Rob Gronkowski and Matt Light were caught on camera partying shirtless on stage with LMFAO at the Patriots after-party just hours after losing the Super Bowl on Sunday night/early Monday morning.

Is there anything wrong with this picture?

I have a few different feelings about this…

First, Light is 34 years old and a little long on the waistband. Are you seriously dancing topless on the stage at a LMFAO show?

Second, how the hell is Gronk moving so well on his severely injured ankle??? Yo soy fiesta, indeed.

Finally, I realize that Gronk and Light (and others) have had a very long season and worked like hell to get where they got. But after that loss, this looks pretty bad:

If I (as a fan) am feeling crappy and dejected and not in the mood to party after watching Sunday’s game, does it appear that I care more about the game than they do? It sure does appear that way, but let’s be honest, I have no idea how a loss like that feels for the players. I only know as a fan.

So, I guess it’s their life, and people have their own ways of coping with things.

If we want to look at it a different way… the players had a bad day at work on Sunday, and what do people usually want to do after a bad day of work? They drink. So, they drank.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Opinion, Patriots.

Do you ever get the feeling like there’s no one on earth who loves you? That feeling that you’re completely alone in the world, completely abandoned by people who once cared so much for you?

I bet that Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles fans feel that way all the time. These two franchises had so much to look forward to at one point in their history: World titles, All-Star players and recorded-setting teams are now all gone. The fans of these teams have nothing left but to watch the Angels, Rangers, Red Sox and the Yankees dominate their respective divisions. There isn’t much to brag about or look forward to if you’re a Baltimore or Oakland fan. Almost as if the grace of God is non-existent.

And if anyone in either city still even believes in God, they’re about to have one more reason to abandon faith because Manny Ramirez may be headed to one of these two sorry, sorry franchises. Apparently, the rumor mill (and reputable news sources, but what’s the difference anymore) is spouting some talk of Manny being Manny in Baltimore or Oakland. I can’t even believe that the management of these (I almost wrote respected) teams are even considering taking in a player who is way past is prime and won’t even play in the first 50 games of the season. If I lived in Oakland or Baltimore and I read the headline “Manny’s coming to Town!,” I’d quickly flip to any and all stories about drive-byes and missing children to cheer me up.

Why Bother?

At this time, there’s no contract information available, but if the O’s and A’s are smart, which they aren’t, they better not sign him for more than the league minimum. Also, they should add in a ton of incentives. It’s a smart way to try to actually get something out of him.

The issue is: what’s left for Manny Ramirez to give? His last few seasons where way below the usual Manny production and after a year off, I highly doubt he’s found “it” again. He’d certainly be limited to just a designated hitter, but then again, if they’re considering Manny, then they’d probably let him play centerfield and maybe close a few games too.

From what is being reported, Oakland needs a DH and they find Manny to be an intriguing signing. As for the Orioles, Dan Duquette is Baltimore’s GM and he’s obviously dealt with Manny before, so he’s willing to take this risk. In 2001, he signed Ramirez to a $160 million deal with Boston and referred to him in his press conference as both “interesting”and “entertaining.” I highly doubt he’ll use either of those words when all the Orioles fans slash his car’s tires.

Do These Teams Have Anything to Gain?

I don’t entirely blame two of the lowest ranking teams in baseball to want to shake things up and stir some interest in their teams. The circus atmosphere will certainly have people coming to witness what could be a giant calamity. I don’t know how many national ESPN or FOX games one single player would help these teams get to, if any. Oakland actually has a decent, young team, which with the right management and signings could actually redeem the franchise a little.

I’d hate to see Manny come in and alienate people and pout/get bored when the losing streaks start. The A’s actually have hope (the O’s not so much), but Oakland can do something someday, much like Texas very slowly built a two-time AL champion. They need to be smart right now, not naive to “entertaining” signings. They may even move to San Jose in a few years, so positive press is a must right now.

Baltimore’s Motives

As for Baltimore, if they want to use Manny to bring in more to Camden Yards, that’s fine. He may even hit a little, considering it’s a small ballpark. But, this too has disaster written all over it because I don’t think Manny is really the Buck Showalter “type.” He has an attitude problem and Buck isn’t the type of guy who’s going to sit back and take the typical Manny being Manny being an ass, especially since Manny wouldn’t be in the same position in Baltimore as he was in Boston. Showalter would have much more of a right to complain about Manny and call him out in interviews. I don’t see these two mixing well, not one bit.

And yes, I am aware that in a recent interview, Ramirez told ESPN and Pedro Gomez that he wants to show everyone that he can change and that he can still play ball. I’m not saying Manny is a bad guy atall. I’m sure he’s actually a pretty decent man if you met him, but I don’t really believe what he told ESPN. Maybe he’ll change for a day, a week or a month. And then what? He gets bored and like a little kid, he starts trouble. He’ll open his mouth and it’ll rub someone, or everyone, the wrong way. Then, when that happens, you’ll end up (just like in Boston) with a whole mess of people angry at him and one or two making excuses for him. Does any team really need that?

He Won’t Change

He’s going to be sitting out the first 50 games. Let’s remember this; he’ll be sitting around doing nothing for 50 straight games. He’s better off serving the suspension at home because there’s no need for him to sit in the dugout, unavailable,
watching his team lose until mid-May.

Usually, when it comes to players with bad attitudes, I’m fairly passive. I’ve always adopted the stance that as long as they keep their attitudes and off-the-field drama away from the stadium and batter’s box, it’s fine by me. But Manny brings his issues with him where ever he goes. It’s not like I’m trying to make Manny out to be some brood, dark trouble maker. No, if anything, he’s like a child. He can have that childlike characteristic about him where he can make you love him, but also he can kick and scream until everyone’s good time is ruined.

And unfortunately for Oakland and Baltimore, they hardly ever have any good times to begin with.

© andrew macdonald for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

After going 4-0 last week, the Boston Celtics were already potentially poised to put up some straight A’s. They had their revenge (93-90 over the Cleveland Cavaliers), wiped out the dinosaurs (a 36-point drubbing of the Toronto Raptors), got gritty in MSG (beating the New York Knicks 91-89), and proved themselves against a younger, more athletic opponent (topping the Memphis Grizzlies 98-80). That left the Celtics at 13-10, the first time Boston has seen the right side of .500 since they were 4-3.

Then Super Bowl XLVI happened.

(Excuse me while I go drown my pain in unintelligible Kurt Cobain lyrics and grungy power chords.)

Without rehashing the gory details, let’s just move ahead with this week’s grades, with the important caveat that I am clinically depressed from Sunday night’s devastating loss. Just know I will be assigning massive grade inflation simply to assuage my severely bruised and battered ego. I need something to hold onto, both literally (to support myself) and emotionally (my tear ducts no longer function properly).

Starting Backcourt: B+

Avery Bradley was reasonably solid in his two starts, even managing to contribute 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting (albeit against the Raptors, who really give their Jurassic Park counterparts a bad name).

Not exactly the kind of efficient production Celtics fans hope to get from Ray Allen, but he did manage to contribute a consistent dozen points per game.

Of course, the big story of the week was Rajon Rondo suiting up to play. Coming off an eight game layoff due to a nagging wrist injury, Rondo’s return Friday against the Knicks was predictably sluggish (7 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers). Rondo only mustered five points in his second game back, but dished out 14 dimes and led the Celtics to 26 fast-break points (more than the previous three games combined). He appeared to have a much better sense of timing and rhythm (as evidenced by this gorgeous feed to Jermaine O’Neal for the flush). Just his mere presence is enough to bump the backcourt up to a B+ for this week (or so I tell myself).

Starting Frontcourt: A-

I can’t say enough about Paul Pierce, who has absolutely elevated his play recently and took home the Offensive Player of the Week award for filling up the stat sheet night in and night out. His masterpiece, of course, was a vintage Pierce appearance against the Knicks, when he went off for 30 points, including a couple of absurd three-pointers to barely beat the shot clock in the game’s final minutes (one of which was waved off, but no less insane – just listen to the Garden roar).

Kevin Garnett has been draining some threes of his own, which he will incessantly remind you is within his range. Much to my preference, though, it was nice to see Garnett down on the block in the second half against the Grizzlies en route to 24 points (tying his season-high).

Meanwhile, O’Neal has been doing all the dirty work on the defensive end, drawing charge after charge at the cost of his already creaky knees. Hopefully they hold up and he continues to (pun alert!) take charge defensively (I warned you).

Altogether, I’d say that merits the first A of the season.

Bench Backcourt: C

Bradley continues to struggle when not hidden among the starting five (you mean not playing with perennial All-Stars hurts his stats? A revelation, I know); E’Twaun Moore remains lightning in a bottle (still waiting for him to strike twice); and Sasha Pavlovic has officially leapfrogged Marquis Daniels in the Celtics rotation (I’m pretty sure that was what the Mayans were talking about).

Bench Frontcourt: A-

The second unit of bigs gets our second A of the season! Doc Rivers is singing Chris Wilcox’s praises (following my lead from last week), while Brandon Bass and Mickael Pietrus are doing their thing (shooting, shooting, and more shooting for Bass; for Pietrus, that means being French).

In the surprise of the week, JaJuan Johnson showed a lot of promise for the future with some impressive garbage time performances (insert grain of salt here). In 32 total minutes of playing time, Johnson poured in 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting, with six rebounds and a couple of blocks. Johnson should be an exciting young player to watch develop as this year goes on. He has a chance to be the greatest Boston athlete to ever wear #12 (shhhhhh!).

© Nick Bohlen for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Opinion.

A heartbreaking loss for New England; another well-fought victory for New York. New York won again behind a season eerily similar to four years ago. Tom Coughlin continues to expand his record for most times being fired without actually being fired, and now has another Super Bowl to his credit. And the AFC finally won a coin toss for the first time in 15 years. The last AFC team before the Pats to win one? The Pats.

With most votes going with city lines, the Giants pulled off the upset in our Pick ‘Em contest. Scoring, turnovers and passing were all low, leading to few points across the board. But that doesn’t mean the scoring wasn’t close. In fact, despite double points, the final score came down to four points. And the winner of the 2012 NFL Playoffs Pick ‘Em is…Edward. Given the Super Bowl, I suppose it’s only fitting that the New Yorker of the contest wins. Solid picks throughout the rounds allowed Edward to come out on top.

So with the contest over, check below for the final results and standings. And remember to come back next September for next season’s Pick ‘Em.

Table Legend:

• Four-point picks are boldfaced.
• Two-point picks are italicized.
• Zero-poin picks are crossed out.

Previous Results

• Pro Bowl
• Conference Championships
• Divisional Round
• Wildcard Round

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, NFL, Now!, Opinion, Patriots.

The Boston Red Sox have been rumored to be after just about every starting pitcher for the past fifteen seasons. There will never be a winter where the Sox aren’t in the running, even if it’s hearsay, for a free agent. With a little less than three weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, we know for sure that starting pitcher Edwin Jackson will not be headed to Fort Meyers as a Red Sox. The 28-year-old Scott Boras client was a modest 12-9 with an ERA of 3.79 in 2011, which was divided between the Chicago White Sox and the Cardinals. The Red Sox had offered Jackson about $5 million for one-year, but were outbid by the Washington Nationals, who doubled their offer.

Boston Does Have Other Options

The Red Sox didn’t need Edwin Jackson, but he would have been a good fit as a back-of-the-rotation starter. He has very solid numbers last season and over the course of his nine-year career, has been the model of consistency and durability. Over the past four seasons, Jackson has thrown 806 1/3 innings, just missing the 200-inning mark last season for the first time in two years.

I really like this model of pitcher. The work horse is a much underrated member of the pitching staff. Most “work horses” aren’t very flashy, but they are valuable assets to teams, but once again, the Red Sox don’t need him. Boston already has a long list of fourth and fifth starter hopefuls for next season.

The Sox haves names like Aaron Cook, Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard vying for those last remaining spots. I have full faith that anyone of these pitchers could easily fit into this role and could very easily find themselves fairly successful on the fourth and fifth days. The back of the rotation doesn’t ask for much. They don’t have to be flashy or worth big money. Jackson will be a second or third starter in Washington and that’s great for him, as he’ll have a great place to grow and advance some more as a player. In Boston, he would have been fifth out and under the biggest microscope. This is something he may have considered in his decision.

Oswalt May Not Be a Good Fit For The Red Sox

Roy Oswalt is still out there and, to be honest, I’m not too big on him. Much like Jackson, Oswalt is a worker and he does have an advantage when it comes to playoff experience, but he just doesn’t fit with Boston at the moment. If this was three years ago, I’d be ecstatic just to hear that the Red Sox were even mentioned in the “Roy Oswalt sweepstakes.”

Today, however, I find it laughable that there are journalists even bothering with the phrase “Roy Oswalt sweepstakes.” This isn’t a sweepstakes. The team that “wins” Roy Oswalt gets a starter with back injuries and a declining set of skills. He missed 23 games for the Phillies last season and was only able to muster up nine wins and a 3.69 ERA. Yes, I understand that most of the blame on Oswalt’s season was his back and a very good pitcher like Mr. Oswalt could bounce back, but why take the chance? He’s not going to be the pitcher he once was and the Red Sox are in no position to take on any charity cases right now.

This isn’t the “bridge” year for the Sox, it’s a redemption year. They can’t test out players with one year deals and make experimental signings, like they did with Adrian Beltre a few seasons ago. Yes, that worked out well for the Sox and his career has been back on track ever since, but this is a completely different scenario. Beltre was a good hitter, who had lost it, coming into a hitter’s ballpark and Boston had nothing to lose.

In Oswalt’s case, he’s a good (but declining) pitcher coming into the AL East. There’s a lot at stake here. There’s a lot that can go wrong, I mean, I’m sure the Sox brand new GM doesn’t want to look ridiculous in his first year by signing an unnecessary pitcher who could very well be a bust. Anything short of a strong playoff run will be considered a failure for the Red Sox in 2012. The team is still very good with what they have.

What’s a one-year deal for Oswalt really going to accomplish for the Red Sox? If the top three starters can’t get the job done, then what chance do the Red Sox have? Oswalt or no Oswalt: the team’s success isn’t going to come out of the fourth starter position. It’s going to hang on the balance of the (hopefully newfound and rejuvenated) work-ethic and discipline of Beckett, Bucholtz and Jon Lester.

© andrew macdonald for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

The Super Bowl is finally here, and once again, it’s New England vs. New York (if you include the other side of the New Jersey border). The SoB (in red)/SoNY (in green) rivalry is continuing in full swing as well, with the Pats getting the majority of picks to win their fourth ring. (True, most panelists are from Boston, but the Giants swung one of those votes.) Based on our picks, it looks to be a medium-to-high scoring game, though not an absolute shootout.

The passing looks to be in the low-to-mid 300s to top off the day, with a few turnovers thrown in. The MVP depends on who you ask, with only Tom Terrific getting multiple votes.

All categories are the same as last round, with the addition of picking the total combined turnovers of both teams. And also, for the Super Bowl, all point values are doubled! That mean’s it’s worth four points for anyone who guesses the winner of any game, two points if they can guess combined touchdown totals of the two teams to within one (or four points if they guess the total exactly right) and two points if they can guess the total passing yardage of each game’s top passer to within 50 (or four points if they get within 10 and six points if they guess it exactly right [just for the Super Bowl]). Correctly guessing the game’s MVP is worth two points, and guessing the combined turnover total of both teams is worth two points if guessed to within one (or two points if guessed exactly right).

So with all that out of the way, let’s enjoy the Super Bowl. Check below for the picks and check back on Monday for the results.

Previous Results

• Pro Bowl
• Conference Championships
• Divisional Round
• Wildcard Round

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, NFL, Now!, Opinion, Patriots.

On Sunday, Feb. 5, the New England Patriots (15-3) will battle the New York Giants (12-7) for the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

The Patriots have won 10 in a row, outscoring their opponents 359-188 over that time period to advance to their fifth Super Bowl during the Bill Belichick era. New York is on a roll as well with six wins in their past seven outings, including a quartet of road wins at the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers to advance to their second title game in five years.

Path to the Big Game

New York Giants
New York punched their ticket to Indianapolis after winning five straight single-elimination games. Following back-to-back triumphs over the Jets and Cowboys to clinch the NFC East, the Giants dismantled the Atlanta Falcons 27-2 in the Wild Card round.

The Giants’ hot play continued on the road after they upset the heavily favored Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field, knocking off the defending Super Bowl Champions 37-20 to advance to the NFC Championship game in San Francisco. In a defensive struggle, New York capitalized on a pair of special teams fumbles by Kyle Williams, including one in overtime, to top the 49ers 20-17 to advance Super Bowl XLVI.

New England Patriots
Following an impressive 13-3 season, the New England Patriots earned a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs. New England hosted the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional match up, and crushed Tim Tebow and the AFC West champions 45-10 to snap the Patriots’ three-game playoff skid.

Baltimore was next on the chopping block, but Coach Belichick’s team needed all 60-minutes and a little bit of luck to top the Ravens. Tom Brady tossed for zero touchdowns and a pair of interceptions, but his fourth quarter, one-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal proved to be the conference-winning play.

Baltimore had a three more opportunities to tie the contest in New England territory, but a Brandon Spikes interception, a fourth-down stop, and a Lee Evans drop set the stage for one of the worst misses in NFL history. With 15 seconds to play, Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff shanked a 32-yard attempt wide left to send New England to their seventh Super Bowl in franchise history.

Recent History

Despite being in different conferences, this will be the fourth match up between these two teams in the last five years. The last three have been decided by four points or less, and each game has showcased a lead change in the final frame.

In the 2007 regular season finale, the 15-0 Patriots roared back from a 12-point second-half deficit in the Meadowlands to top New York 38-35 to cement a perfect regular season.

The two teams met just five weeks later in Super Bowl XLII, resulting in a Giants 17-14 victory. That game featured a trio of lead changes in the final frame, including Eli Manning’s 13-yard strike to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left to seal the title and bshatter New England’s shot at immortality.

In the most recent match up between these two, both offense and defense were showcased in a 24-20 New York win. The two defenses pitched a first half shutout that resulted in a 0-0 half time tie, but both offenses stepped up in the second half.

After Manning connected with Mario Manningham on a 10-yard touchdown with 3:03 remaining, Brady answered with a touchdown march of his own, converting a fourth-down to Rob Gronkowksi to give the Patriots 20-17 lead with 1:36 left. It was too much time for Manning however, as he surgically dissected New England’s defense, capping it off with a one-yard score to Jake Ballard to give New York a 24-20 win in Foxborough, Mass.

Injury Report

New York

New England

There are three notable injuries to watch in this game. While Rob Gronkowski’s ankle injury has stolen the headlines, the Patriots should see the return of All-Pro offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer to bolster the right side of the line.

For New York, the key injury to keep an eye is Hakeem Nicks’ shoulder injury. If he is limited at all, the ability to cover New York’s receiving core will be a simpler task for Belichick’s secondary.

Key Matchup – Offense

Giants’ Pass Rush vs. Patriots’ Offensive Line
New York’s defensive line is one of, if not the best pass rush in the league. Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell can roll out a plethora of pass rushers, including Jason Pierre-Paul (16.5 sacks), Osi Umenyiora (nine sacks in nine games), Justin Tuck (five sacks), and the rest of a unit that ranked third in the league with 48 sacks.

New York’s pressure has pulverized Brady in their previous two meetings. In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants registered five sacks and pummeled New England’s MVP quarterback throughout. In their Week 9 rematch this season, New York tallied a pair of sacks and hit Brady three more times.

On the New England side of the ball, Coach Bill Belichick may finally have the resistance needed to mar the Giants’ pass rush. LT Matt Light is having one of his best seasons in his career, LG Logan Mankins is a rock solid protector, C Dan Connelly has been tremendous as an injury replacement and Brian Waters is experiencing a career resurgence.

Those facts, combined with the quicker-than-expected development of Nate Solder, the possible return of Sebastian Vollmer, and Rob Gronkowski’s blocking ability could mitigate New York’s rush.

If Tom Brady can remain upright and find his targets, the Patriots will have a great chance of capturing the title. If New York’s defensive line can generate pressure, this game will be a nail biter until the very end.

Key Matchup – Defense

Giants’ Running Game vs. Patriots’ Defensive Line
We all know of the phenomenal play of Eli Manning over the past month, and we all know the bevy of options he has at his disposal. Each of his receivers possesses a different match up difficulty for Belichick, but despite their talent, the success ofNew York’s offense will come down to their ground game.

The Giants opened the season 6-2, receiving great play from running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who accumulated 440 yards and five touchdowns during that span. Following a Bradshaw foot injury however, the Giants went on a free fall, going 1-5 over the next six to bottom out at 7-7.

In their nine wins, the Giants averaged nearly 100 yards on the ground while just averaging 76 yards in their seven losses.

A balanced attack poses problems for Belichick, who will have to account for both the run and the pass. If New England can limit the Giants’ ground game, the New York offense will become one dimensional and play right into the Patriots’ hands, possibly providing a few turnovers.

Prediction

Despite a pair of hot, high-flying offenses, Super Bowl XLVI will come down to which team is more focused, disciplined, and plays the most clutch defense and special teams. If you look at the previous two match ups between New York and New England, both were hard-hitting, low scoring contests. Look for that trend to continue on Sunday, with the Patriots making one or two key plays late to insure their fourth title in franchise history.

New England 17, New York 14

© Taylor for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Giants, NFL, Opinion, Patriots, Top Story.

I know its Super Bowl week, but how ’bout a little NBA Power Rankings to hold you over?

1)  Oklahoma City Thunder (18-4) – Oklahoma City stays at number one, and it isn’t even that close at this point. What I find particularly incredible is that they’re the best team in the league while being 29^th in total assists.

2)  Miami Heat (17-6) – The Heat get a slight edge over the Chicago Bulls after defeating them earlier this week. It was actually a pretty bad finish to what was a really good game, but Miami squeaked it out.

3)  Chicago Bulls (19-6) – Not a great week for the Bulls, with losses to both the Heat and the 76ers, but it would be foolish to think they aren’t the first- or second-best team in the eastern conference right now.

4)  Indiana Pacers (16-6) – After the top three, it kind of comes down to who is playing the best basketball at the moment. No team in the NBA had a better week than Indiana. Right when I was starting to back off on my love for them too.

5)  Philadelphia 76ers (16-7) – The lockout has certainly produced some unbalanced schedules this season, and the 76ers are taking advantage. They have currently played about twice as many games at home then on the road, which would be fine if they weren’t a .500 road team. I’m giving them a pass because you can’t help who you play, but it’s something to keep an eye on as their schedule starts to balance out.

6)  Los Angeles Clippers (13-7) – I like what I’m seeing. Their record isn’t spectacular, but they are beating good teams (back-to-back wins over the Nuggets and Thunder earlier in the week). Baby steps.

7)  Denver Nuggets (15-8) – I still consider the Denver Nuggets as the hardest team to figure out, but I do know that 105 PPG is pretty good.

8)  Atlanta Hawks (16-7) – Consistently above average, incredibly boring.

9)  Los Angeles Lakers (14-9) – The last time I thought the Lakers had figured it out, they immediately started playing poorly and made me look dumb. Here’s to hoping the same thing happens.

10)  San Antonio Spurs (15-9) – Look, I know I shouldn’t be surprised with how well the Spurs are playing, but I am. I can’t help it.

11)  Boston Celtics (12-10) – You know what? I’ve really enjoyed watching this team battle the past two weeks. As frustrating as the first month of the season was, and as ‘done and old’ as the Celtics looked … this recent surge has almost made up for it. I’m not crazy. I still don’t think they can beat either Miami or Chicago in the playoffs, but I have to take my imaginary hat off to the oldies. I’m still not totally clear on what Kevin Garnett said to Craig Sager after their comeback win over Orlando last week (“bar fight,” “ball fight,” or both) but I must say, I really like watching (bar fights, ball fights, or both). Good stuff.

12)  Houston Rockets (13-10) – Kyle Lowry is better than I ever could have expected. I can’t put my finger on why I like them, but I like them.

13)  Orlando Magic (14-9) – If you watched the first episode of ‘The Association: Denver Nuggets” then you saw a conversation between George Karl and Doc Rivers right after Denver traded Carmelo Anthony. Karl wouldn’t admit it while he was still on the team, but he told Doc Rivers flat out that the Melo Drama was just killing the team and the trade had to be made. I can’t help but feel like the same thing is happening in Orlando with Dwight Howard.

14)  Portland Trailblazers (13-10) – The Trailblazers 10-1 home record is just as impressive as their 3-9 road record is alarming. I still believe in them.

15)  Dallas Mavericks (14-10) – The best thing I can say about the Dallas Mavericks is that I’m really enjoying the TV show ‘Shark Tank’ with Mark Cuban. The Mavs are decent, though, and that’s about it right now.

16)  Utah Jazz (12-9) – The Jazz haven’t been great lately, but their still holding down a playoff spot in the West … until either Portland or Memphis take it.

17)  Memphis Grizzlies (12-11) – The Memphis Grizzlies are good … until they’re not good. And then they are good again. So the question is, will they be good enough to be good enough to make the playoffs?

18)  Milwaukee Bucks (10-12) – I’ve got to hand it to the Milwaukee Bucks! Sure, the bottom of the East is pretty bad, but they handed out losses to both the Heat and the Lakers this week. Impressive.

19)  Minnesota Timberwolves (11-12) – I was hoping to see the Timberwolves get over .500 this week, but that didn’t happen. I still think they are playing good basketball though, and have an outside shot at making the playoffs. Also, Nikola Pekovic is a bad dude.

20)  New York Knicks (8-15) – On a team with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, I find it simply fantastic that the Knicks went to Steve Novak for the last shot Friday night against the Celtics. That was fun. How much longer will the Knicks stand by Mike D’Antoni?

21)  Cleveland Cavaliers (8-13) – The Cavs aren’t very good, but I’m happy for them. Kyrie Irving is the real deal.

22)  Golden State Warriors (8-12) – Golden State is actually playing pretty decent, but they have a super tough February schedule. Good luck.

23)  New Jersey Nets (8-16) – Guys, Anthony Morrow totally scored 42 points Friday night against the Timberwolves. I know, I know, I didn’t believe it either.

24)  Phoenix Suns (8-14) – Now back to our regularly scheduled Phoenix Suns comment: Trade Steve Nash.

25)  Sacramento Kings (7-15) –Jimmer Fredette earned his first DNP-CD during the Kings impressive win over the Trailblazers Thursday night. Everyone at BYU panic!

26)  Toronto Raptors (8-16) – I have to admit my disappointment in Ed Davis so far this season. I thought he showed flashes towards the end of last season, but it just hasn’t translated into success this year like I thought it might.

27)  Detroit Pistons (5-20) – The Pistons may be last in my heart, but I can’t put them behind the following teams…

28)  New Orleans Hornets (4-19) – How many different ways can I say not having Eric Gordon is killing them?

29)  Washington Wizards (4-19) – Shouldn’t this team be better? I mean, not MUCH better, but they should have more than four wins. If Kyrie Irving can get the Cavaliers to 8 wins, John Wall should be able to get the Wizards to five.

30)  Charlotte Bobcats (3-20) – The Bobcats’ current 10-game losing streak is truly impressive.

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1. Kentucky (63)
Last week was another easy walk through the SEC for the Wildcats. This is the time of the season when malaise sets in though, so watch out for the upset.

2. Syracuse (2)
The Orange won both of their games last week, but the absence of Fab Melo was evident. Unresolved academic issues have not allowed him to play since Jan. 16, but it looks like he will be able to return on Saturday. If it turns out that that is not the case and he can’t return this season, you can write Syracuse off as a contender for the national championship.

3. Ohio State
While the Big Ten has been very good this year, the Buckeyes have still only been tested a couple times. With home-and-homes remaining against #9 Michigan State and No. 19 Wisconsin, they have a lot of work to do. As it is now though, they are far and away the class of the league.

4. Missouri
With the home game against No. 8 Kansas this week, the Tigers get to show how good they are. They won’t win the game at Allen Fieldhouse down the road, but they can win at home. Despite the flaws they’ve shown, most glaringly their inability to slow down the tempo, winning this game would say a lot.

5. North Carolina
The Tar Heels have been lingering here for a while and seem to have been energized since the thrashing at Florida State. Watch for them to really come on as February begins.

6. Baylor
7. Duke
8. Kansas
9. Michigan State
10. Murray State
The Racers! In the top ten! With a Bracke tBusters game against No. 18 Saint Mary’s! I almost can’t contain my excitement at an OVC school being undefeated and ranked this highly. Moreover, I’m glad they will be able to break up the monotony of playing schools with abbreviations like SEMO, SIUE, and EIU. They are without a doubt the best team in Kentucky. Take that Louisville!

11. UNLV
12. Florida
13. Creighton
14. Georgetown
15. Marquette
Given Florida’s past tournament history and the fact that this year’s Gators are on the fringe of the contenders, I think they are the perfect dark horse pick to go to the Final Four.

16. Virginia
17. San Diego State
18. Saint Mary’s
19. Wisconsin
20. Indiana
Did you know that Virginia’s three losses this season are by a combined seven points? They don’t often blow teams out, but they stifle them defensively. They held Georgia Tech to 38 points a couple weeks ago. Because of that, they are going to give Duke and UNC a run for their money (er, scholarships?) in the ACC race. They may not be as talented, but they’re such a tough out that they will give both teams problems.

21. Florida State
22. Mississippi State
23. Michigan
24. Gonzaga
25. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt was launched into the rankings after a victory over Sun Belt-leading Middle Tennessee. That’s an awfully strange non-conference game to have at this point in the season, but it fits them.

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Before I get to Media Day, I want to discuss a couple of topics that took place on Monday. I previously wrote Bob Ryan had lost his fastball. Well, Bob stayed consistent when making a guest appearance on Mike Francesa’s radio show on Monday. When asked why Brady had struggled in recent playoff appearances, Bob stated that in his opinion, Brady’s arm strength had declined.

OK Bob, let me just ask what proof do you have to back up that claim? Brady threw for 5,000+ yards this year. It was one of the best seasons of his career. I don’t see a correlation between struggling against the league’s best defense and declining arm strength. It seems Bob is howling at the moon again, with no facts and no data to back up his claims.

Then, there was Monday night.

Borges Has Outdone Himself Again

When I posted my column earlier in the night, I had made the foolish assumption that all the Spygate talk was done for the night. But anytime you get Michael Felger and Ron Borges together for a Belichick legacy question, there’s a 99% chance of Spygate coming up. Now, it’s nothing new to fans in this market that Ron Borges is one of the biggest Belichick haters in the media. We also are aware that Borges was suspended from the Boston Globe for plagiarism; he would later “retire” from the Globe. I wish he would retire from making guest appearances.

It seems Ron’s new passion is to make up lies or unsubstantiated claims about the Patriots organization. The first lie came about a month ago when he claimed out of the blue that Nick Caserio might not have declined the Colts GM interview. That in fact, Belichick might not have allowed Caserio to interview for the role. When pressed by Tom Curran, Borges had no answer or facts to back up that allegation. Felger just sat there smiling.

Monday night, Borges said that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believed the Patriots had cheated in 2001. He then said that Goodell called Belichick a liar. So let’s be clear, Goodell said that Belichick had lied to him when he said he would apologize for the Spygate incident. But, Goodell never said that the Patriots cheated in 2001. He said this: “We were able to verify that there was no Rams walkthrough tape. No one asked him to tape the walkthrough. He’s not aware of anybody else who may have taped the walkthrough. He had not seen such a tape. He does not know of anybody who says there is a tape.” At that point Goodell ended the Spygate investigation. I can’t read Roger Goodell’s mind, but he never SAID the Patriots cheated in 2001.

So what was Borges talking about? Well he was letting his agenda get in the way of the facts. In other words, he lied. Gary Tanguay and Felger didn’t even try to dispute the lie. Either they were too ignorant to know it was a lie or were encouraging the controversy. Either way, is that journalism?

Media Day

Moving on…Dennis and Callahan started the day off painting a bleak picture for the Patriots on Sunday. It was actually a nice change of pace from their usually over-confident stance on the team. Heath Evans was a great interview, especially when he gave detailed information about how the Patriots in Super Bowl 42 moved hotels the night before the game, and had extra practice in pads leading up to the big game. He also hinted that the Patriots might have come into the game a little too tight.

I didn’t listen to significant portions of the Toucher and Rich show, but I did see a lot of tweets from fans and listened to some sound bites myself later in the day. They seemed to spend a lot of time on their Media Day experience and had some very funny bits with Rob Gronkowski. The foolishness of Media Day really accentuates the comedic abilities of T&R and this week, they have been crushing it. It has been an excellent change of pace for listeners who don’t want to rehash the same topics all week.

There is also the interesting dynamic with WEEI and the Sports Hub being together at their first Media Day. There were constants jabs at WEEI from T&R and later Gresh and Zo on the air and through Twitter. This is a definite role reversal for WEEI, who is used to playing the role of bully on the playground with other local radio challengers.

Tony Massarotti started the “Felger and Mazz” show off with a conspiracy theory. They average about one conspiracy a show. Tuesday, it was that the Patriots were purposely broadcasting that Gronkowski was out of the walking boot. Mazz believes that this is all a rouse and that in fact Gronk is MORE hurt than the Patriots are letting on. Either way it doesn’t matter, the Giants are going to prepare as if he’s healthy as most teams do with injured players. We can all speculate on Gronk but we won’t know how hurt he is until 6:30 PM Sunday.

Rich Cimini

Rich Cimini, writing for ESPN New York, had a column speculating that Tom Brady was overrated. The title of the column was “the Brady Myth.” Wow, where to start. I have a couple of comments on this article. First, there is nothing wrong with questioning Tom Brady’s recent playoff history. He’s had a few clunkers.

Cimini, though, might not be the most objective person to write this column. He’s basically a Jet fanboy; picture Fred Smerlas writing for ESPN New York. He’s a constant basher of the Patriots, so his opinion on Tom Brady really loses credibility. Lately when people want to bash Brady, they bring up Montana. That’s fine, but really you should measure Brady against his peers. He’s playing in his 5th Super Bowl Sunday. That’s two more Super Bowls than Big Ben, three more than Peyton, four more than Brees.

There were also numerous foolish assertions by Cimini. Cimini listed out a bunch of uneven performances Brady had in his last 11 playoff games. He remarked that in two of those games (San Diego in 2006 and last week against Baltimore), that Brady was a fumble and dropped past from being 4-7 in his last 11 games instead of 6-5. Alright, Rich we’ll play you’re dumb game.

You realize in that San Diego game Brady had no running game, average tight ends, and Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell at wide receiver. The Chargers were also 14-2 that year and the most talented team in the NFL. Brady did throw three interceptions, but late in the game he hit Caldwell down the sideline to set up the winning score. Cimini also brought up an interception he threw against the Colts the next week. Well, the Patriots got the ball back at their own 21, trailing by four with under a minute to go. Brady’s interception was more a desperation throw with twenty seconds on the clock than anything else. It’s a ludicrous example.

See, its morons like Cimini that make journalists look ignorant and biased. You can’t play the “if this doesn’t happen then blank” game. If Bengals defensive back Lewis Billups doesn’t drop that Montana pass in Super Bowl 23, the 49ers lose that game. If Norwood doesn’t miss that field goal, the Giants don’t beat the Bills and if David Tyree doesn’t catch the luckiest throw in NFL Super Bowl history, Tom Brady is 4-0 in Super Bowls, and the Patriots are the only team to go 19-0. So what the heck is Cimini talking about? You are what your record says you are. Brady is 6-5 in his last 11 playoff games and he’s the best quarterback of his era. Cimini doesn’t make a credible case as a journalist or a sports fan.

Peyton Manning

Finally, I thought it was great that Peyton Manning did what every little brother enjoys, and that is when their older brother overshadows their biggest moments. Manning in an interview with ESPN said he expected to play in 2012. This was right up there with A-Rod announcing he was opting out of his contract during the World Series.

Peyton, let your little brother have his moment. I know its killing you that he’s going for his second Super Bowl in your stadium, but don’t be a Marsha Brady. Let Eli have his moment and then you can have the media write stories about how you’re the most sought after free agent ever.

Lot of ridiculousness going around Indy and tomorrow is only Wednesday.

© gcain for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | One comment
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