During the bill-signing Friday morning, President Trump said, “A friend of mine, Bob Kraft, called me last night. He said this tax bill is incredible.” https://t.co/IPG7Ip55zn
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) December 22, 2017
Of course he did . . . https://t.co/EJgtYElV9K
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 22, 2017
One of the most depressing things I have read. Fanboy journalism wins. Let’s all just be team websites. #pathetic https://t.co/jX5cbkPxoX
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 22, 2017
What if a team owner bought the local city newspaper that covers his team, as well as the cable channel that carries all the regular season games? How “objective” could that be?
— Red Sox 24/7 (@SaltPointer) December 22, 2017
I can pinpoint your columns for the next year: Tomato cans, Seymour HOF, BB overrated, Best Buddies, Al Davis was the greatest, Red Sox owners can't do wrong, Brady is a system QB - you guys are from the 80's your Delorian is calling
— FITNESS247 (@onetime72) December 22, 2017
Rock ‘n’ roll folklore holds that Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles, just as Svengali Dr. Eugene Landy took Brian Wilson away from the Beach Boys.If you're under 40, do you a) know or b) care about Yoko Ono or the fucking Beach Boys?
And now here in Boston we have faux doctor Alex “Yoko” Guerrero (thank you, Greg Bedard, Boston Sports Journal) threatening the longstanding ties that bind the world champion Patriots.And now he starts laying it on thick:
I exaggerate, of course. That’s what we do here in the toy department. Still, it’s a mistake to follow the lead of the formidable New England Patriots media cartel (where most everyone either works for the team or is afraid of the team) and insists that the presence of Tom Brady’s guru Guerrero is no threat to break up the band at Gillette.
But there are storm clouds over Gillette.There's more at the link and probably worth reading. I think Guerrero is, um, shady but whatever he's doing with Brady seems to be working.
Tom is the greatest of all time. But he is increasingly vested in the power and promotion of TB12 and all things Guerrero.
Bill is the greatest coach of all time and has the power to order fans to leap off the Zakim Bridge. But he did not get his way with Garoppolo back in October (no way Belichick wanted to trade the kid) and — in a move that may or may not be related — clearly doesn’t want the rest of his team under the spell of Guerrero.
It’s hard to blame Belichick on this one. Of course he wants Tom to be happy. Putting up with Guerrero has been relatively harmless until now. But now some players are saying they’d rather do what Alex says than follow the instructions of the Patriots training staff. Almost half of the Patriots players are now working out on their own time with Guerrero.
Brian McGrory canceled his weekly Wednesday interview with Jim and Margery on NPR today.
— Kirk and Callahan (@KirkAndCallahan) December 20, 2017
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the Boston Globe‘s practice of keeping confidential the names of employees charged with sexual abuse:If it weren't for double standards, the Boston Globe would have no standards at all.
In the 1970s, a senior editor at the Boston Globe was known to sexually harass young female workers. He would ply them with alcohol and then make advances. More important, he was not the only one who preyed on women. But nothing was done to stop him, or the others.
Sexual abuse is still going on at the Globe. In March, a young woman employee filed a complaint against a male journalist with human resources. She said he propositioned her to have sex with his wife. But nothing came of it. One year ago, the same man propositioned her to have sex with him. He was allowed to stay on the job, until, that is, more accusations were made against him from outside the office.
So who is he? The Globe refuses to say. They declared this to be a “confidential personnel matter.”
If we learned anything about David Ortiz during his 20-year career in Major League Baseball, it was that he like cameras. Ortiz was a media favorite, a staple of local and national advertising, and the guy most likely to run onto the field during the Home Run Derby holding a Gatorade bottle. So it’s no surprise he plans to stay on camera in retirement, even beyond his gig as an analyst on Fox’s postseason baseball coverage.How about a Boston Globe sports columnist? It can't be any worse than what we have now...
The cable network Fusion announced Tuesday that it will partner will Ortiz on a new 10-part reality series called “Big Papi Needs a Job,” in which the former slugger tests out professions such as dog groomer, manicurist, and musician in search of a new career.
The Globe has written stories about individuals such as WBUR’s Tom Ashbrook, Boston union leader Tyrek Lee, and NESN anchor Marc James, who exchanged texts with a woman who turned down his requests for a date.More on James in a minute, but would you care to guess the organization that the Boston Globe refuses to name about a 'prominent State House reporter'?
A PROMINENT BOSTON GLOBE State House reporter, who was the subject of an internal sexual harassment complaint, was forced out last month after reporters and editors at the paper learned he allegedly initiated inappropriate communications with women who work on Beacon Hill, who were fearful of rebuffing his advances outright because of his position, say sources.Someone put two and two together:
According to sources familiar with the situation, Jim O’Sullivan, a longtime State House fixture who had been one of the Globe’s leading political reporters, was forced to resign after Globe reporters were alerted during the course of reporting on sexual harassment in the Legislature that he had uncomfortable and unwanted written communications with at least one woman, and possibly a second, who had work-related dealings with the Globe. It’s unclear whether the women worked in state government or in some other capacity on Beacon Hill.And why won't the Boston Globe acknowledge this or name the reporter?
The forced resignation came eight months after O’Sullivan was the subject of a complaint to the Globe’s human resources department by a young woman who worked at the paper. The internal incident was detailed as part of a larger story the Globe ran on December 8 about sexual harassment in the media. O’Sullivan was not named in the article, which referred only to a “male employee” journalist at the paper, a decision that has stirred controversy because of the Globe’s coverage of the so-called #MeToo movement and its willingness to name names in covering other incidents.
In his memo to staff, McGrory defended his decision as a matter of standards.Standards, as in 'double standard'! It's also clear that there may be at least two others, and the Globe has clammed up on those names as well. Someone else will have to step up and report the names; the Globe won't do it.
On with @ZoandBertrand today from 10-12. Final playing of Mitch Miller and the Gang for this Christmas season. Will ask Zo about Terrible Towel placed on floor of aisle on my flight home from Pittsburgh.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 19, 2017
PITTSBURGH — When, oh when, will they ever learn?
When it comes to Patriots-Steelers, the Patriots will always win. It doesn’t matter if the game appears to have gone the other way. It doesn’t matter if the Steelers are playing at home and seem to have scored a winning touchdown with only 34 seconds remaining.
In the end, the Patriots will come into Steeltown and they will cut the Steelers’ hearts right out of their puffed-up chests. And they will send Pittsburgh’s proud fans into pigskin therapy.
@Dan_Shaughnessy Now that Braves have acquired and are planning on DFAing "The Cooler", any rumblings of a Boston reunion?
— Jon Tapper (@TapperJonathan) December 16, 2017
He’s tanned, rested and ready to come back to Boston. The Cooler. The Sequel https://t.co/gSIfZJSEbz
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 16, 2017
Patriots-Steelers. This is epic. It’s is a classic clash of football cultures.No tomato cans this week, Shank?
The Patriots do things quietly. The Steelers are loud.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots pretend it’s just another game. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers go into Hype Overdrive.
But we know how it will unfold. After all the news and noise, the Patriots will go into Pittsburgh and cut the Steelers’ hearts out. Again.
On today with @ZoandBertrand from 10-12. Lots of Sox bashing and some good Tomlin stuff. Plus Mitch Miller and the Gang.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 14, 2017
Admit it, Patriots fans. You never even think about Tom getting hurt anymore. It doesn’t matter that he’s 40 and it doesn’t matter that he gets hit a lot. Tom seems to know just how to fall. Tom preaches pliability. He knows how to sense danger when the pocket is collapsing.Give it time - Shank will be second guessing that trade soon enough.
Bill Belichick is certainly confident about Brady’s health. After getting a look at Brady this summer, the Hoodie was comfortable trading Jacoby Brissett. A few months later, Bill shook up the Patriot universe again, trading The Future — Jimmy Garappolo — to San Francisco.
The Herald's bankruptcy filing reports that among the debts the paper owes is an estimated $600,000 to the Boston Globe for "trade services," i.e., the cost of printing the Herald on its Taunton printing presses.
Red Sox have answered Yankee moves. Take that, Yanks! https://t.co/pBB6Edl17H
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 13, 2017
So long, Bud — Sam Adams is the new official beer of the Red Sox https://t.co/FqnkfTPxz5
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) December 13, 2017
Game over early again.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 12, 2017
Pats win flip. Defer to second half.
Get ready for the double score.
We're on to Pittsburgh
Sure this was bad, but it really changed nothing https://t.co/acr0Hw3CxH via @BostonGlobe
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 12, 2017
With the Patriots headed to Minneapolis for the Super Bowl and the Celtics off to a near-historic start, the local baseball team does nothing day after day.Peter Abraham, today:
For Red Sox, making a smart acquisition — not a fast one — is what mattersThat's Peter Abraham basically calling Shank an asshole.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The temptation is to demand action. The Red Sox must make a move after the Yankees traded for Giancarlo Stanton and they must do it now.
But that’s a formula for mistakes, not success.
Spring training starts on Feb. 14, more than two months from now. Making a hasty acquisition proves nothing. Making a smart acquisition, even if it takes a few weeks, is what matters. You can’t win any games in December.
The department had a “culture problem,” said Linda Henry, the Globe’s managing director. “It had become a boys’ club.”Translation - 'We shitcanned a bunch of men.'
The Globe has since made a number of management changes across the business side of the organization.
The Globe’s review continued after the watershed Weinstein revelations. Henry has been meeting internally with women at the newspaper to discuss workplace culture, as part of the unfolding national discourse on sexual harassment, a movement often referred to by the hashtag #MeToo.Which will be fine until the Globe joins the Boston Herald in the financial graveyard.
In a number of informal interviews over the past two weeks for this story, women at the Globe had overall positive things to say about the current work culture in the news department where three of the top five jobs are held by women, and 22 of the 44 managers are women. Some have worked here for years and said they had never seen anything that would constitute harassment. Henry said different departments at the Globe seem to have their own cultures, and she was convinced the newsroom climate is “not one of sexual harassment or sexism.”
■ Giancarlo Stanton is about to become a Yankee. This is big, people. The Yankees now have two guys who combined for 111 homers last season. It’s back to Mantle-Maris, circa 1961. The addition of Stanton gives the Bronx Bombers a lineup that includes Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Brett Gardner, Greg Bird, and Aaron Hicks. The Sox will need more than electronic devices to beat that team. Stanton’s popups to right will be homers in Yankee Stadium. With Derek Jeter helping his old team, the deal is already being compared to Kevin McHale sending Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Meanwhile, could the Boston baseball winter be any more boring? With the Patriots headed to Minneapolis for the Super Bowl and the Celtics off to a near-historic start, the local baseball team does nothing day after day. And it’s trouble that both Shohei Ohtani and Stanton put Boston on the no-fly list. Guess not everybody wants to play here anymore.First thing - I continue to be amazed at Shank's ability (and his complete unreasonableness) to whine and bitch about stuff like this. Second thing - I checked a few news stories about this trade (see here and here and here), and I'm unable to verify Shank's hyperbolic statement that "Stanton put Boston on the no-fly list". That's just Shank throwing gas on the fire that he started. Some rational thought on Boston's response can be found here.
■ The AFC has only two good teams and it’s hard to believe the Patriots will be tested any time in January. Most likely to challenge New England is probably the not-so-talented Ravens, because they have two things no one else has: a coach (John Harbaugh) and quarterback (Joe Flacco) who don’t lose their minds at the sight of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.He didn't notice when McGwire and Sosa were hitting all those home runs but he notices it now:
■ Adderall is on the list of banned substances in major league baseball, but according to Sports Illustrated’s L. Jon Wertheim, a 2013 report stated that 119 major league players had obtained “therapeutic use exemptions,” allowing for a prescription and absolvement from any tests detecting the banned substance. That’s almost 10 percent of the MLB workforce with a permission slip allowing a banned substance. Hmm.
The issue is this: In the eyes of some, the Crusader nickname is offensive to non-Christians. Some folks see it as a symbol of slaughters during the 11th century Holy Wars between the Christians and Muslims. Others would argue that a Crusader is simply someone who is fighting for a cause. Webster’s dictionary uses both definitions.First - so what if a mere name is 'offensive' to someone else? Has a crime been committed, like shouting 'Fire!' in a theatre? In this country we have a First Amendment which implies a right to offend, as Frank Zappa used to note with a label on some of his album covers. The first time I encountered this notion of 'being offended' was in 1993, working a temp. job for Massport. Something happened (I can't remember the contents of the conversation), and one of the weenies I was working with said 'I find that offensive'. I shot him a 'are you serious?' look and walked away, never thinking that this notion would be used in the ensuing decades to effectively curtail speech. In fact, I will amplify my own speech if it offends someone or some people I don't like just to spite them, much like I have been doing with this blog for eight years now with respect to Dan Shaughnessy.
This is a tricky issue in this day and age. I live in a town famous for having elementary school kids engage in a recess “tug-of-peace” because “tug-of-war” is too aggressive.So you have two choices - bend over for a bunch of whining, poorly read leftist zombies every time the pacifier falls from their mouth, or tell them in no uncertain terms to go fuck themselves, for the reasons noted above.
Students writing for the Holy Cross newspaper recently stated, “Why would we not consider changing something that takes away from the experience of our community, even if it is just a single person who takes issue?’’
Many institutions have gone down this path in the last 40 years. The Dartmouth Indians became the Big Green. The St. John’s Redmen became the Red Storm. The UMass Redmen became the Minutemen. The Washington Bullets became the Wizards. The Washington Redskins argument is never going away, and we can all pretty much agree that the Cleveland Indians’ hideous Chief Wahoo is racist — even though everybody in Cleveland seems to love the goofy little guy.
I am not in agreement with the notion that “if one person is offended, we should change things.’’ That’s a black hole from which we can never be rescued. But there’s certainly validity in the opinion that “Crusader” is offensive to some.
...
I know where most of my friends and Holy Cross classmates stand on this. They don’t want to change. And when I ran into Tommy Heinsohn at the Garden last weekend, it was no surprise to hear Tommy’s outrage about the suggestion.
“It’s nonsense,’’ said the Celtics legend (Holy Cross, 1956). “Political correctness. Gimme a break.
On with @ZoandBertrand today from 11-1. It's pre-party for Zo getting Voice of Boston tonight when he Makes the Globies Great Again. House of Blues at 6:30 tonight.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 5, 2017
Kudos to the Patriots. But shame on the rest of the AFC EastIf you're of the camp that winning percentages is the most objective measure of success or failure, this is simply an ignorant statement. We go through this shit every fucking year with Shank, and now it has spread to the newest member of the
...
But shame on the rest of the AFC East.
Shame on you Bills, and Dolphins, and Jets, for making this so easy for the Patriots for so many years now, for turning in season after season of futility and inability to match wits, never mind quarterbacks, with the best-run franchise in the NFL, for living so consistently in the shadow of a Belichick-Brady combination that yes, will go down as the greatest combination of coach and athlete our sports landscape has ever known, but has been able to flourish because everyone else just wilts.
...but that neither team could either turn it into a championship run or find a way to build on the breakthrough is as much a testament to their failure as credit to the Patriots’ success.By what measure, total wins? Between crap like this and the mindless 'Tomato Can' labeling, it's little wonder why the media's been taking a heavy beating recently.
Welcome, @Globe_Tara but this column has already been written a few dozen times by your new colleague @Dan_Shaughnessy. We were hoping for something original. https://t.co/eclz9mU4w0
— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) December 4, 2017
Rob Gronkowski deserves a suspension for his cheap shot on Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White late in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 23-3 victory in Buffalo Sunday.More at the link, if you can stomach it.
There. Was that so hard?
This is not to say we don’t like Rob Gronkowski. He is one of the best tight ends in the history of football. When healthy, Gronk is virtually unstoppable. He’s also a fun goof who donates to charity, engages fans, and has never been in trouble with the local authorities. He has been a great Patriot and a good citizen and teammate. He’s a Hall of Famer.
Including his tweets!Pats win toss. Defer. Double score is set up for end of first half and beginning of second. Now wait for first Patriot fumble to magically bounce into hands of Patriots.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 3, 2017
Nothing ever changes.
Bills starting QB injured on first play of game.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 3, 2017
Nice job Bills. The stupidity is like clockwork. So this game is over.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 3, 2017
We're on to Miami,
There was a run on these at Shaw’s this morning. Folks getting ready for another AFC East game. pic.twitter.com/ZtflNWfO1G
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) December 3, 2017
You desperately need some new material
— Jon Alexander (@JAlexander80) December 3, 2017
I don’t remember this rant when Bird, Parrish and McHale were plowing through the NBA most nights. Happy to be old enough to enjoy both.
— Mark (@me4bostonsports) December 3, 2017
That was slightly funny the first couple hundred times you used it. Enough. #wornout
— Stephen Marsella⚾ (@SPM316) December 3, 2017
We should be so lucky!Dan is working on a kids book. “Little Tom and the March of The Tomato Cans” .
— BizzaroFelger(@Sports_Schlub) December 3, 2017
Tara Sullivan, The Boston Globe. pic.twitter.com/d5VK6qPxNq
— tara sullivan (@Globe_Tara) December 3, 2017
Now that we have that out of the way, let me say that there’s no place for Belichick’s boorish, bullying response to a fair question regarding not taking Tom Brady out at the end of Sunday’s blowout vs. the chippy, dirty Dolphins. Furthermore, it’s fair to ask if maybe the Patriots are being arrogant and reckless in the belief that New England’s 40-year-old quarterback is impervious to injury and the aging issues that impact the rest of humanity.I saw that segment live and didn't think it was an overly harsh response from Belichick; in fact, it's the type of response we've come to expect from Belichick when he thinks a question is excessively stupid.
Belichick was out of bounds when he dismissed the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian for asking about maybe taking Brady off the field when it was 35-17 with less than five minutes left. Meanwhile, Brady and the Patriots — in their cult-like belief that Tom cannot get hurt — are asking for trouble by continuing to expose Brady to unnecessary assaults. Like the 1972 Dolphins, Father Time is undefeated.
On Friday, Belichick was asked about the performance of Austin Carr, an undrafted rookie who made highlight reels with his impressive catch at training camp Thursday. Sounds like an innocent question, right? Well instead of offering some platitude about how Carr looked good and the team was excited to see what he could do, Belichick totally rejected the premise.Shank's trying to start a fire in the absence of kindling. It's not going to catch.
Here was his response, via the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin:
Former Celtics center Dave Cowens will be honored by The Sports Museum at “The Tradition” Tuesday night at the New Garden.That would be like the vast majority of his columns over the decades.
Celtics fans of a certain age need no introduction to Dave Cowens. This is for “the others.’’
If you didn’t live it, if you didn’t see him play, it’s difficult to explain the essence of Cowens the Celtic. But it has always struck me that Cowens might be the most unappreciated superstar in Celtics history.
35-17. 3:19 left. Brady still in the game.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 26, 2017
Well, that was fun.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 26, 2017
We're on to Buffalo
Are the Celtics the No. 2 team in town? Have they vaulted over the Red Sox?Calm down - it's pretty easy for one team to be the flavor of the day when they've gone on a sixteen game winning streak and the other hasn't played a game for about two months.
This may not sound like a big deal to some of you, but it is. I can’t remember a time when the Red Sox were not first or second in the market.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot in recent days. The argument is relatively meaningless and totally subjective, but lately I’ve found myself wondering if the upstart 2017-18 Celtics are more popular and relevant than the 117-year-old baseball team that just completed back-to-back, first-place, 93-win seasons.
Picked-up pieces while waiting for another good NFL player to quit his bad team, threaten to retire, then magically show up in Foxborough, born again as a Patriot . . .
■ I am OK with almost any change in sports as long as the Lions continue to be on TV every Thanksgiving.
■ Joe Morgan’s letter to Hall of Fame voters (keep the steroid cheaters out!) is late and too simple. Nothing about this issue gets more clear as time passes.
■ Admit it, Patriot fans. Deep down you wish Bob Kraft had been the one to take on Roger Goodell instead of Jerry Jones. You loved feisty Bob showing up for the Super Bowl in Arizona, demanding apologies, and commissioning “The Wells Report In Context.”
The Patriots are a team unlike any other team, playing in a league unlike any other league. They have changed the concept of spectator sports for us, extracting the time-tested notion of what might happen on any given Sunday. For Patriots fans, every week is Groundhog Week.Covering and writing about the Patriots must have become boring for Shank, so he'll try to fool the rubes with a few phony suck-up columns.
I got out of bed Monday morning to the sound of radio guys talking about how great the Patriots are and how stupid the Raiders were on Sunday. I heard that the Patriots are 17-point favorites against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday at Gillette. I picked up the morning rags and saw where Tom Brady is being compared to Michelangelo. I heard humble Tom deflecting all credit on his contractually obligated weekly radio gig. I heard more radio commentary where hosts submitted an edgy, hot-take poll question forcing Pats fans to make a choice:
1. Are the Patriots awesome?
Or . . .
2. Are the Patriots, like, really awesome?
Chiefs gonna lose. Cutler appears out for next week. Everything going Pats way again as usual.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 19, 2017
Yeah, the way the Pats lost their number 1 receiver before season started, now Hogan out, one of better d linemen out, special teams cap out. It all just lines up for them. Imagine if they had skill, talent and coaching. Cause only opposing teams have hardship.
— Peter Prodromou(@petepro2) November 19, 2017
Yes because God knows if only the Great Jay Cutler were healthy it would make all the difference
— Greg Temmallo(@MarlboroGMan) November 19, 2017
— Jon (@CPJonGoSox) November 19, 2017
Today on #SeasonTicket: @Dan_Shaughnessy manages to quote both Napoleon Bonaparte and Sun Tzu in describing the mindset of this year's #Patriots team: https://t.co/11iZv0prwy
— WBUR (@WBUR) November 16, 2017
The Celtics in Boston at this hour are more popular than free food. They are the biggest story in the NBA, their TV ratings are off the charts, and we cover them the way Fox News covers Donald Trump, the way CNN covered Barack Obama.You're not supposed to acknowledge media bias, Shank! Didn't they teach you that at Holy Cross?
Never is heard a discouraging word. Normally skeptical reporters turn to jelly around this team. Everything is awesome. We are all Baghdad Bobs. We are all Tommy Heinsohn.Impressive command of the French language!
Je suis Johnny Most.
Truth be told, it has me a little off my game.I wonder if Shank's ever heard of the 1986 Celtics?
The scalding Celtics play the world champion Warriors at the Garden Thursday, and New England is agog. The Celtics have won 13 in a row and the Warriors are the greatest team on the planet, perhaps the best ever assembled. Our parquet floor is suddenly the center of the NBA universe. Everything is coming up Green.
Decades of covering teams in this town have trained me to be cynical.No, you're just a natural born asshole.
Lord knows we’ve had a lot of championships, but there’s usually some case to be made about questionable coaching, nasty personalities in the locker room, buffoonery in the owner’s box, or a team that is more lucky than good.And we'll always have Cynical Shank to point all of these negative things out
On today with Zo and Beetle @ZoandBertrand from 11-1. Plenty of Sox in first hour. Plenty of Tomato Can talk, too.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 14, 2017
Too bad AFC East is tied for 2nd in wins per division and is the only division w/ all teams winning at least 4 games and is playing NFC South who is 1st in wins
— Dudley DooRagz (@DudleyDooRagz) November 14, 2017
DENVER — Pay attention, Patriots fans....insert a paragraph or two of predictable responses by coach Bill Belichick:
You want Bill Belichick to stick around? I think I have the solution.
Belichick is climbing the ladder of NFL coaching legends. The Patriots’ stunningly easy 41-16 victory over the once-tough Denver Broncos Sunday night was Bill’s 270th career win, tying him with Cowboys legend Tom Landry for third place on the all-time list. The only guys ahead of him are George Halas (324) and Don Shula (347), whom Belichick hates.
An hour after it was over, I tried and failed to get Bill to talk about the meaning of his new ranking among the elite NFL coaches....and voila!
“Look, it’s flattering, but honestly, I don’t think that’s the story tonight,’’ he answered. “The story tonight is the way our team performed. To win games in this league you need great players and I’ve been fortunate to have some great players and a lot of great assistant coaches and great staffs. That’s really what it’s about. The players are the ones that make the plays and they did it tonight.’’
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.’’Who knew Shank was a history buff?
— Napoleon Bonaparte
DENVER — Here we are. Midseason. The Patriots are coming off their bye week, and everything is teed up for another Super Bowl run.
Despite all the stuff that has happened to the Patriots, they have the best record in the AFC (6-2, tied with Pittsburgh, but who ever worries about them?) and the best path to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.
Once again, while the Patriots were not playing, everything that could possibly help them is what happened. The Chiefs lost to the Cowboys. The Bills lost to the Jets. The Dolphins lost to the Raiders. The Ravens lost to the Titans. The Texans lost their young star quarterback. Green Bay gave up on tight end Martellus Bennett, who was quickly snapped up by the Patriots.
Amazing.
Little Tomato Cans sitting in a row. They all fall down.
There's no 'which is it?' - the fans hate the media, simple as that. Then I look at the comments and confirm this 'theory':Would B nice if we didn't have media celebrating Belichick crapping on media. Scribes R there to represent fans. Same fans who want info, celebrate when Belichick gives media finger. So which is it?
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 8, 2017
40 years ago Eddie Andelman's Sports Huddle exposed the lie that you guys represent the fans. We probably loathe you more than we loathe fat cat owners & players. You're parasites.
— WalterMcKinleyBetts(@HuckBetts) November 9, 2017
F the media, especially fools like you. Basically all good things are ruined by writers just trying to get clicks. Film, sports, politics, everything. Sadly the media shapes our society with their bias. I’d be fine without the dumb post game questions.
— Mark E. (@markEmarkSJS) November 9, 2017
Agree on some of these points. But was borgesrepresenting the fans when he was crapping all over Bellichickfor years?
— Jeff Metzgar(@JeffMetzgar23) November 8, 2017
So what you’re saying is only media can crap on athletes and coaches, not fair for them to do it back. Gotcha.
— Joey Gloster(@JoeyGloster) November 8, 2017
When Parcells stepped down as Jets coach after the 1999 season, he planned to have Belichick succeed him, but the day after Parcells announced his departure as coach, Belichick surprised the team by promptly announcing his resignation to a shocked media. He went to the Patriots and the rest is history.I'm guessing 'next to none'!
“The Two Bills” trailer aired during the “Nature Boy” film and will premiere sometime this winter. With the cooperation of NFL Films, “The Two Bills” includes interviews with Giants legend Harry Carson and Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who said Belichick should have followed Parcells as Giants head coach.
The documentary brings Parcells and Belichick together in one room for a rare interview. We’ll see how cordial the two Bills are after all of the history between them.
What's interesting here is the italicized part above. When the New England Patriots played in their second Super Bowl in 1997, the Patriots threw a party and Shank was not invited. We believe this to be the point where Shank became a lifelong bête noire of the Patriots. If he disliked the Patriots at that point (or, more specifically, owner Robert Kraft), this snub was the proverbial nail in the coffin.
QB’s of every Team that’s a threat to Patriots will be out for playoffs. Derek Carr last yr. Rodgers, nowWatson. Like clockwork #tomato cans
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 2, 2017
The Patriots have beaten the Texans like rented mules for the past three or four years, but Shank's trying to convince everybody that they're the real deal? What a hack!Watson hurt Bills lose. Another good day for Pats. Stand there and do nothing works every time for New England. #TheyAllFallDown.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) November 3, 2017
LOS ANGELES — And so we will have a seventh game.Once Game 7 was won by the Houston Astros, Shank comes out with this beauty. Did you know the real underlying theme of the series? It's all about New England!
Could this Fall Classic have ended any other way?
Wonder who will be the World Series’ new “Mr. November”?
The staggered and stunned Los Angeles Dodgers recovered from Game 5 trauma (a 13-12 loss in 10 innings) and beat Justin Verlander, 3-1, Tuesday night to square this 113th World Series at three games apiece. The 101-win Houston Astros and the 104-win Dodgers will meet in the ultimate game Wednesday night at Chavez Ravine.
The ’Stros, a team born the same year Dodger Stadium was built, will be trying to lift hurricane-ravaged Houston with the city’s first World Series championship.
The vaunted Dodgers, hardball royalty for more than a century, are looking for their first championship in 29 years.
And no one has any idea how any of it will turn out.
LOS ANGELES — The Houston Astros won their first World Series title with a 5-1, Game 7 victory over the Dodgers at Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.No, we won't. To me, this is pure unprofessional garbage. That Shank is simply too classless to set his massively oversized ego aside and give the Houston Astros their due is an insult to this reader and a lot of other readers. Unless we're reading just to say 'Yup - typical asshole / provincial Shaughnessy'.
The 113th Fall Classic featured a record 25 home runs, two unforgettable extra-inning games, and brought happiness and hope to a city devastated by Hurricane Harvey in August.
Now I am going to tell you how this epic clash was actually all about New England. It was about the Red Sox. It was about the Boston baseball experience.
Let us count the ways:
So now Denver sucks which means next game for no Jimmy G Pats will be another Tomato Can game. We’re on to Minneapolis.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 31, 2017
What is the English translation for this tweet?
— Debbie Amorelli(@djamorelli) October 31, 2017
Except they always play like shit in Denver. Try to pretend that you watch the team.
— Andy (@FantasyCapper) October 31, 2017
Why, yes. Yes we do!You guys all realize he’s a troll right?
— Johnny Fontane(@JohnnyFontane1) October 31, 2017
HOUSTON — Best World Series game ever?Did you know that this game had a local angle? Of course you did!
Best World Series ever?
Or just a demonstration of bad pitching, juiced baseballs, and homer-happy ballparks?
A World Series is not supposed to have a Game For The Ages twice within a span of five days, but the 2017 Fall Classic already ranks as one of the best ever played and we still have one or two games left.
The Houston Astros, trying to win the first championship in the history of a franchise born in 1962, outlasted the Los Angeles Dodgers, 13-12, in 10 innings Sunday night/Monday morning to take a three-games-to-two lead in the 113th World Series, which resumes Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
So there. The balls are juiced, the games are too long, and baseball is putting on a show unlike any other in an event that started at Boston’s Huntington Grounds back in 1903. That series was a best-of-nine, won, 5-3, by Boston. May I suggest the Dodgers and ’Stros make this a best-of-nine? Or best of 19?Yep - it's all about Boston!
Oh, and pushing the local angle a bit, I can tell you that Houston fans were chanting “Beat LA, Beat LA” when they poured out of Minute Maid Park while you were sleeping Monday morning.
Chargers in Foxboro. Prepare for visitors to look across the field at Belichick and forget everything they know about football. #tomatocans
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 29, 2017
Pats win toss. Defer.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 29, 2017
We're on to Denver.
Well, if I recall correctly, Novak (Chargers kicker) was never known for long-distance field goals.The stupidity begins: "Let's not go for 4th and 1. We are losers. Let's go for a 51 yarder and miss it.''
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 29, 2017
HOUSTON — An Ode To The ’Stros.Yep, go read a Globe sports columnist for obvious takes.
The World Series returned to Houston Friday and the resurgent Astros thumped the Dodgers, 5-3, to take a two-games-to-one lead in the 113th World Series.
Lord knows there’s a lot to love about the Astros this year.
Let’s start with the obvious:
Have you considered reading a book during the flight instead, Mr. Barnicle, say some work of fiction by a writer about how a local mobster 'kept the drugs out of Southie'?Delta flight from L.A. to NYC offers in-flight Wi-Fi for $40...That makes Delta both an airline and a criminal enterprise. #stickemupinair
— Mike Barnicle (@mikebarnicle) October 27, 2017
LOS ANGELES — Baseball wins. It is 1975 all over again.I think that's kind of a stretch. From there, it's the standard game recap and a ton of Red Sox 1975 World Series references, which seems to be his primary motivation in writing this column.
The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers, tied 1-1, will resume the 113th World Series at Minute Maid Park Friday night. But before we go there, we must pay homage to what happened at Chavez Ravine Wednesday night.
It was without doubt one of the greatest World Series games ever played. It shook the foundation of the beautiful ballpark built by the O’Malleys in 1962.
LOS ANGELES — The kid from the Bay State League, the kid who grew up playing on Cunningham Park in Milton, started Game 2 of the World Series Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Thirty-seven-year-old Rich Hill — a guy who pitched for the Cubs, Orioles, Red Sox, Indians, Angels, Yankees, A’s, and yes, even the Long Island Ducks just two years ago — got the ball for the Dodgers against Houston’s Justin Verlander.
Hill pitched four perilous innings and picked up a no-decision in a game the Astros won, 7-6, in 11 innings. The pride of Milton allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven. Hill threw only 60 pitches, but evidently manager Dave Roberts did not want to give Houston batters a third go-around vs. the Dodgers lefthander. The Dodgers were hitless vs. Verlander in the first four frames and it looked like runs were going to be at a premium in Game 2.
Hard core LA baseball fans already predicting "Dodgers in Three.''
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 25, 2017
Just talked a little 1955 (Yankees-Brooklyn Dodgers) World Series with Larry King . . . Good times.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 24, 2017
I promise never to rip Sandoval for being out of shape or going on the disabled list.Shank, about fifteen minutes ago:
If / when the Red Sox go on a four game losing streak, that will change suddenly enough.I promised Alex Cora I’d never rip him. Then fessed up and admitted, “Actually that’s probably a lie.” pic.twitter.com/M6M2zQYuSV
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 24, 2017
LOS ANGELES — The World Series is back in Los Angeles.Does anyone think his salary would be mentioned if Gonzo was making $5 million? Yeah, me neither.
The Cooler is not.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Adrian Gonzalez is vacationing with his family in Europe as the Dodgers play in their first World Series 29 years. He went on the disabled list with a back injury Sept. 28 and has not been seen since that day. He still has a year left on a contract that pays him $21.5 million.
It’s probably a good thing for the Dodgers. Gonzalez, after all, is The Cooler. He rides shotgun with bad karma.Remember when Shank was singing his praises? Ancient history.
Red Sox fans certainly remember Gonzalez. He was the sweet-swinging middle-of-the-lineup guy who inspired Theo Epstein to trade prospect Anthony Rizzo to San Diego after the 2010 season.
In Boston, Gonzalez was the sour clubhouse contrarian who complained about Sunday night games, said it was “God’s will’’ when the Sox perpetrated the greatest choke in September history, then explained the 2011 chicken-and-beer fiasco by saying, “A man’s got to eat.’’Read the rest of the column. It's one of the decent columns he's written recently, and the only reason it's good is that he gets to take shots and otherwise write in negative terms about a former member of the Red Sox. It's the only time he seems engaged in his writing.
LOS ANGELES — Terry Francona managed Alex Cora for 3½ seasons in Boston. He knows that Cora can be a good major league manager in Boston. But he’s reluctant to talk about Cora while Major League Baseball asks the Red Sox, the Astros, and Cora to refrain from commenting during the World Series.
“I told guys on Sunday that I wouldn’t comment on this because of the Boston thing,’’ Francona said from Cleveland Monday. “Just because it’s Boston I don’t need to be sticking my nose in there.’’
OK, then. What about Dave Roberts, I wondered? The manager of the Dodgers has a lot in common with Cora, who is still employed as the Astros’ bench coach for this World Series.
Like Cora, Roberts played for Francona in Boston and won a World Series with the Red Sox. Like Cora, Roberts was one of those “glue” bench players that Francona liked having in his clubhouse. Like Cora, Roberts got his managing job at a young age without having experience in the majors or minors. Like Cora, Roberts was thrust into a major media market with a big payroll and great expectations. Like Cora, Roberts was his franchise’s first minority manager.
Whoa. Dan Quinn trying to win this time. He's making the Pats do what they don't want to do. Elected to kick off.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 23, 2017
Quinn getting pantsedagain.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 23, 2017
The Atlanta Falcons play the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
We do not take the Falcons seriously. We pity them. We feel sorry for them. They are scarred and their city is scarred and they will never recover from what the Patriots did to them — and what they did to themselves — in Super Bowl LI in Houston 8½ months ago.
The Falcons met the fate that has awaited so many other Patriot opponents. They were pantsed. They were embarrassed in front of the world. They had a younger, faster team. They dominated the Patriots. They put themselves in position to win their first Super Bowl.
The Celtics are a certified Boston brand, no less than the Pops, the Swan Boats, or the cream pie at the Parker House. They have brought 17 championships and global fame to our town and their first Garden game traditionally has been a feel-good date on the local sports calendar. Through the decades, the Garden opener has been a night for raising banners and hopes. Even Rick Pitino had a great home opener when his young Celtics beat the Michael Jordan champion Bulls way back in 1997.Nice of Shank to remind us in successive columns how much Hayward's contract is worth, isn't it?
This year’s Celtics home opener was wildly anticipated after a summer spree in which president of basketball operations Danny Ainge bagged Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, Duke teen angel Jayson Tatum, and Gordon Hayward, the $128 million blue-chip free agent from the Hoosier heartland. The Celtics were championship-driven. They were a team on the way up and maybe even had a chance to return to the NBA Finals.
CLEVELAND — Gruesome. Grotesque. Painful to watch.
The Celtics’ $128 million free agent acquisition, Gordon Hayward, broke his left ankle in the sixth minute of his first game with the team Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
Hayward crashed to the floor 5:15 into the season, in what turned out to be a 102-99 Celtics loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. While his teammates battled back from an 18-point deficit, Hayward was wheeled out of the arena, bound for the Celtics team charter, and New England Baptist Hospital in Boston. Hayward’s parents were with him on the flight.
Picked-up pieces along the baseball trail . . .Also, self-awareness has never been a strong point for Shank:
■ Red Sox baseball boss Dave Dombrowski is expected to be in New York Sunday to interview Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora for the Sox’ managerial opening. The 41-year-old Cora played 14 major league seasons, 3½ under then-Red Sox manager Terry Francona from 2005-08. Cora will be in New York Sunday with the Astros, during the day off between Games 2 and 3 of the American League Championship Series featuring Houston and the New York Yankees.
■ Francona (who has his own problems now that he’s lost six straight elimination games) had this telling quote when he heard of Farrell’s firing: “I do think for whatever reason, that place is a little crazy . . . I think he’ll probably end up feeling like he’s in a better place, because I think that place can age you a little bit.’’ Continuing on this theme, we have Dombrowski’s answer when he was asked about the scrutiny of Boston: “I’ve had really qualified managers that I know and respect that said they would not manage in Boston.’’ Wow. So I guess we’re not making it up when we speak of the dreaded Boston Baseball Experience.Being a Boston Globe sports columnist means never having to look in the mirror.
The Red Sox fired manager-under-siege John Farrell Wednesday. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, sitting at a dais without ownership, provided no explanation for the dismissal of the five-year skipper who won a World Series in 2013 and just finished in first place in back-to-back seasons.It seems like Shank has a little problem with the firing, doesn't it? He then proceeds to reel off the reasons it's justified:
And yet, the move will be almost unanimously applauded by Red Sox Nation.
It’s one of those “only in Boston” things.
While the Sox were winning 93 games each of the last two seasons, fans fumed about Farrell’s strategic moves. The manager sometimes seemed to panic when the situation called for calm. The game often got too fast for him. His communication skills were challenged by some players.How many times have we seen Shank bitch about Farrell leaving in Chris Sale over the past couple of weeks?
Farrell demonstrated zero leadership when $217 million ace David Price acted out. He claimed to have no knowledge of what was going on when his players were caught in an electronic-device cheating scandal.This is typical of Shank, attempting to have it both ways - he tweets out about Farrell leaving Sale in, constantly reminds us of the Red Sox lousy playoff record the past two years, and now he can't even state 'yeah, he should be fired'? Come on.
Farrell’s daily press conferences were peppered with annoying corporate-speak. Local sports talk shows and social media platforms called for the manager’s head almost daily.
When the big-payroll, top-talent Red Sox flopped badly in the playoffs for the second straight October, there was little question Farrell would be sacrificed by a front office ever-focused on optics and television ratings (down 15 percent this year).
A ticket-price increase has already been announced for next season. The Red Sox needed to do something after getting pantsed by the Houston Astros in a four-game ALDS. So they gave fans a feel-good moment by firing the manager.
On today from 11-1 with @ZoandBertrand. Plenty of Red Sox.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 10, 2017
The team that played in the image of its leader: David Price
There were classic moments in the final hours of the 2017 Red Sox season. The last game of the season was a hardball epic, featuring multiple lead changes, Chris Sale and Justin Verlander locked in a late-game duel as relief pitchers, dozens of scoring chances, a (Red Sox) guy gunned down at home plate, the symbolic ejection of John Farrell, and a ninth-inning, inside-the-park homer by Rafael Devers — a doughboy third baseman who will be a Fenway thrill ride for years to come.
Despite all that, the last drops of blood drained from the Sox season at 5:16 p.m. on a gloomy Monday when Dustin Pedroia closed out a wildly entertaining 5-4 loss with a grounder to second base on a 3-and-2 pitch.
With that, the long-suffering Houston Astros are headed to the American League Championship Series.
He was Sidney Wicks, Jack Clark, Rick Pitino, Adalius Thomas, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez. He was a top talent who made his professional bones and bags of cash in some other town, then came to Boston and offended an entire base of loyal fans.Shank's one of the perpetrators; has been for well over three decades. There's little doubt in my mind John Henry told Shank to tone it down with criticism of Price.
Some of the treatment David Price received was unfair. Some of it was not.
But in the end, the lessons of professional sports are universal. Boston fans are no different from fans in any other sports-crazed town: If you perform, they will love you. If you don’t perform, be prepared to hear slander, libel, and words you never heard in the Bible.
Price performed in Sunday’s elimination Game 3 of the ALDS, coming out of the bullpen to stop the bleeding when it looked as if the Red Sox would suffer an ignominious sweep for the second straight October. Price’s four innings of shutout relief kept the Astros on the launch pad while the Sox ran to a 10-3 season-saving victory over Houston.We'll see tomorrow, won't we?
“The story of this one is David Price,’’ said Sox manager John Farrell, who might have been saved from the gallows with this win.
The chair is hot in the corner office at Fenway. John Farrell could very well be managing his final game when the Red Sox take on the scalding Houston Astros in Game 3 of the ALDS Sunday afternoon on Yawkey Way.To be fair, I don't think there's any doubt that if the Sox lose this afternoon, Farrell gets the ax.
The Fire Farrell chorus (includes me!) is loud and angry in the aftermath of bookend beatings the Sox endured at Minute Maid Park. Boston’s season-ending collapse is bearing remarkable similarity to the fall fold of 2016, and if the Red Sox are routed a third time by the Astros, something has to happen.
This time it might be the manager.
The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 6, 2017
Porcello, Price, Sale, Pomeranz.
Started Gms 1 and 2 of ALDS last 2 yr
14.2 IP, 21 ER, 9 HR, 26 hits
Can I use the word "pantsed" two days in a row?
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 6, 2017
HOUSTON — One word and one word only best summarizes Chris Sale’s first career playoff start:Read the rest of this column, no doubt started in the fourth inning of the game, where Shank piles on and spreads blame far and wide:
Yuck.
“It sucked,’’ Sale said after giving up seven runs (and three homers) in five-plus innings of an 8-2 Game 1 loss to the Astros. “A terrible time for it to happen . . . Just made bad mistakes . . . This one’s on me. I take full responsibility for this one . . . Got to be better. No excuses. Bad time to suck.’’
Oh, and since we’re in piling-on mode, let’s not forget that the “we do it our way and we’ll keep doing it our way” Red Sox ran into another out on the base paths when it was still a one-run game in the second inning. Dustin Pedroia was the culprit. One hundred and sixty-three games into the season, the stubborn Sox are still confusing foolishness for aggressiveness.
Farrell must be bringing Sale back to get his 300th K.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 5, 2017
The development company that has agreed to buy the former Boston Globe complex on Morrissey Boulevard is proposing to renovate and re-use the existing newspaper facility as a hub for high-tech jobs, including robotics.
Todd Fremont-Smith, senior vice president of development at Nordblom Co., offered a short but warmly received presentation on the 135 Morrissey project to the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association at its monthly meeting on Monday.
Nordblom Co. agreed to purchase the 16.5-acre Globe property for an undisclosed sum earlier this year, but the final transaction has not yet happened. Fremont-Smith said his company has the property under a purchase and sale agreement, and has been putting in increasing deposits over time. They plan to close the sale in mid-November.
