Running Out of Style

BY PHIL SHORE
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS.

Throughout the New England Patriots’ dynasty that encompassed the first ten years of the new millennium, one thing that was never stable was the running back situation.

The team got production from the position, whether it be Antowain Smith, Corey Dillon, or Kevin Faulk.

However, it was also the most inconsistent position. And now, in 2010, that hasn’t changed one bit.

There always has been, and continues to be a rotating door of running backs due to spotty performances and an unbelievable amount of injuries.

Between the uneven play of the running backs and the star-studded quarterback the team has, the Patriots have evolved into a very pass-happy team - but the fans and coaches would like to add a little more balance to the attack.

Coming into the new decade, the team has found no complete answer.

Certain players have shown flashes of brilliance, but then wound up benched because of turnovers or injuries.

Who will the Patriots be able to depend on in 2010, an extremely pivotal season for the franchise?

Here is a look at the running backs on the roster.

July 28; MLB Power Rankings

BY DARREN GROVE
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

Sox Slipping into Baseball-Coma

BY GABE SOUZA
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS.

It may not be time to reach for the Pepto Bismol just yet, but queasy feelings of indigestion about the Boston Red Sox season should be settling in right about now.

Watching the bullpen’s abysmal performance against the Seattle Mariners this past weekend, an unwieldy case of heartburn took hold and I have worries it may not lift for the rest of the year.

The Sox have five days before the trade deadline. ESPNBoston’s Gordon Edes is reporting Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez could be potential bait in an attempt to land Toronto lefty Scott Downs.

Recent struggles by “the other” Japanese pitcher, Hideki Okajima, have made the Sox bullpen anything but a sure bid. The eighth and ninth innings are locks with young fireballer Daniel Bard and fearless veteran knucklehead Jonathan Papelbon taking the reins. Journeyman Scott Atchinson has actually provided steady relief with a 3.79 ERA through 21 games. But past that, who else is there?

Ramon Ramirez has a 4.69 ERA, Manny Delcarmen stands at an even 5.00 and Okajima is, well, anything but okey-dokey at a whopping 5.81. Beyond those, the bullpen is filled with hardly recognizable names: Scott Schoeneweis, Dustin Richardson et all.

If they do land Scott Downs (4-3, 2.41 ERA, 46 games), it will give them four reliable arms in relief, just enough to squeak by. Maybe.

Unfortunately for the Sox, the bad chili they ate for defense is coming back to bite them.

Red Sox Midseason Questions: 1-5

BY IAN TASSO
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

Since I last left you, Daniel Nava has been sent back to the minors, John Lackey has taken a no-hitter into the 8th inning, and both Marco Scutaro and Adrian Beltre have gone deep. Not bad for the first set of predictions.

Then again, Bill Hall continued to make the worst of his $8.5 million a year contract, booting a possible inning-ending double-play, that eventually forced the Sox into an extra-inning loss.

Thanks a lot Bill. This is what I get for sticking up for you. Hey, at least he can play seven other positions, right? 

Right...


Well, in any case, I might as well keep rolling while the getting's hot. Four out of five 'aint so bad. Hell, if we're playing baseball rules (and, we are, because I said so), that's an .800 average. 


I mean, damn. Move over Teddy Williams, there's a new sheriff in town. Without further ado, here are the final five questions you've all been asking, and the rest of you have been thinking. 

From David Ortiz to the Yankees, all the way to our beloved Dice-K Matsuzaka, I leave no stones unturned.


So let's start turning.

5. What can we expect from Big Papi moving forward? Will the Derby effect his swing? (Markus, Boston, MA)

Doubtful.

I know we’ve seen it in years past, specifically with Josh Hamilton two seasons ago, but in reality, this whole “Derby Curse” is just about as believable as the Madden one.

Look, these guys are professional athletes. I’m supposed to buy that they get, what? Tired? After swinging a bat really hard for a few hours? I mean isn’t that their job? Isn’t that what they do before every game they play - all 162 of them?

Kovalchuk's Crazy Contract

BY JESSE LIEBMAN
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

It was just around 8 p.m. Tuesday night when I received a text message from my good buddy Jeff Hancock: 


“NHL rejects Kovalchuk contract for cap circumvention. Hahahahahaha.”


Suffice it to say, I laughed with him.


I didn't laugh because I grew up on the opposite side of the Hudson during a period when my childhood Rangers became the poster child for ludicrous spending -- Valeri Kamensky, anyone? -- and it was nice to see a rival organization on the flip side of the coin for a change.


So when the NHL slammed its fist on the 17-year, $102 million covenant brokered between the New Jersey Devils organization and Ilya Kovalchuk's agent Jay Grossman, I had to laugh. Not because of some rivalry, but because I witnessed a stupid decision fall flat on its face, after it took 19 days from the start of the free agency period to get us to this point. 


Adding to the humor was the fact that Kovalchuk had tantalized Los Angeles Kings fans in a back-and-forth “We’re close” scenario after the Kings had flown the Russian sniper out to Hollywood like he was some prized NCAA running back. 


On top of that, the NHL announced the contract was a no-go...after the team had announced they had inked Kovy to the longest contract in league history.


This guy was supposed to have made his decision before Lebron decided to pack up and move to Miami. I need to get my cheap laughs somewhere.


Hell, it felt like I was watching hockey's version of The OC. Kovalchuk is Seth, and he can't decide between Summer or Anna. Oh God, did I really just do that? Never mind that. Move along, people. Nothing to see here.

Red Sox Midseason Questions: 6-10

BY IAN TASSO
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

Well, it’s about that time.

July is almost through, baseball’s in full swing, and naturally, the Sox have questions – and plenty of them.

Will the rebound from the injuries? Will John Lackey rebound from whatever’s wrong with him? Will Dice-K ever have two similar starts in a row? 

No, seriously. For good or for bad - at this point, I really don't care which it is. Two great starts in a row, or two horrible ones - just anything that slightly resembles the last, at all, would be great, thanks Dice-man.

They’re the burning questions that everyone’s asking, as the Red Sox lace up the cleats for the second half of what is turning out to be a very difficult baseball season in Boston. How will it all end up?

Check out for yourself below, as the first half of the top 10 Red Sox Questions are answered, numbers 6-10:

10. Have the Red Sox finally found a capable shortstop in Marco Scutaro? (Steve, Springfield, MA)

I can’t say that I was fully on board with the Scutaro signing before the season began.

In fact, I was a bit skeptical that after all their troubles at the shortstop position, the Red Sox would expect a 34-year old, .266 career-hitting journeyman (who had spent time with the Athletics, Blue Jays, and Mets) to be the knight in shining armor to their fire-breathing dragon of a problem.

After all, 2009 was his breakout year, where he slugged a whopping .282, popping 12 homers to go along with 60 RBI. An absolute monster breakout. Right. And Lou Bega is a top 10 recording artist.

July 18; MLB Power Rankings

BY DARREN GROVE
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

Turn Up the Heat, Baby

BY IAN TASSO
EDITORIAL - PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

Let me preface this article by stating I am an entirely neutral party here.


I am not from Cleveland, nor do I ever find myself wishing I was. I don’t know anyone that lives there, have never passed through it, and quite honestly, don’t care to accomplish either of those tasks under my own will or consciousness.

On a similar note, I am not from Miami either. And aside from my few opinions on South Beach, which oddly enough mostly stem from Will Smith, I have no attachment to the city of Miami.


Although, I’m not going to lie, I do feel some weird sort of connection with it ever since I beat GTA: Vice City. It’s strange, but I feel like I own it. Ask anyone who ever beat that game, and I’m sure they’ll say the same thing. Somehow I feel like I'm destined to move there, spend copious amounts of coke money on sunglasses, chains and new boats, and flip Ferrari's over the bridge.


But I digress.

Facts are, I’m attached to one basketball team, and one basketball team only – the Boston Celtics, who were not in any way, shape or form involved in the transplant of LeBron’s courtship.

On that same level, I have only enough hate in my body for one basketball team, and one basketball team only – the Los Angeles Lakers, who, just as the Celtics, were not involved here.

To put it simply, I have no dog in this fight. I have no stake here. I have no steak here either; I’m actually eating chicken as I write this instead. Why you ask? Chicken over steak? Because I bought this chicken pre-cooked from Shaw’s. Go ahead; buy a pre-cooked steak from Shaw’s. I dare you. I, on the other hand, plan to live past the age of 25.

Even so, despite not having any dogs or stakes (or steaks), I, just like any self respecting sports fan, do have an opinion on the matter. And as usual, it happens to be an opinion that, I promise, many of you won’t like. In fact, a large majority of you might detest me for it.

Ask me if I care.

Go ahead, ask me. Shoot me an email, subjected “do you care, Ian?”

And in the time that it takes me to respond to that email by pressing the “delete” button, you can read this: my compilation of 6 reasons why LeBron made the most correct decision since Thomas Jefferson signed the Declaration of Independence in permanent ink, and told King George and the rest of those big-wigged Frenchmen to shove it.

Limping to the Halfway Mark

BY GABE SOUZA
EDITORIAL - PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

As we approach the MLB All-Star game, looking for any semblance of consistency or predictability in the Boston Red Sox’ season is as fruitless as trying to figure out what goes on inside Manny Ramirez’s head.

The Sox currently sit in third place, a comfortable two games behind the beleaguered Tampa Bay Rays and a reasonable striking distance of five games back from the New York Yankees.

But the contributions have come from the most unlikely, from guys who, when Spring Training started, hadn’t the slightest dream of playing underneath the shadow of the Monster at Fenway.

So far, the two outfielders with the most games played – by a wide margin – have been J.D. Drew and Darnell McDonald.

Wait, what?

That’s right. The crybaby whose oft-chipped toenails, pulled hamstrings or hurt feelings usually left him wallowing in his own misery on the bench, has led the Sox outfield with 78 games played, a .275 average and 10 home runs.

Meanwhile, the unheralded 31-year old journeyman too-old-to-be-a-minor-leaguer McDonald has shown shades of former unlikely BoSox hero Brian Daubach.

Last Call on Air - Tappen Strikes Again

July 8, 2010
Tasso, Liebman, Tam
 Special Guest: NESN Bruins Analyst
 Kathryn Tappen

Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

BY PHIL SHORE
EDITORIAL - PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

Another season in the NBA, another year LeBron James won’t win the NBA Championship.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers were put away in six games in the Conference semi-finals by the Boston Celtics, James was sent home for the summer and watched the NBA Finals on his most likely enormous television set.

What’s different this offseason is that instead of priority number one for Cleveland being to build a competent team around James, they will have to worry about keeping James in Cleveland in the most anticipated offseason in NBA history.

There will be a lot of rumors, a lot of speculation, a lot of media attention, and, most likely, a lot of silence from James himself. The question: what should James do?

The answer should be fairly simple. James should stay in Cleveland. It really is the best situation for him.

Firstly, the Cavaliers are James’ hometown team. He is from Akron, Ohio. He has his family and his friends all in place. They can come to all of his home games. Having a great support system in place is very advantageous.

New York Knicks fans would argue that sure, it’s nice to be playing in front of your hometown fans, but you can always go home during the offseason and after you retire.