Couple of shrewd moves by Bills before opening kickoff. They whisk Patriot staffers off field during their warmup, then defer after winning toss.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 29, 2019
Still, they will lose. By a lot.
Is it possible the Bills are worse than the Jets and Dolphins? Patriots have never had it easier and that is saying something.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 29, 2019
Sox owners finally field questions, but spare the clear answersShank did have some questions, primary among them this one:
You say Tomato . . . I say (Tomato Cans? - ed) Bridge Year.
Almost three weeks after firing World Series winning GM Dave Dombrowski, Red Sox (and Globe) owner John Henry finally had a press conference at Fenway late Friday afternoon, before the start of the season-ending series against the moribund Baltimore Orioles.
I’d like to tell you that this session answered all of our questions about the firing of Dombro and the future of the team, but that would be an alternate reality. Accompanied by ubiquitous wingman Tom Werner and CEO Sam Kennedy, Henry (and Werner) responded to 26 minutes of inquiries, but it was a tad confusing and intentionally ambiguous. These guys rarely talk to us and, when they do, sometimes it feels like they are speaking a foreign language. It was an awkward, sometimes bizarre press conference.
I asked if this meant the Red Sox are headed for the dreaded Bridge Year.Three weeks ago, however, Shank didn't seem to have any questions at all about the firing:
Fair or unfair, this felt inevitable. I wrote last month that I would be shocked if Dombrowski was still GM next year and those words were greeted with stony silence on Jersey Street. No one came to the defense of a boss that had just won the World Series and had finished in first place in each of his first three full seasons.Granted, three weeks between events allows for a few questions to develop but every time I see a journalist 'demanding answers' or 'they need to explain themselves', it's pretty obvious that most of the time they're looking for a groveling apology or something as servile. By the time the column's over, it's clear that Shank does not actually mention any unanswered questions, only his 'disappointment' over the three week delay between Dombrowski getting axed and this press conference. That's probably the best route to take when you're more or less questioning (or not) the guy who writes your paycheck every week.
On the day he enters into the @MABroadcasters HOF, I want to recognize the most direct, fearless and honest reporter I’ve ever worked with in Boston. Congrats Jonny Miller!! Will be introduced today in Quincy by @Dan_Shaughnessy
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 27, 2019
Best in the business, folks. pic.twitter.com/rIaFiYZMby
— You're Right, Mike! (@YoureRightMike) September 25, 2019
Home for a few days, and was just rummaging in a childhood drawer for something else entirely* when I found this laminated pass. Just goes to show I’ve been a @Dan_Shaughnessy fan since the days of dot matrix library printers!
— Eric Moskowitz (@ELMoskowitz) September 24, 2019
*A magnifying glass, of all things. Did not find it. pic.twitter.com/yuLDAgV1pT
We need answers from team ownership on a couple of mattersWhat do you mean 'we', kemosabe? And what kind of 'answers' do you seek, besides a groveling apology or two?
Some talking points regarding local sports ownership and accountability . . .Yes, 'talking points' - a general set list of things to say and cutesy catchphrases that are first passed around to all 'journalists' in a manner reminiscent of the Journolist from the previous decade. Now they just do it via e-mail, once they got busted and exposed for their Borg-like hive mind mentality.
■ The Patriots and Bob Kraft have been in the news plenty over the past couple of weeks. Relatively speaking, it has allowed the Red Sox to skate free. Two weeks ago, the night the Red Sox fired their president of baseball operations, the Patriots were in the early hours of their Antonio Brown romance, raising a championship banner on the night they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener.How convenient! Dan's pulling his punches with his boss - totally predictable. Now that this boilerplate critique of the Red Sox is behind him, let's introduce the headline act:
The firing of Dombrowski largely got lost in the subsequent two-week AB train wreck, but it’s worth discussing at this critical time in Sox franchise history. We can debate the strengths and weaknesses of Dombro forever; it won’t change the fact that he is gone. But we still have yet to hear a single word from team ownership.
...
I sent the Sox/Globe owner an e-mail requesting comment on this. Nothing yet. But he is a busy guy.
■ Now on to Kraft and Brown. Like the Red Sox on a GM, Patriot ownership has said nothing about Brown. Instead, we get planted suggestions from Friends of Bob. The first one came on game day in Miami when we read that “there’s no way Robert would have agreed to this if he knew about AB’s baggage.’’Does that shift of stance make any sense? Shank gets on his 'high horse' demanding answers right off the bat but by the end of the column, he just wants things to be over and 'get back to the playing field'. That would be easier to do without passive-aggressive columns like this one.
Swell, but Kraft always had the ability to put a stop to the AB plan and willingly allowed Brown to play against the Dolphins.
…
It should be noted that Brown was no longer an employee of the Patriots when he went on his Twitter attack of Kraft.
Can we get back to the playing field now?
Patriots get no points for releasing Antonio BrownI could not disagree more. The moment 'when it mattered' was Brown's first act of assholishness (for lack of a better phrase) while a member of the Patriots. Brown was given a shot at redemption by the Patriots, and he screwed it up. Naturally, this is completely ignored by Shank, who uses the rest of the column to lambaste as many people in the Patriots organization as reasonably possible.
I’m wondering if Antonio Brown gets a Super Bowl ring at Bob Kraft’s house next year.
And I’m wondering if the fans who purchased Antonio Brown jerseys from the Patriot Pro Shop for $99.99 will get their money back.
Hope not. The grinning, dopey guy we featured on these pages Friday — hoisting his No. 17 Patriots jersey at Gillette Stadium — deserves a
financial hit for abject stupidity.
On Friday afternoon, when it became obvious that the Brown situation was only going to get worse, the Patriots finally, grudgingly caved and released the talented but toxic wideout.
…
In this instance, the Patriots failed to do anything when it mattered.
Quality John Henry bashing right now with @ZoandBertrand
— Jim Murray (@bigjimmurray) September 19, 2019
More! MORE!
Oh, @BlindMike_ . @Marc_Bertrand just grilled Dan on the intern draft and mentioned the @kirkminshow. 11:40 segment.
— Nick Montecalvo (@MonteOutdoors) September 19, 2019
— Gumbus Maximus (@Gumbus_Maximus) September 19, 2019
New weird wrinkle: Antonio Brown accuser, Britney Taylor and Meek Mill have the same attorney: Jonathan Abady. Bob Kraft a well-known freedom fighter for Meek Mill.
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 17, 2019
who is Brian McGrory's lawyer?
— Coach_DD (@dpd_hbk) September 17, 2019
Keep connecting the Dots. At some point you’ll be able to say with smug confidence that Kraft assaulted someone
— Jimbo (@TinPickle) September 17, 2019
Something tells me that Shank won't be fielding that last question.Dan you work for #BostonGlobe who has an editor that was accused of sexual harassment also an alleged intern pool, then you went on #CNN that has a host Don Lemon accuses of sexual harassment but the #Patriots signing a player accused is where you draw your line in the sand?
— Barry (@LiciousLounge) September 17, 2019
Sometimes I get the impression that a columnist who once wrote 'I write for the fans' didn't really mean it."If you're on their team, [the Patriot fans] love you and that's that," says @Dan_Shaughnessy on the reaction to Antonio Brown playing his first NFL game for the New England Patriots days after he was sued on allegations of rape and sexual assault.https://t.co/FNNVZyx7Iw pic.twitter.com/E0Mf2Ab79j
— New Day (@NewDay) September 17, 2019
In the old days, it would have been Sherm Feller, Fenway’s voice of God, making the majestic announcement from upstairs in the PA booth.Isn't that a nice touch?
Now batting . . . Number 8, Carl Yastrzemski. Left field. Yastrzemski.
Tuesday night at Fenway Park, Henry Mahegan will do the honors when Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (No. 5 in your program) steps into the same batter’s box where his grandfather, Carl, stood all those years ago.
“It will be the first time since 1983 that the name ‘Yastrzemski’ will be announced,’’ says Grandpa Yaz, now 80. “It’s definitely going to be emotional. To see him come into Fenway Park where I played for 23 years, to have his name announced, that will be a great thrill for me.’’\
It might just be the highlight of this sorry Red Sox season.
Two days after killing Odin Lloyd, Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez looked into the eyes of Bob Kraft and lied.Of course this comes after other Globies are providing cover fire for Shank to do this relatively unnoticed.
“He said he was not involved,’’ Kraft testified in court in Fall River in 2015. “He said he was innocent.’’
Kraft later said that he was “duped’’ by Hernandez, who was eventually convicted of murder. Kraft told us he was duped when he gave Hernandez a $37 million contract extension. He was duped when Hernandez donated $50,000 to the Myra Kraft Giving Back Fund. He was duped when Hernandez said that the Patriot Way had changed his life.
Here we are again. It is not murder this time. It is a rape allegation. There is no criminal complaint. This is a “he-said-she-said” civil lawsuit filed against wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Dave Dombrowski is out as baseball boss of the Red Sox.To some extent, one of the ignored people also included Shank himself. Curious that this column seems to lay all the blame for this season's performance at his feet; nary a word about the players themselves. That part of it doesn't matter, as long as Shank has his fall guy.
The news broke after midnight that Boston’s president of baseball operations had been fired.
Fair or unfair, this felt inevitable. I wrote last month that I would be shocked if Dombrowski was still GM next year and those words were greeted with stony silence on Jersey Street. No one came to the defense of a boss that had just won the World Series and had finished in first place in each of his first three full seasons.
Dombrowski did exactly what he was hired to do when the Sox brought him on board in the summer of 2015. He traded prospects for veteran talent. He signed big name free agents. He threw around contract extensions like fun-sized Halloween candies. He ignored draft and development. And he ignored a lot of the people who worked at Fenway Park.
Why Bill Belichick and the Patriots fit our self-imageJump on the Antonio Brown train wreck? Of course:
A sixth championship banner will be unveiled at Gillette Stadium Sunday night before the Patriots kick off their 2019 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As ever, Patriot Nation is smug, arrogant, and oh so satisfied.
I am convinced that the 21st- century Patriots are New England’s favorite team not just because they win, but because they reinforce the local notion that Bostonians are smarter than everybody else.
How smart? Get a load of this, America. The Patriots just signed Antonio Brown, the best receiver in the NFL and an egomaniacal misfit who acted his way out of Pittsburgh and Oakland in the last six months. It’s going to be all good with Brown now. In Foxborough, he will become an Eagle Scout — Mr. Team Above Self. He will suddenly be a guy who is all about winning and nothing else, simply because he has chosen to be part of the Patriot Way.Who knew Shank read books?
Blame it on Oliver Wendell Holmes if you must. The Harvard-educated poet and humorist (and father of the legendary Supreme Court justice) is credited with first referencing the State House as “The Hub of the Solar System’’ in the Atlantic Monthly, which begat Boston becoming “The Hub of the Universe.’’Maybe someone cribbed that stuff for him? That's my bet.
In the last few years, Cousy has urged everyone he knows to read Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me,’’ which is a letter from the author to his teenage son about feelings and realities associated with being black in the United States.This being the Boston Globe, there's an Elizabeth Warren ad right below that paragraph.
After graciously accepting his medal, Cousy stood at a podium in front of a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and delivered a five-minute speech. The Celtics legend thanked everyone profusely, including the Holy Cross Jesuits for installing his moral compass, then concluded his remarks with, “This is special because it is being presented by the most extraordinary president in my lifetime.”Well, this guy's heard enough from Shank for the weekend.
…
The seemingly reverential remark infuriated some Cousy loyalists, including former Worcester Telegram columnist John Gearan, who fired off a mass e-mail, writing (in part), “My lifelong hero, Bob Cousy, has fallen from his pedestal and crashed into smithereens.”
Not so fast, everybody. The statement by Cousy was carefully crafted. Look up the word “extraordinary’’ in the dictionary. In my Google search, it comes up as “1. Very unusual or remarkable.’’
There you go. Would anyone disagree that President Trump is “very unusual”?
It was a perfectly gracious and ambiguous remark. Everybody heard what they wanted to hear.
Lot of water under the bridge with these two guys pic.twitter.com/TTKSYRLCKv
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) August 22, 2019
Chris Sale says he has been assured there is no tear in his elbow. No ligament damage. His elbow pain is merely inflammation. Everything will be reevaluated in four to six weeks.
So there’s no need for Tommy John surgery . . . at this time.
“We’ll get through this,’’ Sale said Tuesday afternoon in the Red Sox clubhouse. “It’s not the end of the world. Could be worse.
…
You say good news.
I say it’s potentially a disaster, having more to do with the future than the present.
The 2019 baseball season — a train wreck for Sale and the Red Sox — is over. There’s still north of 30 games to play and nothing’s official, but everyone knows there’s not going to be any postseason for the Red Sox and we are not going to see Sale in another game this year.
You truly are an asshole. https://t.co/VOrtlBH0uS
— Kirk Minihane (@kirkmin) August 18, 2019
Keeping up with the times is a challenge for this ancient sportswriterSo much for the early Christmas present!
We are all young when we start in this business of writing about professional sports; younger than the players.
I remember being petrified and intimidated, trying to ask questions of grizzled vet Carl Yastrzemski when I was 21 years old in 1975.
Dave Cowens — only four years older than me — was already an NBA MVP by the time I got to his locker in 1976. He told me my inquiry was a “high school question.’’ He was right. I was nervous, nerdy, and not ready.
Now I go into those same rooms and most of the players are younger than my own children.
I turned 66 last month. This means I am three times older than Rafael Devers. Not a little bit older. Not twice as old. Three times as old. For every day Rafael Devers has been on this earth, I have been here three days.
…
But now I am three times older than Rafael Devers and I’m still here. (Don’t get your hopes up, this is not a retirement announcement.)
The Red Sox foolishly rested their starting pitchers in March and April in expectation that they would have more in the tank for October.In summary, what we don't have here is a case of plus ca change - it just stays the same, without ever changing, and that's Shank in a nutshell.
Now there is not going to be an October, so Alex Cora probably will be able to shut down Chris Sale and David Price in the final weeks of this lost season.
Sunday at Fenway was one of those maddening losses that so typifies this annoying Red Sox season. The S.S. Dombrowski extended its trip to nowhere and made it clear that there will be no games for this team in October.
