“Oh, he’s my brother, but when we get on that field, if we’re both on special teams, I’m going to have to knock him over a little bit.” (Boston Herald/Overheard – 4/29)

• Part of the fun of attending minor league games is seeing players (including the opposition) who may be in the Majors shortly. After the PawSox hosted the Mets AAABuffalo Bisons, NY recalled CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis and then INF Jordany Valdespin.• Similarly, scouring the daily transactions column frequently provides proof that players (especially lefty relievers) will hang around as long as they can. Today’s ProJo has theWinnipeg Goldeyes signing INF Yurendell deCaster. Recently the Red Sox bought 35y/o catcher Mike Rivera from the Long Island Ducks. Rivera is now in Pawtucket.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY APRIL 17, 2012 After a 1-5 start, the Red Sox returned to Boston and the home cooking agreed with them, but upset the digestive tracks of Joe Maddon and his Stingless Rays. Any Sox fan would have been thrilled to take 3 of 4 from Tampa Bay, whose elite pitching staff didn’t look it (except for ‘Big Game’ James Shields). That’s the good.

The bad is that there has already been a manager-player controversy and it’s only April 16 as I write this. When you hear the pre-game and there’s a tape of Dustin Pedroia defending teammate Kevin Youkilis, you know something unusual just happened. Seems that Bobby V in answering a question on TV about Youk said:

“I don’t think he’s as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason.” (via WEEI.com/Kirk Minihane – 4/16/12).

Youk took umbrage and Pedroia felt the need to defend Youk against his new manager. V for Volcano realized that damage control was in order. He beat a hasty retreat and apologized to Youkilis. Talk about creating an ‘us versus them’ mentality! And it’s only April! So what were the Red Sox players thinking of during Monday’s Patriots’ Game? How to beat James Shields or what the hell is going on around here? Distracted certainly.

When I heard Valentine’s apology on the radio, I swear he said he was sorry if he had been ‘misconscrewed’. Norm Crosby would have been proud.

Now the Texas Rangers come to town and hopefully the Red Sox can play better than they did in Arlington. If not, it’s only two games and then the Yankees visit for three.

If there are any more outbursts, rumblings or outright eruptions from the Motormouth Manager, this season will get ugly before the summer officially starts (June 20).

EDITOR’S NOTE – the above was written on Monday, April 16. Today (4/17), Gordon Edes had a column/blog on ESPNBoston.com about the Valentine remarks and said: “Valentine’s words might have had the unintended, but positive, effect of fostering unity among the players, in an “us versus him” sort of way. But it’s always a good thing, as Francona said Monday, if the manager is along for the ride. Bobby V has to hope he didn’t forfeit his ticket.”

BULLETS

• The NY Times, a minority stakeholder in the Red Sox, had this headline on the front page of Sunday’s Sports: Liverpool and Red Sox: Same Owner, Parallel Debacles.

• The Washington Caps are playing the Bruins tough. Stanley Cup hockey is great and Game #3 was no exception. The Caps have decided to play physical and got away with a third man in as Karl Alzner grabbed Milan Lucic’s throat from behind while Lucic was fighting Matt Hendricks. Nicklas Backstrom is out next game for a cheapshot late hit.

THE PAWSOX The Boston Red Sox added Nate Spears and Jason Repko to the 40-man roster this week and designated Michael Bowden and Luis Exposito for assignment. Bowden is out of options and may be traded if there is interest or may end up back in Pawtucket if no one claims him. Exposito was once considered a catching prospect.

Repko is 31 and played the last two years for the Twins. He was a 1^st round pick by the Dodgers in 1999. Spears has also been around. He will be 27 May 3 and was a 5^th round pick by the Orioles.

The PawSox are 7-5 and in 2^nd place in the IL North standings (the Iron Pigs lead). Will Middlebrooks is leading the team in homers (3), RBI (11) and tied in hitting (.333) w/ Pedro Ciriaco). Middlebrooks has also been the only PawSox to play in every game (12).

Ryan Lavarnway hit his 1^st homerun Monday but has been struggling, hitting .200 (the Mendoza Line, or as I call it, the Bob Uecker Line). Lavarnway still can get on base and leads the team with 10 walks. His OBP is .378 (tied for 5^th on the team).

Jose Iglesias is at .216 with 9 Ks, 4 BBs, and 3 RBI. His OBP is .302. He has 2 errors.

E-MAIL Re: (Bobby) Petrino’s motorcycle accident w/his young mistress. I think it’s more likely a “woodie out of town” than a “wheelie”.

Boud

How about if Petrino does a wheelie with a woody on his way out of town? Arkansas should have known better as Petrino had character issues. What a character! - Z

Re my e-mail message with last week’s Sportzine (What time is it? It’s Howdy Doody… Sportzine time.), I received this:

You’re obviously quoting my cousin - Buffalo Bob!
Buffalo Steve
Buffalo Steve, I’ll bet you eyed Princess Summer Fall Winter Spring. So did I. - Z

That was Judy Tyler, who later co-starred with Elvis Presley in “Jailhouse Rock”. Three days after the movie was completed, Judy and her husband died in a car crash. YIKES! Buffalo Steve

Are you referring to “Buffalo Bob Smith”???

How are you doing, coach?  Just joined an over 50 league!  Yikes!

‘Buffalo’ Bob Smith

Good to know that my star left fielder is still active at his advanced age. - Z

Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com (Thanks to Buffalo Steve)

NO EXPECTATIONS APRIL 10, 2012 Cue up the Rolling Stones No Expectations as the Red Sox train careens from stop to stop. I have No Expectations for this bunch of BoSox.

Not because the Red Sox don’t have a closer at the moment and have lost two games as a result. Nor because two of the three top starting pitchers gave up 7 runs each without going 5 full innings. Not even because Bobby V chose to use Alfredo Aceves, the innings eater as his closer, when Aceves has never done it (Editor’s Note: Wrong, Ducko – Aceves has 5 career saves).

No, it’s because while this Boston team is sorting out its myriad problems and looking for solutions, the rest of the AL East teams will be motoring past them to the finish line.

It is only 3-4 games into the season. The pressure is now on Felix Doubront (he did well in 5) and Daniel Bard (if he starts) to win a game and stop the bleeding. The last thing this crew wanted was to start slowly like last year.

After Toronto, the Red Sox have Tampa Bay (4), Texas (2) and NY (3). It could get ugly early. If you have No Expectations, you’ll be less disappointed when this train derails.

The patient is bleeding profusely. A Band-Aid won’t do. Vicente Padilla is not a closer (he actually got 3 saves for LA last year, but is too old). Nor is Alfredo Aceves. Daniel Bard has closed (5 career saves, 1 last year). He has the stuff and the mentality to close. Management should apologize for cancelling his starting gig, and tell Bard he is more valuable as their closer. And then remind Bard that closers make good money too (see Jonathan Papelbon). Then call up Aaron Cook a.s.a.p. to take over as the 5^th starter.

The Boston bats finally heated up Sunday. Given the state of the bullpen, every run scored is precious. Nick Punto had a good game Sunday but got caught off 3^rd on a grounder to a pulled in shortstop. Don’t they practice these in spring training? Phil Coke would not have been able to throw at Adrian Gonzalez (his 1^st attempt went to the backstop and would have plated Punto). Mental mistakes are as lethal as physical ones.

Meanwhile I took in the PawSox home opener. Always good to see the old gang, including Big Al and Ted from Section 8. Pawtucket may be more fun than the parent club and has a good chance of defending its 2011 division crown.

The PawSox won 4-2 as Justin Germano went 5 and only gave up 3 hits (2 solo HRs). Will Middlebrooks, a righty, laced two doubles – one to right center and the other down the right field line. Pedro Ciriaco had 4 hits, one of which was a lob shot that the pitcher gave up on. Ciriaco later scored an important pad run.

Che-Hsuan Lin, who usually has great plate awareness, looked lost. Jose Iglesias didn’t have a hit but made a fantastic diving catch in the 8^th on the first batter. Reliever Garrett Mock (who closed) benefited as he then gave up a hit to the 2^nd batter. Instead of 1^st and 3^rd no outs, it was 1 on, 1 out. Junichi Tazawa did well in his 2 innings of relief, ‘K’ing 4.

The PawSox now stand at 2-2 and have gotten good starts from Aaron Cook (complete game 7 innings win) and Alex Wilson who left with a 2-1 lead after 5.

Just back from Tuesday’s noon start. PawSox wins 8-0 in a game that lasted less than 2 and a half hours (a rarity). It was 2 hits apiece and a 1-0 PawSox lead until the 6^th when they scored 5 runs on a 2-run blast by Mauro Gomez and 3-run dinger by Daniel Nava. Ross Ohlendorf continued the excellent run of starting pitching and got the win. Will Middlebrooks got his first homer. Through 6 games (3-3) the team ERA is a league-leading 1.26 (per the PawSox web site – S. Hyder).

E-MAIL Jimbo,

AAAAAAH!  Life begins again, it’s B’Ball time. Not really caring about football and a mild interest in hockey coupled with a poor URI season made it a long winter.  Looks like the Hurley boys are going to take over the Ryan Center (God, how I hated Bobby), however, I will let him redeem himself if they can move towards an NCAA bid in the next few years.

As Footjoy said about Valentine “Give him a chance”. I couldn’t agree more because he’s all you’ve got.  Thus far he has shown that he is still the hands on guy he always was and his mouth has been remarkably silent.  If he can keep his player enthusiasm in high gear and his mouth in first things may be OK.  Let’s face it as long as he doesn’t cause a train wreck it will be OK because, after all, he is only keeping the seat warm.

Go Braves,

Ted Sec 8

PS. Good to hear from you and I was glad to hear you knew who was on the cover of the season tix which must mean we will be seeing you this season.

Hi Jim,

How are things going?  I never seem to write so this will be my first time.  I have a joke, trivia, and a comment about the Red Sox.
Question:  What’s the difference between the Red Sox and a group of friends in a bar having a few beers?
Answer:  three pitchers

Question:  Since 1967, what do the following people have in common, except for being Red Sox managers:  Dick Williams, Deron Johnson, John McNamara and Terry Francona?

Answer:  They all won a pennant in their first year as Red Sox manager.   Is Bobby V under the gun? lol.

Observation:  Will Buchholz’s back hold up, will Josh Beckett’s thumb hold up, how dependable will Doubront be, are they serious saying Bard can only go 170 innings, who will be the closer,  will the Sox be able to put together an effective bullpen with what they have after Bailey went down?  Can you say 3rd place lol.
Hope to see you soon.     John Chambers Good to hear from RI’s own ‘Mr. Cribbage’. You summarized the questions about the Red Sox well. If the BoSox answer most of them positively, they have a chance for 3^rd.

That’s actually Darrell Johnson (1975 World Series), though Deron Johnson did play for Boston (twice!). - Z

OZZIE GUILLEN The only manager that talks more than Bobby Valentine is Ozzie Guillen. Ozzie was interviewed by Time and said “I love Castro” (you have to subscribe to Time to read the whole interview). Ozzie is the new manager of the Miami Marlins, who just spent a lot of money on a new park and new players. They have the support of a large Latino community including many Cubans. As someone said on WEEI today, for the Spanish, Fidel Castro is their Adolph Hitler. To say you love Castro, not so good. Mal. Muy mal. Ozzie just wrote his own ticket out of town and his own special ‘epitaph’. Someone explain this to Bobby Valentine – that your words can get you fired.

BULLETS • Good luck to the Boston Bruins who begin defense of their Stanley Cup Championship on Thursday. The last team to win back to backs was Detroit. The Red Wings won in 1977 and 1978. What team was the last back to back Stanley Cup loser? (Answer later). The Bruins will have to do it without Nathan Horton (concussion) who scored huge goals in last year’s playoffs. However each year is different. Someone else needs to step up.

• Meanwhile the Celtics Big 3 + 1 have been sipping from the rejuvenating waters of the Fountain of Youth. Since KG went to center, he has been reborn. Avery Bradley is helping and roles are shaped. And they have the ‘Doc’ in the House. The Celtics may have one last run in them.

• Bad Boys Bad Boys – Bobby Petrino, Arkansas football coach, crashes his motorcycle with his girlfriend on the back. The married father of four may do a wheelie out of town.

Lamar Odom loves LA. He is in Dallas now. It’s tough to do reality shows from Dallas. The Mavericks just let him go back to LA even though the playoffs are about to start. Odom and out!

The aptly named Sapp (Warren) just filed for bankruptcy owing back child support and alimony. Sapp’s assets include 240 Jordan sneakers and a lion skin rug. He said he ‘lost’ his 2002 Super Bowl ring and his Miami championship ring (1991). Get lost.

• The last back to back Stanley Cup losers? The Boston Bruins who lost to the Red Wings in 1977 and 1978.

Bobby Valentine is the opposite of Terry Francona. Francona didn’t talk much. Bobby Valentine talks all the time. If Bobby Valentine had an Indian name it would be ‘He Who Talks Too Much’.

That said, maybe Valentine learned something in Japan (not humility). FootJoy made the point to me that Valentine deserves a chance. FootJoy is right. We will try to forget Bobby Valentine’s past and hope that it is not repeated.

This current contingent of Red Sox has a bushel of question marks. Maybe they will welcome their role of underdog. FootJoy feels that this year’s #4 and #5 starters (Doubront and Bard) can’t do any worse than last year’s #4 and #5 starters (Lackey and Matsuzaka), and should do better. He has a point. Any production would be welcome.

However the Red Sox have lost their closer, Jonathan Papelbon. Pap was pretty much a sure thing when he came in to end the game. Fans got used to hearing the Dropkick Murphy’s Shipping off to Boston when Papelbon came in and seeing him get the save.

Now that role has gone to Andrew Bailey, who is out with a bad thumb (and may need surgery). He closed for the A’s, whose fandom probably never booed him. Welcome to Beantown, Mr. Bailey. The other closer that Ben Cherington had the good sense to get, Mark Melancon (20 saves), was last employed by the Astros, who had the worst record in baseball (56 wins). If they combine to match Pap’s 2011 saves total (31, oddly his fewest since closing), fans will be thrilled.

The bullpen has been restructured somewhat. Good. Last year’s cracked under the pressure of a September swan song. They will have to sort out their roles with Pap and Bard out of the mix. How will they be used? Some have suggested that Bobby Valentine, ala Joe Torre, overuses his most effective relievers. We’ll see.

It will be good to have baseball back. 162 games to play. Good luck to the Red Sox. They’ll need it. May they stay healthy. And develop team chemistry. Play ball!

THE PAWTUCKET RED SOX As a season ticket holder, I always look forward to the PawSox season. This year we get to see more of the prospects who have risen to AAA. Ryan Lavarnway, Ryan Kalish and Jose Iglesias are on the cover of the season ticket package. It’s not a stretch to believe that all three will spend some time with the parent club this year.

Kalish, who is recovering from neck and shoulder surgery, has the farthest to go to get to the Bigs (he’ll start the season on the DL). However anyone who saw him 2 years ago knows the impact that he can make when healthy. I’ve already predicted that Lavarnway will match David Ortiz’ output when he makes it. Iglesias needs a little seasoning down on the farm. With that glove, he could hit like Mark Belanger and it would be enough.

Fans saw all three in Pawtucket last year (Kalish was hurt in April). This season we get to see Will Middlebrooks, a thumper that Boston could plug in if Kevin Youkilis gets hurt.

The PawSox starting pitching seems a little thin with Alex Wilson and Junichi Tazawa (s/p elbow surgery) added to some veterans like Aaron Cook (a May opt out), Brandon Duckworth and Ross Ohlendorf. If Scott Atchison is sent down, he might start.

The PawSox closer’s role will be filled by …? Michael Bowden led last year with 16 saves. He should be in the BoSox pen (no more options left). Jason Rice had 4 saves for Pawtucket (traded for Conor Jackson). Blake Maxwell, a late call up, had 1 save but 15 at Portland. However his contract expired at the end of the season. Mystery closer?

AA Portland has positional prospects in OF Bryce Brentz (Red Sox co-offensive player of 2011) and INF Kolbin Vitek. OFs Oscar Tejeda and Jeremy Hazelbaker are in the mix. RHP Stolmy Pimental needs to rebound from a poor 2011 (0-9 with a 9.12 ERA as a Portland starter). But Pimental is young (22) and pitched well in winter ball.

BULLETS • Just saw that CB Ronde Barber signed a new contract with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Barber is 37! This is the football equivalent of the Rockies signing 49-year old lefty Jamie Moyer. Wonder if Ronde is a lefty? • Just wondering but if Billy Beane (see Michael Lewis’ Money Ball) is such a sharp appraiser of cheap talent, then why haven’t the Athletics made the playoffs since 2006 (and been under .500 since then). Beane, who has been GM since 10/17/97, got the A’s to the playoffs 5 times, but his team has never won a pennant under him.

QUOTE “It was a performance reminiscent of a jazz combo, with smooth solo following smooth solo following smooth solo, all leading to an exquisite group finish.” (Bob Ryan/Boston Globe describing the play of Kentucky versus Louisville – 4/1/12)

Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com (Thanks to Buffalo Steve)

WHAT’S LEFT? FEBRUARY 14, 2012 Well, with the Super Bowl done, there isn’t much going on right now. The local basketball teams, URI and PC, are both in rebuilding mode and have been taking turns getting whacked by any and all competition. Wait ’til next year is the mantra.

The Celtics have been taking turns going on the injured list. They just got Chris Wilcox back but Brandon Bass (a good pickup for ‘Baby’ Davis) is out for a couple weeks. Jermaine O’Neal has been better but he too is ailing. The Celtics clearly miss Kendrick Perkins as a presence in the middle (like when they play the Lakers). Danny Boy messed that one up. And since it appears big physical enforcers aren’t falling like fruit from trees, the Green are in deep doo doo come playoff time. I like Greg Stiemsma, who has played in Turkey and South Korea, but Doc won’t play him more minutes until he can handle the pick and roll better.

The Celts had a nice win over the Chicago Bulls but Derrick Rose was out with a bad back. The win would mean more, a lot more, had Rose played. Fans of the Green have to believe that unless Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen find the Fountain of Youth, there will be no championship banner this year. A big in a trade would help.

The Boston Bruins, the defending Stanley Cup champions, have alternated from being unbeatable to having trouble scoring. The loss of Nathan Horton to a concussion hasn’t helped. See if Peter Chiarelli makes any moves as the trade deadline approaches.

The Boston Red Sox have made a number of ho-hum moves as they try to shrink payroll and avoid future luxury tax payments. John ‘Steel-Driver’ Henry and his entourage of tunnel-vision Rocks have been distracted by Liverpool’s play and the Luis Suarez racial incident.

Still it’s always great to have spring training games start up, much like the revving up of our engines in the spring. The Red Sox have a clear chance at 3^rd place if Dan Duquette doesn’t make any fantastic GM moves and if the Toronto Blue Jays with Sox manager-in-waiting John Farrell doesn’t put up a road block. One wag had the BoSox slipping to last.

The PawSox should have a solid club with Lars Anderson, the hopefully healthy Ryan Kalish (he’ll be back later, May or June), Will Middlebrooks, Ryan Lavarnway, Daniel Nava, Che-Hsuan Lin and Juan Carlos Linares (hope he has a full season without injury). Jose Iglesias will be in Pawtucket to start but may not be there long if Mike Aviles and Nick Punto punt the ball at shortstop. The pitching may be thin with only Alex Wilson as a prospect and the rest a bunch of suspects cast off from other clubs. Still it’s baseball.

Yeah I know I left out the March NCAAs, which are always fun and help us to get to real baseball in April.

RED SOX PROSPECTS Already a couple ‘Prospects’ lists have appeared. This week one compiled by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus showed up via a link. The first BoSox prospect is at #32 where Goldstein has shortstop Xander Bogaerts. OF Brandon Jacobs is at #46. 3B Will Middlebrooks is at #55. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway is at #98. Not sure why guys like Kalish and Iglesias are not on this list. Or SP Anthony Ranaudo who’ll be in Portland.

EMAIL Keep making the zine! Whoa.
Unfortunately, I was also right about the game. The NFC had better teams all year and if the Giants beat their best, they should win, and they did. Tight game but “they made more plays” as Belichick would say. Still, one play, here or there different and they could have won. Could’ve… but didn’t. Hats off to them. Stevie Saucepan Hands Steve, sorry you were right. The Pats made too many mistakes. Yet they were ahead with less than 4 minutes (3:46) to go and with NY on their own 12. C’est la vie. - Z

Jimbo,

My condolences on the Pats, well there is always next year!  Hold on, wait a minute, it seems I have heard that somewhere before regarding another Boston team. Remember, Valentine’s Day is coming soon, red hearts all over the green monster. I am all set this year, the Braves are getting new alternate home uniforms, that should push us over the top!  Pitchers and Catchers only days away and life can begin again.

Ted Section 8
Ted, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Last week Bill Reynolds’s column summed it up - that’s sports. Your team doesn’t always win. Victoria tells me there is no ‘fair’.

Looking forward to seeing you at the PawSox games soon. Will the uniforms help the Braves win games? Atlanta lucked out by the superior screw-up of the Red Sox. They didn’t get half the press Boston did for their collapse. Misery loves company. - Z

Hi Jim -
Don’t know how I found this, but you would like:
http://open.salon.com/blog/designanator/2008/06/26/the_hot_club_i_wish_it_was_my_local
I don’t know the person’s name, but in their blog they say:
“A writer from Pawtucket, RI that I befriended publishes a weekly blog of the comings and goings of the club.” That’s GOTTA be you. Also some great pics of the filming of “Something About Mary”. Buffalo Steve After Buffalo Steve sent the link, I checked it out (great pic of the Hot Club in 1985). I realized that the blogger was someone who found me on the Internet because of the Hot Club section in Sportzine. The blogger, John Ballantine, once was a student in Providence. When I e-mailed to ask if he were the blogger, I got this reply:

Hi Jim,
Great to hear from you and excellent detective work on your part! I posted that story after another blogger asked others to write about their favorite local bar. The Hot Club stood out as a place I’d love to have closer to where I live, etc.
A couple of months after I wrote that post I did another one with more photos and better screen images from the movie There’s Something About Mary, plus I added in Federal Hill as another movie that was filmed in Providence:

http://open.salon.com/blog/designanator/2008/09/24/providence_part_seven

One of these days I hope to get up there again…the photo shot in ‘85 of the Hot Club still remains a record of my last time in Providence.
I am still on the site (Open Salon) where those posts originated from and I can really appreciate what you have been doing with your weekly stories about the Hot Club which you have been writing far longer than I have been posting my stories on Open Salon!

I was very interested to see in your Sportzine this evening that the club has a web site. When I look at the photo on the club’s home page it’s hard to believe that’s the same waterfront that was rather deserted back in the ’70s when I would walk along the area looking for something interesting to photograph.
Many thanks for sending the Sportzine my way for all of these years since I first contacted you about your Hot Club blog some six or seven years ago!
Best regards,
John Ballantine

Jim,
thanks for the mention brother. As a gmen fan i’ll take the win but lots of mistakes by both teams considering the coaches. time outs, penalties, dropped passes, turnovers etc…  Hopefully our Celtics will fare better in April but not likely.  Hope all is well with everybody in RI.  Ab

Jim,

TB has two game faces: the eye of the tiger and the deer in the headlights. You could clearly see the latter right from the start. As to the 12th player on the field, I wish it were Mrs. Kraft instead.

Vic

howdy james. who’d thought? giants back from the dead to win it all. a hella of a season. all those comebacks. thank god they don’t get televised out here. my heart couldn’t take it. i only started to watch it just as they kicked the FG for 17-15. so i caught the best part. the run-up to the last TD. i saw that pass to manningham. that was a rush. so i prob enjoyed the last 10 mins a lot more than u. apologies for that. and now, almost time for more Bosox torture. you’re a tuff ol’ byrd, jim dawson. spring’s a-coming. enjoy.

Bobby Sisto

Sorry for the loss, Jim.  As a Jets fan, it was hard to know who to root for least.  We watched the game in an Irish pub in Paris.
Kick off wasn’t until just around midnight.  I met a New Yorker there who insisted that I had to root for the Giants because we native New Yorkers had to stick together.  But I dunno, I didn’t buy it.  I hate the Yankees more than the Red Sox, and now enough
years have passed since the whole “I resign as HC of the NYJ.” thing I have less animosity for BB.  Hating the Giants isn’t the same as hating the Yankees though.  It’s easy to hate the Yankees. I was just happy that it was exciting down to the last Hail Mary.
Jaap Stijl

Really tough loss last Sunday, however we are all proud of the Patriots and what they accomplished this year (especially with a Defense that was originally, a work in progress). Even though it is difficult, the Pats had a very successful year (again) and I guess we’ve all been spoiled by what they’ve been able to achieve over the last decade (raising the ‘bar of expectations’).

Just wish that Gisele had not been baited by a couple of (’poor winners’) Giants’ fans, into making her emotional remarks. I’m sure at this point, after calming down, she would like to somehow retract those unfortunate and unfair words. What she failed to think about in that heated moment was that without Wes Welker’s prolific production during the entire season, maybe the Patriots don’t make it as far as they did. Maybe too her husband does not have quite the same passing stats (and success) for the whole season. Every player makes mistakes……..”Win as a Team, Lose as a Team.”

Brad

Hi Jim -
Just my two cents worth regarding Super Bowl XLVI: There’s no truth to the rumor that Tom Brady’s first phone call was to Scott Norwood. With that in mind, please consider the following:
The State of New York has only one professional football team, and that is the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, headquartered in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, New York. The other two pretenders are the New Jersey Giants and the New Jersey Jets.

The so called “New York” Giants are headquartered in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The so called “New York” Jets are headquartered in Floram Park, New Jersey. They both play their home games at MetLife Stadium, also in East Rutherford, NJ.

The reason the two teams are called the “New York” Whatevers is that they are located in the “New York Metropolitan Area”. Fine, but check this out - The official “Providence Metropolitan Area” also includes Fall River, and New Bedford, MA!

So wouldn’t it be a little weird if a professional sports team built a stadium, and head-quartered itself between Fall River and New Bedford, and called themselves the Providence Whatevers? I’m just saying. Guess you know what I think of the Giants and
the Jets!
Buffalo Steve

Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com (Thanks to Buffalo Steve)

That uncharacteristic mental mistake was followed by a bonehead 12 men on the field penalty when the Defense had just held on 3^rd down. Of course having an extra player might help get that stop.

Even so the Pats were up 10-9 and then took the ball starting the 2^nd half and smartly moved downfield for a touchdown that put them up by 8 at 17-9. Pats fans’ hopes, including Driller and wife Monica, Sue and son Matt, and Victoria and I were bolstered.

Then the Pats went the rest of the game and didn’t score. Another way of saying that is that the NY Giants shut them out. On a crucial drive late in the 4^th quarter, the Patriots could not retain the ball long enough to prevent Eli Manning (sung to Eli’s Coming) and his Giant Men from scoring a touchdown and trampling the hopes of all Pats fans.

And on the touchdown, Bill Belichick did something I’ve never seen him do in a playoff game – he had his team let Giant running back Ahmad Bradshaw go right into the end zone as if the parting of the Blue Sea. And for Belichick to do that you know that desperation had set in. Desperation brought on by a fierce opponent that gave no quarter even after losing 2 tight ends and having safety Antrel Rolle hurt.

Salute the Giants for their win. They deserve it. Forget that 9-7 record and them just making the playoffs. The Giants came together at the right time assisted by the return of injured players. So here’s a shout out to some of their fans – Jim Dwyer, Al Vallese, Joe Salvo, Bobby Sisto and Ab Lattouf to name a few – your team did you proud. Congratulations!

POINTS AFTER One of the reasons the Pats lost was all the mistakes they made – Brady giving up a safety, 12 men on the field, Ninkovich offsides on a 3^rd down hold. The safety was compounded by giving up points (2) and the ball. Which NY then drove for a TD.

One of the reasons the Giants won was that they were able to run on the Pats. NY rushed for 114 yards with Bradshaw getting 72 on 17 carries. Jacobs got the tough yards (9/37).

The Giants had three fumbles. They recovered two of them and the one they lost was reversed because of the too many men on the field penalty.

New York had the better of field position on the day. Steve Weatherford’s punting pinned the Pats at their 6, 4 and 8.

The Giants won the important time of possession battle 37:05 to 22:55. So NY had the ball about 14 minutes more than the Pats.

The Patriots switched from a 4-3 to start to a 3-4. I was surprised to see Tracy White playing so much. NE took Victor Cruz out of the game by doubling him (4 catches for 25 yards. Bear Pascoe had 33 yards on 4 catches). But Hakeem Nicks went 10 for 109 and Manningham 5 for 73, the biggest play the 38 yards on the perfect pass from Manning.

Except for the last ‘Hail Mary will not be answered’ drive, the Pats had the ball 3 times after their opening 2^nd half TD. They punted after 3 plays on one. Brady threw the costly interception on the 2^nd. He must have thought he had the healthy Gronk who could out leap the defender. Another mistake. The last drive included the pass Welker missed.

BAD BOYS (AND GIRLS) Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France victory after his claim that contaminated meat caused his + steroid test failed to convince. The Court said no other athlete had tested + for clenbuterol from eating Spanish meat.

Gisele Bundchen defended hubby Tom Brady but dissed his receivers doing so. That won’t wear well in Patriot Nation. What did Tom say to her? We win/lose as a team? E-MAIL Jim– The drive-in on North Main was the E.M. Loew’s  Providence-Pawtucket Drive-In.  Opened in 1937 - closed ?? Could handle 700 cars. I think I went there once in the mid-sixties, but it was a dump compared to the Shipyard Drive-In. My favorite was the Hill-Top in East Greenwich -food was “almost” edible.  The Quonset Drive-In was OK, but there were too many sailors there when Quonset was in full Navy operation. As a Warwick boy, I never made it farther north then Providence for a Drive-In.  Good memories. Rick and Elaine

Thanks, Rick. Loew’s it is. I might have gone there a couple times. Just as you stayed in the Warwick area, I was in the Paw’t-Prov zone. I visited the Boro which was on Rte 1 in Attleboro and the Seekonk Twin. Being a film buff, I preferred indoor theatres because I wanted to watch the movie. Drive-ins tended to be for something else. - Z

(Received on Feb.1) Tuesday and only 19 days till spring training.  With the temperature around here lately it feels like baseball season.

Jim Stapleton

The season will be upon us soon. Can’t wait. PawSox should be good. It’ll be interesting to see how long Iglesias stays in Paw’t. I think he’s up with the BoSox by June. It appears that Dan Duquette has hired Ron Johnson to manage the Orioles AAA team. - Z

IS IT SUPER BOWL TIME YET? JANUARY 31, 2012 Silly season is upon us as we approach Super Bowl Sunday. There’s almost as much pomp and circumstance before the event as there is in an election year. After all, they have to have time to sell all that merchandise and propaganda that passes for reporting.

Today (Monday) MSNBC.com had a headline ‘Brady tells Costas how to beat the Giants’. If you watch the video, Tom Brady says nothing of the sort. In fact, he doesn’t really address the issue except to say that he hopes his offensive line keeps the NY defenders at bay so he can pass. It’s just meant to snag your attention.

Tom Brady would give up his Uggs before he’d give bulletin board material to the enemy Giants. In fact, he may have already done that since he was quoted at a send-off rally as saying he hoped the next celebration was bigger. When asked about it, Brady reminded the interviewer that it was a pep rally.

Everyone has their opinion. The bookies have the Patriots as 3 point favorites. Yet most of the coverage so far has been about the Giants, their having beaten the Pats in the 2008 Super Bowl and their win this year at Foxboro. Good! Let’s get ’em overconfident.

The Pats will use their O line, tight ends (Gronk helps just by blocking), play calling (delayed draws, quick screens) and no huddle to keep the Giant wolves off of Brady. If the LT (Light) or RT (Solder) has trouble with the edge rushers, watch for Cannon to go in at RT and Solder to move to TE. Effective running by BenJarvus would also cause the New York D Line to pause as well.

The combined points for the game are projected to be 55. That doesn’t seem high enough given the ability of each offense to score and the weaknesses of each side’s defense. The Pats were 31^st in the NFL in yards allowed per game (411.1) while the Giants were 27^th (376.4). The Pats were 31^st in passing yards allowed per game (293.9) while the Giants were 29^th (255.1). NE was 17^th in rushing yards allowed per game (117.1) and NY 19^th (121.2). The most telling stat may be points allowed per game: the Pats were 15^th in the NFL on the season allowing 21.4 per game. The Giants were 25^th with 25.0 per game.

And if you look at sacks, the end all and be all for New York, they had 48 on the season while the Pats had 40. NE had 23 interceptions to the Giants 20.

Whose defense is better? Both teams have gotten injured defensive players back. NE’s D has played better with the return of Patrick Chung and Brandon Spikes. Last time these two teams met, Sergio Brown was whistled for the game turning interference call. Sergio will be on special teams next Sunday. Barring a lot of injuries, he won’t sniff safety.

Driller Killer and I did not get tickets in the lottery. Only a few fortunate souls (mostly the suites/club seat people) get them. The Super Bowl has become the Game attended by the Corporate Suits. It’s not for the average fan. The face value of a ticket ranges from $800-1100, I understand. You don’t want to know what they’re fetching on Stub Hub.

So let’s just fast forward to Sunday about 6:20 and get it on. Enough of this blather.

BULLETS • Ex-PC b-ball recruiter Pat Skerry is now head coach of Towson (Balt., MD). Towson just broke a Div. 1 record 41-game losing streak beating UNC-Wilmington 66-61. • Cincy receiver Jerome Simpson faces marijuana trafficking charges. This is the same guy who scored an unbelievable touchdown by leaping over an Arizona linebacker at the goal line, and landing on his feet! Now we know how Jerome managed to sky so high. • Alex Speier (WEEI.com) reported that Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 21 pitches in a bullpen session. Matsuzaka is recovering from Tommy John surgery in June. It’s the last year of his 6 yr/$52 M contract. Fans may get to roll the Dice one more time.

E-MAIL When I sent out the Zine last week, I wrote: “Here is this week’s Sportzine.

The Pats won so it’s not ‘Read it and weep’.” Came the response from a NY Giants fan:

That’s in 2 weeks…: ) Joe Salvo

Mention of MTV’s start up brings back the memory of the Joe Salvo Band in the first MTV Battle of the Bands. I had my high school students casting ballots for them. If memory serves, they came in second place - same position that Joe’s Giants will be after this year’s Super Bowl.

The Boud

Cundiff’s miss made me immediately think of Fuad “nice kick” Reveiz. FootJoy
FJ, what about the Armenian flamethrower Garo Ypremian? - Z

Terry Nau had e-mailed me with the question: “If Pats lose in the Super Bowl, is it a disappointing season for you diehards?”

These Patriots need to win the Super Bowl for me and other diehards to consider this a great season. Their past success has made the ring the only thing.

I will say, however, that if they do beat the Giants and win their 4th Super Bowl, it will be the best job Belichick and his coaches have ever done considering all the changes on defense. - Z

I agree. This season, this team, feels a lot like 2001. Did you write that? Just seems like a more energetic group because of the Gronk and Hernandez and the new faces on defense. The kids are all right. But to go from near-defeat on one play to euphoria one play later on the missed kick is the kind of season it has been. I’m not sure how Belichick can do a better job than he and his staff did in 2001. This could be a tie.

Terry Nau

PATRIOTS GUT OUT WIN OVER PESKY RAVENS 23-20 JANUARY 24, 2012 When this game ended, I felt totally exhausted, mentally drained, emotionally spent. A gut wrencher. The twists and turns, the roller coaster ride, had taken its toll.

On the long walk back to the car lots on Rte. 1, the crowd was eerily silent. One wag behind me yelled out wondering why everyone was so quiet instead of joyous. I told him we had just seen the Pats go from losing on a touchdown with seconds left to winning on a missed field goal.

Shock and awe. There was awe that the Patriots found a way to win and shock at how it happened. This game was one for the pigskin annals.

With seconds left, ex-Buffalo Bill Lee Evans has the game winning touchdown in his hands when Sterling Moore knocks the ball out. The Ravens fans two rows in front of us had celebrated the catch and win, only to realize that the ball had come out.

All-Pro Billy ‘Goat’ Cundiff misses a chip-shot game tying 32-yard field goal.

Danny Woodhead’s fumble on the kickoff after the Ravens went up 17-16 gave the Baltimoreans the ball at NE’s 28. After a Joe Flacco run, the Ravens have the ball first down on the Pats 11. An incomplete pass, a Ray Rice run for 2, and on 3^rd down Flacco is sacked by Ihedigbo and Ninkovich, forcing Baltimore to settle for a field goal. A touchdown would have put them up by 8. While the Pats then did score a touchdown, they would have been forced to go for 2 to tie, and there are no guarantees going for 2. And it’s still tied. And anything can happen in overtime. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers.

The difference on the day was the play of the Patriots defense. They absolutely shut down Ray Rice, who was a non factor (21 carries for 67 yards). And I can see Vince Wilfork with Joe Flacco by the jersey as he tries to throw on 4^th down, the pass incomplete. Wilfork had a sack and 3 tackles for a loss playing end in the 3-4. He was in on 70 of 73 snaps (per ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss).

Patrick Chung, a recent returnee from injury, was also in on all 73 snaps as was Devin McCourty who shifted from cornerback to safety (Ihedigbo came out) in sub packages.

Down 23-20, the Ravens are gouging out yardage on the ground with runs by Ricky Williams of 9 and 4 yards and then Ray Rice for 5 and 5 again. Flacco throws over the middle and Brandon Spikes intercepts. I said the Ravens did the Pats a favor by passing. Spikes, also back from injury, played 52 of 73 snaps. He led the team with 9 combined tackles/assists.

The Ravens also aided and abetted their demise by throwing to their leading receiver Ray Rice only 3 times in the game (with 1 completion for 11 yards).

Other game tidbits: in the Red Zone, the Ravens were 1 for 4, the Pats 2 for 5. Baltimore had the best Red Zone passing defense in the NFL. The difference was a Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis run for 7 yards (watch the blocking by Nate Solder and a pulling LG Logan Mankins), and a 4^th down QB sneak by an airborne Tom Brady.

Leading 13-10, the Patriots had the ball on their own 11 with 58 seconds left to the half. Showing great respect for the Ravens and field position (which they won 1^st half), Tom Brady took a knee to run out the clock. I hadn’t seen that in a while.

A fan held up a sign that said ‘Gronk Dem Birds’.

Gronk had 5 catches but none after the ankle injury (Bernard Pollard again).

The Patriots do not win this game without the strong running of Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis, who had 68 yards on 15 carries. And didn’t fumble. He outshone Ray Rice.

The Pats had one penalty in the game. One! The Ravens had 6 and gave the Pats first downs on 2 of them.

There was a stat on the NFL Network that the Patriots were 1 of only 3 teams to ever win a playoff game with 2 more turnovers than the opponent. I believe SF and Pittsburgh were the others.

You expected the Pats to use the no huddle to tire out Ravens defenders and to mess up substitutions. New England went to the no huddle on the very first series.

The abbreviation for Baltimore on Gamebook is BLT. That was a stomach distresser.

The scoreboard pre-game had the Ravens leading 3-0. You wondered if it were an omen.

A Ravens fan walked by and the back of his jersey read ‘Weed A Beer’. Later I saw the same fan and realized it was ‘I Need A Beer’.

Driller Killer’s guest for the game was Howard, his brother-in-law. End of game, Howard had the last words (lyrics): “Bye Bye Blackbird.” Wowie Howie!

BULLETS • The Celtics might not be dead yet. If they can get a few more wins against good teams I’ll feel better. Bass is a good add, and Jermaine O’Neal had 9 rebounds versus Orlando. • Baron Davis of the Knicks just returned after being been out with a herniated disk. One scribe accidentally put a ‘c’ instead of an‘s’ in disk. Much laughter ensued. • If I were Tim Thomas I would have gone to the White House and kept my mouth shut. • Congratulations to all you New York Giants fans. May the Patriots win the rematch.

THE HOT CLUB

ONE DOWN - TWO TO GO JANUARY 17, 2012 When we entered Gillette Stadium Saturday night, we met a couple that may have been the only Patriots fans that night who were unhappy about something. Seems they had their sign taken away by the entrance security. They loudly proclaimed their indignation at not having their sign allowed entry. All the sign said was: “We Wilfork Tebow’.

Saturday, January 14^th, was a memorable night and one for the record books. By halftime, the Patriots had set or tied a few records including Rob Gronkowski having 3 TD receptions to match the only other TE to do it – Dave Casper. Tom ‘Superman’ Brady had 5 TD passes in that 1^st half (an NFL playoff record) and 6 for the game (tying Daryle Lamonica and Steve Young). While I had predicted pre-game that the contest would be over by halftime, I never dreamed that the Pats would lead 35-7. I enjoy routs when it’s my team doing the routing.

It wasn’t that cold (24° at game start). Nothing like the Titans playoff game when it was 4° and I never had a beer all game. On this night, my right hand remained glove free until late in the game. My right hand is my beer holding hand. In the 4^th quarter beer iced up.

There were many “Sevens” shouted out. There were many, many cries of “First down!” (the Pats had 31) punctuated by raised arms as arrows. High fives for the highlight catches, touchdowns and field goal. Gronk’s grab in the corner was one of the best ever.

It was 21-7 when my brother Brad, in from Asheville, said that he wanted another Pats’ touchdown before the half. He didn’t know that they would get not one but two as Deion Branch raced down the sideline 61 yards, the Pats held Denver and then Gronk administered the coup de grace with a 19-yarder 5 seconds before the half.

Not long after, I said that these Broncos were ready for the glue factory. These nags should be shot. Brad later pointed out several Broncos fans two rows in front of us. Somehow I forgot They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

While there was little scoring in the second half, it was clear that the Patriots defense did not want to give up a touchdown. The only TD Denver had gotten was gift-wrapped after a Brady interception gave the Broncos the ball on the Pats 24. Yet in the second half, Denver, desperate as they were, could not cross the goal line, settling for one field goal and turning it over on downs after a 1^st and goal from the 3.

GAME BALLS A fan held up a sign that said ‘The End Is Near – For Tebow’.

If you stayed the whole game, you got to see Tom Brady get off a pooch kick on a 3^rd and 10, catching everyone by surprise. The punt went 48 yards. Denver must not have liked it because they had two unnecessary roughness penalties on the play, one on Von Miller.

Shaun Ellis missed sacking the elusive Tebow, but got up and then blindsided Tebow with a thunderous hit for the sack.

The Pats D had 5 sacks. The others: Ninkovich (1 ½), Wilfork (1 ½) and Spikes (1).

The Defense had 8 QB hits: Spikes 2, Nink 2, Wilfork 2, Ellis 1 and Nico 1.

Per Mike Reiss, Spikes was in for 59 of 71 snaps. His play in the middle allowed Mayo (66 snaps) to move outside. Ninkovich (66), who forced a fumble, had a monster game.

Reiss noted that both Mark Anderson (70) and Patrick Chung (71) answered the bell. Reiss also pointed out that when Sterling Moore (36) came in at CB, Devin McCourty moved to safety in place of James Ihedigbo.

At half, Tebow was 3 for 10. Tom Brady was 18 of 25 with 5 TDs. For the game, all four starting receivers (Welker, Branch, Gronk and AH) caught TD passes.

Pats’ receiver #85 played one snap during the game.

Next up is the Ravens for whom we will cry out ‘Nevermore’. The key to stopping the Ravens is Ray Rice, who led his team in rushing and receiving. I fear Ray Rice a lot more than Joe Flacco. The Pats did not have Wes Welker when the Ravens beat them last time in the playoffs. The Pats have more weapons this time. Two more games to go.

E-MAIL

Hey Jim

I don’t blame you for not wanting to play the Giants in the Super Bowl!

Al (Al sent the above before the Giants played Dallas!) With the win over the Broncos secured, I asked Driller Killer who he’d rather the Pats face if they make it to the Super Bowl, the Packers or Giants. Driller said, “Packers”. I agreed. That pass rushing D line of the Giants may be Kryptonite to Tom ‘Superman’ Brady’s amazing powers. - Z

My head hurts, my feet stink and I don’t love Jesus was a song by Jimmy Buffett.

Cd

After the Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda trade, I e-mailed Yankee fans Terry Nau and Jim Dwyer to get their reactions:

Jim: Not happy with the trade. Worried about declining offense for Yankees as Jeter and A-Rod age and Teix turns into Giambi at the plate, hitting .250 with power. At least he can field. I thought Montero would be new blood, even as part-time DH and backup catcher. Pineda pitched in a pitcher’s ballpark, now he comes to a hitter’s park. Good news is, Ben Cherington is still doing OJT. Will the Red Sox do anything this winter that isn’t small?

Here’s the deal: Texas and LA are in the playoffs. The wild-card comes out of the West. The East is going to eat itself up with the Rays, Sox, Yankees and Jays all pretty good.

Who do you think is the best team in the East? Doesn’t matter tonight. Let me know in April.

Terry Nau

With the moves for Pineda and Kuroda, you’d have to give the edge to the Yankees. The Red Sox ownership is already paying the luxury tax and doesn’t want it to escalate with more high priced contracts. So Cherington can only make minor moves. I did like taking a flyer on Aaron Cook. There are a lot of questions about the Sox’ starting pitching. With the additions of Melancon and Bailey, the Sox have helped the pen, though Pap’s loss is huge. Too many questions for this year’s team for a fan to be comfortable. - Z

Mr. Dwyer had a different reaction to the trade:

Well Brenton called me last night with the news and at first I said who?? Then when he told me at first it was a shock about Montero because they could have had Cliff Lee a few years ago for him. But this year by his playing and all reports I’ve read he is only going to be a DH he is not even the Yankees no 1 “catching” prospect any longer. From what I’ve read and remember from last year’s game Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez appear to be better catchers. Actually last year they may have even caught Romine more than Montero because they used Montero as a DH. Their catchers are Russell Martin and Francisco Cervelli. Montero definitely will be a big time hitter but his catching skills have not progressed that much.

As far as Pineda, I just read up on him he’s 6′ 7″ 260 throws avg fastball 94.7 which only Ogando, Price and Verlander throw faster in MLB and Yanks have control of him till 2017 –I think he’s only 24, was all-star, and struck out something like 173 in 170 IP. Plus they got some other 19 yr old pitcher from Seattle.   Also they just signed Kuroda.

So to answer your question –after reading up on him and remembering that Montero was just gonna be DH –Yes I like the trade.

Jim Dwyer

Nice to see the Pats got a bye right into the AFC title game. Ravens a tougher nut to crack.

If Pats lose in the Super Bowl, is it a disappointing season for you diehards? That’s where the Yankees put their fans after winning four of five WS. Second place is agony. It’s not right, but when it’s all over and you have lost in the Super Bowl, that lives with you forever. One and dones are easier to swallow.

Terry Nau

Driller Killer, Brad and I enjoyed the Broncos game very much. Mile high much. The Ravens will be a much tougher test. Still haven’t gotten over the Pats loss to the Giants in the Feb. ’08 Super Bowl. For me, a Super Bowl win is the only goal. I don’t wear AFC championship shirts. The Pats defense has been their Achilles’ heel. If they can piece together a defense decent enough to win this year’s Super Bowl, it will be Bill Belichick’s best ever coaching job. - Z

Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com (Thanks to Buffalo Steve)