Sports thoughts: Breslow, World Series, Patriots
Here's my attempt to catch up on some New England sports topics as we get ready to fall back --- yes, that means returning to Eastern Standard Time and NOT Daylight Saving Time (as has been mistakenly reported at this time often in the past), which we've been following since March --- at 2 a.m. this Sunday (Nov. 5).
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Welcome, Craig Breslow
Unlike some in the media who started trashing Chaim Bloom's replacement as the chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox the minute he was announced as the team's choice for the job, I extend a hearty welcome to the former southpaw relief pitcher for the Sox (2006-07 and 2012-15).
For one thing, anyone who graduated Yale with majors in molecular biophysics and biochemistry as an undergraduate and then went on to a successful baseball career is someone I want to lead my favorite baseball club.
But I heartily welcome Breslow back to the Sox because he worked hard while he toiled out of the bullpen and was mostly successful as a reliever, recording some key outs for the Sox during their 2013 postseason march to the World Series title.
Unlike Bloom, Breslow played the game, and that has to count for something, especially when it comes to acquiring talent and making trades that will really help the Sox instead of always aiming for "value," as Bloom did. I also have confidence that Breslow will be much more willing than Bloom to give up prospects to make a season-changing trade, whether that comes in the off-season, during spring training or before the trade deadline.
Another reason why I want to give Breslow the benefit of the doubt is his record of transforming the Cubs' pitching staff in his time there as an assistant general manager.
The Sox desperately need to add two or three top-line starters and have to move both Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck to the bullpen to put an end to their hybrid role of being both starters and relievers. They are both failed starters, as both have demonstrated a clear inability to go deep in games on a consistent basis as they both tend to falter when they go through the opposing team's lineup for the third time.
These days, far too many commentators and analysts think they're being cool to just torpedo people before giving them a chance. I want to see what moves Breslow makes in the off-season --- which just got under way today after the Texas Rangers' first-ever World Series win in their 62-year history --- before criticizing him.
For one thing, anyone who graduated Yale with majors in molecular biophysics and biochemistry as an undergraduate and then went on to a successful baseball career is someone I want to lead my favorite baseball club.
But I heartily welcome Breslow back to the Sox because he worked hard while he toiled out of the bullpen and was mostly successful as a reliever, recording some key outs for the Sox during their 2013 postseason march to the World Series title.
Unlike Bloom, Breslow played the game, and that has to count for something, especially when it comes to acquiring talent and making trades that will really help the Sox instead of always aiming for "value," as Bloom did. I also have confidence that Breslow will be much more willing than Bloom to give up prospects to make a season-changing trade, whether that comes in the off-season, during spring training or before the trade deadline.
Another reason why I want to give Breslow the benefit of the doubt is his record of transforming the Cubs' pitching staff in his time there as an assistant general manager.
The Sox desperately need to add two or three top-line starters and have to move both Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck to the bullpen to put an end to their hybrid role of being both starters and relievers. They are both failed starters, as both have demonstrated a clear inability to go deep in games on a consistent basis as they both tend to falter when they go through the opposing team's lineup for the third time.
These days, far too many commentators and analysts think they're being cool to just torpedo people before giving them a chance. I want to see what moves Breslow makes in the off-season --- which just got under way today after the Texas Rangers' first-ever World Series win in their 62-year history --- before criticizing him.
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Congrats, Nate Eovaldi!
Congratulations are in order for Texas Rangers' starter and former Red Sox standout Nate Eovaldi for gutting it out over 6 innings of Game 5 of the World Series last night (Nov. 1) against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 7th inning, which made Eovaldi the pitcher of record on the winning side, and then scored four more runs in the top of the 9th en route to a Series-cliniching 5-0 victory.
Eovaldi's most memorable World Series appearance, of course, took place during Game 3 of the 2018 series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he pitched several innings in relief before surrendering the game-winning homer to Max Muncy in the bottom of the 18th well past 3 a.m. on the East Coast. (That game was in Los Angeles.)
The Sox went on to win the series in five games, but Eovaldi's gutsy performance in relief is widely credited with saving the bullpen and inspiring the team to rebound for wins in Games 4 and 5.
I've been very clear that the Sox should never have let Eovadli go as a free agent last winter, especially with how deplorable their starters were in 2023. So I was very happy as a Sox fan to see Eovaldi get the win in the decisive Game 5.|
Eovaldi's most memorable World Series appearance, of course, took place during Game 3 of the 2018 series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he pitched several innings in relief before surrendering the game-winning homer to Max Muncy in the bottom of the 18th well past 3 a.m. on the East Coast. (That game was in Los Angeles.)
The Sox went on to win the series in five games, but Eovaldi's gutsy performance in relief is widely credited with saving the bullpen and inspiring the team to rebound for wins in Games 4 and 5.
I've been very clear that the Sox should never have let Eovadli go as a free agent last winter, especially with how deplorable their starters were in 2023. So I was very happy as a Sox fan to see Eovaldi get the win in the decisive Game 5.|
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Patriots, Belichick a mess
Any conversation about the 2023 edition of the New England Patriots has to start with mentioning how ridiculously spoiled the team's fans were from the 2001-2019 seasons when Tom Brady was the quarterback. Clearly, the reason for the Patriots' success was overwhelmingly Brady and not coach Bill Belichick, but it's not his fault.
A coach can only do so much when faced with talent that's at best extremely mediocre and at worst awful --- and that's what the vast majority of the players on the 2023 Patriots are: mostly terrible!
It's easy to want to kick Belichick out of town --- and I'm as tired of his disrespectful and laconic post-game press conferences when he barely moves his lips as his severest critics are. He shows just how much he wishes all media members would be sent straight to Mars on one-way trips!
And, yes, we were willing to put up with Belichick's shtick --- "I'm the smartest person in the room" is his motto --- while the Pats were winning. But very few people are willing to accept Belichick's offensive arrogance now that the team flat out stinks!
But firing Belichick now would be ill-advised. It not only wouldn't lead to more wins, but it would make the team even worse. What needs to happen is that Belichick needs to be stripped of his general manager duties after the season --- his drafts over the last several years have been very poor --- and given the choice to concentrate on coaching or to then be shown the door.
I predicted the Patriots would go 5-12 before the season and am now predicting 4-13 at best. It'd be better if they'd finish the season 2-15 in order to get the highest draft pick possible, but they'll probably win three or four more games and end up 6-11 and get a middle of the road draft choice.
At any rate, owner Bob Kraft has to make drastic changes after the season if he wants to begin the long-avoided post-Brady rebuild sooner rather than later.
A coach can only do so much when faced with talent that's at best extremely mediocre and at worst awful --- and that's what the vast majority of the players on the 2023 Patriots are: mostly terrible!
It's easy to want to kick Belichick out of town --- and I'm as tired of his disrespectful and laconic post-game press conferences when he barely moves his lips as his severest critics are. He shows just how much he wishes all media members would be sent straight to Mars on one-way trips!
And, yes, we were willing to put up with Belichick's shtick --- "I'm the smartest person in the room" is his motto --- while the Pats were winning. But very few people are willing to accept Belichick's offensive arrogance now that the team flat out stinks!
But firing Belichick now would be ill-advised. It not only wouldn't lead to more wins, but it would make the team even worse. What needs to happen is that Belichick needs to be stripped of his general manager duties after the season --- his drafts over the last several years have been very poor --- and given the choice to concentrate on coaching or to then be shown the door.
I predicted the Patriots would go 5-12 before the season and am now predicting 4-13 at best. It'd be better if they'd finish the season 2-15 in order to get the highest draft pick possible, but they'll probably win three or four more games and end up 6-11 and get a middle of the road draft choice.
At any rate, owner Bob Kraft has to make drastic changes after the season if he wants to begin the long-avoided post-Brady rebuild sooner rather than later.
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