Shank has noted a few columns ago, they need to win the tough games in order to win it all.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-8975067457807704772024-01-29T17:42:00.003-05:002024-01-29T17:42:29.853-05:00DHL Dan CXCIX - A Dear John LetterHow do you know when someone's close to retirement age and just doesn't give a fuck anymore? <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/26/sports/john-henry-red-sox-owner/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">Like this</a>:
<blockquote><b>A Dear John (Henry) letter to the Red Sox owner, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while composing a Dear John (Henry) letter to the owner of the Red Sox …<br></br>
In all sincerity:<br></br>
Dear John,<br></br>
It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken. I hope you are well. Like all who follow the Red Sox closely, I also hope you still love owning this team and value the lifelong loyalty of a fan base <b>that considers the Red Sox something of a public trust.</b><br></br>
I know you’re busy expanding the portfolio of Fenway Sports Group, but by now you must have noticed that many of your fans are angry with the way the team is being run. They feel you and your people haven’t done a great job explaining the year-to-year plan for the ball club.<br></br>
You and your group have been great owners since taking over in 2002. You’ve made the ballpark better and brighter and you’ve delivered four World Series championships, breaking an 86-year drought and giving the Red Sox more rings than any other major league team in this century.</blockquote>
Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-69311165983994912092024-01-29T17:26:00.003-05:002024-01-29T17:26:37.147-05:00Out Of ExcusesShank does his first Celtics column in a while and naturally it has <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/24/sports/celtics-jaylen-brown-jayson-tatum/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">a critical edge to it</a>:
<blockquote><b>No more excuses: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have to come up big in big games</b><br></br>
<i>“So you’re scared, and you’re thinking that maybe we ain’t that young anymore.”</i><br></br>
<b>Bruce Springsteen, “Thunder Road”</b><br></br>
It’s time.<br></br>
No more “they are so young.”<br></br>
No more “they are both All-Stars and max contract guys and top 20 guys.”<br></br>
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to be NBA champions. In June. It’s time for them to win banner No. 18 for the Boston Celtics.<br></br>
Brown is 27, playing in his <i>eighth</i> NBA season. Tatum turns 26 in a few weeks and is playing in his seventh NBA season. Brown has been to the conference finals in five of seven seasons, Tatum in four of six. Both made it to the NBA Finals two years ago but came up short after taking a 2-1 series lead against the Warriors.</blockquote>
Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-74218552567590081482024-01-20T15:33:00.004-05:002024-01-20T15:33:37.605-05:00DHL Dan CXCVIII - Tuna TalkShank's taken some interest in the post-Patriots Bill Belichick. Shank talks to another former Patriots head coach for some clues as to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/19/sports/bill-belichick-next-move-bill-parcells/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">what's next for the other Bill</a>:
<blockquote><b>Getting Bill Parcells’s take on Bill Belichick’s next move, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while wondering why wannabe Patriots general manager Jonathan Kraft was called away to deal with a corrugated cardboard issue while the team he runs was introducing its new coach …<br></br>
▪ Bill Parcells, now 82, is a Hall of Fame coach who won two Super Bowls with the Giants, then changed the culture of the Patriots when he came to New England in 1993. After four seasons and a trip to the Super Bowl with the Patriots, Parcells coached the Jets and Cowboys, then retired from the sideline at the age of 65.<br></br>
The Tuna knows what it’s like to work for Bob and Jonathan Kraft, and he knows what it’s like to take on a new team late in his coaching life.<br></br>
When I reached him on the phone this past week, Parcells was careful not to say too much about what went down in New England or what might happen with Bill Belichick.</blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-31954534788769728012024-01-20T14:48:00.000-05:002024-01-20T14:48:03.566-05:00Chaos?I'm answering Shank's question about the rumors earler this week that <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/16/sports/bill-belichick-robert-kraft-patriots/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">Bill Belichick is heading to Dallas</a>:
<blockquote><b>Imagine what might happen if Bill Belichick signs on to coach the Cowboys</b><br></br>
It’s always about revenge here in New England, and we’ve seen this play out in dramatic fashion over the last week in Foxborough.</blockquote>Shank knows a thing or two about revenge...
<blockquote>Bob and Jonathan Kraft are rolling out their new head coach (Jerod Mayo) Wednesday, but perhaps the larger story concerns the destination of Bill Belichick, who (along with Tom Brady) led the Patriots to nine Super Bowls in his 24-season run as head coach and emperor of the franchise.<br></br>
Belichick already has interviewed with the Falcons, but there is a more intriguing possibility out there that he could take over the ready-to-win Cowboys, which would only escalate the personal war between the Krafts and the Hoodie, a dispute over credit, blame, legacy, and pro football immortality.<br></br>
Can you imagine Belichick coaching Dallas and humbly telling Football America, “It’s nice to be working for a Hall of Fame owner”?</blockquote>Nice shot at the Krafts, Shank! There's more of that in the column, like that's a surprise.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-69693267796694752112024-01-11T17:10:00.000-05:002024-01-11T17:10:16.140-05:00Situation Resolved - Au Revoir, BillThe New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick by 'mutual agreement' parted ways earlier today. Shank had <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/11/sports/bill-belichick-boston-sports-history/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">this column done and posted</a> a few minutes after the first noontime press conference had finished.
<blockquote><b>It’s Belichick and Auerbach, then everyone else when it comes to New England coaching greatness</b><br></br>
Bill Belichick and Red Auerbach are the greatest two coaches in New England sports history.<br></br>
By a mile.<br></br>
Belichick and Auerbach are gold and silver. Or silver and gold. It’s not even worth talking about candidates for the bronze medal platform. One could argue Terry Francona, Harry Sinden, Dick Williams, Milt Schmidt, Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Parcells, Chuck Fairbanks, Claude Julien, Jimmy Collins, Bill Carrigan, and Joe Cronin. You get silly and make a case for Bobby Valentine and Clive Rush if you insist.<br></br>
It does not matter.<br></br>
It’s Bill and Red.<br></br>
There is no other.<br></br>
Belichick and Auerbach were the bookend builders of our two great sports dynasties ― the 1950s-60s Celtics, and the 21st century Patriots.</blockquote>Since this was mostly written in advance, we'll probably see more Belichick / Patriots columns in the upcoming days. I fully expect one of those columns to place most or all of the blame for this separation on Robert Kraft.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-39413185174660443292024-01-08T18:32:00.000-05:002024-01-08T18:32:08.509-05:00Situation Not ResolvedAs we await the fate of Bill Belichick, Shank pens another column and gives 'ol Bill <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/07/sports/if-it-was-his-final-game-patriots-coach-bill-belichick-man-history-accomplishment-never-never-never-gave/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">some wet, sloppy ones</a>:
<blockquote><b>If it was his final game as Patriots coach, Bill Belichick, a man of history and accomplishment, never, never, never gave in</b><br></br>
FOXBOROUGH — It’s always about history with Bill Belichick.<br></br>
He’s famously chasing the late Don Shula (347 wins) to become the winningest coach in NFL history (Belichick has 333). He donated his collection of football history books to the US Naval Academy in 2006. When it came time to tell his secrets to an author, Belichick favored the late David Halberstam, one of the great American history writers of the last two centuries.<br></br>
Quite possibly, Belichick is now history in New England.<br></br>
Sunday in a freezing, January snowsquall, Belichick coached his 429th and possibly final game with the Patriots, a 17-3 loss to the hated Jets in a largely empty Gillette Stadium.<br></br>
Belichick reportedly has one year left on a contract that pays him around $25 million annually, but reports also claim he’s had no discussions with owner Bob Kraft regarding his future. The two are scheduled to meet Monday, a session that is expected to include Kraft’s combustible/fortunate son, Jonathan (Wonder if the Krafts will <b>bring their high chairs</b> to the meeting to remind Bill who’s boss?).</blockquote>And now it's a bit clearer - Shank's buttering Belichick's ass now so he can use the firing / separation to blame in all on the Krafts. That'll be good for at least three columns, won't it?Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-26907044362400778422024-01-07T11:23:00.002-05:002024-01-07T11:23:24.511-05:00DHL Dan CXCVII - The End?Shank has some <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/05/sports/bill-belichick-status-patriots/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">surprisingly good things to say</a> about likely soon to be former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick:
<blockquote><b>If this is the end for Bill Belichick, he deserves gratitude, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while wondering if it’s Breslow-Ball or Bres-LowBall …<br></br>
▪ Is this really it for Bill Belichick?<br></br>
After 24 years, 17 division titles, 13 AFC Championship games, nine trips to the Super Bowl, six Lombardis, Spygate, Deflategate, Mona Lisa Vito, and 10,000 “just doing what’s best for our football team” non-answers … is this really the end for Belichick as head coach of the New England Patriots? ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Thursday that Belichick, Patriots owner Bob Kraft, and team president Jonathan Kraft have a meeting scheduled for Monday. Putting beleaguered Bill in a room with combustible Jon is not likely to yield an amicable split.<br></br>
Back at the turn of the century when Bill was hired, “Mr. Kraft” (a.k.a. “Robert”) was still plain old Brookline Bob and the ringless Patriots were playing in third-class Foxboro Stadium with aluminum bleachers. Myra Kraft was the franchise’s North Star, Gil and Gino were telling us where they ate dinner in Miami, and Scott Zolak was starting his media career with Bob Lobel after being cut by Dave Wannstedt in Miami. Tebucky Jones was trying to figure out what “press corner” meant.</blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-24216018199426267592024-01-01T10:38:00.000-05:002024-01-01T10:38:13.045-05:00Whither Belichick?As the last week of the 2023-2024 NFL regular season approaches, the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/31/sports/facing-toughest-decision-his-stewardship-what-will-patriots-owner-bob-kraft-do-regarding-future-bill-belichick/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">speculation into Patriots coach Bill Belichick's</a> future intensifies:
<blockquote><B>Facing the toughest decision of his stewardship, what will Patriots owner Bob Kraft do with Bill Belichick?</B><BR></BR>
What now, Bob Kraft?<BR></BR>
Kraft has owned the Patriots for 30 full and fruitful years, but has never faced a decision like this one.<BR></BR>
Feuding with Bill Parcells and firing Pete Carroll was easy. Deciding to break promises to poor Hartford was easy. Heck, even accepting Roger Goodell’s Deflategate sanctions — after demanding an apology from the NFL — even that was easy compared to this.<BR></BR>
What is Kraft going to do about the future of Bill Belichick, the franchise coach who has won six Super Bowls for New England? I mean, how does Kraft fire Belichick, then someday invite him back for a statue dedication?</blockquote>What isn't speculation is Shank's continued disdain for Kraft:
<blockquote>Belichick, Kraft’s head coach for 24 seasons, is 29-38 (including playoffs) since Tom Brady left and hasn’t won a playoff game in five years. After finishing 8-9 in 2022, Kraft apologized to fans and pledged that things would get better. Things have gotten worse.<BR></BR>
Kraft does not want to fire Belichick. <b>New England’s needy owner longs to be loved.</b> He wants peace with honor. He’s 82 and <b>desperately</b> wants to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He didn’t like the way things ended with Brady and now he’s at a critical mass regarding one of the greatest coaches of all time.</blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-47206536872708078652023-12-31T11:26:00.001-05:002023-12-31T11:26:19.357-05:00DHL Dan CXCVI - Addition By SubtractionAlternate headline - '<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/29/sports/dan-shaughnessy-boston-sports/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">Chris Sale Traded</a> Before Shank Runs Him Out Of Town':
<blockquote><b>End of Chris Sale Experience reason for Red Sox fans to pop cheap champagne</b><br></br>
Picked up pieces while wondering if Taylor Swift is the Yoko Ono of the Chiefs . . .<br></br>
In late September, Red Sox manager Alex Cora boldly named Chris Sale his Opening Day starter for 2024.<br></br>
Guess not.<br></br>
Craig Breslow traded Sale to Atlanta on Saturday for second base prospect Vaughn Grissom. Boston reportedly sent $17 million to Atlanta, which is on the hook for the remaining $10.5 million of the final year of Sale’s disastrous five-year contract.<br></br>
Happy New Year, Sox fans. Boston’s Chris Sale Experience is officially over.</blockquote>
Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-77082515875398238102023-12-25T09:48:00.001-05:002023-12-25T09:48:44.929-05:00DHL Dan CXCV - (Un)ForgettableThat's the charitable way to describe <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/22/sports/patriots-jets-last-game-2023-season/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">this season's New England Patriots</a>:
<blockquote><b>A legendary day is looming at the end of a forgettable Patriots season, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked up pieces while listening to Mitch Miller Christmas carols . . .<br></br>
⋅ Sorry for looking ahead, but Sunday, Jan. 7, is shaping up as one of the most fascinating days in New England sports history.<br></br>
The Patriots 2023 regular-season finale will be at Gillette against the Jets. There’s a strong possibility this will be the final day in the 24-year head coaching career of Bill Belichick in New England. It could also be the day the Patriots have a chance to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft . . . by losing to the Jets!<br></br>
That’s right, the Jets. The Jets (5-9) are one of three sorry teams the 3-11 Pats actually beat this season, and they have flat-out quit, as evidenced by their 30-0 skunking in Miami last weekend. Bill hates the Jets more than I hate mushrooms. Could he allow himself to nudge this game into the loss column?</blockquote>
Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-28480838570982308932023-12-19T12:40:00.002-05:002023-12-19T12:40:18.924-05:00The Bitter EndThat's what Shank's calling <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/17/sports/conservative-bitter-end-bill-belichick-is-losing-dignity-his-patriots-are-overshadowed-their-own-stadium/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">the likely last month Bill Belichick remains</a> as the head coach of the New England Patriots:
<blockquote><b>The ending is bitter, but does it have to be like this for Bill Belichick?</b><br></br>
There’s not a lot of dignity in these Final Days of the Belichick era.<br></br>
Reporters joust hourly to declare that Bob Kraft has made his decision on Bill . . . or that Bob is still deciding. An NFL Network insider Sunday reported that the final four games of this lost season will serve as a referendum on the Kill Bill question. That seems ridiculous, but if true, Belichick seems certain to continue his quest of chasing Don Shula’s wins record (which is now feeling like the Yaz Watch) someplace other than Foxborough.<br></br>
The world champion Kansas City Chiefs beat the once-great Pats, 27-17, Sunday. The moribund Patriots were competitive for a half, but ultimately fell victim to the usual hail of penalties, turnovers, and failure to convert on third down (2-12) against a superior team. New England dropped to 3-11 with three to play. The Patriots remain on course to pick second in the 2024 NFL Draft.</blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-74256009022153539342023-12-16T12:21:00.002-05:002023-12-16T12:21:40.904-05:00DHL Dan CXCIV - No ThrottleShank voices his displeasure with <del>his boss</del> Red Sox ownership saying one thing <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/15/sports/dan-shaughnessy-red-sox/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">and doing, well, nothing</a>:
<blockquote><b>So far, the Red Sox’ promised ‘full throttle’ offseason hasn’t lifted off, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while wondering how many games the Patriots would have won with Joe Flacco at quarterback all season . . .<br></br>
▪ There are times when it feels like the Red Sox are just baiting us.<br></br>
This is one of those times.<br></br>
Team chairman Tom Werner promised “full throttle” for this offseason.<br></br>
Pathetic. Thus far, the Sox have not lifted off the launch pad. While the Dodgers and Yankees behave like teams intent on spending to win championships (Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto anyone?), the once-proud Red Sox continue to dumpster dive and insult their fans with feeble efforts to get involved for high-priced talent. The Red Sox are Kings of Interest, always making you think they are competing for top talent when they are not.</blockquote>Can't say I share that sentiment, not since Mookie Betts left the team.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-3401446210216039522023-12-11T12:09:00.001-05:002023-12-11T12:09:14.995-05:00The Army-Navy GameIt looks like <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/09/sports/new-england-gets-itself-classic-its-first-shot-hosting-classic-more-pure-sporting-time/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">Shank took in the game</a> live on Saturday:
<blockquote><b>New England gets a classic in its first shot hosting a classic: There’s a reason Army-Navy is America’s Game</b><br></br>
FOXBOROUGH — Army’s 17-11 victory over Navy on Saturday was played in the home of the Patriots.<br></br>
Perfect.<br></br>
It was a gem. A furious late Navy drive had the Midshipmen on Army’s 2-yard line with 11 seconds to play, but Army’s rock-ribbed front held when Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai tried to pile drive into the end zone on fourth-and-goal. Lavatai was short by inches, Army took over on downs with three seconds left, and the field was soon flooded with grey-coated Cadets.<br></br>
You can have Auburn-Alabama and/or Ohio State-Michigan. Or you can enjoy some “Boola Boola” and go with Harvard-Yale — nabobs call that one The Game. If you’re a New England old-timer, you may have once been fond of Boston College-Holy Cross.<br></br>
No thanks to all that, sir. Sign me up for Army-Navy every time. America’s Game.<br></br>
Leather helmets, anyone?</blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-36801687600982219232023-12-11T12:00:00.001-05:002023-12-11T12:00:24.454-05:00Clearly?I think <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/07/sports/what-if-everything-weve-heard-isnt-true-bill-belichick-is-still-coach-patriots-next-season/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">there might be a problem</a> with one part of this headline:
<blockquote><b>Bill Belichick is clearly trying to win, so what if he is still coach of the Patriots next season?</b><br></br>
It was like the good old days in Pittsburgh Thursday. Bill Belichick pantsed Mike Tomlin (the two longest-tenured NFL coaches) and the 3-10 Patriots snapped a five-game losing streak with a 21-18 win over the 7-6 Steelers. Bailey Zappe threw three first-half TD passes while frustrated Steelers fans showered their team with mock cheers and begged Tomlin to insert his third-string quarterback.<br></br>
“Had a lot of guys really come through in a game that we needed,” Belichick said after the win. “We had our moments . . . obviously very good defense . . . We played competitively against them.”<br></br>
No tanking in this one. The moribund Pats beat a team that’s trying to make the playoffs.<br></br>
All of which got me to thinking . . . what if Belichick is still head coach of the Patriots next season?</blockquote>First off, if you have three wins at this point in the season, it's not entirely clear you're trying to win. Second - Shank might have a point with that last sentence. What if the Patriots go on a winning run and Robert Kraft gets cold feet about firing Belichick? Are there things in Belichick's contract which would make firing him a problem? We'll find out next month.
<blockquote></blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-76193915496397009822023-12-04T15:49:00.001-05:002023-12-04T15:49:22.885-05:00DHL Dan CXCIII - The Bill Belichick InterviewShank games out a potential (likely?) sceanario <a href="Shank%20games%20out%20a%20potential%20%28likely?%29%20sceanario%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20season%20for%20the%20New%20England%20Patriots:" target="_blank">at the end of the season</a> for the New England Patriots:
<blockquote><b>Imagine if you will a Bill Belichick job interview, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while predicting a Patriots win over the Chargers Sunday …<br></br>
▪ The notion of Bill Belichick coaching another team next season has taken on great steam in recent weeks. After last weekend’s awful loss in the Meadowlands, when Bill was asked about a report that he’s already made a decision regarding his next destination, the coach scoffed and said, “Yeah, that’s ridiculous.”<br></br>
When a followup question was asked about whether Bill could envision himself coaching anywhere else, the Hoodie said, “Just trying to do the best job I can right now. Obviously, I need to do better.”<br></br>
Just for fun, let’s fast-forward to Black Monday, Jan. 8, when Bob Kraft announces an “amicable parting of the ways” between the Patriots and their head coach of 24 years. Now imagine Bill going around the country for a series of job interviews with owners of various Panthers, Chargers, Titans, and Commanders.</blockquote>Whether or not an actual Bill Belichick interview went down in this manner, it'd be interesting to be a fly on the wall in one of them.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-30913285642004179502023-11-27T16:48:00.000-05:002023-11-27T16:48:10.425-05:00Are The Tanks Rolling In?After yesterday's brutal loss to the New York Giants, Shank's starting to wonder whether this is bad luck or New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/26/sports/bill-belichick-is-wired-win-hideous-loss-giants-makes-us-wonder-if-patriots-are-tanking/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">tanking the team</a>:
<blockquote><b>Are the Patriots tanking? Bill Belichick is wired to win, but this hideous loss makes us wonder</b><br></br>
Tank!<br></br>
Tank!<br></br>
Tank!<br></br>
When is the last time a Patriots field goal kicker missed a 35-yard chip shot that would have sent a game into overtime?<br></br>
It happened Sunday in the Meadowlands when rookie Chad Ryland hooked a 3-foot putt with three seconds remaining in a 10-7 loss to the Giants (a game that should have been flexed to April).<br></br>
Wow. We haven’t seen a muffed kick like this since Baltimore’s Billy Cundiff’s 32-yard bunny sailed wide left in the 2011 AFC Championship game, delivering the once-great Patriots to yet another Super Bowl.<br></br>
Was Ryland under orders to miss? Any chance the Pats, now 2-9, did not want to win to stay in position for a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?</blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-61005158159890018032023-11-27T10:39:00.007-05:002023-11-27T10:39:37.926-05:00DHL Dan CXCII - Talking To The YoukShank catches up with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/24/sports/dan-shaughnessy-red-sox-kevin-youkilis/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">the former Red Sox player</a>:
<blockquote><b>In a difficult time, Kevin Youkilis speaks out for unity and positivity, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while wondering if we’re going to see Tim Tebow or Michael Bishop playing quarterback for the Patriots Sunday …<br></br>
▪ Kevin Youkilis gave the Red Sox 8½ quality seasons. He made three All-Star teams, won a Gold Glove and two World Series, and finished in the top six in MVP voting twice — ranking third in 2008 when he hit .312 with 29 homers and 115 RBIs. He is in the Red Sox Hall of Fame, owns a brewery in California, is married to Tom Brady’s sister, has three children, and spends summertime with Dave O’Brien in the NESN booth.<br></br>
Oh, and he also is Jewish, which is unusual for a big league baseball player. Just more than 200 of the 23,115 men who have worn big league uniforms are/were Jewish. Youkilis never made much of it when he was playing here, and a lot of us thought he was Greek because “Moneyball” dubbed him “the Greek God of Walks.”</blockquote>
Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-23917043837221177802023-11-20T13:58:00.000-05:002023-11-20T13:58:04.459-05:00It's Quiz Time!Shank does a columnin the tradition of 'dumping out the sports drawer' and he came up with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/20/sports/if-i-used-these-old-boston-sports-references-would-you-know-what-i-mean/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">an interesting local sports quiz</a>:
<blockquote><b>If I used these old Boston sports references, would you know what I mean?</b><br></br>
I can’t prove it, but think it all started in the 1980s when Billy Crystal (remember him?) was doing stand-up and told a joke about his young daughter asking him, “Daddy, did you know Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?”<br></br>
This is the challenge for the aging newspaper columnist.<br></br>
Wait. Did I say “newspaper”?<br></br>
I mean, how can we assume anyone on our digital platform knows what a newspaper is? Many of them have never handled one. It breaks my heart today when I walk into local television newsrooms and there is no newspaper to be found.<br></br>
...<br></br>
Try this: Here are 17 notes, quotes, names, sites, and numbers unique to the 20th century Boston sports experience. How many require an explanation?<br></br>
1. “Six, two, and even.”<br></br>
2. Ben Dreith.<br></br>
3. “Too late!”<br></br>
4. “We’ll win more than we lose.”<br></br>
5. Rene Rancourt.<br></br>
6. 13,909.<br></br>
7. “Mercy.”<br></br>
8. .406.<br></br>
9. “Curly-haired boyfriend.”<br></br>
10. Sherm Feller.<br></br>
11. McFilthy and McNasty.<br></br>
12. Margo Adams.<br></br>
13. The Iron Horse.<br></br>
14. The Can’s Film Festival.<br></br>
15. The Victory Tour.<br></br>
16. “Pumped and jacked.”<br></br>
17. Eliot Lounge.<br></br>
Answers:</blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-23992378216518013562023-11-20T13:45:00.006-05:002023-11-20T13:45:52.444-05:00DHL Dan CXCI - To Tank Or Not To Tank?There's been plenty of talk about whether the New England Patriots should start tanking games in order to get a higher draft pick, but Shank says <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/17/sports/bill-belichick-patriots/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">that's not how head coach Bill Belichick rolls</a>:
<blockquote><b>It’s not in Bill Belichick’s interest to tank this season, and other thoughts</b><br></br>
Picked-up pieces while wondering if Bob Kraft brought the Costanza Gore-Tex coat back from Germany …<br></br>
▪ Let’s talk tanking, shall we? It’s bye week for the 2-8 Patriots, and if the 2024 NFL Draft were held today, they would have the No. 3 overall pick, trailing only the 1-8 Panthers and the 2-8 Giants.<br></br>
It looks as if the Patriots need another quarterback, and top prospects include Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Washington’s Michael Penix, Oregon’s Bo Nix, and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.<br></br>
Would Bill Belichick tank to secure any of these guys?<br></br>
No.<br></br>
Forget about the notion of Belichick playing to lose (although we did wonder when there was nobody back to receive that punt in Germany last weekend). It is antithetical to everything Bill believes. He coaches to win the game.</blockquote>
Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17263668.post-59338580270700626502023-11-15T16:00:00.000-05:002023-11-15T16:00:03.670-05:00A Question You Don't Expect From ShankThe New England Patriots' record currently stands at 2-8. For the past quarter century Shank would've been blowtorching this team from every angle - players, coach, ownership, even the concession stands; all of it was on the table and more.<br></br>
<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/15/sports/dan-shaughnessy-mac-jones/?p1=StaffPage" target="_blank">Is this Shank version 2.0 or something</a>?
<blockquote><b>Aren’t we being a little too rough on Mac Jones around here?</b><br></br>
Forgive me for not piling on this time, but I kind of feel sorry for Mac Jones.<br></br>
Seriously.<br></br>
Why the vitriol? Why the exaggeration? Why the demonization of this 25-year-old quarterback?<br></br>
It’s not as though Mac invented a cryptocurrency scheme and stole everybody’s money. He hasn’t said that New England foliage is overrated, or that he hates Dunkin’ Donuts. He hasn’t complained about his contract, doesn’t appear to be juicing, and never tried to embarrass Dennis Eckersley in front of his teammates.<br></br>
He hasn’t stomped on the Pat Patriot logo or burned sage around the Gillette Stadium sideline.<br></br>
He hasn’t even complained about the Green Line. Not once.<br></br>
Jones seems to be doing the best he can. And it hasn’t been great of late. It’s been pretty terrible. A Boston.com headline Monday read, “Mac Jones’s performance was the worst in Patriots history.” On Bostonglobe.com, the headline was “Mac Jones’s performance was the worst I have seen by a Patriots quarterback.”</blockquote>Read on for a bit of revisionist history, which tends to reveal what Shank's doing here (and - also after Shank listening to Felger & Mazz say the same thing for the better part of four hours yesterday):
<blockquote>That’s the kind of <b>coaching malpractice</b> that has turned Jones into a puddle in his third pro season after being the 15th overall pick of the 2021 draft. The nadir came Sunday when Jones — clearly afraid to throw the ball in the red zone after getting taken to the woodshed by offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien — missed a wide-open Mike Gesicki in the end zone with a short, soft toss that landed in the arms of Colts defensive back Julian Blackmon.</blockquote>'Coaching malpractice' will translate into 'it was Belichick's fault' in the upcoming months.Roger Bournivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16930002406434500054noreply@blogger.com1