Boston has been known as the 'City of Champions' for the past decade or so. The Patriots being the most recent of victors with a win over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Boston fans are always hungry for more championships, and with all four major teams in contender mode, here's a case as to why you should want each team to win a title first.
New England Patriots: Dominance This one is pretty obvious, with so many up-and-coming teams around the NFL, the seemingly 'ageless' Patriots are still fighting to keep their dynasty afloat. Tom Brady has just entered his age 41 season, and Bill Belichick's clock is ticking too. With a revolving door at the receiver position and a questionable secondary as well as a relentless schedule, New England is up for a tough task to re-assert their dominance atop the football world. But the sweetness of Brady hoisting his sixth (and potentially last) Lombardi Trophy, would bring smiles to every single face across Pats Nation. Boston Red Sox: Kicking off the Cora era The Red Sox own the best record in all of baseball, and have for much of the 2018 season. For a group that sits at 100 wins for the first time since 1946, why is there still a negative buzz from the media? For many fans in Red Sox Nation, they were left with a sour taste in their mouth after the John Farrell experience, and the early exits at the hands of the Indians in 2016, and the Astros in 2017, still loom large in their minds. Sure, the bullpen is very suspect going into the postseason, and there isn't really one arm that you can solely rely on, but the starting pitching and lineup should provide enough stability that one could build a house on their backs. Cora has done a phenomenal job with this squad, and they can't let it go to waste. Boston Celtics: The next "super team" With all the buzz still surrounding the Golden State Warriors, who is the newest NBA dynasty having won 3 of the last 4 NBA Finals, and the LeBron to LA drama, the Celtics sort of get lost in the dust. Besides the new-look Toronto Raptors who added Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard, and the Philadelphia 76ers who Boston eliminated in 5 games this past season, the Celtics should be a heavy favorite to reach their first NBA Finals since 2010. A starting lineup that features three all-stars in Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford, along with two future superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and a deep bench with heart and the ability to lock down any lineup thrown on the floor against them? That should scare any team in the league. Yes, that includes you, Golden State. Boston Bruins: The underdog story The Bruins haven't really been considered a strong title favorite since they won the Stanley Cup back in 2011. But, they were able to make it to the second round of the playoffs this past season before falling in 5 games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay as well as Toronto are both still considered better than Boston, but that's the way the Bruins like it. With a core of Tuukka Rask, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and a supporting cast of David Krejci, David Pastrnak, Ryan Donato and Charlie McAvoy, this scrappy Boston group has the potential to play spoiler: all the way to the Stanley Cup.
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The past week was a busy, yet promising one for Red Sox Nation. With each Spring that comes around, a new fresh breath of hope drifts over Boston and their beloved Red Sox, that this will finally be the year they climb the hump and topple the arch-rival Yankees.
Here's the scoop as we get closer to the games that really count. 1. Signing of JD Martinez This is the biggest, most obvious splash the Sox made this week. After many fans were ecstatic about the signing of the former D-Backs slugger, there was reason for fans to hold their collective breaths, as a reported "medical issue" held up the signing for quite some time. It was not a physical problem, perhaps more along the lines of something the Red Sox were just looking to protect themselves from that could be a potential problem a few years down the line. Head of Baseball operations, Dave Dombrowki, ultimately inked Martinez to a 5yr/$110M contract. The move serves Boston very well, and fills the desperate need of a power bat they've been missing ever since the retirement of franchise cornerstone, David Ortiz. Also, it allows much more flexibility within the lineup for first year skipper, Alex Cora. With Hanley Ramirez coming off a down year, and a log jam in the outfield, it will be interesting to see just how Cora elects to play his cards. Overall, this move certainly serves Boston well, and has the Yankees looking over their shoulder a little bit. 2. A healthy pack of arms One of the biggest storylines of the spring is the health of the Red Sox bullpen, as well as David Price, who finished 2017 on a tear coming in from the pen. Seeing where Boston is paying the southpaw $30M, it's incredibly unlikely they keep him in the bullpen. Now that Price should be back to full force, and Eduardo Rodriguez is back after blowing out his knee in Baltimore last May, Boston should have the fire power to match the monster bats in the Bronx. Tyler Thornburg (received in trade for Travis Shaw) and Carson Smith, will add depth to the Sox's already deep bullpen with Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes and Craig Kimbrel. If Boston has the ability to get a solid 5-6 innings out of their 3-5 starters, and Sale and Price can give them 7-8 the next two days when the rotation flips, look out. That's a scary combination. A winning combination, at that. 3. Bench depth Another thing that teams around the league should take notice of is just how deep Boston's bench is. Let's go down this list, shall we? Blake Swihart Tzu Wei-Lin Mitch Moreland Eduardo Nunez (when Pedroia is healthy) Brock Holt Sandy Leon Deven Marrero That is an unbelievably deep bench, and most, if not all of those guys, can provide a spark off the bench when an injury arises, or someone is gassed in the dog days of summer and just needs a rest. That alone, can provide Boston with critical wins down the stretch, that just might be enough in deciding who heads into October with the AL East crown. Keep your eyes peeled for more breaking news with the Red Sox as spring training rolls on. Keep up with all the latest news and follow, @bhowesports on Twitter. (Photo Courtesy of NJ.com)
In one of the wackiest, craziest games you thought you'd never see, a game that started on February 21st, ended on February 22nd. The game between the Seton Hall and Providence was stopped with 13:03 to go in the second half as Seton Hall led 56-47, due to the court being determined as unplayable due to condensation. The game would resume the following day on the campus of the Friars at Alumni Hall, in which Seton Hall would continue control over the game, and eventually come out the victors, 89-77. Pirates G Khadeem Carrington was tied for the games' leading scorer with Friars senior G Kyron Cartwright, with 25 points. Friars G Myles Powell also contributed 20 points in the loss. Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard had this to say about the conditions: "As big a game as this is, the kids' careers are more important," Due to the small capacity of the Alumni Hall, the fans that were unable to attend the conclusion of the game will be able to get tickets to select Big East games for next season when the schedule is made available. Providence will play their next game Saturday in Washington when they take on Georgetown. Tip-off for that game is at 12 p.m ET. Dean Bulldogs wide receiver Teylor Gordy has had a long road to get to where he is, both on and off the field. It extends beyond just football.
In life, as well as sports, you have to pay your dues. Ride the bench. Be the rookie. All of this is necessary in order to get to the top of the mountain. That way, when you're the senior, when you're the experienced worker, you know how to show the ropes to the rookies coming in to eventually take over for you when you're gone. Legends never die. That's true in anything in life. But, in order to be remembered, you must first put in the work. I had an opportunity to sit down with Teylor and pick his brain about how he feels his hard work has payed off to this point, and what he can do to grow as a player in seasons to come. Gordy was very vocal about how he felt like the team could improve, starting with himself. "It [the season] didn't go how I wanted it to. But, as a player, I grew. I learned a lot more about the game, mentally and physically. I'm ready for next season, I'm stronger, I'm faster and I'm better. I'm just ready for next season, only freshman year." The 5'10 wideout certainly could see some playing time next year, with Dean's program made up of a majority of underclassmen. It would certainly be a big boost to the Bulldog offense, with Gordy being both a speed threat, but a red zone threat as well. Gordy feels like he can make an impact on the field as well, I asked him how he thought he could help get Dean back their winning ways and how he can help the team improve, "Just by giving everything I got for all 60 minutes that I'm out on the field. No matter what it is, doing whatever my role is, whatever my job is that I was given by my coaching staff, and my teammates as well." As I mentioned before, hard work goes a long way in life, and in football. Gordy didn't always have it easy, nearly quitting football before even getting to college. He didn't, and it ultimately paid off. I asked him what triggered him to change his mind and keep plugging forward, "What made me change my mind was because I worked so hard all the way up until that point to throw away everything that I had worked towards. It was over a conflict that had nothing to do with the sport itself." It goes to show that athletes, no matter what level, are all working towards something. Big or small, no matter what it is. But sometimes, life happens. It happens to all of us, no matter the profession. Nobody in life wants to throw away hard work, or something they've dedicated basically their entire lives to accomplish, as every athlete does. You don't see anyone stepping onto the field or court without a gameplan, and a scheme to execute that plan. Every athlete has individual goals too, however, and Gordy sets his very high. "My goals for the upcoming season is to be the best athlete I can be. I don't know what that is yet, so, the only way I can stay on track with it is giving my maximum effort when I train so I'm ready for next season. Whatever the results are, is what I'm going to have to live with." It's clear Gordy is certainly willing to put in the work to get to where he wants to be. But, if there's one thing he knows for sure, it's that he has to stay humble. And pay his dues. (Photo from SportingNews.com)
For us here in New England, Super Bowl LII did not end the way we all thought it would. All week we underestimated Nick Foles and the eagles, never giving them a chance to stand up to the almighty Tom Brady. He proved us all wrong. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses as to why the Patriots fell short. The Eagles showed up to play, led by their backup quarterback that was thrust into the spotlight 5 weeks prior. The biggest story of the game, and one that's still a mystery is why Patriots CB Malcolm Butler sat on the bench for the game's entirety. Now, I won't get into all the theories and stories as to why Butler was forced to watch from the sideline, but, I will get into how the broadcast crew of NBC, handled the situation. Poorly. The crew that handled the game this year was NBC's Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michelle Tafoya. The overall commentary of the game was great, both commentators keeping up with the action and giving in depth analysis throughout each play. However, it was clear that the biggest story of the game was Malcolm Butler sitting on the sideline while Nick Foles and the Eagles offense continued to methodically dismantle and shred the hopeless Patriots defense. By the end of the first quarter, Michaels had only mentioned the Butler situation once or twice. With that being the biggest story of the night, I was a little disappointed that they didn't take the time to evaluate how the absence of Butler would impact the rest of the game, or even give their take on why Belichick would make such a game changing decision like that. I thought they handled the situation poorly. As far as the rest of the game goes, being a Patriots fan, having the announcers only focus on how well Nick Foles was playing, coming in as the underdog and outshining Tom Brady, hurt a little. Overshadowing Brady's historic performance just because of a loss is not right. Throwing for 505 yards and 3 touchdowns is simply incredible. Brady shattered his own record from Super Bowl LI a year prior, and in no way should he have received any criticism for his performance. Overall, the game that was put on the field was phenomenal, despite the result. As a Patriots fan, I give all the credit in the world to Nick Foles and the Eagles organization for going toe-to-toe with the greatest quarterback of all-time. Brady tried to put the Patriots on his back, however, Philadelphia was just simply the better team. Congratulations to them on their first Super Bowl Championship. We'll be back. The New England Patriots are the gold standard in the NFL. They have been for the past 18 years, to be exact. Ironically, that's when Tom Brady came to the Patriots. Since that time, the beanpole of a kid that walked into the NFL combine and many expected to go un-drafted, has turned himself into an All-Pro quarterback, a multiple time NFL MVP, one of the most clutch playoff performers the game has ever seen, and most importantly, a Super Bowl champion.
A FIVE time Super Bowl champion, might I add. But, to Bill Belichick and his team, the past doesn't matter. It never has, and it never will. All that matters is what's out on the field in front on them right now, and this Sunday, it will be the Philadelphia Eagles. A franchise still in search of it's first taste of glory, something the Patriots have tasted multiple times over the last three years. Ironically, the last time the Patriots faced the Eagles on the game's biggest stage in 2005, they clinched their third title in four years, cementing themselves as the NFL's next dynasty. Now, fat forward to 2018, and the same coach, quarterback and owner, are looking to accomplish that same feat again. Here's why on Sunday night, we'll all see Tom Brady hoisting his sixth Lombardi trophy. The Eagles current roster is filled with young up and coming stars, but to put it into perspective, let me offer this stat: Nick Foles is in search of only his third playoff win ever on Sunday, while Brady is in search of his sixth ring and 28th playoff win. If someone says that experience doesn't matter in games like this, they either don't watch football or they're lying. Coaching experience matters as well, and it doesn't bode well for Doug Peterson and his staff that are going up against the best coach to ever live, Bill Belichick. Not to mention, his staff that is extra motivated to win not only for the franchise, but for themselves as well. Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia are both expected to head off in different directions in pursuit of a head coaching job. To most people, the coach and quarterback are the two single most important aspects of a football team, and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been doing better than everybody, and for longer than everybody. Experience alone will serve the Patriots well on Sunday, heck, basically the whole team was in this exact spot last season against the Falcons. Now, let's get into the stats and really break this game down. No quarterback in NFL history has ever won the passing title or the MVP and the Super Bowl in the same season before. Brady will be looking to break that trend, and he has a very good chance. The Eagles defense only intercepted opposing quarterbacks 9 times while their quarterbacks turned it over 19 times. New England also has the number 2 offense in the league when it comes to scoring points (458 regular season), and Brady takes care of the ball as well as anyone, so, New England's plan going into this game should be the exact same as it was for Blake Bortles: Make Foles throw it to bet you. If he can sling it across the field all night long and do it well, then hats off to him, he earned it. But, what the Patriots can not do, is let Foles beat you with his feet, and trick plays that Pederson is famous for. If they can contain Files, New England wins easily. Because there's no way, Brady doesn't go down without a fight. My final score prediction: Patriots 31 Eagles 21 The first article I viewed was a piece from the Associated Press, on ABC News. The story regarded the Celtics defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 113-102. I really enjoyed this article as it was incredibly well flowing, with a nice structure and was easy to follow. The writer started off by introducing some stats from the game and why it was such a big win for Boston, who was coming off a four-game losing streak. Then, went into more detail and implemented some quotes from Celtics coach Brad Stevens and players like Clippers forward Blake Griffin. The writer did a very nice job of clearly laying out the article and presenting the information with quotes to back it up in a logical manner, while still keeping the reader intrigued. Overall I thought this was a very good piece of writing.
The second piece of writing that I looked at was from SECcountry.com, regarding the Duke Blue Devils losing to Virginia in a game in which both teams were ranked top 5 in the nation. The writer, Connor Riley, did not do a good job at making the article very interesting. He used a video of Duke F Grayson Allen flopping instead of using hi writing, which is what people come to the site for. The article was also incredibly short, with very limited stats as well. There was more focus put on Allen in the piece than anything else, and that's what made this piece not good for me. The third and final piece that I viewed was one recapping the 2018 AFC Championship between the Patriots and Jaguars. The piece was from the Bleacher Report written Maurice Moton. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. Moton did a fantastic job in my opinion breaking down the game and the key points in it, then using Twitter videos to actually show the viewer the play and how it unfolded in real time. I thought that was a great idea used by Moton, instead of just straight words, give the reader something to actually interact with so they won't become bored.Another thing Moton did a nice job with was not just giving the facts and stats about the game, but diving deeper into the game and saying what the strategies of the coaches and coordinators were in certain situations. Like for instance, he mentions Josh McDaniels' view of the game was on the trick play in the fourth quarter, that unfortunately resulted in a strip fumble, but, nonetheless a nice addition by Moton. I liked this piece a lot. My favorite sports journalist in the Boston market is without question, Christopher Price. Chris covers the New England Patriots primarily, but he's also covered multiple New England teams since the early 90's. The reason why I like Price is for multiple reasons, but, the reason that I consider above all others is the language he uses that allows the reader to not feel lost in his work. He uses language that the everyday person can understand, from the casual fan that just wants to catch up on part of the game that they missed, to the diehards that want to know the ins-and-outs of the team and what goes on behind the scenes. I think Price's writing style and his ability to incorporate comedic relief into his work that connects the audience is what makes him stand out from his competitors.
On the other hand, my least favorite sports journalism is Gary Tanguay. Gary is host of multiple shows on NBC Sports Boston, formerly Comcast SportsNet. The reason I'm not fond of him is because of the constant negativity he brings to the show. He never believes in any of the teams when they go up against a good team. He constantly brings down the players and coaches as well as his other colleagues' opinions that are on the set with him. In my opinion, his constant negative takes could affect the ratings for his shows, because that negativity isn't wanted by most fans here, nor anywhere for that matter. |
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December 2018
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